Neo XYX | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | NG:Dev.Team |
Publisher(s) | NG:Dev.Team |
Designer(s) | Perry Sessions Timm Hellwig |
Composer(s) | Rafael Dyll |
Platform(s) | Dreamcast, Neo Geo |
Release |
|
Genre(s) | Vertically scrolling shooter |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Arcade system | Neo Geo MVS |
Neo XYX is a 2013 single-player vertically scrolling shooter video game originally developed and published by German indie NG:Dev.Team for the Neo Geo MVS. It is the third shoot 'em up title from NG:Dev.Team and their fifth game overall. Controlling a space fighter craft, the player must fight endless waves of enemies while avoiding collision with their projectiles and other obstacles.
Developed in conjunction with Redux: Dark Matters and The Ghost Blade, Neo XYX originated as a GameMaker prototype inspired by Toaplan shoot 'em ups titled XYX that was distributed for PC in 2012 by designer Perry "Gryzor/Rozyrg" Sessions, who had previously helped with development of Gunlord before NG:Dev.Team became involved after the project caught their interest and worked alongside Sessions, suggesting him to refine aspects of his project into a Neo Geo game. The title was later ported to Dreamcast and Neo Geo AES, each one featuring minimal changes and additions compared to the original version.
Neo XYX was met with positive reception from critics. Reviewers drew comparison with Toaplan and Cave shooters, praising its fast-paced action, hand-drawn visuals, soundtrack, gameplay and difficulty but others criticized the lack of innovation compared to other games in the same genre and lack of two-player mode, as well as the lack of additional options on the Dreamcast version, among other aspects. A follow-up, titled Super XYX, was developed by Team Grybanser Fox and released in 2020 for PC on Steam.
Neo XYX is a science fiction-themed vertically scrolling shoot 'em up game reminiscent of Toaplan and Cave shooters such as Batsugun and DoDonPachi respectively, in which the player take control of a space fighter craft through six increasingly difficult stages in order to defeat an assortment of enemy forces and bosses. [1] [2] [3] [4] Before starting a game in the Neo Geo version, the player have the option to change the display and control settings between vertical (TATE) and horizontal (YOKO), while two additional display settings are introduced in the Dreamcast version. [5] [6] [7] Its gameplay uses a main three-button configuration. [8]
During gameplay, power-up items are drop randomly from enemies and certain setpieces, along with medals to build up a chain. [1] [3] Every time the player collects a medal, the next one that spawns will be worth more but if a medal falls off the screen, the next one to spawn will be of the lowest value and breaking the chain, but the player can activate a bomb to fling falling medals from reaching the bottom of the screen. [4] The player has only two weapons at their disposal: the main gun that travels a max distance of the screen's height and a bomb capable of obliterating any enemy caught within its blast radius, while more bombs are obtained by collecting six fragments through levels or a full bomb stock. [1] [2] [8] The player can also slowdown the ship's movement to avoid incoming bullets more precisely by pressing the C or R button in the Neo Geo and Dreamcast versions respectively. [1] [2] [8] If both fire and slowdown buttons are held down, the ship produces a focused vertical shot, providing more firepower than the standard shot. [8] Getting hit by enemy fire will result in losing a life, as well as a penalty of decreasing the ship's firepower and once all lives are lost, the game is over unless the player inserts more credits into the arcade machine to continue playing but in the Dreamcast version, the player are forced to restart from the beginning after losing all available continues. [1]
Neo XYX was developed in conjunction with Redux: Dark Matters and The Ghost Blade using a Neo Geo development kit, serving as the third shoot 'em up title from NG:Dev.Team and their fifth game overall. [9] [10] [11] Timm Hellwig helmed its production, serving as both producer and director, as well as its sole programmer. [12] [13] Designer Perry "Gryzor/Rozyrg" Sessions, who had previously helped with development of Gunlord at NG:Dev.Team with René Hellwig, acted as art director and graphic artist. [12] [13] Rafael Dyll and a member under the pseudonym "Raigon" co-composed the soundtrack. [3] [14] Two other members, "Plasmo" and "Runefaust", collaborated in its development phase as beta testers. [12] Both Sessions and Dyll recounted the project's development process and history through various publications. [13] [14]
Neo XYX originated as a GameMaker prototype for PC titled XYX created by Perry Sessions before NG:Dev.Team became involved after the project caught their attention and started working together in early 2013, [3] suggesting Sessions to refine various aspects of his work into a Neo Geo game. [13] [15] Sessions stated that his main influences were Toaplan shoot 'em ups such as Twin Cobra , Truxton and Fire Shark , as well as other games in the genre like Super Star Soldier , Gate of Thunder , Soldier Blade , and Lords of Thunder , all of which he regards as his favorites. [13] He was also inspired by other titles such as those by Llamasoft. [13] Sessions also stated that work on the project took longer than expected and proved difficult, as creating level artwork was a "weak spot" for him but regards it as some of his best for any project he worked on. [13]
When asked about the differences between the game and the original XYX, Sessions stated that they came from him and NG:Dev.Team working separately, as he did not have any means to playtest the project on his part while Timm had a "final say on everything"; Timm did not like the mixture of science fiction and fantasy elements, requesting to change elements such as dragons that later became cyborgs, while the team also lowered the planned number of playable ships. [13] Sessions also claimed he had no saying over difficulty balancing issues, as the original XYX was used as a basis for most enemies. [13] When composing the soundtrack for Neo XYX, Rafael Dyll stated that NG:Dev.Team wanted him produce music that were short and looped without noticeable breaks, creating something fresh but based on retro sounds, using instruments akin to arcade games from late 1980s or 16-bit consoles such as Sega Mega Drive. [14]
Neo XYX was first announced in late 2012 for Neo Geo as a limited run and Dreamcast but prior to the announcement, a demo of the original XYX containing an unfinished level editor for Windows was made available as freeware at Sessions' personal website earlier on April of the same year. [3] [6] [15] The game was first slated for a April 2013 launch on Neo Geo and a June 2013 launch on Dreamcast, [10] [16] [17] but was quietly delayed until it was published on October 28 of the same year for Neo Geo MVS. [18] [19] [20] Around the same time period, a music album was released by NG:Dev.Team and a digital album was later distributed by Rafael Dyll through Bandcamp in October 2014. [21] [22] In July 2014, a Neo Geo AES version was also released by NG:Dev.Team. [23]
The Dreamcast version of Neo XYX was then slated for a holiday 2013 launch but remained in development due to internal issues until it went gold in January 2014. [20] [24] [25] The Dreamcast version was published the following month on February 17, in a Japanese-style DVD packaging as three editions; [10] a regular edition, a deluxe edition limited to 1000 copies featuring an alternate cover art and a soundtrack enclosed with the game, as well as a collector edition limited to 300 units containing both releases. [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] This version has no regional protection but only works using Dreamcast units built prior to October 2001. [10] A second run of the regular edition for Dreamcast was made available on the official page of NG:Dev.Team in March 2014. [31]
Publication | Score |
---|---|
Destructoid | (DC) 8/10 [1] |
Jeuxvideo.com | (DC) 15/20 [2] |
Retro Gamer | (DC) 80% [4] |
neXGam | (DC) 8.2/10 [32] |
RetroManiac | (NG/DC) 3/5 [3] |
Neo XYX was met with positive reception from critics. [33] According to Hardcore Gamers, all editions of the first Dreamcast release were sold out as of February 2014. [29] [31] Maximiliano Baldo of Argentinian website Malditos Nerds ranked the game as number eight on their top ten of games released for discontinued consoles. [34] Destructoid 's Chris Carter praised its complexity, boss fights, game modes, hand-drawn artwork and soundtrack by Rafael Dyll. [1] Jeuxvideo.com 's Dominique Cavallo commended the fast-paced action, learning curve, display options and graphical effects but criticized its lack of innovation, short length and omission of a multiplayer mode. [2]
Heiko Poppen of German website neXGam commented in a positive light about the scoring system, varied and colorful graphical design of levels and bosses, Dyll's music and learning curve but criticized the Dreamcast version for being sparse with option settings, lack of two-player mode and other aspects. [32] David Borrachero of Spanish magazine RetroManiac compared the game with shooters such as Truxton and Raiden , praising the Japanese-style aesthetic, performance, sound design, gameplay and controls but noted that its high difficulty level was not recommended for newcomers, the lack of a two-player mode and technical bugs. [3] Retro Gamer 's Darran Jones stated that the title captured the feel of Toaplan shoot 'em ups like Truxton, commending its colorful presentation, boss fights, scoring mechanic and intense gameplay but criticized certain technical issues present in the Dreamcast port. [4]
A year after the launch of Neo XYX on the market, Perry Sessions and Jack "Kaiser" Darx began development of a follow-up at Team Grybanser Fox, titled Super XYX, once Sessions made an agreement with NG:Dev.Team. [13] It was released on August 10, 2020, for PC on Steam. [35]
Metal Slug is a 1996 run and gun arcade video game originally developed by Nazca Corporation and released by SNK for the Neo Geo MVS. It is the first installment in the eponymous series. Set in 2028, players assume the role of Peregrine Falcon Strike Force soldiers Marco Rossi and Tarma Roving on a fight against the Rebel Army led by Donald Morden and overthrow his coup d'état to prevent a New World Order.
Border Down is a horizontally scrolling shooter video game developed and published by G.rev. It was released in Japanese arcades in April 2003 on Sega NAOMI hardware, and was ported to the Dreamcast later that year. The story takes place in the future where humans are defending their Mars colony from an invading alien attack. The game employs a "border system" where each stage has three variations of different difficulty. The player starts on the easiest variation, and is lowered to a more difficult variation with each subsequent loss of a life.
Twin Cobra, known as Kyukyoku Tiger in Japan, is a vertically scrolling shooter developed by Toaplan and released for arcades in 1987 by Taito in Japan and Europe, then in North America by Romstar. It is a sequel to the 1985 arcade game Tiger-Heli. Controlling the titular attack helicopter, the players must fight endless waves of military vehicles while avoiding collision with their projectiles and other obstacles. It was the fourth shoot 'em up game from Toaplan, and their tenth video game overall. It was ported to multiple platforms, with each done by different third-party developers that made several changes or additions.
Truxton is a 1988 vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game originally developed by Toaplan and published in Japan and Europe by Taito, as well as in North America by Midway. Set in a future where the Gidans alien race led by Dogurava invaded the fictional planet Borogo, players assume the role of fighter pilot Tatsuo taking control of the Super Fighter ship on a last-ditch effort to overthrow the alien invaders.
The Atomiswave is a custom arcade system board and cabinet from Sammy Corporation. It is based on Sega's Dreamcast console, sharing similarities with the NAOMI, as far as it uses interchangeable game cartridges, as well as a removable module for changing the control scheme, but unlike the NAOMI, the Atomiswave does not feature expanded RAM compared to the Dreamcast.
Twinkle Star Sprites is a competitive vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game created by ADK and published by SNK in 1996. It was ADK's last production for the Neo Geo. Two players are each in separate, side-by-side, vertically scrolling levels. Combinations of shots and timed power-ups damage the other player. These attacks also serve as counters to the opponent's attack.
Hellfire is a 1989 horizontally scrolling shooter arcade video game originally developed by Toaplan and published in Japan by Taito and North America by U.S.A. Games. The first horizontal shoot 'em up title to be created by Toaplan, the game takes place in the year 2998 where a space matter known as Black Nebula created by robot dictator Super Mech spreads and threatens to engulf human-controlled galaxies, as players assume the role of Space Federation member Captain Lancer taking control of the CNCS1 space fighter craft in a surprise attack to overthrow the enemies with the fighter craft's titular weapon.
Last Hope is a single-player horizontally scrolling shooter for the Neo Geo AES, Neo Geo CD, and Dreamcast systems. It was developed by German developer NG:Dev.Team in 2006. While the Neo Geo version was self-published, the Dreamcast version was released by RedSpotGames in January 2007 as an unlicensed title. In 2009 the Dreamcast version received a reprint in the form of a director's cut called Last Hope: Pink Bullets which addressed several gameplay-related issues. A Neo Geo version of Pink Bullets was released in February 2011.
Fire Shark is a 1989 vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game developed and published by Toaplan in Japan and Europe, and by Romstar in North America. It is the sequel to Flying Shark, a game released in 1987 on multiple platforms. Set in the year 1991, the game focuses on a mysterious armada launching a worldwide attack from a small island in the Mediterranean Sea. Players take control of the titular biplane to counterattack the enemy forces.
Truxton II is a 1992 vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game originally developed and published by Toaplan in Japan and Europe. It is the sequel to Truxton, which was released earlier on arcades in 1988 and later ported to various platforms.
DUX is a scrolling shooter video game developed by independent German studio HUCAST.Net for the Dreamcast. The game was released on July 17, 2009 worldwide.
Fast Striker is a video game developed and published by German developer NG:Dev.Team in 2010 for the Neo Geo MVS. The player flies a space fighter craft through vertically scrolling levels to shoot waves of enemies. The game was later ported to Dreamcast, iOS, Neo Geo AES, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita.
Sturmwind is a 2013 scrolling shooter video game developed by German studio Duranik and originally published by RedSpotGames as an independent commercial release for the Dreamcast. It was re-released in 2016 and 2017, without the original RedSpotGames branding. A remastered version titled Sturmwind EX was also released for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One. Controlling a space fighter craft, the player must fight endless waves of enemy forces while avoiding collision with their projectiles and other obstacles. The gameplay consist of vertical-scrolling and horizonal-scrolling stages, with players collecting three different weapon types in the vein of Thunder Force and Axelay.
Rafael Dyll is a German composer, arranger and sound designer for computer and video games.
Gunlord is a 2012 single-player run and gun video game developed and published by German indie NG:Dev.Team for the Neo Geo MVS. It is the first run and gun title from NG:Dev.Team and their third game overall. Taking place after the events of Last Hope, the player assume the role of Gordian Gaiden facing against an evil lord called "The Master" on planet Kairos II while searching for his wife Vanessa, who went missing after defeating the evil empire. Inspired by 16-bit titles such as Turrican, the game originally started development in 2003 but was postponed for various years until the project was resumed in 2010, lasting eighteen months in production.
Xeno Crisis is a 2019 multidirectional shooter homebrew video game developed and published by Bitmap Bureau for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Linux, macOS, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. It was later ported to Dreamcast, PlayStation Vita, Neo Geo, Neo Geo CD, Nintendo 64, GameCube, Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Evercade. The premise takes place in Outpost 88, a scientific research facility overrun by aliens. The facility sent a distress signal, leading Commander Darius dispatching space marines John Marsh and Sarah Ridley to confront the aliens. Gameplay revolves around players defeating enemies, rescuing survivors, collecting in-game currency for upgrades, and facing against bosses.
NGDEV, formerly NG:Dev.Team, is a German video game developer and publisher. Founded in 2001 by brothers Timm and René Hellwig, it is known for developing 2D homebrew games with arcade gameplay for the Neo Geo and Dreamcast.
Razion is a 2014 horizontally scrolling shooter video game developed and published by German indie team NG:Dev.Team for the Neo Geo. It is the fourth shoot 'em up title from NG:Dev.Team and their sixth game overall. Controlling a space fighter craft, the player must fight endless waves of enemies while avoiding collision with their projectiles and other obstacles.
Magical Drop II is a 1996 puzzle video game developed and published by Data East for the Neo Geo arcade and home platforms. It was later ported to Neo Geo CD, Super Famicom, and Sega Saturn. It is the second entry in the Magical Drop series. In the game, the player takes control of one of several characters, battling against computer-controlled opponents before facing the villainous Empress in a final encounter. Gameplay is similar to its predecessor Magical Drop (1995) albeit with improvements; the objective is to clear the screen of constantly advancing colored 'drops' via a character placed at the bottom of the playfield, which can grab drops and make them disappear by putting them as a column of three or more drops of the same color. Two players can also participate in a competitive versus mode.
Ghost Blade is a 2015 vertically scrolling shooter video game developed and originally published by German studio HUCAST Games as an independent commercial release for the Dreamcast. It was re-released between 2017 and 2018 by JoshProd. A high-definition version titled Ghost Blade HD was also released for PlayStation 4, Wii U, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch. Controlling one of three fighter crafts, the player fights to protect Mars against the corrupt artificial intelligence Shira. Its gameplay consist of five stages, with players gathering collectible items and defeating enemies to build combos and maintain a high-score, while avoiding collision with their projectiles and obstacles.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)