Jungle Strike

Jungle Strike is a helicopter-based shoot 'em up, mixing action and strategy. The player's primary weapon is a Comanche attack helicopter. Additional vehicles that can be operated include a motorbike, a hovercraft and an F-117. The latter in particular features variable height and unlimited ammunition, but is more vulnerable to crashes.

The game features an "overhead" perspective "with a slight 3D twist". 5D perspective which simulates the appearance of being 3D.

Jungle Strike features two antagonists: Ibn Kilbaba, the son of Desert Strike's antagonist, and Carlos Ortega, a notorious South American drug lord. The opening sequence depicts the two men observing a nuclear explosion on a deserted island, while discussing the delivery of "nuclear resources" and an attack on Washington D.C. Kilbaba seeks revenge for his father's death at the hands of the US, while Ortega wishes to "teach the Yankees to stay out of my drug trade".

The player takes control of a "lone special forces" pilot. The first level depicts the protagonist repelling terrorist attacks on Washington, D.C., including the President's limousine. Subsequent levels depict counter-attacks on the drug lord's forces, progressing towards his "jungle fortress". In the penultimate level, the player pursues Kilbaba and Ortega to their respective hideouts before capturing them.

Jungle Strike is the sequel to Desert Strike, a similar game which parodied the Gulf War and was released in 1992. Desert Strike arose from a failed attempt at a flight simulator and was inspired by Matchbox toys and Choplifter. Central to the concept were nonlinear gameplay and the eschewing of power-ups and bosses. With the success of the original title, game director John Manley and associate producer Tony Barnes were tasked with making the sequel.

Together with project manager Susan Manley, they crafted an expanded game with an opening movie and were Electronic Arts first ever 16 Megabit cartridge. Producer Scott Berfield joined the group when the project was Alpha. Jungle Strike kept the core mechanics of its predecessor, with the addition of various vehicles and settings. Desert Strike was at the time Electronic Arts' highest selling video game and maintained a high sales chart position as Jungle Strike was released in 1993.

The game was well received by critics upon release. Adrian Pitt and Mat Yeo of Sega Force both reviewed the game. Adrian Pitt called the title a "strategy game" and commended it as the "greatest game in the genre". Pritt said the controls were "without fault" and the graphics "superb".

Mat Yeo praised the "amazing playability and 'lastability'" and said the game was "twice as good" as Desert Strike. Yeo called the graphics "brilliant" and said the game was "the best shoot 'em up I've seen in a long time". The Mega Drive version was a best-seller for 3 months. Across its console releases, Jungle Strike sold 250,000 copies in the country during 1993, ranking as the ninth best-selling home video game of the year.