My name is NEO… Review

My name is NEO…

You know the phrase: “Don’t judge a book by its cover?” Basically, this cliché

says that judgements shouldn’t be made on appearances alone. Let us look at freaks,

for example. No, I’m not talking about the freaks that come out at night or even

the freaks of the industry. Let’s look at the original freaks, the old-school

circus freaks.

People from all over would come to gawk and stare at others who were outwardly

perceived as different. What the “norms” didn’t think about was how similar

they were on the inside. The elephant man still cracked the shells of his peanuts,

the bearded lady still had to wax her moustache like all the other guys, and

the midgets still put on one little shoe at a time.

At a glance, Crave’s latest platformer Super Magnetic Neo looks like

some cartoonish game spawned out of a circus freak show for kids, but look a

bit deeper and you’ll find much more than that.

Before you even open the box, you’ll notice the bizarre, cartoonish characters

that reside within Super Magnetic Neo. The lead character, Neo, looks

like a mutated Smurf with a cardboard box glued on his little, round, noseless

head, while arch villain Pinky is a talking two-year old wearing pink Mickey

Mouse ears who rides on a flying rubber ducky with a rat skull painted on the

side. Sounds like a typical night out in San Francisco. They may not be your

average video game characters, but they sure do add some interesting flavor

to the game.

At its core, Super Magnetic Neo is a basic platformer that has its

lead character jumping from level to level. What separates it from other platform

games is the use of super magnetic polarity. Neo has the ability to radiate

North and South magnetic rays (called Polar Pops) which he uses to both attract

and repel objects and enemies. Using the same polarity will cause Neo to bounce

off objects and using the opposite polarity forces him to cling to them. Also,

using the opposite polarity on enemies will turn them into little Ener-Cubes

that have an explosive charge.

This magnetic feature adds a new dimension to the game and challenges its players to do more than just run, jump and shoot. Gamers must master the art of knowing when to use the North rays and when to use the South rays. While learning the tricks of polarity, you must keep in mind that a lot of practice goes a long way. After you’ve gotten the hang of it, the game becomes much more fun and a lot less frustrating.

The graphics in Super Magnetic Neo are top notch. Each of the four

game worlds is full of multi-colored, smooth textured backgrounds. Even the

world select screen is a graphical monster, taking you on a short rollercoaster

ride through the amusement park that the villain has taken over.

Another

cool aspect of the game is the way it employs different types of movement

for Neo. He slides down snowy hills, rides a Camelcycle through ancient lands,

and bumps around in a mine cart. Action takes place both in the standard 3D

setting and from a side scrolling view.

The major problems that plague Neo are pretty standard for a 3D platformer.

First, there is the camera trouble. 3D platform games tend to have a problem

with the placement of the camera angles; either they are so close you can’t

see what you are doing or so far that background objects will occasionally block

your view. There are times when the camera will move closer or further for a

better view, but it takes a bit too long and is only effective if you stand

still and wait for it to happen.

Another small problem is the depth perception of the maps. The layout of some levels makes it difficult to tell just how close or far you are to an object. This can sometimes spell disaster if you fall off the edge of a cliff you couldn’t see or fail to jump as far as you thought you needed to. These problems are indeed frustrating, but not too hard to overcome.

Overall, Neo can be described as a quirky platformer that’s got a lot

of personality. While not a revolutionary game, it does employ some original

gameplay aspects that keep it from becoming just another boring platformer.

If you can look past Neo’s freaky cartoonish appearance and look deep down inside

his little Smurfy heart, you’ll be surprised just how much fun this game can

be.