Neon Genesis Evangelion: Girlfriend of Steel 2nd

Neon Genesis Evangelion: Girlfriend of Steel 2nd
Developer(s)	Gainax Network Systems
Publisher(s)	Broccoli
Platform(s)	PlayStation 2, Mac OS X, Mac OS, Windows, PlayStation Portable
Release date(s)	January 20, 2005 (JP)
Genre(s)	Visual novel
Mode(s)	Single player
Rating(s)	CERO: 15+
Media/distribution	DVD-ROM (PS2), CD-ROM (MS Windows, Mac OS, Mac OS X)

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Neon Genesis Evangelion: Girlfriend of Steel 2nd (新世紀エヴァンゲリオン鋼鉄のガールフレンド 2nd, Shinseiki Evangerion Kōtetsu no Gārufurendo 2nd^?, lit. "Neon Genesis Evangelion Girlfriend of Steel 2nd"), subtitled in English Neon Genesis Evangelion: Iron Maiden 2nd, is a Gainax-produced adventure anime-style video game, and manga based on that game, set in the alternate universe seen in episode 26 of Neon Genesis Evangelion. The player controls Shinji Ikari, the hero of the original Evangelion series, as he navigates his home, school, and social life in a now-peaceful "Tokyo-3".

Each character from the original Evangelion makes an appearance but some of their circumstances and personalities have radically changed. Misato Katsuragi is now a popular homeroom teacher, and Ritsuko Akagi is the school nurse (however, these two still have their posts at Nerv from the original storyline). Asuka Langley Soryu is Shinji's childhood friend and neighbor, Kaworu Nagisa is an enigmatic playboy type who has known Shinji for years, and Rei Ayanami is a hyperactive transfer student.

Although the game's name suggests it is a sequel to the previous Evangelion visual novel Girlfriend of Steel, the story is unrelated. While no plot-elements are connected, the gameplay is exactly the same.

Gameplay

The game functions as a visual novel-style "additional episode". While this game features official art, backgrounds and music in the style of the original series and full-voice, it is fundamentally different from the first Girlfriend of Steel. The artwork was done by a new team, but the voices were provided by the same seiyū from the original series cast. The game also has dating sim elements and includes three "dateable" characters (Rei, Asuka, and Kaworu). Reward CG for each character can be uncovered and collected in a CG gallery accessible from the game's main menu.

In spite of its "Alternate Universe" billing, elements of the original Evangelion make appearances: plugsuits, mentions of Gendo Ikari's research in creating an artificial human being, Ritsuko's past feelings for Gendo and visual and verbal references to Angels and Evangelions.

The game is available in Japanese for Mac OS, Mac OS X, Windows and PlayStation 2.

Manga

Main article: Neon Genesis Evangelion: Angelic Days

A spin-off manga drawn by Fumino Hayashi, following roughly the same storyline as the game, was serialized in the Monthly Asuka in November 2003 and is available in volumes from the same publisher. It was announced that the manga would be released in English in the magazine Newtype USA under the title: Neon Genesis Evangelion: Angelic Days. It made its debut in the August 2005 issue of Newtype USA. It was later collected into graphic novel format, the entirety of which were released before and after the cancellation of Newtype USA.

Reception

The game sold 17,421 copies the week of its release.^[1]

References

1. ^ http://www.famitsu.com/game/rank/top30/2005/01/28/120,1106908199,35876,0,0.html

External links

• (Japanese) Official Website
• (English) IGN: PC PS2