October 25, 2010
Cholo
Review By: Mr. Roboto
Year: 1986, 2005
Developed by: Solid Image Ltd (Glyn Williams, Joey Headen)
Released by: Firebird, Ovine by Design
Platforms: Amstrad CPC, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Windows
Degree of Cyberpunk Visuals: High
Correlation to Cyberpunk Themes: High
Year: 1986, 2005
Developed by: Solid Image Ltd (Glyn Williams, Joey Headen)
Released by: Firebird, Ovine by Design
Platforms: Amstrad CPC, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Windows
Degree of Cyberpunk Visuals: High
Correlation to Cyberpunk Themes: High
Rating: out of 10
What do I consider a “good hack” to be? Well, you see that robot? A good hack would be if I can use that robot to get a beer, deliver some pizzas… and free humanity from this bunker.
Overview: Much like Paradroid from our last review, Cholo is another remake from indie game makers Ovine by Design. Originally made for 8-bit systems of the mid-80’s, the new Cholo improves upon the bare-wire-frame graphics for something more Tron-like.
The Story: The city of Cholo was an important asset to allied forces for it’s robotics works. When a nuclear war broke out, Cholo was spared from a direct hit, but radiation made living on the surface impossible, not only for biological reasons but for causing the many robots to go berzerk (obligatory retro game reference) and attack any human they encounter. An underground bunker was built, the remaining people were move inside, and sealed from the robots and radiation. To keep the people occupied, a robot game called RAT was created. You have mastered RAT and have been selected by Cholo’s computer to use those skills to free humanity from the bunker.
To free humanity, you must use the rat-droid to hack into other robots and use their weapons and abilities to find a way to open the pyramid seal and free humanity.
Easy, right? If it really was meant to be easy, it probably wouldn’t be worth playing. Like most any puzzle, a bit of difficulty is expected to make solving all the more satisfying. For Cholo, that puzzle is made all the more difficult because of the buildings; They all look similar outside, making identifying individual dwellings harder. HINT: There’s a map of Cholo that you can print out so you can mark-off buildings you have been inside of. Ovine also gives you a quick-start on how to “capture” your first robot (Igor, the hacker droid). From there, you’re on your own.
A cast of characters. To succeed, you will need to know what robot has what abilities. Starting with the rat-bot you investigate inside buildings, and hijack other bots. Hacker-bot Igor can then access the computer systems inside buildings, but don’t let him get into any fights; Igor has no weapons. Police bots (not to be confused with RoboCop) patrol the streets and guard important areas, while Grundon tank-bots guard the pyramid entrance to the bunker. Leadcoats can access irradiated areas that can harm other bots, while a maintenance bot is available to repair the others. There are a couple of remote camera robots to keep an eye on things (no pun intended), and robotic vehicles to get around town.
Sounds like you everything you need to free humanity… except a solution…
Cool story, bro. One of the key features of Cholo, both versions, is the novella which gives a bit of background to your quest, and possibly some hints.
You are a computer maintenance engineer named Jared. You’ve noticed that there have been an increasing number of malfunctions and failures in the bunker’s systems. This is due to the organic computer that runs the bunker is slowly “dying,” as its protein source is running low. The RAT program that was created was actually a test to find someone able to use the droids to free humanity before the computer dies completely, taking the trapped humans with it as the bunker’s life support systems fail.
Ovine also has a news archive where pre-war news provide more background, and maybe a hint or two. I’d recommend reading everything before diving into the game so you have a better chance as freeing humanity.
Conclusion: While not the easiest puzzle to solve, Cholo is bound to give the adventurous a good reason for playing. Some might consider the visuals rather primitive even by 2005 standards (they must have never played the original version), but that doesn’t seem to deter from the atmosphere. Cholo is one city you should consider visiting, especially if you need a break from your standard FPS blast-a-thons.
This post has been filed under Cyberpunk Games by Mr. Roboto.
October 12, 2010
Paradroid
Review By: SSJKamui (Forum Link)
Year: 1985
Developed by: Andrew Braybrook
Released by: Hewson, Jester Interactive Publishing (Ovine by Design)
Platforms: Commodore 64, Amiga, Atari ST, Acorn Archimedes, C64 Direct-to-TV, Wii(Virtual Console), Windows
Degree of Cyberpunk Visuals: Medium
Correlation to Cyberpunk Themes: High
Year: 1985
Developed by: Andrew Braybrook
Released by: Hewson, Jester Interactive Publishing (Ovine by Design)
Platforms: Commodore 64, Amiga, Atari ST, Acorn Archimedes, C64 Direct-to-TV, Wii(Virtual Console), Windows
Degree of Cyberpunk Visuals: Medium
Correlation to Cyberpunk Themes: High
Rating: out of 10
SSJKamui gives you retro gamers something to consider from our forums. In 2006, indie developers Ovine by Design remade this classic for modern Windows systems. The screencaps you’ll see will be from the Ovine remake.
Overview: Paradroid is a videogame for the C64 computer, created by the English programmer Andrew Braybrook, where the players play a robot who has to fight other robots who have overtaken a spaceship. If the player wants to, he is also able to hack the robots to control them.Story: The robots of an unknown spaceship (the Paradroid) rebelled against their masters and took the ship into their control, but one small Robot fights them.
The negative impact of technology is also present, because the robots attacked the humans on the ship and possibly even killed them. Because, in the game, there are no humans, there is obviously no “Fusion of Man and Machine” element.
The Visuals: The Visuals of the game are abstract labyrinths, mixing metallic looking borders with a cyberspace like environment. (Because of this, the Visuals are very cyberpunk.)
The robots on the grid are represented as abstract circles with a registry number in the middle. During the hacking, you see the actual physical shape of the robots. The hacking interface is a circuit diagram like representation of the ports of the robot. (This is also very cyberpunk like.)
Gameplay: The player moves his robot through the ship and is able to attack hostile robots with his lasers or he can dock and try to hack them. The hacking is a more hardware hacking, where the player has to gain control over the ports of the enemy robot. (In fact, this is extremely complicated and requires a high amount of dexterity. Because of this, I never succeeded in it.) When the player fails, he is destroyed. Else, he controls the enemy robot and can use him in turn to hack other robots. The higher the registry number of the robot, the more complicated is hacking him. In some aspects, the game is a kind of “Hacking arcade game”. The gameplay is fun, but personally, I think it’s a little bit too hard.
If you’re familiar with hacking in Nercron, this should look familiar.
In the game, nearly nothing about the game mechanics is explained, so, a look in the manual is often needed.Conclusion: Paradroid is a very interesting game, but not a very good game for long term play. It’s more a game for short sessions. The graphic is simple, but indeed interesting. Because of it’s high difficulty, I can’t recommend it for people who don’t play very often. For hardcore gamers, it can be indeed a very entertaining game.
Postscript from Mr. Roboto: If you want to play Paradroid, but don’t have your C64 anymore, head over to Ovine by Design and download their remake, Project: Paradroid. It’s Paradroid with updated graphics. See if it brings back any fond memories of your Commodore days.
This post has been filed under From our Reviewer Forums, Cyberpunk Games by Mr. Roboto.
Review By: Gren
Year: 2008
Developer: EA Digital Illusions CE
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Degree of Cyberpunk Visuals: High
Correlation to Cyberpunk Themes: Medium
Year: 2008
Developer: EA Digital Illusions CE
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Degree of Cyberpunk Visuals: High
Correlation to Cyberpunk Themes: Medium
Rating: out of 10
Finally managed to pry my head out of my ass. I don’t like letting CPR go so long without some kind of review or news, so I’m going to act on a suggestion from our resident Stormtrooper of Death. If I see that there have been no front-page updates and I haven’t read/watched/played something worth reviewing, I will check the reviewer’s forum and post a review from there. This way, should the news be slow, we can keep this site fresh. To start, here’s Gren’s take on the recent parkour/free-running game Mirror’s Edge (Link to the Reviewer’s Forum post). I purchased this game via Steam, but couldn’t play since my video isn’t up to specs. Once I do that upgrade and get to play, I’ll post my little review in the comments. Till then, take it away, Gren…
Mirrors Edge was one of those games I was psyched about for months. I hung on every second of the hauntingly beautiful trailers, did my best to chisel out every little detail I could about the games stirring theme: A lone girl named Faith (who happens to be a Parkour expert) attempting to live free in a society ruled by a psychotic surveillance state.
You just gotta have Faith.
The product they ultimately delivered possessed all of these qualities in theory, but the theme was more or less ignored in favor of a simplified plot involving a kidnapping by the government, a thinly veiled conspiracy, and a daring rescue. It was about when I was sneaking into the office of a pro wrestler turned ‘goon in a suit’ named “Rope Burn” to interrogate him that I realized the game was getting a little bit off message. Also, the game sometimes seems like it’s trying to convey some sort of political message, but apparently it keeps getting confused on which message it’s trying to send. On one hand, the cuddly nanny state which takes the place of the games thematic antagonist is typically a perversion of an overly liberal society (”you don’t need guns, we’ll keep you perfectly safe, there’s cameras everywhere, self defense is so last century”). Yet halfway through the game your apparent enemy becomes a cartoonishly evil Private Military Corporation (which is why it scores “Medium” on the theme rating instead of “Low”), which is a theoretical scenario associated with an overly de-regulated or libertarian society. It’s also entirely possible that this mash up is entirely apolitical, but the theme seems to be at odds with itself in this regard.There’s a lot of cyberpunk fluff padding out the games plot, such as hideouts bristling with computers constantly monitoring the city’s surveillance grids and police patrols, the members of the protagonist’s organization all have these cool circuitry tattoos denoting some sort of ‘hacker status’, but it rarely has anything at all to do with the game itself. Also, because the cutscenes are delivered in a trashy 2d flash animation style, it removes these elements even further from the experience.
However, the visuals of the game itself warrant a mention. When you’re standing on the edge of a sky scraper, over looking an endless white city sprouting from the earth like fragments of polished bone, speckled with only sporadic blotches of color (usually propaganda billboards), watching cars drift silently up and down the thoroughfares like drone insects, you’ll feel for a moment that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Nosebleed territory…
You can find plenty of reviews that will explain the particulars of gameplay and story in gratuitous detail, but for the purpose of this site, suffice to say the gameplay is fair and with an emphasis on movement rather than combat (though combat certainly exists and is seldom optional).In closing, Mirrors Edge is still an enjoyable game, even with the afformentioned detractors from the plot and theme. It’s extremely linear and has no significant multiplayer to speak of, so replay is limited. It’s definitely not a game for everyone, and some folks will tire of it exponentially faster than others. If you can forgive it’s short comings, though, somewhere in the midst of a forty foot jump between buildings, with the streets below passing like a dizzy dream and the birds scattering in anticipation of your landing, you might find the feeling the game is trying to convey.
This post has been filed under Cyberpunk Games by Mr. Roboto.
October 4, 2009
Neocron
Review By: Mr. Roboto
Version Reviewed: 2.2, aka “Beyond Dome of York”
Year: 2002, 2004
Developed by: Reakktor Media GmBH
Platforms: Windows
Official Site
Degree of Cyberpunk Visuals: Very High
Correlation to Cyberpunk Themes: Very High
Rating: 9 out of 10
Version Reviewed: 2.2, aka “Beyond Dome of York”
Year: 2002, 2004
Developed by: Reakktor Media GmBH
Platforms: Windows
Official Site
Degree of Cyberpunk Visuals: Very High
Correlation to Cyberpunk Themes: Very High
Rating: 9 out of 10
“By the end of the third millenium, Earth has changed…
Global pollution, excessive wars and a perforated atmosphere have turned the planet into an almost lifeless sphere of toxic mud. Radiation is everywhere and most animals have either gone extinct or have mutated into bizarre monstrous creatures. The remnants of mankind seek protection from the desolate, scorched world and gathered behind the protective walls of giant cities. These few mega cities became the last lights of hope, in the darkness of Earth’s final dusk…”
Overview: While World of Warcraft has captured the online world’s attention, cyberpunk fans have had their own MMOFPSRPG to explore. Neocron was initially released in 2002, with the current 2.2 originally planed as on add-on but has since become its own game. Featuring a dark, gritty cyberpunk future setting, Neocron is the very definition of the genre as you deal with robots, psychopaths, mega-corporations, drugs, guns, implants, naked chicks, mutants, …, and an intricate political backdrop among the factions in the future city.Global pollution, excessive wars and a perforated atmosphere have turned the planet into an almost lifeless sphere of toxic mud. Radiation is everywhere and most animals have either gone extinct or have mutated into bizarre monstrous creatures. The remnants of mankind seek protection from the desolate, scorched world and gathered behind the protective walls of giant cities. These few mega cities became the last lights of hope, in the darkness of Earth’s final dusk…”
The Story (so far): A nuclear war in 2143 wipes out most of humanity, and causes massive tectonic activity that decimates what was left. It would take some 300 years before humanity recovers to the most basic levels, with two cities rising from the ruins: Neocron and the Dome of York. It is now the 28th century, and the last two cities are now in decline; The Dome of York was nearly destroyed in a war with Neocron, while Neocron has had several coups, the most recent has ousted the ruling Psi Monks and installs Lioon Reza as ruler.
You enter the arena of Neocron from MC5, a sort of “proving grounds” where new citizens are tested to see if they are strong enough to become productive. If they survive, they become “runners” and get to be teleported to their apartment where Mr. Jones awaits to give them starter missions to show what their selected career can be like.
The welcoming committee
Career Paths. So many choices to make in Neocron, but some make better sense than others. First off, you need to select a “class,” the main type of person you want to be. The class selection not only determines what type of careers are available, but also how your character develops in the game. GenTanks (Genetically Engineered Human Tanks) are the muscles whose strong bodies and weak brains make them the main guns of Neocron. They can be soldiers, fighters, bodyguards, and even vehicle drivers. The Dexterous spies are not as strong as the Tanks, but they have abilities to be scientists, scouts, drone ops, assassins, and most importantly, HACKERS! The Psi Monks get to develop their psionic skills to become medics, inquisitors, and preachers. They can even use their intelligence to take up a spy-type job since their physical abilities don’t develop as fast. For the Private Eye, the world is their oyster. They can follow any career path they want, but since their skills don’t develop as well as the specialists, their abilities may not be the best.The places you will go. Neocron is divided into several areas, with each area having one to four “sectors” in which you will explore and work in. The Plaza is the main area where several factions have headquarters and even recruiting offices. Plaza-1 is the main gathering place for players, especially in the Medicare building.
Via Rosso is the high-rent district of Neocron. Some of the corporate factions have headquarters here, including the Neocron City Police. This seaside view shows why the rent is high.
Neocron’s red-light district is Pepper Park. Here is where players can find plenty of “entertainment,” from the various clubs to NeoFrag, the deathmatch game-within-the-game. Also, several criminal factions have headquarters here.On the outskirts, there are the Industrial Areas and Outzone. These areas are mostly abandoned and devoid of life, but beware of some crazies who will take pot-shots at you if they don’t like your faction.
This is the main gate from Neocron, the exit to the wastelands beyond the city walls. There are outposts, mutants, and some anti-city factions out there, not to mention the Dome of York.
Hacknet - the playground of the 1337 hacker. One who is skilled enough can travel between different areas of Neocron… and beyond. The best ones can find valuable data other players can use.
Patience is a virtue. There is so much to learn about in Neocron that one needs to be patient to learn them. The main thing is learning how to distribute their skill points appropriately for their career. Players may also want to use some skill points for “tradeskills” such as implanting, construction, and recycling. I’ve seen so many requests for construction and implanting (”poking” in gamespeak) that I’m considering implanting as a main tradeskill, though I’ve already attributed some to recycling. If you want to prepare or educate yourself for Neocron, I’d suggest checking TechHaven and NeoTerm along with the official site. They have FAQs and guides to help you in your career, and forums where you can ask for advice.Another reason for patience is due to some bugs in the game, and not just the ones in the sewers. Reports of items disappearing is the most common, though it hasn’t happened to myself. The main problem I’ve had, other than pulling myself away or encountering creatures I’m not strong enough to deal with, is “fatal program error.” Probably a connection problem I need to look into. Other than that, not many technical problems.
Conclusion: Neocron has that certain potential to be a Warcraft killer, though it is certainly a cult-favorite at best. Makes me wish I was hacking and poking around Neocron 1 when it came out. I’m glad to have had a chance to do my stuff with 2.2 and would like be there for 3.0. Even so, I do need to pull away to some more reviews here… must… log… out… of … Neo… cron…
This post has been filed under Cyberpunk Games by Mr. Roboto.
May 26, 2008
System Shock 2
Review By: Mr. Roboto
Year: 1999
Developed by: Irrational Games and Looking Glass Studios
Published by: Electronic Arts
Platform: Windows
Degree of Cyberpunk Visuals: High
Correlation to Cyberpunk Themes: High
Year: 1999
Developed by: Irrational Games and Looking Glass Studios
Published by: Electronic Arts
Platform: Windows
Degree of Cyberpunk Visuals: High
Correlation to Cyberpunk Themes: High
Rating: out of 10
I never forget a face. Sometimes, I wish I could.
When the original System Shock was released 1994, most probably didn’t realize what new grounds would be broken in terms of first-person shooters. Five years later, history would repeat as a second Shock would not only improve upon the original, but totally raise the bar for games to come. Shock 2 raised the stakes with improved 3D graphics, new weapons and abilities, a cooperative multiplayer option, and a new story with enough twists to keep you playing until the end.The post-Citadel story. TriOptimum tried their best to keep the events aboard the Citadel space station under wraps, but word eventually leaked out about Edward Diego, his hacker, and SHODAN. The outrage caused the formerly ineffectual governments to form the Unified National Nominate, the UNN. They fight TriOptimum using the most powerful weapon they have: bureaucracy. TriOptimum started fighting back with their corporate-military forces. Eventually, a truce was borne of a stalemate between TriOptimum and the UNN, but technological advances slow to a crawl as many blame the UNN for Earth’s slow death.
Then, a major breakthrough: A device that warps time and space around it enables faster-than-light travel. A joint TriOptimum/UNN deep-space venture is solidified as the corporate starship Von Braun will be traveling with the UNN Rickenbacker riding piggy-back, literally. The launch occurs in 2114, some 42 years after Citadel.
Five months into the mission, the tandem receives a signal from Tau Ceti V. An away team from the two vessels return from the planet’s surface with artifacts and what appears to be large egg-like cases.
That’s when things go fruit-loopy…
Three years before launch… You arrive at the UNN Recruitment Center with hopes of being onboard the Von Braun/Rickenbacker when they make history. Before that, however, you will have to go through some training to prepare for the possible dangers you will face. Newbies should take advantage of the Basic Training area to familiarize themselves with the game’s controls and interfaces. Then it’s off to Advanced Training where you can experience some of the fun things you’ll do with the three branches of the UNN military machine. From there, it’s off the shuttle bays where you will be taken to a station to begin a three-year training program of three one-year tours of duty where you can build up your stats in weapons, technical skills, physical attributes, and maybe some psionic skills.
Here are the three military branches of the UNN:
Your adventure aboard the Von Braun/Rickenbacker tandem actually begins in a cryo-tube with some military-grade implants and memories lost due to a computer glitch. Dr. Janice Polito contacts you, wanting you to meet her in her office on deck four to discuss what has happened to the two ships and how to correct the problem. Getting there won’t be easy.
Cyberspace gives way to connect the dots. One important change in Shock 2 is the lack of cyberspace sequences, although there are the VR booths in the training center. Instead, an odd game of ‘connect the dots’ is used for hacking, repair, and weapon modification. If you choose to ‘play,’ you need to light three dots or ‘nodes’ in a straight line to succeed. There may be a node outlined in red (ICE nodes) that require extra caution, as causing these to go dark will cause an immediate failure. What that failure entails depends on the device.
Research… and destroy. Another change is that some items require research. Some items only give information on how to best kill enemies. Others require research before they can be used. There are chemical storerooms where you can find the chemicals you may need to complete your research.
A worthy successor. Like Quake was to Doom, Shock 2 is a worthy successor to the original Shock. A trip through the corridors of the Von Braun/Rickenbacker tandem will show you how it improves on the original.
And if you’re up for it, you can check the next page to see how this classic shocker can creep-n-gross you out…
This post has been filed under Cyberpunk Games by Mr. Roboto.
August 8, 2007
Burn:Cycle
Review By: Mr. Roboto
Year: 1994
Developed by: Trip Media
Produced by: Phillips Media, Inc.
Platforms: CD-i, DOS\Windows, Macintosh
Key Cast Members:
Sol Cutter: Aaron Schwartz
Kris: Viva Duce
Gala: Abigail Canton
Female Cutter: Tanya Pohlkotte
Golden Buddha: Indra Sinha
Bonus CD Track Listing:
1. Burn:Cycle (Theme)
2. Karmic Church
3. Flying
4. System Software
5. Buddha’s Voice
6. Into The Televerse
7. Psychic Roulette
8. Zip
9. Kris VR
10. A Beautiful Relationship
11. Meltdown
Degree of Cyberpunk Visuals: Very High
Correlation to Cyberpunk Themes: Very High
Year: 1994
Developed by: Trip Media
Produced by: Phillips Media, Inc.
Platforms: CD-i, DOS\Windows, Macintosh
Key Cast Members:
Bonus CD Track Listing:
1. Burn:Cycle (Theme)
2. Karmic Church
3. Flying
4. System Software
5. Buddha’s Voice
6. Into The Televerse
7. Psychic Roulette
8. Zip
9. Kris VR
10. A Beautiful Relationship
11. Meltdown
Degree of Cyberpunk Visuals: Very High
Correlation to Cyberpunk Themes: Very High
Rating: out of 10
Data thief Sol Cutter has something on his mind. In two hours, it will reformat his cortex into pudding.
Overview: Originally released by Phillips for their CD-i CD interactive system, Burn:Cycle is a live-action interactive movie, a mash-up of Blade Runner and Johnny Menmonic, with some mini-games and puzzles thrown in. The movie/game follows Sol Cutter as he tries to remove a computer virus from his implant while the player controls some of his actions.If you’re lucky enough to find a version with a bonus CD, you’ll have the extra treat of listening to the music of Simon Boswell, who not only does the soundtrack for Burn:Cycle but also Hardware and Hackers.
The Story: Sol Cutter is a small time data thief who gets his big chance. All he has to do is infiltrate Softech, download some files, sneak out, and get paid for his efforts. Piece of cake…
… except someone put arsenic-flavored icing on that cake. A sudden surge of data hits Sol upside his head like a brick, and left a nasty little going away present. A virus called Burn:Cycle is now in his neural implant. It’s dormant for now, but if Sol doesn’t get that virus out before the clock hits zero, he’ll get a headache no amount of aspirin or ibuprofen will ever cure. That’s assuming Sol manages to get out of Softech in one piece…
The countdown to Sol’s destruction begins from the word go, and all you have to save him is your mouse… and some stuff in your inventory, plus whatever stuff you can find along the way. The mouse cursor will change whenever a certain action is possible, and clicking will make Sol perform that action from moving around to shooting to using objects. Point-and-click action is also used in the mini-games you’ll play along the way.
Sometimes, a man just wants to get in touch with his feminine side.
Televerse, not cyberspace: Sooner or later, you’ll be jacked into the Televerse to find something to get the Burn:Cycle virus out. It operates much like real time in the game, except there’s a central location called The Pulse that you can instantly jump to since some locations in the Televerse don’t have exits.
“It ain’t easy bein’ a two-bit thug in an eight-bit town.” (Sol Cutter)
Bad Graphics, Good Music: PC users may be in for a bit of a system shock when they first play Burn:Cycle, especially if they’re used the accelerated graphic capabilities of their nVidia or ATI Radeon cards. Burn:Cycle was originally ported to the PC during the twilight of DOS/Windows 3.1x. Had Phillips waited, they could have taken advantage of Windows 95’s Direct X drivers, giving them better graphics.While the graphics leaves much to improve on, the music from the bonus CD gives those who can’t play the game on their NT-based systems an opportunity to experience the game’s environment from the audio side. The music, composed mostly by Simon Boswell, comes straight from the game and even features some dialog for good measure. My favorite track is number 10, “A Beautiful Relationship,” sounding like an electronic version of the saxophone-background music of private-eye fare while a woman who sounds like a prostitute speaks her mind (“Normally I’d like to keep my knees below my ears on a first date.”).
Conclusion: Burn:Cycle is a classic game that has earned its place along side the likes of Syndicate and Blade Runner for good reason. It would have easily been a ten-star game had the graphics been up to snuff. Still, having Burn:Cycle in your collection (as opposed to your neural implant) is a big win. And having the music CD with the game is a major find.
This post has been filed under Cyberpunk Music, Cyberpunk Games by Mr. Roboto.
August 2, 2007
A.I. Wars: The Awakening
Review By: Mr. Roboto
Year: 2000
Developed & Published by: Nexus Interactive Studios
Platforms: Windows
Official Site: AI Wars
Degree of Cyberpunk Visuals: Very High
Correlation to Cyberpunk Themes: Very High
Year: 2000
Developed & Published by: Nexus Interactive Studios
Platforms: Windows
Official Site: AI Wars
Degree of Cyberpunk Visuals: Very High
Correlation to Cyberpunk Themes: Very High
Rating: out of 10
Welcome to the NET of the future…
The Story: (From the official site) In the 21st century the NET is the new worldwide computer network. It regroups everything from antique copper wire networks to high speed gigabit satellite networks. Every corporation in the world, every military organization, every university, every library, and even every home is now wired-in 24 hours a day. This almost infinite information world is inhabited by hordes of agents in the service of humanity. These agents are expert applications that collect and filter information as well as conduct electronic transactions for their masters. It is rumored that certain high-level agents have escaped from military sites in the early phases of the NET and were never recovered. Beware! These agents may still be around and are evolving. They may even become sentient soon and claim the NET as their own.
Since the advent of ultra fast Virtual Reality engines in the late 20th century, the incredible advances in processors and memory, and the invention of the first direct neural connection system at MIT in the late 2050’s cybernauts have been able to directly project into the NET and control their agents through this more direct interface. Their representations in that electronic world are called avatars. Jason Skinner said it best when he exclaimed after his first try “Damn, it’s like being there!” The advent of those technologies has created serious social, psychological and medical problems. An intense addiction to the NET has been cited more than once has the cause of divorces, bankruptcies, etc. From a medical standpoint, in the beginning it seemed that whenever an avatar was destroyed, the cyberstations would overload the person’s brain with a high-energy electrical burst thus killing them. Cyberstations were quickly modified to safeguard against this. However, it is said that the interaction with the NET is less direct because of these modifications. “A lot of cyberhackers have disabled these safeguards and are at risk,” said Bruno Gaza from Turing, the NET police. “It’s like the Wild West, but a whole lot more dangerous!”
Your Mission(s): One unique feature of A.I. Wars is that you can choose from three missions to complete when you start a game, and you can choose any one, two, or even all three. They are:
Become Immortal: Somewhere in all that data lies important breakthroughs needed to develop key technologies that will allow you to upload your consciousness and memories to the NET and become immortal.
Make Your Avatar Sentient: This requires not only developing technologies, but gathering enough data so your avatar can learn and grow.
MMMMMmmmmm… datablocks!
There are six different endings for the game (other than your death) possible with these missions. What ending you’ll see depends on what missions you choose and how well you perform them.Skating on thin ICE: Even on the NET of the future, there has to be some law and order. That is provided by the various ICE you will encounter. Wardens act as gatekeepers or doormen, only allowing those with “authorized access” to pass, but you can use your crack software to get that access… just don’t look for sympathy from the other ICE if you brute-force your way past a warden. There are Exterminator ICE who patrol public areas, while Black ICE keep private areas secure and come to the aid of wardens. Turret ICE hang above doorways and portals to stop intruders like you, and if that isn’t enough protection, you may find Hunter/Killers near a core. The H/Ks tend to attack in pairs, one doing a frontal assault while his buddy teleports behind you for a sneaky double team. Nasty.
As if the ICE wasn’t bad enough, some systems have Black Widow and/or Tarantula viruses, left by other hackers to give you grief. Better have a good firewall and anti-virus software if you go into an infected system. Unlike the ICE who wait until you shoot first before retaliating, viruses will attack on sight.
Not all the agents you encounter are hostile. Most of the human-like avatars will go about their own business and leave you alone, unless you start a fight with one then it will defend itself.
Need a new firewall or updated ICEbreaker software? Want to sell your corporate secrets and obsolete tech? Come to Mr. Roboto’s Virtual Market, where our crew of market bots are ready to make deals! Offer good while supplies last. Not sold in any brick-and-mortar stores.
Bugs In The System? Maybe they’re “features?” Any type of program is bound to have some technical glitches, and A.I. Wars is no different. Of course, since the action takes place inside a computerized environment, some may seem par for the course. Like when you use your last masquerade, only to be left with some 65,000 left. Or when you shoot an ICE and hear its death scream, only to have it continue to attack you while you keep plugging it with your ICEbreaker attacks (I find in this case zapping it with the IRC will shutdown the stubborn ICE).
Conclusion: While it didn’t make the big splash-damage of Doom/Quake proportions, A.I. Wars does make a refreshing change-of-pace from the usual kill-em-all-and-let-god-sort-the-carnage first-person blast-a-thons. While learning the nuances in the NET is a bit tougher than other games, the results in owned systems, sentient agents, and an immortal soul is well worth the effort.
See you on the NET…
This post has been filed under Cyberpunk Games by Mr. Roboto.
March 1, 2007
Uplink
Review By: Mr. Roboto
Year: 2001
Developed by: Introversion Software
Published by: Introversion Software (Win, Linux), Ambrosia Software (Mac)
Platforms: Windows, Linux, OS-X
Degree of Cyberpunk Visuals: High
Correlation to Cyberpunk Themes: High
Rating: 9 out of 10
Year: 2001
Developed by: Introversion Software
Published by: Introversion Software (Win, Linux), Ambrosia Software (Mac)
Platforms: Windows, Linux, OS-X
Degree of Cyberpunk Visuals: High
Correlation to Cyberpunk Themes: High
Rating: 9 out of 10
Uplink: We pwn the world
THE FIRST TRUE HACKING SIM: Some might argue that hacking simulations have been around long before Uplink. Activision’s Hacker can be called one, but the “hacking” there is only a pretext for the real game within. Uplink, on the other hand, is all hacking. OK, the hacking is more reminiscent of Hollywood’s idea of hacking from WarGames and such, but the hacking is what Uplink is all about; No lame pretext to “save the world.”
OVERVIEW: March, 2010. After hearing rumors and searching the Internet, you finally found a public access server for the secretive Uplink Corporation, whose “agents” are hackers hired to break into systems to accomplish different goals. After registering as an agent, you need to prove your skills with a test mission, then you can pick from different missions with different difficulties, and work your way up the agent ranks to become a Terminal hacker.
The missions range from simply breaking into systems to steal or delete a file. Then, you get to crash mainframes, commit identity fraud, and make secret bank transfers. At the highest levels, you get to swipe entire databases off high-security LANs and frame innocent people for cybercrimes. There are banking systems, LANs, a Social Security database, a Global Academic database, and a Global Criminal database to hack. Fortunately, Uplink has a “corporate store” where agents can buy needed software like password breakers, security bypassers, decyphering and decryption tools, and hardware upgrades for their gateways.
Choose your missions, and hack your way to the elite ranks.
A STORY BEHIND THE HACKING: About mid-March, you receive a message from the now-deceased top agent that the Andromeda Research Corporation, or ARC, is working on a project called Revelation. If you act on the information in the message, you get to take part in the storyline and even can choose the fate of the Internet. ARC wants to destroy the Net, while a rival company, Arunmor, wants to stop them. Whose side will you choose?
HACKING… HOLLYWOOD STYLE: As mentioned before, the “hacking” is more out of the movies than any real hacking, which offten involves quite a bit of research and social engineering. You work with a Windows-like point-click-drag interface to get your work done, though taking down mainframes requires use of the system’s command-line console . Some hacker purists would probably take exception with the way hacking is depicted in Uplink, but whose to say what hacking will be like in 2010 as opposed to, say, 1995. The focus is what you do on the inside of targeted systems.
A TRIBUTE TO CYBERPUNK: There are many secrets in Uplink to discover, such as the many secret systems that pay homage to cyberpunk culture: Steve Jackson Games, OCP, Protovision,… even Introversion. Even the voice recognition on some high-security systems pays tribute: My voice is my passport, verify me.
Lost yourself in a LAN? The admin will find you soon enough…
MODIFICATIONS: Introversion has been selling a CD with the Uplink source code for a while, and fans have been able to make mods and add-ons since version 1.31 came out. Add-ons include custom gateways, additional company and agent names, agent photos, and modifications to the basic game including the F.B.I. mod that replaces the Global Criminal Database with the “Fubared, Bungling Idiots” agency, and uMP3 where users can create a custom MP3 playlist to replace the in-game music.
Some people may have seen a version of Uplink in stores called “Uplink: Hacker Elite” from Strategy First. This is the exact same game as Uplink, but due to a bankruptcy filing by Strategy First resulting in non-payment of royalties to Introversion, plus their alteration of the code to make U:HE incompatible with mods, Uplink fans and Introversion itself do not support Hacker Elite and advise to not buy it.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Uplink is one of those rare games that does more than redefine a genre, it actually creates one. Since its release in 2001, there have been several others that attempted to duplicate Uplink’s cult success. Unfortunately, they can’t hold a candle to Uplink, not even to light its farts.
(One hacking sim, Street Hacker, comes a distant second to Uplink.)I would have given Uplink a perfect 10 if had more variety of missions, but that’s what fan mods are for. Uplink is one game that is a MUST HAVE for any cyberpunk fan. Its many secrets should keep any hacker-agent occupied for some time, and the modifications out there only add to its replayability. Just make sure you steer clear of the Strategy First version and get it directly from Introversion or Ambrosia.
Happy hacking, agents!
This post has been filed under Cyberpunk Games by Mr. Roboto.
January 16, 2007
SYNDICATE
Game Review By: Vesper
Year: 1993
Author: Sean Cooper and Bullfrog Productions
Platform: Other
Publisher: Electronic Arts Inc.
Degree of Cyberpunk Visuals: Very High
Correlation to Cyberpunk Themes: Very High
Year: 1993
Author: Sean Cooper and Bullfrog Productions
Platform: Other
Publisher: Electronic Arts Inc.
Degree of Cyberpunk Visuals: Very High
Correlation to Cyberpunk Themes: Very High
Rating: out of 10
Introduction: This review is not meant to convince you that Syndicate is a great game. It’s a release from the far past (13 years in computer gaming is an eternity), and should be treated as such when comparing to the games of today. Bullfrog managed to produce amazingly innovative titles (how about Dungeon Keeper, Magic Carpet and Populous?) and its shot at cyberpunk was nothing short of their other best-selling releases. Contemporary gamers may sneer at the antediluvian graphics and a soundtrack that’s easily put to shame by any polyphonic mobile phone ringtone, but a hardcore cyberpunk (or someone with a long history in gaming, dating back to the 8-bit machines and the peak of Amiga’s fame) will easily recognize a gem.
The Story: The 22nd century. Dark and bleak. Organized crime turned into business and politics as nation-states crumbled, one by one. You were not willing to become one of the helpless citizens sealed in stalag-like compounds, slaving for a “syndicate”, as the new powers were called. You started a syndicate of your own. Amassing illegaly raised funds, black-market specialists and military-class technology, you decided to get a piece of the cake that Earth became.
Such lust for power needs to be fed appropriately. You knew you couldn’t take on the whole world alone. You needed help. And there it came, with the astounding Leonardo device, turning common men and women into hi-tech combat machines that you control. Storing those who were not needed in deep-freeze, you assemble a lethal quartet, equip it with implants, weapons and non-lethal combat tech - and then you send them straight into enemy territory to perform a mission that will grant you what you crave most. Control.
But beware - other syndicates are more than willing to come in your way and bring you down to your knees. You’ll need all the money you can grab and all the tech you can either steal or develop in order to best them. Are you hard enough to crack the opposition?
The Game: Do not expect a complex and intricate plot to explore. This ain’t Blade Runner, choomba. You’ll need guns, lots of guns, and an attitude to match the armament. You’ll also need a working brain - nobody is going to fear an organization ran by a dimwit. Yes, this is another issue which makes games different from reality Wink.
You start with a company name (look for some cheats concerning this - only if you’re a cheater, of course…), a company logo (you can choose the design and the colour) and a single territory in Europe. Each territory is connected with a different mission. Once you acquire a territory, you can set its tax level to get funds. Be reasonable, you don’t want people to rebel against you - you’ll have to reclaim an area if there’s an unrest. Think “Godfather” Wink.
Syndicate puts a lot of emphasis on research. The funds you obtain should be promptly invested in the R&D department, where you are going to receive new guns (from uzis to lasers and miniguns), extra equipment (personal shields and so on) and, last but not least, new implants. You’ll need those to make your agents faster, more intelligent and resistant to enemy fire. The implants come in three versions, and you should focus on developing the more advanced ones as soon as possible - expect the difficulty of the missions to increase rapidly (OK, if you’re a hardcore gamer you’re clear them all with ease… but not everyone doesn’t have a life, right?).
Once you choose a mission, you can equip your team, buy some extra info about the assignment (or an enhanced map which doesn’t really do you any good - you shouldn’t expect a lot from sloppy intelligence behind enemy lines Wink) and send them to their de… success, of course. Seriously, you might lose an agent once in a while, but do not panic - you can always recruit new people.
The game offers an array of missions. You get to assassinate VIPs, rescue captured personnel, “persuade” civilians and scientists join your company “willingly” (no bloodshedding necessary - at least not from the ones you’ll be trying to convince to work for you), demolish buildings, or simply kill all opposing agents. Sometimes, using guns is not really necessary - sometimes it’s not even advised, especially when you have to sneak into a heavily guarded compound. Thanks to an ingenious device - the persuadetron - you can force others to join your agents as living shields, extra firepower or simply to snatch them away as new personnel (this way you can fill your cryo tanks at the HQ with new agents). The persuadetron is necessary in many missions, and it is extremely useful in almost all of them.
As you can see, the mission takes place in a isometric environment, which can sometimes obscure your field of view. You get to infiltrate cities full of civilians, policemen, enemy agents and vehicles (including APCs). The architecture is sort of “1984 meets Equilibrium”. You can feel the uneasiness of the surroundings, and the colours add a lot to the general feeling of the game.
Your team (which does not have to include 4 agents, by the way - if you feel you can pull off an assasination using just one guy - go for it!) can be controlled using a very simple and efficient interface. You also get a scanmap with friend/foe IDs and signals telling you where to head and what to do - as long as one of your agents carries a scanner module. You can order your agents to move independently (by clicking an agent in the team window and giving him/her orders) or as a group (the button between the two rows of agents allows you to group-select them). You can also manipulate the Intelligence, Perception and Adrenaline levels of an agent, allowing him/her to act when necessary - this is pretty handy when you want to set up a defensive perimeter or enter a building (your surveillance camera cannot penetrate walls).
If you want to pick something up, point the cursor at the object and it should change into a manipulator - click and it’s going to be picked up. Another hint you might find useful - sometimes you’ll need to pass a gate - vehicles are best for that. To board one, click on it while ordering agent(s). To unboard, click on it again. One final piece of advice - policemen won’t fire at unarmed people. So, if you don’t click on a weapon in your inventory, your agents will be considered civilians. Enemy agents, on the other hand, will easily recognize them regardless of their stance - avoid them, persuade them or dispose of them in some violent way. Remember, after a mission you’ll have to leave the area, so be prepared to escape when necessary.
The environment is well scripted (although you might find driving around a bit confusing at first - it takes some practice, just like in real life) - civilians will run if they notice anybody wielding a weapon, police officers will warn you and shoot if you don’t obey, enemy agents will engage you when you least expect it, and all will generally burn pretty nicely once you put your flamethrowers to work (yes, one of the massive attractions of that game in 1993 was the possibility of incincerating whole crowds). Have I already mentioned the fitting architecture? Some of my “wet cyberpunk dreams” were based on Syndicate’s levels Wink.
If you happen to fail a mission (failure is unacceptable! Wink), you can repeat it with no penalties (well, if you lose agents and/or pieces of equipment, don’t expect to find them be back at your home base). Of course, failing a mission doesn’t have to mean losing all the agents - it’s enough the person you were to extract dies.
Once you conquer the last remaining territories, you win - it’s as “simple” as that. At least until you choose to play the extension pack entitled Syndicate: American Revolt or the sequel: Syndicate Wars.
Why You Want to Play Syndicate: Cause it’s simply one of the genre-defining computer games. Back in 1993, Syndicate was all the rage when it came to showing others what cyberpunk was. Sure, there is no c-space and hackers, but does running a corporation/crime syndicate by means of controlling a bunch of highly lethal cyborgs roaming dark futuristic cities, killing and kidnapping people sound non-cyberpunk to you? The intro alone was enough to hook up many a gamer with the concept of cyberpunk.
It’s also one of the best pieces of computer gaming history, and if you are into stylish antiques, you should check it out Wink.
Availability: You can find it online for free, e.g. HERE. You need the DOSBox utility to run it under Windows (or an appropriate emulator, if you’re running any non-PC version). Pick it up, get it running and prove you’re tough enough to rule the future!
PS. Apparently, an open-source version of the game is in the works. Check the website here.
This post has been filed under Cyberpunk Games by Vesper.
November 16, 2006
Snatcher
Game Review By: Synapsis
Year: 1994
Author: Hideo Kojima
Platform: Other
Publisher: Konami
Degree of Cyberpunk Visuals: Very High
Correlation to Cyberpunk Themes: Very High
Year: 1994
Author: Hideo Kojima
Platform: Other
Publisher: Konami
Degree of Cyberpunk Visuals: Very High
Correlation to Cyberpunk Themes: Very High
Rating: out of 10
Introduction: When I heard the name Hideo Kojima the first thing that came to my mind was Metal Gear. But this has changed as; Kojima has other games for being remembered, like Snatcher. Besides the fact that Snatcher has been released on several systems it has also gained a small group of fans due to its storyline, adult themes and voice acting. Influenced by sci-fi and film-noir, most notably “Blade Runner” and “The Terminator”, Snatcher submerges one into a Cyberpunk World while giving you that nostalgia of older games.
The Story: Due to the release of a chemical weapon known as Lucipher-Alpha, developed in Chernoton, Russia, half of the people on Earth died. The contaminated area becomes uninhabitable for a decade, when Lucipher-Alpha mutates into a non-lethal form. This tragic event occurred on June 6, 1991 and became known as the “Catastrophe.” Fifty years later, a artificial life-forms known as “snatchers”, began appearing in the artificial island of Neo Kobe City, killing their victims and taking their place in society. They have skin, can sweat, even bleed and, at first sight, it is impossible to notice any difference between the Snatcher and the person they replace. Nobody knows exactly what they are or where they come from.
In the game, you play as Gillian Seed, an agent working for an Anti-Snatcher force called JUNKER. Seed has amnesia, which serves as the reason for him joining the Anti-Snatcher force. The word “Snatcher” always appears in his head whenever he tries to remember his past. In playing Gilliam Seed, your goal is to track down the source of the snatchers and discover Gillian’s mysterious connections with them.
The Game: As this game is ALL about the storyline, I won’t spoil it. You can really see how Kojima likes directing and making his games movie-like. It is clear that as a consequence the shortcomings in technology options, Kojima knew he had to make the story the driver in order to make up for the game play and technology of the time.
In playing it, the game is harder that it first appears. You have to notice and remember many details from witnesses or things you read. It also it has some questions and puzzles that will drive you mad for a while. It’s the first game I’ve had to play with a notebook for capturing important details. For your luck, Gillian has a navigator that helps him with all the complicated substance analysis and investigative matters. Kojima use of the Gillian character shows how he mixes things, as it is pretty similar to the minirobot Otacon uses to follow and help snake in MGS4 (Watch the trailers on youtube). For breaking the game investigative monotony, there are a series of shooter scenes where you have to use the Blaster - a special type of laser gun made to fry snatchers. These scenes aren’t numerous, but you will remember them as they require significant reflexes, especially as you near the end of the game.
Why You Want to Play Snatcher: The characters and storyline are what makes the game special. Even if Gillian physically resembles Deckard from Blade Runner, it’s still comes across as unique and believable. There are other “homage” characters included in Snatch - I’ll just name Dune and Sting as a clue for when you meet certain individual during the game. The Snatchers are pretty smart for being just biodroids, and they are pretty cunning and dangerous too!
Available Platforms:
- NEC PC-8801 and MSX2 (1988)
- PC-Engine (Remake 1992)
- Sega CD (1994)
- PSX and Sega Saturn (1996)
Visually the Sega CD version is pretty good and creates a great cyberpunk world with shadows and dark colors. The Sega version is obviously better than the 1988 versions which still make the task pretty well. The Sega voices are part of the remake versions that came from 1992 forward. The later version also have a better soundtrack.
The Availability: In terms of availability, get it from Internet or buy it used. The better and easier version to get is the Sega CD version as is the only original English translation available and you can find it on P2P programs. There are older roms translated, but the Sega CD version is better.
The Verdict: This review came about due to a reply I made to a Deus Ex post, saying someone should review Snatcher. Then I remembered I was half in the game. I picked it up again, started to play, and finished it that same afternoon. I liked it so much that I wanted to contribute with a review. While engrossed in the gameplay, when I realized the game was close completion, I just hoped another event would make the storyline longer. Despite being from all the way back in 1988, it’s #9 on the Best Cyberpunk Game List, so it deserves a try. I just gave it 9 stars because is older and the gameplay may not be for players who prefer more action. Anyways for me personally is 10/10 stars and modern remake would kick ass! Bottom line, this game is amazing, and has great storyline, and actually makes you feel you are in the cyberpunked city of Neo Kobe.
This post has been filed under Cyberpunk Games by Synapsis.
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