Tuesday, November 14, 2007

This NEO·GEO CD release will be most likely the last of Last Hope, release date is November 19, 2007.

Reasonable and also unreasonable critics aside, we're are quite pleased how our debut reached the mass. And that came pretty unexpected for a fairly inaccessible game in a rather overseen niché of a dying genre. Not to mention, we rather wanted to pay tribute to the genre instead of making a success and only had hopes, Last Hope will ever see daylight.

However, this game features the whole substance of the AES and Dreamcast versions gameplay and even the visibility on screen has been moderated due to pink bullets and less enemy debries.

For less tactical proofed players, an exclusive difficulty will be selectable. Besides being easier to handle, this gameplay experience is more focused on blasting action. Since that, the player's ship will move instantly speedier, has increased firepower and the gameplay requires only minor memorizing.

Loading times are rather short, no worrying about that.

The previously mentioned Tactical SuperPlay features in depth footage of Last Hope's gameplay, several basic and advance techniques are shown and every stage is played separately in its many tactical ways. Also featured, a 18 minute going Single Life Clear done by a fearless german SuperPlayer namely Plasmo.

Our next game is progressing nicely as well, so the NEO·GEOs life support will be also warranted in future.

info@ngdevteam.com

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

We did a video showing over 4 minutes of Last Hope's gameplay. Unlike the trailer, we had reasonable capture options, therefore better sound and video quality. It's a good way to get an impression how the game does play if handled properly. But if you want to beat it, you will need a lot of practice or shooting experience since this game is challenging from beginning.

Get the video here

As shown, the gameplay is very tactical and requires a lot memorizing, so keep your beam charged and use the pod system well to blast off the enemies quick. Sometimes the enemy patterns look undefeatable but every game situation is clearable in multiple ways when the right strategy is used. Just try to find tactics, get further step by step and don't rush too much.

Dying in this game isn't a shame if you learn from your mistakes.

Since Last Hope offers offensive and defensive play, it's up to the actual player which method meets the needs. If you are an offensive nature, get directly into the enemy patterns to shoot them up before they can hit you. Particularly, those small cannons sitting on the ground and roof are very dangerous if not eliminated immediately with the pod's shot while locked into a 45° position. Shooting a big beam or a row of small beams will do too, when the cannons are more reachable and not covered by any obstacles.

If played defensively you have to soak up bullets with the pod, find out sweet spots, hide your ship between walls and then get out of the defense to take the enemy by surprise. When using the pod; there's a varity of bullets in colour, shape and size. Not every type of bullet is cancelable. Especially lasers aren't to absorb and should be dodged, so pay attention and find out via Trial & Error to which type a bullet belongs.

Getting into Last Hope isn't a space walk but with practice, it becomes realisable. Just don't throw away your control device too early, as this type of games arrogating all your calmness.

The coming soon NEO·GEO CD release will feature a Digital Versatile Disc showing tactics, strategies and stuff.

info@ngdevteam.com

Monday, May 3, 2007

Last Hope's Limited Edition for Dreamcast is already available and it took a while due to several production issues with the CD factoring facility.

Next to the game itself, this collectors item limited to 500 copies comes with a soundtrack pressed on a vinylish looking Compact Disc and an extra leaflet with a note by the original music composer. All tracks on this record were remastered and are enjoyable in full lenght as originally composed, for a great listening experience. Overall there are 9 tracks and one of them is even about 8 minutes long.

It's a much easier way to listen to the dreamy melodies and tecno beats, without challenging this beast and averting and dodging enemy bullets. Especially when you belong to those who are overstrained by the scurrilously and fearing debries and shrapnels which enemies throw on you, during their dying. Either way, this record will do you ears a favour.

If you can't get enough of Rafel Dyll's music, you may risk a look into the SoniQfactory.

info@ngdevteam.com

Monday, January 22, 2007

While preorders are already accepted by various international retailers Last Hope for Dreamcast will be released on January 31, 2007.

We've made Last Hope for Dreamcast more accessible, added visualizations of boss hit zones and made it easier to differ between bullets and explosions. For experienced players we've included the original NEO·GEO game mode which means speedier bullets and a harder difficult setting. To stay arcade typish, the original Dreamcast Arcade Stick is next to the standard Controller fully supported. You also can save your game progress and score on your Visual Memory Unit as usual.

Print items are Japanese style as seen below.

More regarding Last Hope for Dreamcast can be found here and there.

On a sidenote, in agreement with the publisher we've decided to release this Dreamcast version first. An release date of the NEO·GEO CD version isn't estimated yet.

Timm & René | info@ngdevteam.com

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

As the cartridge did well, we're now preparing a release of Last Hope on NEO·GEO CD and Dreamcast for December 2006.

Both versions will feature a high quality CD Digital Audio soundtrack. Dreamcast version will be a pixel perfect port with scanlines on 240p in progressive mode. Be sure that the game will run on NTSC and PAL systems on 60hz; regionfFree. Last Hope also runs directly on your Dreamcast just like every original game.

Currently we're negotiating with an publisher for world wide release.

More on this when time is given, so be prepared and take a look here to stay up to date.

info@ngdevteam.com

Monday, July 10, 2006

Finally, after 6 years of hard but enjoyable work our first video game Last Hope left its place of birth to reach the way to your NEO·GEO. When you've ordered one, expect Last Hope's arrival in the next few days or weeks. Arrival time depends on your location and chosen shipping.

Be a brave pilot and learn to handle the game to blast of the Evil Empire.

Enjoy Last Hope!

info@ngdevteam.com

Thursday, June 1, 2006

We are very happy to announce that Last Hope is ready to order. Shipping date is July 10, 2006.

As you can see on the picture below we decided to release Last Hope with a japanese design insert, because it looks in a artistically matter more interesting and there's a bigger demand. Also our personal game collections are Japanese only.

This run is limited to 60 copies, as the cart production is very complicated. There's a holographic sticker with serial number on every insert to be sure to get an authentic copy.

You can save your copy of Last Hope AES here.

info@ngdevteam.com

Wednesday, May 31, 2006

With our debut Last Hope we decided to make a shmup, which is settled in R-Type subgenre but with more focus on tactical components via rotatable satellite. Last Resort is the biggest influence for Last Hope but not really meant as an unoffcially sequel.

However, we wanted to get away from valium-ish R-Type, so we increased the enemy bullet speed. We added many own ideas and new elements into the game, following in the time of development Last Hope refrained more and more from its archetypes.

The satellite and the beam are the most important components of the game mechanics. You have to learn to deal with both techniques in interaction with the other. It is possible to rotate the protection unit in 360° around the playership and to engage it in 8 gradations. Just press “A” to shoot, “B” to rotate clockwise and “C” to rotate unclockwise. The protection unit mainly serves the defense of enemy plasma projectiles and to fire a more stronger plasma shot. The enemy itself just slides through. We had experimented with a satellite dash system for a short time but that did not fit the gameplay and would have made the game too easy. We are fine with the current satellite system and it's even better to handle compared to Last Resort's satellite system.

The weapon system is simply however effectively held. Thus there are Bombs, Missiles and Homing Missiles besided the onboard Unit Shot and Beam. The classic Speed Up is likewise represented. Additionally the player can collect bonus Items to increase score. Owing to the Beam it is possible to do Chaining Combos, which means to shoot whole enemy line at the same blast to gain even more score. Nevertheless Last hope is not about scoring it's about surviving.

Once you played Last Hope you will notice that we, the developers, had a smooth and simple gameplay in mind. Same applies to a challenging degree of difficulty.

You thought Pulstar would be hard? Play Last Hope!

No worry, less experienced players can choose the easiest out of 4 difficulties to enjoy the beautifully arranged stage settings. There's a total of 6 stages. These vary from a sandily space laboratory, a channel fulfilled with muddy water, a idyllic landscape with floating continents, a soul melting enemie factory on fire to an eerily and muggy alien stage.

All backgrounds are handdrawn and affectionately datailed, also partial animations are provided. Just as you remind high-quality 16-bit video games. The normal enemies are prerendered and super smooth animated. This represented a special challenge to us on such a, from today's point of view, limited hardware like the NEO·GEO. First we had to develop a graphic tool, which allows us to produce high quality CGI graphics in the typical 16 bit colour palette look. Even with this powerfull graphic tool it took months to get accaptable quality results. In the end, the investment becomed worthwhile; the render quality itself can be compared to top games such as Pulstar and Blazing Star.

Last Hope pays its most attention to its well-designed level maps and as coronation a huge boss enemy waits at every end of each stage. Those are handdrawn likewise and they fit homogeneously to the remaining stage backgrounds. Some cutting edge special effects, like on the NEO·GEO never seen before light effects rounding up. Not to mention that screen-filling and three time morphing last boss. However, only hardboiled pilots will be able to be face to face with it.

Typically in this genre, each level divides into 3 checkpoints. After death the player can resume at the last checkpoint to try his new luck. It's recommended to study enemies behaviors and to memorize paths well, to have better chances next time. Memorizing is a must. That does make a large amount of the fun. Generally, a tactical approach is favourable and with succeed the player will be pleased to have finally defeated the beast. Thereby, the term “Tactical Shooting Game” might have explained itself. At the same time it's in the same veign with NEO·GEO'ish slogans as “Super Visual Shooting Game” or “Dramatic Shooting Game”.

We are convinced of Last Hope's quality. With the comming release of the AES version and its following versions on other platforms, we will get sure to save the artistically quality too.

info@ngdevteam.com

Monday, May 29, 2006

Welcome to the NG:DEV.TEAM Blog, from today on we will report here news and information regarding Last Hope and our future projects.

Let's beginn with a short history about NG:DEV.TEAM and Last Hope.

How everything began.

Already into our childhood the medium video game fascinated us. Especially the Super Famicom, Mega Drive with games like Contra Spirits, R-type III and Thunder Force IV impressed us at this time. Then the NEO·GEO brought the arcade in our living rooms, with masterpieces such as Last Resort, Pulstar and Metal Slug. Inspired with program technical and graphical talent, it was only a question of time until we tried to produce a video game of our own.

Mid 1999 we heard on a mailing list of a NEO·GEO development protoype board. Thus we though the first time to develop for our beloved, mysterious, exotic and unexplored NEO·GEO. In the 10 years before we collected experience with rather conventional and publicly documented systems like the C64, AMIGA500, PC and GBC. During this long phase, both our requirements and our results have been constantly improved.

In the end of 1999 we began to build the NEO·GEO development environment. Our development environment consists of efficient and powerfull Graphic, Map and Scripting-Tools as well as custom-built compilers for 68k and Z80.

Our first goal was to create our own adequate 2D video game: Last Hope.

Adequately means to us beautiful graphics, which uses the technical possibilities of the hardware combined with in-depth Gameplay. As we consider the 16-bit video game ages as the peak of 2D video game culture, which is best represented by the NEO·GEO - it was an obvious choice that we would develop for this console. We are NEO·GEO fans. We love video games in Japanese 2D old shool tradition. Especially Arcade Shoot' em Ups & Run' n' Guns, so we decided to resume this tradition with Last Hope and our subsequent video games.

After publication of its last masterpiece, the third part of the Metal Slug series, the last big 2D supporter SNK died in the the year 2000. At least we thought so at this time.

Given that Last Hope has already been in development for over one year and achieved higher quality, we decided to assemble NG:DEV.TEAM in the year 2001 to make the game accessible also for the public. This takes time unfortunately until today. Although, with the completion of Last Hope our goal has already been achieved in the year 2003 . First we intended to publish the game exclusively on the NEO·GEO CD, because we considered a AES version as not to be realizable. But after some experiments we realized our project to run Last Hope on the AES hardware.

Today, Last Hope is already finished and ready for sales and the preorders are open. But still, no cart left its place of birth, because a change of the price strategy is needed and also the production quality of our game wants to be secured.

Last Hope shows the potential of NG:DEV.TEAM, but it is only the beginning.

info@ngdevteam.com