N2O (video game)

N2O, subtitled as Nitrous Oxide in North America, is a 1998 tube shooter for the PlayStation, featuring a soundtrack composed by the American electronic music duo The Crystal Method.[2] The soundtrack was heavily used to promote the game, and the music is stored in Red Book format meaning the game disc can be played as a music CD on an ordinary CD player.[3]

N2O
Developer(s)Gremlin Interactive[lower-alpha 1]
Publisher(s)
Designer(s)Antony Crowther
Platform(s)PlayStation
Release
Genre(s)Tube shooter
Mode(s)Single-player, Cooperative multiplayer

Plot

In the deep future, the Galaxy is at war. On planet Neptune, forces of evil in a tubular shaped circuit known as "The Torus" are creating gigantic mutated insects with the intent to invade and destroy Earth. Nitrous Oxide is a by-product of the insects incubation, and also serves as a high-octane fuel for the player's Tunnel Runner ship. The Tunnel Runner must eradicate the rapidly mutating insects before they become strong enough to invade Earth.

Gameplay

N2O is a tube shooter in which the player shoots insects while collecting "E" coins, mushroom shields, and other psychedelically-themed weapon power-ups. As more insects are shot, the game increases speed. Players can collect more points by killing enemies in certain ways (such as shooting centipedes in the head) and by shooting the coins which appear when an enemy is killed to increase its value.[4] Coins can be used to purchase shields, firewall powerups, and points at the end of each level.[4] Besides the single player mode, N2O features a cooperative multiplayer mode with a shared screen or a split screen.

Development

Producer Peter Dalton said that "We set out to create a game where the gameplay was simple on one level but completely absorbing and addictive on another."[4]

The soundtrack was not added until the end of development, since publisher Fox Interactive wanted to sign a high profile techno band for the game's music.[4]

Reception

The game received average reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[5] Next Generation said, "shooter fans who thrive on the ability to top their last high score time and time again won't be disappointed by this high energy blast-a-thon."[14] The New York Times praised N2O for its aesthetics and smoothly seamless but fast-paced gameplay. They said that the game is similar in presentation to a Crystal Method concert and that the game is best played at high volume and in total darkness to maximize the audiovisual experience, and further remarked that the superior audio capacities of televisions (especially those attached to home theater systems) over typical computer systems is one of the advantages to restricting the game to the console market and not releasing it as a PC game.[16] GamePro said, "In the end, N20 [sic] is definitely worth the price of admission, and is a great shooter for your library."[17][lower-alpha 3]

The game shipped more than 100,000 units worldwide.[18]

Ports and re-releases

N2O was re-released for PlayStation Network by Urbanscan in PAL regions on January 10, 2008,[19] and by Sony Interactive Entertainment in North America on June 1, 2010;[20] and Latin America on August 13, 2013. Console Classics released the game under license of Urbanscan for Microsoft Windows via Steam on June 29, 2015,[21] emulated through PCSXR.[22]

Notes
  1. (PlayStation Network ports for Portable, 3 and Vita developed by Urbanscan)
  2. In GameFan's viewpoint of the game, three critics gave it each a score of 96, 84, and 89.
  3. GamePro gave the game 4/5 for graphics, 5/5 for sound, and two 4.5/5 scores for control and fun factor.

References
  1. Johnston, Chris (February 24, 1998). "Pumped Full of N20 [sic]". GameSpot. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on October 14, 2000. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
  2. Johnston, Chris (April 20, 1998). "Fox Signs The Crystal Method". GameSpot. Fandom. Archived from the original on October 13, 2000. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  3. Gerstmann, Jeff (July 17, 1998). "N2O: Nitrous Oxide Review". GameSpot. Fandom. Archived from the original on December 6, 2004. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  4. "Previews: N2O: Nitrous Oxide" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 106. Ziff Davis. May 1998. p. 51. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  5. "N2O: Nitrous Oxide for PlayStation". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 1, 2019. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  6. Miller, Skyler. "N2O: Nitrous Oxide - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 16, 2014. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  7. Ham, Tom (August 21, 1998). "N20: Nitrous Oxide [sic]". Gamecenter. CNET. Archived from the original on August 16, 2000. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  8. EGM staff (August 1998). "N2O: Nitrous Oxide". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 109. Ziff Davis.
  9. Whitehead, Dan (January 28, 2008). "PSN Roundup (Page 2)". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on August 28, 2017. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  10. "N2O: Nitrous Oxide". Game Informer. No. 63. FuncoLand. July 1998. Archived from the original on September 15, 1999. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  11. Mylonas, Eric "ECM"; Higgins, Geoff "El Nino"; Ngo, George "Eggo" (August 1998). "N20 [sic]". GameFan. Vol. 6, no. 8. Metropolis Media. p. 16. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  12. Zimring, Jason (September 1998). "Nitrous Oxide (n2o) [sic]- Playstation Review". GameRevolution. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on February 5, 2004. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  13. Perry, Douglass C. (June 18, 1998). "N2O: Nitrous Oxide". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on March 5, 2018. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  14. "N20 [sic]". Next Generation. No. 45. Imagine Media. September 1998. p. 134. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  15. "N2O: Nitrous Oxide". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. Vol. 1, no. 12. Ziff Davis. September 1998.
  16. Herz, J.C. (August 6, 1998). "N2O: At Its Best at High Volume in the Dark". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  17. Scary Larry (August 1998). "N2O: Nitrous Oxide". GamePro. No. 119. IDG Entertainment. p. 106. Archived from the original on September 28, 2004. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  18. "Video game ads evoke drug culture". Indianapolis News. Central Newspapers. June 18, 1998. p. 29. Retrieved September 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. Robinson, Martin (January 11, 2008). "N2O and Har[d]core 4X4 Come to EU PSN". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on December 7, 2022. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  20. Romano, Sal (June 1, 2010). "US PlayStation Store Update: June 1, 2010". Gematsu. Archived from the original on August 14, 2012. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
  21. "N2O released on Steam". Console Classics. June 29, 2015. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  22. Mahmood, Sikandar (June 30, 2015). "PS One Title "N20 [sic]: Nitrous Oxide" Successfully Emulated For PC, Available to Download On Steam". SegmentNext. Archived from the original on April 19, 2019. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
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