''Neuro'' is a

cyberpunk Cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction in a dystopian futuristic setting that tends to focus on a "combination of lowlife and high tech", featuring futuristic technological and scientific achievements, such as artificial intelligence and c ...

first-person shooter First-person shooter (FPS) is a sub-genre of shooter video games centered on gun and other weapon-based combat in a first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action through the eyes of the protagonist and controlling the p ...

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

developed by Revolt Games and published by

Russobit-M Russobit-M is defunct distributor of PC games in Russia and the CIS. It served an important role in PC game distribution in the Post-Soviet states. In 2003 it partnered with GFI to release game software and DVDs throughout Russia. Russobit-M was ...

. It was released on 10 March 2006. The game's plot and world is tech-noir and cyberpunk-themed, as well as dystopian, with inspiration drawn from

Blade Runner ''Blade Runner'' is a 1982 science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott, and written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples. Starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, and Edward James Olmos, it is an adaptation of Philip K. Dick' ...

and Akira, and the works of writers such as

William Gibson William Ford Gibson (born March 17, 1948) is an American-Canadian speculative fiction writer and essayist widely credited with pioneering the science fiction subgenre known as ''cyberpunk''. Beginning his writing career in the late 1970s, hi ...

and Philip K. Dick.

Plot

''Neuro'' is a low-key crime drama with a cyberpunk theme and backdrop that philosophizes on the devolution of humankind: Even though humans have spread themselves out amongst the stars and developed technology to improve and enrich their lives, they are still likely to exploit each other whenever possible. James Gravesen is a law officer who is attempting to arrest an elusive smuggler with government connections, Ramone, who is dealing in "Lilac Death," a highly dangerous weaponized substance that can "wipe out Sorgo three times". James has biotechnology implanted in his brain that gives him a handful of psi-weapons: From 30 feet away and only using his mind, he can light enemies on fire, blow them off their feet and crush them, and make them go berserk and kill their allies. He can also see through walls to identify where enemies lurk, and he can heal himself. All of this takes a psi-energy which depletes with each use but resets over time. The enemies are mostly crooks trying to stop you from completing your various missions.

History

Prior to release, ''Neuro'' had been in development since 2002 and was demonstrated at E3s 2003 and 2004. While intended for worldwide release, it was only released in Russia, the CIS (dubbed into Russian) and Taiwan (dubbed into English). In 2010, an academic, Keith Duffy, found out about ''Neuro'' and, not knowing about the official English-language release in Taiwan, translated it into English. His translation was released for free on his blog. The Taiwanese release features a

GFI Russia GFI Russia is a Russian video game developer. It was founded in 1996 as MiST Land South by a group of friends and located in Zelenograd, Moscow. It was purchased in 2003 by Game Factory Interactive and reorganize into GFI Russia in 2006. MiST La ...

logo in the intro despite being distributed by Miracle Express, probably indicating that GFI would have been responsible for European and other Western distribution of the game.

References

External links

''Neuro''
at

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

An interview with Irina Semenova, PR woman for Russobit M, on ''Neuro''
2006 video games Cyberpunk video games First-person shooters Video games developed in Russia Windows games Windows-only games Russobit-M games Single-player video games {{Fps-videogame-stub