A very
cool video game created by United Game Artists and published by
Sega for both the
Playstation 2 and
Dreamcast. The Dreamcast version was released in Europe and Japan, while the Playstation 2 version was released in all markets.
You take the role of a computer hacker making your way through the worldwide network to save an AI, known as Eden. Eden, orginally merely a portion of "Project-K", became self-aware and shut herself up inside the system as she quickly slipped into depression.
The game's main theme is synesthesia. Everything visual has an accompanying sound and vice versa. It combines beatmania game and rail shooter into an incredible feast for the senses with visual, aural, and tactile feedback. As the bass pulses, so does your controller. As the enemies are destroyed, they pling and chime to the music. As the music jumps, so does the landscape.
Levels
Your quest to save Eden takes you through 5 levels until you reach the system's core. The first 4 levels represent locales of ancient civilizations.
Level 01 - Ancient
Egypt
Level 02 -
Indus River Valley
Level 03 -
Mesopotamia
Level 04 -
Yellow River Civilization
The last level is the Central Mainframe of the system where Eden has shut herself in. You traverse the history of the Earth as life starts from nothing and climbs its way up the evolutionary ladder.
As you progress, you gain power and evolve through 6 different forms by collecting schematic items. Each form has its own sounds and higher level forms attack faster and with more power. Injury forces you back to a previous form.
Playing through various parts of the game or reaching a certain performance level unlocks a slew of extra features ranging from additional areas to a score attack mode.
Music
The in-game music was been created by a variety of artists, Japanese and otherwise.
Level 01 - Keiichi Sugiyama - Buggy Running Beeps
Level 02 - Mist -
Protocol Rain
Level 03 - Ken Ishii - Creation The State of Art
Level 04 - Joujouka - Rock Is Sponge
Level 05 -
Adam Freeland - Fear
Last Boss -
Coldcut and Tim Bran - Boss Attacks
Lost Area - Ebz - F6 G5
Trancemission -
Oval - P-project
Bonus Tracks on soundtrack (Rez: Gamer's Guide to...)
Oval - Octaeder 01
Ken Ishii - Creative State
Note: The 5th track of the CD is a remix of Fear and not the music that appears in the game.
DC or PS2?
If you live in the US, the PS2 version is easier to buy. The PS2 also has slightly looser control, making the game a little easier, and the controllers have built in vibration.
The DC version has crisper graphics (especially when using the VGA box) and slightly better sound, but you need to find a jump pack to fully experience the game and buying the import version can be a little expensive.
Random Trivia:
The original title of the game was Project-K.
The K from "Project-K" is for
Kandinsky, an artist/musician who painted many works that were meant to be visual representations of his music
In Japan, a special PS2 version ("Special Package") comes with a "Trance Vibrator" accessory. This is a palm-sized jump pack that plugs into a USB port and comes with a washable cloth cover. Its reason for existence is left to your imagination.