Neo Racer: Tetra

Neo Racer: Tetra (ネオレーサー：テトラ - Neorēsā: Tetora) was a game developed by Ocean Games (海ゲーム) and released on November 30th, 2012 exclusively for Nintendo's (任天堂) newest console at the time, the Wii U (ウィー ユー). Neo Racer: Tetra was the first Ocean Games production to be published by Nintendo since 1986's Neo Racer 2: Revenge of X (ネオレーサー2：Xの復讐).

Production
Neo Racer: Tetra was the brainchild of the famous Yoshioka Koizumi, the creator of many different popular Ocean Games series. Neo Racer: Tetra began development on January 6th, 2010 by Ocean Games' Alpha (アルファ) team for Nintendo's unannounced console at the time. Nintendo themselves had actually commissioned the large studio to make the game, with them wanting to have an Ocean Games production at the forefront of their newest launch lineup. Similar to almost every other Neo Racer game, it would be designed by Yoshioka Koizumi, plus many other fledgling designers from the early years of Ocean Games, such as Yoshiro Kamaki, the original composer of the first Neo Racer game ever released.

The game went through a pretty rocky development, with the developers not knowing how to implement Nintendo's newest innovation, the Gamepad, into the actual gameplay without making it a nuisance to the player. One designer, Masaru Yamura, proposed that in some sections the player would have to look down at the Gamepad for gameplay, and in others, the player would have to look up at the television screen. Thankfully, this idea was shot down by Yoshioka Koizumi himself, later saying that it interrupted the gameplay experience and utterly destroyed the game's fast pacing.

Another reason the game had such a bad development was the multitude of bugs that the new console had brought on. Unbeknownst to Nintendo, Ocean Games had already begun development for a new Neo Racer title which was supposed to release on the Sony PlayStation 3 and the X-Box 360, however when Nintendo offered the contract, the higher-ups at Ocean Games snagged the deal, and all of the previous work on the game had to be ported over to the unannounced Nintendo console. This would prove to be a challenge for the developers, and because of that, there were many new issues and bugs that needed to be fixed before the game released to store shelves at the launch of the Nintendo's newest console.

Another bad thing about the game's development was the short development time (for Ocean Games, at the least). The Ocean Games corporation was used to pushing out new games every 3-5 years, which gives them enough time to patch out all the bugs and make great games. However, this game's dev time was half of some other Ocean Games releases, with it being released only two years after development on the Wii U version initially began. This was a great challenge for the developers, with some working around the clock to get the game ready for the November 2012 release of the Wii U. It was so bad that some of the game's developers needing to be hospitalized mid-development. This caused Ocean Games to hire new, contract-based, developers to replace the old ones while they were getting medical treatment.

Neo Racer: Tetra was officially announced at the 2010 E3 by Yoshioka Koizumi himself, appearing at his first E3 event since 2004, when he officially unveiled Ocean Games newest game at the time Warp. The announcement was met with almost immediate backlash, with many fans upset that it would release exclusively on Nintendo's newest, unannounced console. However, Kotaro Yamamato (the previous CEO of Ocean Games) defended this decision by stating that they had officially worked with Nintendo to make sure that the game would be up to snuff and would be a fun gameplay experience. However, this did response angered even more fans because Mr. Yamamoto hadn't fully addressed the reason most fans were mad: the game wasn't going multiplatform.

This caused Mr. Yamamoto to release yet another response to the backlash, stating that the game wasn't going multiplatform because Ocean Games wanted to try something new and experiment as to what they could do with game development. Many fans were still offended by this response and believed that the only reason that Ocean Games was releasing Neo Racer: Tetra exclusively for the Nintendo console was that they had signed a business deal with Nintendo, which was true. However, many fans realized that Ocean Games wasn't going to change their market strategy, and gave up trying to fight against it.

The fans were also angry for a second reason, and that was for the game's promotional comic released in the United States just a month before the game officially hit store shelves. This comic was titled "Neo Racer: Tetra" and was a promotional comic for the upcoming Wii U. The comic highlighted and made fun of many consoles of the past, while also making cracks about previous Neo Racer games. This caused many fans to get angry over the comic, and it had to be pulled from store shelves mere weeks after it launched. This comic was supposed to bring on a new Neo Racer comic in the States that would feature much humor. However, after the overwhelmingly negative reception from fans, the idea was shelved and the comic was indefinitely put on hold.

Neo Racer: Tetra finally released to great reviews, with many critics citing the amazing aesthetic and beautiful soundtrack. However, some fans were still angry about the fact that the game wasn't going multiplatform, and blasted the game on sites like Metacritic, etc, with the overall fan reception on Metacritic being a low 4.5 percent, thanks to all the fans reviews. However, this didn't stop the game from selling incredibly well. The game sold around 1 million units in 6 months, which was slightly above Nintendo's ambitions for the project. Neo Racer: Tetra sold around 5 million units in all.

Gameplay
Neo Racer: Tetra 's gameplay would be very similar to that of the latest (at the time of this writing) 3D F-Zero game, F-Zero: GX. However, the gameplay would be much more modern than the said F-Zero: GX. Neo Racer: Tetra would feature much fewer racers appearing in races, around 12, while F-Zero GX had 30 racers on the track at the same time. Neo Racer: Tetra would also have many more characters that you could choose to play in the races. While F-Zero: GX featured a measly (compared to Neo Racer: Tetra) 40 racers, Neo Racer: Tetra would feature over 60 unique and different characters that players could control during the races. Each character would have their own unique car and character design. Every character would also have their own separate voice.

A new feature that would be continually added into the series after this game's release would be the "Vortex" feature. The vortex feature would introduce new ways of racing to players, with them being able to go upside down on the track. However, this would only last for a certain period of time, and you'd get more time added to that by knocking other players off of the vortex-infused road. However, this could also cause you to fail, because the enemy AI was programmed to watch out for oncoming player attacks, so they'd swerve out of the way. This would mean that you'd fall off and have to restart from the previous checkpoint. When a player would drive onto a vortex-infused road, the animation that would play with the racer's car would show the wheels of the car turning up into the car, while a faint circle of light appeared underneath the vehicle. The colors of the glowing circles underneath the cars would mostly be unique to every racer. When a player would float off of one of the vortex-areas, the animation shown when the player drove onto the vortex-area would simply be reversed. The vortex feature would be implemented into at least one race every cup.

Another new feature that would be implemented in this game would be the new reliability concerning car's insides. A new meter when buying vehicles would appear off to the side (next to the speed and drift meters) and would show the car's reliability. In this new Neo Racer games, other drivers would be able to wreck your car. And the player would also be able to do the same to rival NPCs. You'd be able to see the car's current damage during gameplay up in the top left-hand corner of the screen, right by where the player's current position in the race would be. When the meter would reach 0, your, or the NPCs car would catch on fire, and soon after explode. When ramming into other NPC vehicles, you'd be able to see their damage meter above their car. If players didn't want to utilize this feature, it could be easily turned off in the game's settings menu.

The 3rd new feature that the developers would implement would be the brand new "Ultra Boost" feature where the player would be able to boost forward at an alarmingly fast fashion, zooming past opponents. The Ultra Boost would last for only 10 seconds, however, that would most likely give the player enough time to get close to the front of the race. This feature could only be accessed by filling up a small bar at the bottom left of your screen. You'd be able to fill up the bar by destroying opponent's cars, entering vortex areas and staying in them, drifting, and getting ahead of other opponents. The Ultra Boost would have to be controlled by the player when they used higher difficulties, however, it would be automatically controlled during easy and normal gameplay difficulties. Ultra Boost would only be able to be used if players upgraded their vehicle in the "Upgrade" menu after a race or in the main menu. The Ultra Boost feature would not be able to be used during "Battle Mode" gameplay. This is the only appearance of this version of the Ultra Boost feature, however, the idea would return in the next Neo Racer game, Neo Racer: Nebula. The idea would also be featured in the Neo Racer manga series, "Neo Racer: Transformed". It would also appear in the Neo Racer anime, "Neo Racer: Tetra" and the following show "Neo Racer: Nebula's Crown".

Controls
Neo Racer: Tetra 's controls would be very similar to the F-Zero 3D games, just more modernized and polished. They would also utilize the Wii U's Gamepad, something that the 3D F-Zero games couldn't use, simply because it wasn't around at that point in time. As stated before, the Gamepad would be utilized as a simple map screen that would show where you and your opponents were on the track along with your current place in the competition. The Gamepad would also show your boost meter, something that you could toggle on and off.

Move Leftward - Players would be capable of moving leftward by pushing the left joystick to the left.

Move Rightward - Player would have the capability of moving rightward by pushing their right joystick to the right.

Hand-Brake - Players would be able to make their vehicle come to a stop by holding down the B button or by holding down the ZL trigger on the back of the Gamepad.

Gradual Slow Down - Players would be able to gradually slow their vehicle down by holding the left stick downward.

Move - Player would be able to move their vehicle forward by holding down either the A button or by holding down the ZR trigger on the back of the Gamepad.

Drift - Players would be able to drift by holding down the B button or ZL trigger while still either holding down the A button or holding down the ZR trigger.

Boost - Players would be able to use the boost function by pressing down the Y button on the Gamepad.

Ultra Boost - Players would be able to Ultra Boost by holding down the Y button on the Gamepad when the Ultra Boost meter is full.

Pause - Players would be able to pause the race by pressing the Start button on the Gamepad.

Select - Players would be able to select something in the menus by pressing down the A and X buttons.

Go Back - You'd be able to go back on the menus by pressing down the Y and B buttons.

Move Camera - Players would be able to move the camera by using the right stick. Players would be able to move their camera entirely all around the car.

Cups
There would be a multitude of cups in Neo Racer: Tetra, with the exact number being 22 cups.

Neo Cup
The Neo Cup would be the first cup that players would have to complete in the game. Although it would have the same name as every other appearance of the Neo Cup, it would feature a whole new set of obstacles, sections, and overall a whole new design. Much like every other Neo Racer game, it would be the tutorial level to introduce players to the game.

Saturn Cup
The Saturn Cup would be the second cup that players would play. This cup would be a new cup exclusively for Neo Racer: Tetra. The Saturn Cup would be a brand new level and would introduce the players to the Vortex mechanic. This level would have players racing on a track with large rings surrounding a planet that the racers would eventually have to fly onto to complete the race.

Comet Cup
The Comet Cup would be the third cup that players would have to race on. This cup would be the second new cup made exclusively for the game. The Comet Cup would feature a giant looping race track on a comet hurtling through space.

Nutrio Cup
The Nutrio Cup would be the fourth cup that players would race on. This cup would be returning from the previous Neo Racer game, Neo Racer: Transformed. The Nutrio Cup would feature a humongous race track, with giant pieces of nutritional food dotting the landscape around the track. This cup would later reappear in an episode of the "Neo Racer: Tetra" anime series and volume 6 of the "Neo Racer: Transformed" manga series.

Jet Cup
Yet another returning cup from a previous Neo Racer game, the Jet Cup (last appearing in Neo Racer: Crimson for the Gamecube, PlayStation 2, and X-Box) would be the fifth cup players would have to conquer to complete the game's story. The Jet Cup would feature a new design to the Neo Racer: Crimson version and, much like the past two other cups in the game, would feature a vortex section. However, the gimmick of this cup would be that most of it would just be vortex sections. This cup would be designed so players could really get acquainted with the aforementioned gameplay feature.

Solar Cup
Another new cup that would appear in the game would be the Solar Cup, being the sixth cup of the game. The Solar Cup would be the third new cup designed exclusively for Neo Racer: Tetra. The Solar Cup would make another appearance in volume 12 of the "Neo Racer: Transformed" manga series.

Solstice Cup
The Solstice Cup would be yet another new cup designed exclusively for Neo Racer: Tetra. The Solstice Cup would be the seventh cup in the game and would be the fourth original cup for this game. The Solstice Cup would feature one giant, long vortex section players would have to endure right before they reached the cup's finish line. The Solstice Cup would be featured three more times, with one being in the "Neo Racer: Transformed" manga and the other two being in the "Neo Racer: Nebula's Crown" anime.

Moon Cup
The Moon Cup would be yet another returning stage from a previous Neo Racer game, Neo Racer: Into the Zone. The Moon Cup featured in this game would be a wholly new design, including new sections like loop-de-loops and vortex sections. The Moon Cup would take place in outer space, with players racing above the moon. Eventually, they'll have to fly down and land on the planet to finish the race, much like the Saturn Cup. However, players would have to fly down much farther than the Saturn Cup, with racers cars bursting into flames and creating craters when they crash-landed on the planet below. The Saturn Cup would later reappear in volume 24 of the "Neo Racer: Transformed" and would also make an appearance in the Neo Racer animes, "Neo Racer: Tetra" and "Neo Racer: Nebula's Crown".

Blazing Cup
The Blazing Cup would be a wholly new stage for Neo Racer: Tetra. The Blazing Cup would be the home stage of one of the prime racers, Blue Blaze. The cup would feature many fire sections (with blue fire, might I add) showing off the Oasis Engine's spectacular lighting and fire effects. Not only would the cup have fire sections it would also have many different vortex sections players would have to navigate through to complete the race and win. The cup would also feature a giant cannon-launching sequence where the player would be shot out of a giant, futuristic cannon (that they'd have to aim in the higher difficulties) to pass through the finish line. The Blazing Cup would make future appearances in volume 26 of the Neo Racer manga, "Neo Racer: Transformed" and would also make multiple appearances and cameos in the Neo Racer animes, "Neo Racer: Tetra" and the following installment in the anime franchise, "Neo Racer: Nebula's Crown".

Diorama Mode
Players would be able to access a full diorama mode by completing the main Neo Racer: Tetra game. Players would have to replay different races to find hidden shortcuts of the race course to unlock new tokens that they could now find in a certain diorama. Players would be able to move the camera all around the diorama. The diorama mode would feature over 40 different dioramas players would be able to look at.

Neo Cup
The first diorama that players would be able to unlock would be the new, Neo Racer: Tetra, version of the Neo Cup. The diorama would feature 4 different cars upside down on one of the many vortex sections of the racing map. Jet, the main character of the series, would naturally be at the front of all of the racing vehicles, while the rival character X would be close behind. In pursuit of both of them would be the notorious lady racer, Scarlet Skylar, and finally, the one at the very back of the race would be the Abominable Arnie, who would be one of the least skilled racers in Neo Racer: Tetra.

X Cup
The second diorama players would be able to unlock would be the classic version of the X Cup, taking the design from the original Neo Racer game on the NES. The diorama would feature a pixellated aesthetic, with players being able to move their camera around every little bit of the model. The X cup would feature 3 different racers. One of the racers would be Jet, sporting his original car design with the mismatched colors. The second racer, behind Jet, would be the infamous X, driving his red and black car design. The final racer, at the back of the pack, would be the normal opponent, as there were only two actual characters in the original game, with the rest of the opponents having no personality.

Nutrio Cup
The third diorama players would be able to unlock would be the new, Neo Racer: Tetra, version of the Nutrio Cup. The diorama would show 2 racers toe-to-toe at the finish line. These two racers would be the most recognizable characters of the series, being Jet and his rival, X. X would be driving his class red and black car, and Jet would be sporting one of his newer vehicle designs. In this diorama, you'd be able to change the time of day, as the Nutrio Cup has a day-night cycle as the race progresses. You'd be able to change the time of day to either night, the day, the morning-time, or the evening.

Solstice Cup
The fourth diorama players would be able to unlock would be the Solstice Cup. This would be the first diorama player's would be able to unlock created specifically for Neo Racer: Tetra. The diorama would feature 4 different racers fighting to reach the finish line first. One of the four racers would be Jet, who would obviously be at the front of the crowd. The racer directly behind him would be the infamous X, trying to take away Jet's lead. The third racer, behind X, would be Calypso Callie, and finally, behind her, would be the infamous Ranger Danger, trying to get to at least third place in the race. The diorama would feature the players on one of the many vortex sections of the Solstice Cup.

Jet Cup
The fifth diorama people would be able to unlock would be the Jet Cup. The Jet Cup would be the fourth cup that would return from a previous Neo Racer game. The diorama would show only two racers, this time not being the signature characters of Jet and X. Instead, the two racers would be the characters Blue Blaze and the Red Fire, two intimate rivals. The racers would be toe-to-toe and would be fighting to reach the finish line first. The diorama would show Blue Blaze trying to push Red Fire off of one of the vortex sections. However, Red Fire would be trying to save himself, and get in front of the Blue Blaze. The Jet Cup diorama would show off the two Red Fire and Blue Blaze car designs in all their beautiful glory, as most people (including most of the developers) think that the two car designs look the best out of all the 60+ designs.

Moon Cup
The sixth diorama players would be able to unlock would be the Moon Cup. The Moon Cup's diorama would showcase 2 racers flying down from above, into the awaiting planet below. The two racers that would appear would be the signature Neo Racer characters Jet and X, battling it out to see who would win the race in the end. Jet would be farther through the air than X, however, X would be right on his heels. The diorama would showcase Neo Racer: Tetra's spectacular lighting and fire system, showing off the burning cars as they flew down through outer space. The Moon Cup diorama would only be able to be unlocked through completing all of the Moon Cup's objectives and achievements.