NeoTokyo (video game)

NEOTOKYO°
Logo of NeoTokyo
Developer(s)	STUDIO RADI-8
Distributor(s)	Steam
Composer(s)	Ed Harrison
Engine	Source Engine
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows
Release date(s)	July 3, 2009
Media/distribution	Download
System requirements 1.6 GHz processor, 512 MB RAM, 2+ GB of free hard drive space, DirectX 9 compatible video card (Shader 2.0), Windows 7/Vista/2000/XP/ME/98, Steam account with Source SDK

NEOTOKYO° is a first-person shooter total conversion modification of Half-Life 2 in a futuristic world setting, developed by STUDIO RADI-8.

Gameplay

Standard gameplay screen of NeoTokyo. Player fires HRV ZR68C assault rifle against hostile forces.

NEOTOKYO° uses a round-based structure similar to Counter-Strike, in which gameplay takes place in a series of several rounds. When a player dies in-game, they must wait for the beginning of the next round before being able to play again. The game is class-based, with three classes available, each with slightly different characteristics, abilities, and available weaponry. NEOTOKYO° has two gametypes: team-based deathmatch, in which the team that manages to kill all members of the opposing team wins, and "Capture The Ghost", though the majority of maps are designed for the latter mode. This gametype has the two teams competing to capture a randomly-spawned objective item, the "Ghost", by picking it up and carrying it to a designated location on the other side of the map. It is generally similar to capture the flag, except that either team can win by eliminating the enemy, as well as that the Ghost allows the player holding it to see the locations of opposing team members through walls, at the expense of wielding a weapon. The Ghost and any player holding it can be seen as a blip from any location on the map. In a passing nod to Ghost in the Shell, the objective resembles the torso of a gynoid.

Plot

Inspired by such titles as Ghost in the Shell and Akira, NEOTOKYO° is set in a near-future Tokyo, Japan. After the failure of a proposal to alter the Japanese constitution to allow foreign deployment of Japanese soldiers, a military coup d'etat is attempted by extreme nationalist factions in the JSDF.^[1] In response, the Prime Minister of Japan pools former military intelligence operatives and police officers into a sub-group of the Interior Ministry's National Security Force (NSF), called Group Six, to seek out subsequent coup plotters and uphold the law in both domestic and international soil.^[2] Immediately, rumours surface that an unknown faction in the JGSDF's special forces unit "Jinrai" is preparing for another coup attempt against the government. According to the information, the said members of this group are from Special Operations Group 43, fierce ultranationalists determined to succeed with the coup once more.^[1] The ensuing strife between these two factions sets the backdrop for the game.^[1]

Development

NEOTOKYO° has been in development since October 2004.^[1] Originally designed as a game mod for Unreal Tournament 2004 as a deathmatch mod with capture points,^[3] the game was later taken into consideration of Valve's Source engine and released in 2009.

Several of the game's concepts were based on the interpretations of the cyberpunk genre during the development of NEOTOKYO°.^[3]

Soundtrack

The soundtrack of NEOTOKYO° was composed by Ed Harrison, and was described as "haunting" by Jeff Fleming of Game Set Watch. After being recruited from a forum, he also contributed to early sound design before focusing entirely on music. A soundtrack CD was released through CD Baby.^[4]

Reception

NEOTOKYO° was featured in the "Mod World" section of the September 2009 issue of Game Informer.^[5] The game has also been featured on gaming website Kotaku, where it was stated that the game "looks completely amazing."^[6] It won second place for the 2008 Upcoming Mod of the Year Award.^[7]

In February of 2010, NEOTOKYO° placed third in Mod DB's competition for mod of the year.^[8]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} "About NeoTokyo". http://www.neotokyohq.com/about.html. Retrieved 2010-04-30. 
2. ^ "NeoTokyo". 2009-02-01. http://www.steamfriends.com/game/3497. Retrieved 2010-04-30. 
3. ^ ^{a b} "NEOTOKYO° - Humble Beginnings". 2009-06-17. http://www.moddb.com/mods/neotokyo/features/neotokyo-humble-beginnings. Retrieved 2010-04-30. 
4. ^ Fleming, Jeff (2009-09-26). "Interview: NEOTOKYO's Ed Harrison And His Cyberpunk Soundtrack". Game Set Watch. http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2009/09/interview_neotokyos_ed_harriso.php#more. Retrieved 2009-09-29. 
5. ^ Game Informer. September 2009. pp. 94. 
6. ^ Mike Fahey (2009-07-06). "Explore NeoTokyo in Half Life 2". Kotaku. http://kotaku.com/5308609/explore-neotokyo-in-half-life-2. Retrieved 2010-04-30. 
7. ^ "2008 Upcoming Mod of the Year Winners". 2009-02-28. http://www.moddb.com/mods/neotokyo/features/players-choice-best-upcoming-mod. Retrieved 2010-04-30. 
8. ^ Henley (2010-02-06). "Players Choice - Mod of the Year". http://www.moddb.com/events/2009-mod-of-the-year-awards/features/players-choice-mod-of-the-year-2009. Retrieved 2010-04-30. 

External links

• Official NEOTOKYO° Website