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 development time was only 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. Even with the great reviews, some critics did criticize the fact that many of the cups felt like they blended together, and not many of them felt very unique. They highlighted the fact that they felt that Ocean Games was hoping for quantity over quality. 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.

Downloadable Content
Similar to many other games released during this time period in gaming history, there would be downloadable content that players would be able to purchase from online stores, or possibly at retail venues. The downloadable content created and sold for Neo Racer: Tetra wouldn't be incredibly special; it would just be a handful of new cups, racers, and more diorama mode content.

Mushroom Kingdom
One of the new cups that would be released as DLC for Neo Racer: Tetra would be that of the Mushroom Kingdom from the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Mario_Bros. Super Mario Bros. (スーパーマリオブラザーズ)] franchise. It would show all of the most famous landmarks of the Mushroom Kingdom, with players even eventually going into Peach's Castle, which would use the very same design which was originally utilized in Super Mario 64 (スーパーマリオ64). This cup would come out of the collaboration between Nintendo and Ocean Games. The track would feel as if a Neo Racer cup were to be infused with a Mario Kart track. The NPCs that would be cheering the racers off on the sidelines would be that of the Toads from the Mario universe as well as some other more realistic, human characters from the Neo Racer franchise.

Classic Neo Cup
The next cup that would be released as downloadable content for Neo Racer: Tetra, would be the Classic Neo Cup, taking its design from the first-ever Neo Racer game. As a result of it being taken directly from the first Neo Racer installment, the level would not feature any vortex sections, any water areas, etc. However, instead of the camera being top-down, like the original Neo Racer, this version of the level would have the camera be behind the racer, adding a whole new perspective and flavor to an older cup. The Classic Neo Cup would feature a more pixelated art design, in contrast to the more realistic art design of the normal game. This DLC cup would also have an in-store purchase option, with it only costing $10 USD more than the standard digital edition. This in-store purchase option would be very similar to the strategy Nintendo used with their very own New Super Luigi U (新スーパールイジU) in 2013, a year after Neo Racer: Tetra initially released.

Classic X Cup
The third and final DLC cup that would be released for Neo Racer: Tetra would be the Classic X Cup, featuring the exact same art style as the last cup that was released for DLC. Much similar to the last Neo Racer DLC cup, this cup would not feature any vortex areas, water sections, etc. Much like the last cup in the "Classic" moniker, this cup would have the same camera placement as the last one. Stated above, this cup would be the very last Neo Racer: Tetra DLC cup released. Much like the last DLC classic cup, this one would also have a physical release, case and all. And, along with the physical disk release, the cost would once again move up $10 USD to accommodate the improved release. Another similarity between these two cups would be that both of them would cost around $30 USD.

Vorter
A play on the word of teleporter, this character would be a brand new character designed exclusively for Neo Racer: Tetra 's downloadable content. Vorter, supposedly, would be the character creating all of these vortex areas that players would have to deal with in almost every single race. Vorter would appear similar to the character of Robbie from the Nintendo game, Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (ゼルダの伝説：野生の息吹). Vorter would have cog-shaped goggles, illuminating a purple glow. Vorter's outfit was that of a gray turtleneck sweatshirt, along with a black leather jacket that would also illuminate a purple glow somehow. He'd wear tight-fitting black, leather pants that, like the rest of his outfit, would illuminate a purple glow. All of the purple illumination shown would be reminiscent of the vortex sections main color choice. After this DLC's release, the character of Vorter would appear in the very next Neo Racer installment, "Neo Racer: Nebula". He would also make a couple of cameos in the Neo Racer manga and anime.

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. The Neo Cup would act as the training level to introduce players to the game.

Axel Cup
The Axel Cup would be another returning cup from a previous Neo Racer game, coming from Neo Racer: Transformed. This cup would be the second cup players would experience. The Axel Cup would not have a mascot, and would just be a training course for many of the racing contestants. This cup would show players how to deal with water sections and vortex sections and how they initially work, so when these parts are introduced to the players later on into the game, they won't be confused. This cup would be treated as the tutorial level and would need to be the easiest level for the players to get used to the controls. The Axel Cup's color scheme would be that of Neo Racer: Tetra, being the two colors cyan and black. The Axel Cup would later reappear in volume 11 of the "Neo Racer: Transformed" manga and would be featured in the first episodes of both the "Neo Racer: Tetra" anime and the "Neo Racer: Nebula's Crown" anime.

Saturn Cup
The Saturn Cup would be the third 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 fourth 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 fifth 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 (ネオレーサー：ゾーンに). 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 Moon 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".

Infinite Cup
The Infinite Cup would be another wholly new stage created exclusively for Neo Racer: Tetra. The Infinite Cup would be only vortex sections. The entire thing would be vortex sections without railings to save yourself from falling over the edge of the track. The Infinite Cup's color scheme would be made of the two colors purple and black. The cup would be the home stage of the mysterious racer Infinite, another rival of X beside the popular character of Jet. The Infinite Cup would later reappear in many episodes of the two following Neo Racer animes, "Neo Racer: Tetra" and "Neo Racer: Nebula's Crown". It would also appear in volume 13, volume 19, volume 29, and volume 31 of the "Neo Racer: Transformed" manga series.

Wool Cup
Yet another original cup created and designed exclusively for Neo Racer: Tetra, the Wool Cup would be a cup made entirely out of little woolly yarn, resembling the art style of Yoshi's Woolly World (ヨッシーのウーリーワールド). The Wool Cup would be the home stage of the woolly racer, Mr. Woolwurth. Mr. Woolwurth would be one of the lower-tier racers out of everyone on the roster. The Wool Cup's ground would be able to send out yarny tendrils to ensnare some players so other racers could get in front of them. The Wool Cup would also make a couple of appearances in only one of the following Neo Racer animes, getting an entire three-episode arc in the "Neo Racer: Nebula's Crown" anime and would also appear in only one volume of the "Neo Racer: Transformed" manga, being volume 37.

Fern Cup
The Fern Cup would be another returning cup from another Neo Racer game, this time originating from Neo Racer: Crimson. The Fern Cup would be a cup taking place in a natural-looking forest section. However, it is more than you'd initially think it is. Players would be able to explore an underground section of the map, showing off that everything would be fake and man-made. The underground section would show off all of the moving cogs and wheels making the map what it is. This would be a departure from the original map design that was initially featured in Neo Racer: Crimson, with it just being a forest level. This version of the map would show off a new side of the cup. The Fern Cup would later reappear in the two Neo Racer animes, being featured in "Neo Racer: Tetra" and "Neo Racer: Nebula's Crown". It would also make a small cameo in a blurb in volume 39 of the "Neo Racer: Transformed" manga.

Nova Cup
The Nova Cup would be yet another returning cup from a previous Neo Racer game, this time coming from the universally disliked Neo Racer 2: Revenge of X. The Nova Cup would be completely different from when it first appeared in the second Neo Racer game. The Nova Cup would now feature a long vortex section and an incredibly long underwater section. The Nova Cup's art style would resemble an 80s science fiction movie's aesthetic, with neon lights almost everywhere. This new version of the Nova Cup would later reappear in a couple of episodes of the two Neo Racer animes, "Neo Racer: Tetra" and "Neo Racer: Nebula's Crown". It would also make a 3-volume appearance of the "Neo Racer: Transformed" manga.

Yan Cup
The Yan Cup would be another new cup created exclusively for Neo Racer: Tetra. The Yan Cup would take place in a utopian Tokyo, with players racing through the streets to get to the finish line. The Yan Cup would also have the same distinct art-style that the previous Nova Cup would have. The Yan Cup would later make some small appearances in other Neo Racer media, for example in a couple of episodes of the Neo Racer animes, "Neo Racer: Tetra" and "Neo Racer: Nebula's Crown". Much like the Nova Cup, it would also have it's own 3 volume arc in the "Neo Racer: Transformed" manga.

Beatrix Cup
The Beatrix Cup would be another cup created exclusively for Neo Racer: Tetra, being the ninth cup designed exclusively for the game. The Beatrix Cup would take place in a giant creepy mansion, with walls falling in destroying vehicles. The ground would also rip up from the structure and hang in midair. Every lap, the mansion would become slightly more broken, with more walls and floors gone revealing the devilish purple and black hue of the void. The Beatrix Cup would show off some of the designers' amazing skills at creating cohesive and interesting map layouts. The Beatrix Cup would later make some appearances in the Neo Racer animes, being in a two-episode arc of the "Neo Racer: Tetra" anime and making a small cameo appearance in the "Neo Racer: Nebula's Crown" anime. It would also make an appearance in volume 36 the Neo Racer manga, "Neo Racer: Transformed".

Titus Cup
The Titus Cup would be yet another new cup for Neo Racer: Tetra, this time with the cup acting as the home base for the new racer character Titus. The Titus Cup would be the tenth cup designed exclusively for Neo Racer: Tetra. The Titus Cup would feature yet another cityscape, this time not being a dystopian city-setting, but a utopian setting, with a white and black color scheme. The Titus Cup would feature a small vortex section at the end of the cup and a long underwater section through a giant lake in the middle of the Titus Cup's city. The Titus Cup would also make a handful of appearances in the other media that the Neo Racer brand would appear in. The Titus Cup would make a brief cameo in a couple of episodes of the two Neo Racer anime "Neo Racer: Tetra" and "Neo Racer: Nebula's Crown". It would also come up in volume 41 in the Neo Racer manga series, "Neo Racer: Transformed".

Ace Cup
The Ace Cup would be another cup returning from a previous Neo Racer installment, this time coming from yet again Neo Racer: Crimson. The Ace Cup would be the home cup for the character simply known as Ace, the rival to the character of Titus. The Ace Cup would have a yellow and red color scheme, with red being the main color for the cup. The Ace Cup would feature yet another city landscape, this time with a different color scheme and aesthetic compared to the other city-based cups in Neo Racer: Tetra. The Ace Cup, much like the many other cups in this game, would feature a small vortex section. However, one difference this cup would have to the others would be the giant underwater section that would feature giant yellow lights underwater, radiating the multi-colored lights through the clear water. The giant underwater section would show off the developers great skills with lighting and water effects. The Ace Cup would also make brief appearances and cameos in only one of the two Neo Racer animes that were released after this game. The Ace Cup would have a small cameo in an episode of the "Neo Racer: Nebula's Crown" anime and would have a brief appearance in 2 volumes of the "Neo Racer: Transformed" manga, being volume 34 and volume 43.

Blu Cup
The Blu Cup would be yet another classic cup returning from a previous Neo Racer installment, this time originating from "Neo Racer: Ultra" (ネオレーサー：ウルトラ), which released for the SNES, Sega Genesis, and for the arcades. The Blu Cup would be the home cup for the character of Magnolia, as it was her hometown. The Blu Cup would feature a very appealing color scheme, being very similar to the character of Magnolia. The color scheme would be that of purple and yellow, which is where Magnolia had gotten her original colors from. The Blu Cup would not be a city-based cup, actually, it would be the opposite. It would take place in the more rural countryside, with farmers using futuristic-looking equipment to be able to produce their crops. While racing, players would be able to see futuristic towers in the distance, which the farmers would have used to send off their crops to different societies, who would then, in turn, provide their citizens with food for an annual fee. With this cup taking place in the rural countryside, there would not be any vortex sections, however, the entire cup would try and show off the visual effect skills of Ocean Games' Alpha Team. This cup would show off the team's spectacular lighting effects, with the cup taking place during evening time, with the sun setting behind the rolling hills of the Blu Cup. The Blu Cup would make a myriad of different appearances after the release of Neo Racer: Tetra, with the game actually boosting the popularity of the cup, with audiences swooning over its design and world-building. The cup would appear in the Neo Racer anime "Neo Racer: Tetra" and "Neo Racer: Nebula's Crown". It would also make an appearance in the Neo Racer manga, "Neo Racer: Transformed", showed in volume 68, volume 79, etc.

Racers
There would be over 40 different racers appearing in Neo Racer: Tetra, all having their own unique car designs, unique personalities, and unique appearances.

Jet
Jet would be the classic character everyone would know and love since his introduction in the third official Neo Racer installment, "Neo Racer: Into the Zone" (ネオレーサー：ゾーンに). Jet would be a confident, competitive person whose main rival would be the character X, who would have originally appeared in the first Neo Racer installment. (spoken about below.) Much like any other Japanese main game character, Jet would be a very courageous, and kind-hearted character, caring about everything he may have accidentally done to hurt someone in any way, shape, or form. Jet would have a head of brown, spiky hair, much like an anime character. Jet's clothing would be that of a brown trenchcoat (much like the manga character Jing from the manga Jing: King of Bandits (王ドロボウJING)), gray pants, and in later games, would feature green goggles that were confirmed in the Neo Racer manga and anime to show other racer's statistics during races. Jet's car would mainly look the same throughout all of his game appearances, with one underlying factor that would change almost constantly, which would be the car's model design. In Neo Racer: Tetra, Jet's vehicle would feature a more jagged design than many of his previous models. The car's main color palette would consist of red, black, blue and, yellow, much like his other canonical appearances in the series. (Besides his first game appearance in the original Neo Racer (ネオレーサー)) Jet would also make appearances in every single other Neo Racer piece of merchandise and media, with a few examples being the anime "Neo Racer: Tetra, "Neo Racer: Nebula's Crown", and the other Neo Racer manga running alongside Neo Racer: Tetra 's release, being "Neo Racer: Transformed".

X
Yet another classic character from the first Neo Racer game, X would be the main rival to the character of Jet. (Spoken about above.) X has always had his own cup in every Neo Racer game, called the X Cup. X would be a mysterious character, always wearing a black racing helmet with a red "X" sprayed across the front of the helmet. X would have a black leather jacket along with a matching color shirt underneath. X would be a very ruthless character, pushing fellow racers off of race courses just to get the lead in a race. Much like the characters helmet, there would be a red "X" sprayed across. This design was created specifically for Neo Racer: Tetra and would be used for later installments in the franchise. X's car design would also be new for this game, with the character sporting a black vehicle, with a red "X" spray painted over the front of the car, stretching all the way from the hood to the top of the car's windshield. The car's model would be much similar to Magnolia's car (spoken about below) being a sleeker, more modern-looking vehicle than some of X's previous car designs. X's car's color palette would consist of the colors red and black, with most of the car being painted in a fashionable metallic black. The red of the car would appear that it was spray-painted on (which it most likely was). X, being one of the main characters of the series, has had many different adaptations in different media, with him being featured in many a different Neo Racer manga, Neo Racer anime, and even all of the released Neo Racer comics. X had also been featured in his very own Neo Racer limited manga series, called "Neo Racer X" that lasted for a short 6 volumes that outlined X's mysterious, up to that point, backstory and true character name and gender, however, it would not be canonical to the games, unlike the rest of the Neo Racer mangas and animes.

Magnolia
Magnolia would be the third classic character appearing in the game, with the racer originating from the third Neo Racer installment, being "Neo Racer: Into the Zone" (ネオレーサー：ゾーンに). Magnolia would be the first racer of the female sex being in a Neo Racer game. She would have a rival in the character of Calypso Callie (spoken about below), another female racer who was designed for the Neo Racer installment, "Neo Racer: Crimson" (ネオレーサー：クリムゾン). Magnolia would be a sweet but competitive character, with her having a new personality for Neo Racer: Tetra. Magnolia would wear a cropped t-shirt underneath a black leather jacket. Her hair would be a golden brown with blue streaks and she would also have a watch that, much like Jet's green glasses, would show off other racer's statistics, current speed, and position in the race at that current time. Magnolia's car design would be sleek and modern-looking, sporting a yellow and purple color scheme, with a yellow, neon glow coming from the bottom of the car. Most of the car would be covered in a fashionable purple paint, with the sides of the vehicle being covered in a sparkly yellow paint. Magnolia would also make some appearances in the other Neo Racer media, making an appearance in her own Neo Racer manga titled "Neo Racer: Magnolia". She would also appear in a large handful of episodes of the all of the Neo Racer animes, a few being "Neo Racer: Tetra", and "Neo Racer: Nebula's Crown".

Calypso Callie
Calypso Callie would be a classic Neo Racer character, originating from the sixth Neo Racer installment, which was called "Neo Racer: Crimson" (ネオレーサー：クリムゾン). Calypso Callie would have a rival in the character of Magnolia, (spoken about above) who was the first character of the female sex to appear in a Neo Racer game. Calypso Callie, unlike her rival Magnolia, would be a relentless person, always wanting to be in first place and doing anything possible to make sure that she always wins. Callie would be competitive, but not in the same sense as Magnolia. Magnolia sees the races as a fun time, while Callie sees them as an infinite goldmine, to fulfill her money-hungry needs. Calypso Callie would retain her personality from past Neo Racer installments. Calypso Callie would dress as if she was a cow-girl of the 19th century. She'd wear a cowboy hat with cowgirl boots. She'd have on a flannel shirt, along with a brown leather vest over the flannel shirt. Callie would have a vehicle similar to that someone would have in the 19th century during the Wild West. She'd have one mechanical horse that she'd ride on as her car, with the colors of grey and red, with the red embodying the horse's eyeballs and the grey being the rest of the horse's body. Calypso Callie, being a more classic character of the Neo Racer franchise, would've appeared in many a Neo Racer multi-media merchandise, with a few examples being the multiple Neo Racer anime and manga series.

Blue Blaze
The character of Blue Blaze would be yet another classic Neo Racer character, this time originating from the fourth game in the franchise, "Neo Racer: Ultra" (ネオレーサー：ウルトラ), which released for the SNES and multiple other systems. Blue Blaze would have a rival in the form of Red Fire (spoken about below), yet another character from the "Neo Racer: Ultra" game. Blue Blaze would be yet another mysterious character, with little to no backstory. (One thing that he and Red Fire have in common.) Blue Blaze would have a competitive, money-hungry personality, with little regard for any kind of human life. Whatever he can do to win, he most likely would do it. However, with his rival Red Fire, this is a different story. If he'd ever hurt Red Fire in any significant way, he'd immediately feel remorse. This has caused many fans of the Neo Racer franchise to speculate whether Red Fire and Blue Blaze are actually brothers, or maybe siblings. This would have been Blue Blaze's signature personality quirk in almost all of his main series appearances, starting with "Neo Racer: Crimson" (ネオレーサー：クリムゾン). Blue Blaze's outfit would be fairly simple, mimicking that of racers of the 21st century, with him wearing a blue and black racing jumpsuit along with a blue and black racing helmet with a light blue fire decal printed onto the side of the helmet. Blue Blaze's vehicle would be that of a racing bike, with a metallic blue finish and a light blue flame decal on both sides of the bike (much like his helmet). Blue Blaze would have made many different appearances since his debut in "Neo Racer: Ultra", with some examples being the many different Neo Racer manga since the release of "Neo Racer: Ultra" and some other examples being in the many Neo Racer anime. He even had an appearance in the well-known Neo Racer: Tetra promotional comic.

Red Fire
The character of Red Fire would be another classic character from a classic Neo Racer game, with him originating from the fourth game in the series, "Neo Racer: Ultra" (ネオレーサー：ウルトラ). Red Fire would have a rival in the character of Blue Blaze (spoken about above), who would also be a character from the "Neo Racer: Ultra" entry. Much like his rival Blue Blaze, Red Fire would be a mysterious character, with no backstory. Red Fire would be a competitive character, however, he wouldn't be as money-obsessed as many of his peer opponents. He would also have no heart, and would not care about any of his opponent's health if he'd hurt them, even if they were Blue Blaze. (Something Blue Blaze and Red Fire do not share in common.) Red Fire would never have any big character development or evolution. (Unlike Blue Blaze.) Red Fire would be a fairly simple design, as a matter of fact, it would resemble Blue Blaze's outfit considerably. Red Fire's outfit would feature a mostly red design, with orange tinges around the suit. Much like Blue Blaze's helmet, it would feature a red fire decal (In contrast to the blue that Blue Blaze's helmet had.) Red Fire's racing bike would also be very similar to Blue Blaze's, as well. It would be a metallic red color, with an orange fire decal printed onto the side of the vehicle. Red Fire would have had many different appearances and cameos since his debut in "Neo Racer: Ultra". Two examples being the Neo Racer manga and the Neo Racer anime. He would have also made a couple of appearances in the well-known Neo Racer: Tetra promotional comic, appearing alongside his rival, Red Fire.

Scarlet Skylar
The character Scarlet Skylar would be yet another new character exclusively created for ''Neo Racer: Tetra. ''Scarlet Skylar would not have a main rival, something unlike many of the other characters in this Neo Racer game. Scarlet Skylar would be a not-very-mysterious character, with her having a very large media presence in the Neo Racer world. Skylar would be a very large figure in the Neo Racer universe, being a racing celebrity, with many, many male fans because of her scantily clad photos that she'd share. She'd be a young woman and be relentless in races. She'd be very money-hungry (like many of the other characters in this game) and would act like a total helpless brat during races. However, that would be a total act. Scarlet Skylar's outfit would be of a very showing nature. She'd wear a revealing sports bra, in the colors of bright red and crimson. She'd also wear blue, ripped, denim jeans and an alternate costume for her would have her wear a black, ripped, leather jacket. Her vehicle would be colored red and black and would be a four-wheeler dune buggy. Scarlet Skylar would make many of appearances after Neo Racer: Tetra 's release, being featured in a number of Neo Racer anime episodes, Neo Racer manga, and even a starring role in the controversial Neo Racer: Tetra promotional comic.

Ranger Danger
Ranger Danger would be yet another character designed and created exclusively for Neo Racer: Tetra. Ranger Danger would have a rival in the form of the character Abominable Arnie (spoken about below), even though their skill levels would be different, with Ranger Danger being a much better racer than Arnie could ever dream of being. Ranger Danger would be a character with a love for the outdoors, wearing a Boy Scouts-esque racing outfit. His rival would be the Abomidable Arnie because of how Arnie would treat the outdoor environments; with carelessness. Ranger Danger would be very fearless in races, however, because of his personality, he'd be very careful of what he did to the environment. Ranger Danger would wear an outfit looking very similar to a Boy Scouts uniform, with a bright blue sash covered in badges and medals from races won covering the sash. Ranger Danger bottom half would be covered by dark green cargo pants (similar to Boy Scouts, again) and he his shoes would be that of hiking boots. Ranger Danger's helmet would also have a Boy Scouts theme, with it appearing like a hat that a young member of the Boy Scouts would wear, with an embroidered picture of a tree at the top of the helmet. Ranger Danger's vehicle would be that of a four-wheeler dune buggy, with the colors of brown and green completing the buggy. Some appearances that Ranger Danger would make in other Neo Racer media would be that of his appearance in the Neo Racer anime, "Neo Racer: Tetra" (ネオレーサー：テトラ), where he got his own episode, devoted to his backstory. He would also make a small handful of extra cameos in preceding Neo Racer manga and even more anime episodes. However, his appearance in other media besides video games would not end there, with him getting his own collectible action figure based off of the "Neo Racer: Nebula" (ネオレーサー：星雲) game, which released 5 years after Neo Racer: Tetra hit store shelves.

Abominable Arnie
Abominable Arnie would be yet another racer designed for Neo Racer: Tetra. The Abominable Arnie would have a rival in the character Ranger Danger (spoken about above), who would be against Arnie's careless littering ways. Abominable Arnie would be your typical 90s skater dude. He'd sport a head of pink and red hair, with a tinge of black highlights to round everything out. He'd listen to punk rock music, annoy his elderly, and basically be a nuisance to everyone and everything around him. As you might think, Arnie would be very careless in races, usually resulting in his loss or him plummeting off the side of the track while bobbing his head to the Ramones or Green Day. The Abominable Arnie would basically look like a punk rocker straight out of the 90s era. He'd have a spiky, mohawk styled hair, with the colors of pink, red, and a small bit of black making up most of his hair. He'd wear a black leather jacket, wearing nothing underneath, showing off his skinny chest and minuscule 2-pack abs. His pants would be ripped jeans, showing his knee-caps, and the jeans would be colored in the darkest black imaginable. (that would work for a pair of jeans, anyway.) Abominable Arnie would not have a helmet, as he would think that helmets were "lame" and "overrated", as he said in his own words. Abominable Arnie's vehicle would be that of a car, with spikes around almost every part of the vehicle, even on the wheels. The car's colors would be that of a bright, bubblegum pink and a very dark black. After his initial appearance in Neo Racer: Tetra, Abominable Arnie would appear in many different Neo Racer merchandise. He'd have an appearance in the two different Neo Racer manga to come out after this game's release and would also make a large handful of cameos and appearances in the Neo Racer anime to come after Neo Racer: Tetra's initial release, making most of his appearances in the "Neo Racer: Tetra" anime.

Mr. Woolwurth
Mr. Woolwurth would be yet another new character for Neo Racer: Tetra. Mr. Woolwurth would be yet another character who would not have a rival, not really needing one as a character. Mr. Woolwurth would be a character made entirely out of wool, with his character model looking very similar to the art style of the Nintendo game, "Yoshi's Woolly World". Mr. Woolwurth would be a very formal character, and he'd have to be because he'd be the mayor of the Wooltropolis, a town where the infamous Wool Cup would be located in. Mr. Woolwurth would have a special ability, very unique to the character. His ability would be that he'd be able to send out tendrils of wool, straight from his body, which would be able to knock other racers ahead of Woolwurth out of the way. Mr. Woolwurth would be wearing a suit, which would have the material of wool, much like the rest of his character design. He would also wear a very fashionable red tie, much like the rest of his outfit, would feature the material of wool. Mr. Woolwurth would also wear a pair of black glasses, which would also have the material of wool. Mr. Woolwurth would also have a mop of black, curly hair, which would once again feature the material of wool. And, finally, Mr. Woolwurth would feature a nicely trimmed, luscious mustache. Much like the Abominable Arnie, Woolwurth would not wear a helmet, considering he's made of wool. A helmet wouldn't do much in the case of protection, as, because of what he's made of, he'd just bounce up off of the race tracks pavement. Mr. Woolwurth's vehicle would, much like his character model, be made of the woolly substance that we've come to know and love from his design. The vehicle that he'd use would be that of a racing car, featuring a giant, black, woolly mustache on the hood of the vehicle. After this game's release, Mr. Woolwurth would be featured in a small handful of other Neo Racer media, besides Neo Racer: Tetra. He would also appear in the two other Neo Racer anime and manga released after this games initial release. He would have also had a starring role in the incredibly controversial "Neo Racer: Tetra" comic book, which released shortly after Neo Racer: Tetra 's initial release. He would also make an appearance in "Neo Racer: Tetra" and "Neo Racer: Nebula's Crown", the two other anime. He would also be in the Neo Racer manga series "Neo Racer: Transformed".

Dictator Zorro
Yet another returning character from another Neo Racer installment, Dictator Zorro would have originally appeared in the very first Neo Racer, however, in this appearance of his, he'd have an entirely new character design, personality, etc. with the only thing about his character not changing being his diabolical name. Dictator Zorro would indeed have a rival, in the character of Rico the Stuntman (spoken about below), who would be an obvious reference to the character of Rico Rodriguez, a Mexican character from the Just Cause (ちょうど原因) game franchise. Dictator Zorro, obviously judging by his name, would be a very awful character, being the dictator of his own society in the Northern hemisphere of the Neo Racer game world. Dictator Zorro would be a heartless person, doing anything possible to win the race and win the credits, which would fund his society's horrible experiments on animals, humans, etc. (The experiments fact would not be spoken about in the game, as the developers wanted to keep things more kid-friendly, to earn the E10+ rating that Neo Racer: Tetra eventually received.) Dictator Zorro would appear much like the dictator character in Just Cause 3 (ちょうど原因3), with the character having a well-trimmed mustache, a gray outfit with a red hat, and a shaved head of gray and black hair. (You'd be able to see the hair during cutscenes that the character would appear in with his signature hat off.) Dictator Zorro would wear a helmet, looking just like his normal hat, but don't let that fool you, it would be made of hard metal that would protect Zorro from almost any type of fall. Dictator Zorro's vehicle would be that of a racing car, using the colors of red and brown as the car's main color palette. There would be nothing else incredibly special about the vehicle. After Neo Racer: Tetra was released, Dictator Zorro would appear with his new personality in the many other Neo Racer manga and anime released after the game. One example of this is in the Neo Racer manga, "Neo Racer: Transformed", where the character appeared in volume 58, with his own unique story. He would also make a small handful of cameos in the different Neo Racer anime "Neo Racer: Tetra" and "Neo Racer: Nebula's Crown".

Rico the Stuntman
Rico the Stuntman would be yet another new character for Neo Racer: Tetra, appearing much like the character of Rico Rodriguez from the acclaimed Just Cause (ちょうど原因), which is developed by Avalanche Studios (雪崩スタジオ). Rico the Stuntman would have been created as a rival for the character of Dictator Zorro, with the developers obviously referencing and joking at the fact that Rico Rodriguez battles many different dictators throughout his Just Cause game series. Rico the Stuntman would have a very similar personality to the character he would be based on. Rico would be a very cocky character and would have very little disregard for human life, a nod to the fact that in the Just Cause series of games, Rico Rodriguez would be blowing everything up, destroying everything, and killing everyone in his path to victory over the horrible dictators. Rico the Stuntman would not only be an incredibly cocky character, but he'd also be a very avid racer, always training and racing. Rico the Stuntman would appear very similar to his distant cousin from the Just Cause series. He'd feature a fairly large beard, shaggy brown hair, and would be a Mexican character from the fictional isles of Do Del Toro in the Southern hemisphere of the Neo Racer world. Rico the Stuntman would feature a very colorful helmet, having an orange and light blue color scheme. The helmet would appear to have a normal, roundish helmet design that you'd be able to buy at your normal bike shop. However, there would be one thing not noticeable to the untrained eye, with a hidden rocket stationed within the helmet, able to appear out from the helmet and launch Rico forward at amazing speeds. Rico's vehicle would be that of a racing bike, with a very jagged and unrefined vehicle model. The racing bike's main color palette would be that of orange and light blue, exactly the same to Rico's helmet color palette. After Neo Racer: Tetra released to store shelves, there would be many more appearances and cameos of Rico the Stuntman throughout multiple Neo Racer merchandise and media. A couple of those appearances and cameos were in the Neo Racer manga, "Neo Racer: Transformed" in volume 60, and he would also make a starring role in the controversial Neo Racer comic created to advertise this game, "Neo Racer: Tetra". He'd also make a small handful of appearances in the multiple Neo Racer anime released after Neo Racer: Tetra, with the two examples being "Neo Racer: Tetra" the anime, and "Neo Racer: Nebula's Crown".

Mooncruiser
Mooncruiser would be another original Neo Racer racer, with the character originating from the classic Neo Racer game, "Neo Racer: Into the Zone" (ネオレーサー：ゾーンに), which was released in 2004, for the Gamecube, the original X-Box, and PlayStation 2. Mooncruiser would have a rival in the character of Redrover, another astronaut-type character. Mooncruiser would not have much of a personality, being very much like the character of X, having a very mysterious makeup. No one would actually know Mooncruiser's true gender, however, many fans have speculated that the character is female, with the main evidence being in the character's victory pose, where Mooncruiser does a very feminine pose, one where the character would put their left leg up to their back, and show the peace sign. Mooncruiser would be yet another ruthless racer, however, much like the character of Blue Blaze, Mooncruiser would be very upset if they'd do anything to hurt their rival, Red Rover. Mooncruiser would appear much like an astronaut, with the characters main color palette being the colors white and baby blue, being opposite to Red Rover's color palette, with Mooncruiser's rival having a red and black color palette. Mooncruiser would wear a big, white helmet, and a patch on their left shoulder showing off her home society of River Nales which is located in the eastern hemisphere of the Neo Racer world. Mooncruiser's vehicle would be that of a planet cruiser, looking similar to the rover that explored the planet Mars, just being a racing car. The rover would feature 4 wheels and the vehicle's color palette would be that of the character, being white and baby blue. After the release of Neo Racer Tetra, the character would appear in a multitude of different Neo Racer manga issues, along with small appearances and a speaking role in the Neo Racer anime. Neo Racer Tetra had actually popularized this character, as before the release of this game, Mooncruiser had only appeared in his original game.

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 classic 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.

Wool Cup
The seventh diorama players would be able to unlock would be the Wool Cup. The Wool Cup's diorama would show off 3 racers racing to get to the finish line, with 2 of them ensnared in the woolly cup's yarn tendrils. The two racers ensnared in the tendrils would be none other than the characters Jet and X, with Mr. Woolwurth flying ahead of them, gaining the lead. The diorama would showcase Ocean Game's spectacular particle effects, material, texturing, and modeling skills. The Wool Cup diorama would only be able to be unlocked through a special event the developers held for the game soon after Neo Racer: Tetra hit store shelves.