Electronic Arts has filed for two new trademarks concerning a game labeled "Desert Strike." If that title doesn't sound familiar to you, it's probably because you're too young to remember it. That particular shoot'em up was released "way back" in 1992. The isometric title had players controlling a helicopter for most of the journey, mowing down units and anti-aircraft weaponry. Desert Strike was "slower" than other titles of the same era, employing a much more strategic angle to its gameplay. It wasn't just how fast you could fire your guns at something, it was about placement, and tactical movement.
Do these new trademarks hint at the possibility that EA is going to revive the series for the next generation of gaming? That is a legitimate possibility, and it would be incredibly entertaining to see such an archaic game re-imagined as a fully-3D tactical military romp. The above screenshot showcases what the original title looked like in its prime. Back then, it was released for a variety of platforms including the SNES and the Sega CD. It also saw a slew of sequels including Urban Strike, Jungle Strike, Nuclear Strike, and Soviet Strike.
EA has recently been struggling with one of its popular military franchises, Medal of Honor. Perhaps the company is moving away from the MoH series and is re-adopting Desert Strike in hopes of reviving some revenue. Whatever the reason, I am hopeful that we do see some new Desert Strike titles in the near future and it will be very interesting to see just how they turn out with next-gen software at developers' fingertips.