Cyber-Lip
Cyber-Lip[lower-alpha 1] is a run and gun video game released in arcades by SNK in 1990 for the Neo Geo MVS.[1] It was released for the Neo Geo AES home console in 1991.
Cyber-Lip | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | SNK |
Publisher(s) | SNK |
Director(s) | Deru-Deru |
Producer(s) | Eikichi Kawasaki |
Designer(s) | Higashi Pon |
Programmer(s) | Sho Chan |
Composer(s) | Yasuo Yamate |
Platform(s) | Arcade, Neo Geo AES, Neo Geo CD |
Release | |
Genre(s) | Run and gun |
Mode(s) | |
Arcade system | Neo Geo MVS |
Gameplay
Gameplay consists of battling through large numbers of enemies, collecting power-ups and defeating several end-of-stage bosses. In addition to the normal gun, the player can gain and use other weapons such as flamethrowers and rocket launchers. However ammunition is limited and players can switch weapons to conserve ammo. Bosses require the player to shoot their weak spots repeatedly. In between stages the player has to choose whether to ascend or descend in an elevator which will randomly determine if the player will proceed to the next stage. If the player picks the wrong elevator button, the player will have to traverse through a dangerous sub-level before proceeding to the next stage. After passing stages one till six, the player will be faced with a computer room with eight doors, which randomly determine which of the previous six bosses the player will face, the final ammunition room or the chance to face Cyber-Lip itself.
Plot
In the year 2016 the federal government approved a space colony project in response to global overpopulation. By 2019, the Colony CO5 was the stronghold for androids. However many androids were found to be defective. The next year, the government had a supercomputer called Cyber-Lip built to control the androids. The androids were trained to combat an incoming alien invasion. Now the year is 2030 and humankind is in jeopardy from the alien and maverick android forces combined. Two of the military's best veteran androids Rick and Brook have been sent as a last-ditch effort to repel the invaders and destroy the evilly reprogrammed Cyber-Lip.
Development and release
The game was ported over to the Neo Geo CD system in 1995.[2] The CD version features improved voice acting and added a short introduction to the game explaining the plot.
Reception
Publication | Score |
---|---|
AllGame | [3] |
Consoles + | 67%[4] |
GameFan | 291/400[5] |
Joystick | 82%[6] |
Player One | 74%[7] |
Superjuegos | 70.4%[8] |
Tilt | 15/20[9] |
ACE | 765/1000[10] |
CVG Mean Machines | 31%[11] |
Génération 4 | 72%[12] |
In Japan, Game Machine listed Cyber-Lip on their December 15, 1990 issue as being the fourth most-popular arcade game at the time.[13] In North America, it was the top-grossing new video game on the RePlay arcade charts in December 1990.[14] RePlay later reported the game to be the sixth most-popular arcade game in January 1991.[15] The title was met with mixed critical reception from reviewers since its initial release in arcades and later on Neo Geo AES.[16][17][18][19][20]
AllGame's Kyle Knight regarded Cyber-Lip as an inferior Contra clone, criticizing the inability to shoot diagonally or down when jumping but commended the hand-drawn graphics and praised the audio design.[3] Consoles Plus's F. Orlans and J.B. Aerstut, as well as Player One's Cyril Drevet, commended the animated sequences, audiovisual presentation, orchestra-like sountrack and playability but the former publication criticized the presence of unlimited continues, stating that the feature lowered interest in the game.[4][7] Likewise, GameFan's four reviewers gave positive remarks to the character animations, audio and boss fights but unanimously criticized its short length.[5]
French magazine Joystick commented in a positive light in regards to the visuals and two-player mode, as well as the ability to save progress via memory card.[6] Both Superjuegos' Alberto Pascual and Tilt's François Hermelin, as well as Génération 4's Jean Delaite, praised the audiovisual presentation and animations but Pascual felt mixed in regards to the difficulty and originality on display.[8][9][12] ACE's David Upchurch also commended the presentation and enjoyable gameplay but regarded this area as unoriginal and mindless.[10] Computer and Video Games Mean Machines noted its high difficulty but felt unimpressed, criticizing the lack of originality and gameplay for being dull.[11]
In 2014, HobbyConsolas identified Cyber-Lip as one of the twenty best games for the Neo Geo CD.[21]
References
- "Oh! Neo Geo Vol. 15 - サイバーリップ". Beep! MegaDrive (in Japanese). No. 50. SoftBank Creative. November 1993. p. 125.
- "Neo•Geo CD: The Arcade In A Box - Cyber-Lip". GamePro. No. Premiere Supplement. IDG. Spring 1996. p. 105.
- Knight, Kyle (1998). "Cyber-Lip (Neo Geo Advanced Entertainment System) - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on 2014-11-15. Retrieved 2019-06-26.
- Orlans, F.; Aerstut, J.B. (July–August 1991). "Neo Geo Review - Cyber Lip". Consoles + (in French). M.E.R.7. pp. 150–151.
- Halverson, Dave; Brody; Stratton, Tom; Cockburn, Andrew (February 1993). "Viewpoint - Neo Geo - Cyberlip". GameFan. Vol. 1, no. 4. DieHard Gamers Club. p. 10.
- "Console News - Neo Geo: Cyber Lip". Joystick (in French). No. Hors-Serie 3. Sipress. July–August 1991. p. 59.
- Drevet, Cyril (February 1991). "Tests De Jeux - Neo Geo - Cyber-Lip". Player One (in French). No. 6. Média Système Édition. pp. 20–21.
- Pascual, Alberto (July 1992). "Consola - En pantalla: Cyber-Lip - Depués de la guerra nuclear (Neo-Geo: arcade)". Superjuegos (in Spanish). No. 3. Grupo Zeta. pp. 60–61.
- Hermelin, François (May 1991). "Hits - Cyber Lip -- NEO GEO". Tilt (in French). No. 90. Editions Mondiales S.A. pp. 64–65.
- Upchurch, David (January 1991). "Screentest - Console - Cyber-Lip: The Neo•Geo goes ´droid hunting". ACE. No. 40. EMAP. p. 104.
- "Complete Guide to Consoles - The Complete Games Guide - Neo Geo - Cyberlip". Computer and Video Games Mean Machines. No. 4. EMAP. November 1990. pp. 86–88.
- Delaite, Jean (February 1991). "Tests - Néo Géo - Cyber Lip". Génération 4 (in French). No. 30. Computec Media France. p. 73.
- "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - テーブル型TVゲーム機 (Table Videos)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 394. Amusement Press, Inc. 15 December 1990. p. 25.
- "RePlay: The Players' Choice". RePlay. Vol. 16, no. 3. December 1990. p. 4.
- "The Player's Choice - Top Games Now in Operation, Based on Earnings-Opinion Poll of Operators: Best Software". RePlay. Vol. 16, no. 4. RePlay Publishing, Inc. January 1991. p. 4.
- "Neo Geo For Real! - Previously Played... - CyberLip". GamePro. No. 30. IDG. January 1992. p. 103.
- Knauf, Andreas (January 1992). "News - Neo Geo - Cyber-Lip". Video Games (in German). No. 5. Future-Verlag. pp. 10–12.
- Yanma; Itabashi (July 1992). "Super Soft 大特集 - 今、『NEO・GEO』がおもしろい!: サイバーリップ". Micom BASIC Magazine (in Japanese). No. 121. The Dempa Shimbunsha Corporation. p. 208.
- Noak, Philipp; Hellert, Stefan (August 1993). "Special - Neo Geo - Cyberlip". Mega Fun (in German). No. 11. Computec. pp. 28–30. Archived from the original on 2018-10-21. Retrieved 2019-06-26.
- "NEO GEO GAMES CROSS REVIEW: サイバーリップ". Famitsu (in Japanese). No. 332. ASCII. 28 April 1995. p. 26.
- Alonso, Álvaro (February 19, 2014). "Reportaje: Los 20 mejores juegos de Neo Geo CD". HobbyConsolas (in Spanish). Axel Springer SE. Archived from the original on 2014-03-02. Retrieved 2023-02-06.