N2O: Nitrous Oxide

Developer(s) Gremlin Interactive, Urbanscan[1]
Publisher(s) Fox Interactive,[2] Console Classics[3]
Distributor(s) 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Designer(s) Antony Crowther
Platform(s) PlayStation, PlayStation Network, Microsoft Windows
Release date(s)

PlayStation

PlayStation Network

  • EU: January 10, 2008
  • NA: June 1, 2010

Microsoft Windows (Steam)
June 29, 2015[3]

Genre(s) Tube shooter
Mode(s) Single-player, Cooperative multiplayer

N2O (or N2O: Nitrous Oxide) is a tunnel shooter (similar to the 1980 hit Tempest) notably featuring a soundtrack composed by American electronic music duo, The Crystal Method. The soundtrack was heavily used to promote the game, and the audio tracks from the game are in Red Book audio format so that the game CD can be played on a non-console Compact Disc player.[6] N2O was given an official port on Steam on June 29, 2015,[7] based on the free and open-source software emulator PCSXR.[8]

Plot

“ Introduction

Somewhere deep in the future our Galaxy is at war. On the nearby planet of Neptune, forces of evil have initiated their new plans to invade the Earth. By accelerating sub-atomic particles around a tubular shaped circuit known as The Torus, they are developing a race of Super Warriors. Together with advanced genetic engineering, this central birthing canal is capable of producing an army of lethal genetically mutated insects.

Nitrous Oxide, a pollutant by-product emitted inside The Torus, provides a high octane fuel for your Tunnel Runner, but unfortunately it also provides the perfect breeding environment for the secretly incubating species.

Your Mission:
Set a course for Neptune.
Fly your Tunnel Runner into the Nitrous Oxide filled tubes.
Destroy the Super Warriors and genetic mutations before they are strong enough to invade Earth.
Come home for milk and cookies.

 ”

Gameplay

N2O takes the form of a tube shooter in which the player shoots insects while collecting "E" coins, mushroom shields, and other psychedelically-themed weapon power-ups. As more and more insects are shot the game increases speed. Besides the single player mode, N2O features a cooperative multiplayer mode with a shared screen or a split screen.

N2O has been noted for its aesthetics and for having smoothly seamless but fast-paced gameplay. It has been suggested 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 "intense and dynamic" effects of data flashers and strobes.[2] The superior audio capacities of televisions (especially those attached to home theater systems) over typical computer systems has been suggested as one of the advantages to restricting the game to the console market and not releasing it as a PC game.[2]

Soundtrack

The Crystal Method supplies the music with tracks from their debut album, Vegas:

  1. Trip Like I Do
  2. Busy Child
  3. Vapor Trail
  4. Keep Hope Alive
  5. Now Is The Time - Industrial Cloud Mix
  6. Cherry Twist
  7. Busy Child - Uberzone Mix
  8. Comin' Back - Front BC's Comin' Twice Remix
  9. She's My Pusher
  10. Keep Hope Alive - AK1200 Mix

See also

References

  1. ↑
  2. 1 2 3 Herz, J.C. N2O: At Its Best at High Volume in the Dark. New York Times. 6 August 1998.
  3. 1 2
  4. ↑ N2O: Nitrous Oxide. GameSpot. Retrieved 9 December 2008.
  5. ↑ Perry, Douglass. "N2O: Nitrous Oxide". IGN. Retrieved 2008-12-09.
  6. ↑ Gerstmann, Jeff. N2O: Nitrous Oxide Review. GameSpot. 17 July 1998.
  7. ↑
  8. ↑ First psx emulated game on steam N2O: Nitrous Oxide on emutalk.net by LyonHrt (July 1st, 2015)
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