Last Hope (video game)
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| Last Hope | |
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| Developer(s) | NG:DEV.TEAM |
| Publisher(s) | NG:DEV.TEAM (Neo Geo) redspotgames (Dreamcast) |
| Designer(s) | Timm Hellwig René Hellwig |
| Release date(s) | July 10, 2006 (Neo Geo), January 31, 2007 (Dreamcast) |
| Genre(s) | Shoot 'em up |
| Mode(s) | single player |
| Platform(s) | Neo Geo Neo Geo CD Dreamcast |
Last Hope is a single-player side-scrolling shoot 'em up video game for the Neo Geo AES, Neo Geo CD, and Sega Dreamcast systems. It was developed by German indie developer NG:DEV.TEAM in 2006. While the Neo Geo version was self-published, the Dreamcast version was released by redspotgames in January 2007, as an unlicensed title.
The game is highly reminiscent of "old school" epics like R-Type and Gradius, but especially of Pulstar, with its "tactical" gameplay and pre-rendered backgrounds and sprites[citation needed].
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[edit] Story
An evil empire from another galaxy is heading towards Earth. Barely 24 hours ago, they had penetrated the last line of defense in Earth's galaxy, the Arsion Laser Belt. Millions of innocent people perished in outer space colonies. 70% of earth's fleet was destroyed during first contact. Intelligence has reported six day until their arrival. Conventional weapons cannot stop them. The last hope is in your hands: The Z-42 Warpstar. Warp into their territories and destroy their leader before they reach Earth.
[edit] Features
- Free 360° rotary protection unit for shooting and dodging enemy fire
- Six stages with checkpoints
- Four difficulty levels
- Hand-drawn backgrounds
- Fully animated CGI enemies
[edit] Technical
- Both CD versions feature a high quality CD Digital Audio soundtrack
- Region-free
- Constant 60 fps with up to 4 parallax layers
- Lighting and transparency FX
- Smooth plasma FX
- Dreamcast version is a pixel-perfect port, with 240p scanlines in progressive mode
- Dreamcast NTSC and PAL systems on 60Hz are supported
[edit] Pricing
Only 60 copies of the Neo Geo version were produced, making this is an extremely rare and collectible title. Because of that, and the high cost of producing the cartridges, the game sells for a whopping €550 (around $730). It is only available from the developers.[1]
In contrast, the Dreamcast version sells for $40, and the "Limited Edition" with bundled soundtrack CD sells for $60. Currently, Van Basilco and Play-Asia are the only online stores approved to sell Last Hope for the Dreamcast.[2]
[edit] Criticism
While Last Hope's soundtrack is generally praised, the game has been severely criticized both by western [3] and Japanese [4] players for featuring very hard to distinguish enemy-bullets which are almost the same color as explosions/debris (this applies to both versions of the game in different strengths). Opinion is divided on this point; the bullets are claimed not to be an issue for some players.
Some reviewers have commended Last Hope as technically impressive for Neo Geo standards, while others focus criticism on gameplay issues. [5] [6] [7]
