N2O: Nitrous Oxide

N2O: Nitrous Oxide, known in Europe as just N2O, is a tunnel shooter, featuring a soundtrack composed by the American electronic music duo The Crystal Method. The soundtrack was heavily used to promote the game, and the music is stored in Red Book format meaning the game disc can be played as a music CD on an ordinary CD player.[1]

This article is about the video game. For the chemical compound, see Nitrous oxide.
N2O: Nitrous Oxide
Developer(s)Gremlin Interactive[lower-alpha 1]
Publisher(s)
Designer(s)Antony Crowther
Platform(s)PlayStation
Release
  • NA: June 30, 1998
  • EU: September 1998
Genre(s)Tube shooter
Mode(s)Single-player, Cooperative multiplayer

Gameplay

N2O takes the form of a tube shooter in which the player shoots insects while collecting "E" coins, mushroom shields, and other psychedelically-themed weapon power-ups. As more and more insects are shot the game increases speed. Besides the single player mode, N2O features a cooperative multiplayer mode with a shared screen or a split screen.

N2O has been noted for its aesthetics and for having smoothly seamless but fast-paced gameplay. It has been suggested that the game is similar in presentation to a Crystal Method concert and that the game is best played at high volume and in total darkness to maximize the "intense and dynamic" effects of data flashers and strobes. The superior audio capacities of televisions (especially those attached to home theater systems) over typical computer systems has been suggested as one of the advantages to restricting the game to the console market and not releasing it as a PC game.[2]

Reception

The game received average reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[3] Next Generation said, "shooter fans who thrive on the ability to top their last high score time and time again won't be disappointed by this high energy blast-a-thon."[11]

Ports and re-releases

N2O: Nitrous Oxide was re-released for PlayStation Network by Urbanscan in PAL regions on January 10, 2008,[13] and by Sony Interactive Entertainment in North America on June 1, 2010;[14] and Latin America on August 13, 2013. Console Classics released the game under license of Urbanscan for Microsoft Windows via Steam on June 29, 2015,[15] emulated through PCSXR.[16]

Notes
  1. (PlayStation Network ports for Portable, 3 and Vita developed by Urbanscan)

References
  1. Gerstmann, Jeff (July 17, 1998). "N2O: Nitrous Oxide Review". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  2. Herz, J.C. (August 6, 1998). "N2O: At Its Best at High Volume in the Dark". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  3. "N2O: Nitrous Oxide for PlayStation". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 1, 2019. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  4. Miller, Skyler. "N2O: Nitrous Oxide - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 16, 2014. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  5. EGM staff (August 1998). "N2O: Nitrous Oxide". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 109. Ziff Davis.
  6. "N2O: Nitrous Oxide". Game Informer. No. 63. FuncoLand. July 1998. Archived from the original on September 15, 1999. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  7. Mylonas, Eric "ECM"; Higgins, Geoff "El Nino"; Ngo, George "Eggo" (August 1998). "N20 [sic]". GameFan. Vol. 6 no. 8. Metropolis Media. p. 16. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  8. Scary Larry (August 1998). "N2O: Nitrous Oxide". GamePro. No. 119. IDG Entertainment. p. 106. Archived from the original on September 28, 2004. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  9. Zimring, Jason (September 1998). "Nitrous Oxide (n2o) [sic]- Playstation Review". GameRevolution. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on February 5, 2004. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  10. Perry, Douglass C. (June 18, 1998). "N2O: Nitrous Oxide". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on March 5, 2018. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  11. "N20 [sic]". Next Generation. No. 45. Imagine Media. September 1998. p. 134. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  12. "N2O: Nitrous Oxide". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. Vol. 1 no. 11. Ziff Davis. August 1998.
  13. Robinson, Martin (January 11, 2008). "N2O and Har[d]core 4X4 Come to EU PSN". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on February 2, 2019. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  14. Romano, Sal (June 1, 2010). "US PlayStation Store Update: June 1, 2010". Gematsu. Archived from the original on August 14, 2012. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
  15. "N2O released on Steam". Console Classics. June 29, 2015. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  16. Mahmood, Sikandar (June 30, 2015). "PS One Title "N20 [sic]: Nitrous Oxide" Successfully Emulated For PC, Available to Download On Steam". SegmentNext. Archived from the original on April 19, 2019. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
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