Cybernator
| Cybernator | |
|---|---|
 North American cover art | |
| Developer(s) | NCS Corp |
| Publisher(s) | US Konami / JP Masaya |
| Platform(s) | Super Nintendo Entertainment System, PlayStation 2, Virtual Console |
| Release date(s) |
Super Famicom/SNES PlayStation 2 Wii Virtual Console Wii U Virtual Console |
| Genre(s) | Run and gun, Platformer |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
Cybernator - known in Japan as Assault Suits Valken (重装機兵ヴァルケン Jūsō Kihei Varuken) - is a run and gun game released in 1992 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the indirect prequel to Target Earth as part of the Assault Suits series by NCS Corp. The game was localized and published overseas by Konami. A remake of Cybernator was released in 2004 for the PlayStation 2. The original Japanese releases featured artwork done by Satoshi Urushihara. Cybernator was released on the Virtual Console in PAL regions on December 7, 2007, and in North America on December 17, 2007, both for the Wii and in North America on August 7, 2014 and in PAL regions on February 26, 2015, both for the Wii U.
Storyline
The game takes place in the future, during a time when Earth's fossil fuels have begun to dwindle. There is a massive war taking place all over the earth for control of these resources, as well as for territorial rights on the moon. The two warring governments, the Axis and Federation, have the ability to go into space and create giant space stations and weapons of mass destruction.
Jake is the game's protagonist. He is a soldier drafted into the Pacific States' Marine Corp and pilots a Federation Assault Suit. The Suit has a humanoid shape, with arms, legs, torso, and head. It is equipped with a variety of weapons and other special accessories, giving it full land and minor air capabilities.
Jake and his platoon are tasked with destruction of Bildvorg, the most powerful mech of the Axis forces. The various missions in the game lead up to the completion of this objective.
Although Cybernator was released after Target Earth, Cybernator takes place a decade before Target Earth.
In Assault Suit Valken 2, Jake makes a cameo appearance as a 30-year-old veteran soldier who assists in battles as an NPC.
Characters
Jake Brain Main character. An AS pilot in the United Pacific States Marine Corps, assigned to carrier Versis' AS Squadron.
Claire Coral/Crea Coral Communications officer on board Versis.
Chuck Jonston/Chack Jonston Captain of Versis.
Francisco Flako/Geltz Enemy commander of Space Fortress Arc Nova. He is a small sized, ruthless man who has no qualms for civilian casualties as he tries to drop the fortress to Earth during the third mission. He pilots a gigantic mobile weapon. In Cybernator's manual he is named "Francisco Flako".
Alex Bedrach/Alef Berdach Enemy ace pilot. He appears during the fourth mission and becomes the nemesis of Jake during the game. He appears twice more in the final mission of the game. 1). In an orange light-framed, flight-type Assault Suit with two hovering short-burst bits. 2). As the final boss in a colossal Assault Suit with several major weapons: a high-focused laser, massive claw arm (which once destroyed turns into a high-powered machine gun), a multi-tipped short-burst array, a powerful cannon that fires four parabolic shells at a time.
Claus Von Meister Barron/Schermalk Enemy supreme commander. A ruthless military dictator that started the war. In the uncensored Japanese version, he commits suicide after Jake's Assault Suit raids the enemy's assembly building.
Apollo/Herman One of Jake's wingmen. He is a cocky, yet reliable pilot. He was killed off screen by Bedrach during the fourth mission, following the Versis' reentry and landing.
Mitch/Kurt One of Jake's wingmen. A more technical pilot. Through dialogue, it is shown he is adequate with the power and maneuverability of Assault Suit capability.
Music
The soundtrack was composed by Masanao Akahori, and was later rearranged on a ROMpler synthesizer (the same synthesizer used to provide the SNES samples played back on the SPC700) and released as a CD in Japan.
Differences between versions
Cybernator was the subject of censorship during its localization. The Japanese version features written dialog accompanied by a portrait of the speaker, but these portraits were removed during localization. There is also a scene absent in which the president of the enemy forces, whose banner is that of the European Union, after realizing that his nation has been defeated, commits suicide. Also some written dialog is taken out, which shows the soldier rescued in the fourth level being in the robot fought before the final boss.
The instruction manual of the English version is also filled with inconsistent information. For example, the sixth mission takes place in the Alps where Versis tries to fly over the mountains to reach the Allied front lines, but according to the manual, the player's aim is to raid the enemy commander's mountain retreat.
Endings
The game has two endings. The bad ending can be acquired if the player fails most of the side-missions in the game, such as failing to stop Arc Nova from falling or allowing the enemy space shuttle escape in the 5th mission. In this ending, the Versis is critically damaged and most of her crew are killed, including Claire, which leaves Jake devastated in the credits. If player succeeds on the side missions, the Versis survives and Jake returns to the carrier, the war is over and Jake and Claire embrace each other on the Versis' deck.
Remake
A remake was released for PlayStation 2 only in Japan, Europe and Australia, but the game received poor reviews as it did not have any new features.
See also
References
- "GameSpy". GameSpy release information. Retrieved 2006-04-30.
External links
- Cybernator at MobyGames
- Assault Suits Valken at superfamicom.org
- 重装機兵ヴァルケン / Assault Suits Valken at super-famicom.jp (Japanese)