Neo Vortex, or originally titled as Neon Riders: White Crescent in Japan, is a 3D racing game developed by Gamecom and published by Gamecom in all European and Australian marketing, Namco Bandai Games in Japan, and Konami in North America. It takes elements from such games like Mario Kart, Eternal Inertia, and Sonic Riders. The main illustrations for this game were made by Tetsuya Nomura and Toshimichi Mori.
Plot[]
All taking place in the futuristic location of Mastodon City (Eledon City in Japan), Neo Vortex is all about an unnamed racing tournament in which four friends enter in order to earn untold riches; the "riches" being of course, 1,000,000 dollars! All of them have a sole purpose for racing, as well. However, an evil organization known as Hadesbuster (Hellfire Boyz in Japan) is also said to be entering in this grand prix just so they can steal all the other racers' vehicles and use them in order to power up the grand champion, Luxor Phantom. Together, the Neo Vortex (Neon Riders in Japan) team will attempt to defeat many others in this ultimate grand prix, and then will finally meet face-to-face with Luxor. This is one wild ride you DO NOT wanna miss! Mastodon City must stay pure forever of all antagonistic value!!
Characters[]
Neo Vortex[]
- Weiss: He is the 16-year-old leader of his racing team. Headstrong and curious about the open world, itself, Weiss decided to enter the tournament to make his family happy once more so they could explore the more detailed and larger parts of Mastodon City. Akin to Link from The Legend of Zelda, Weiss doesn't actually speak, but his battle cries, grunts, and laughs were all provided by Shinnosuke Tachibana.
- Bulk: This 18-year-old racer is a part of Weiss's team. Strong, yet stoic and intelligent, Bulk's reasoning for entering the tournament is to make money out of exercising programs, to the point where he once said that he wants Weiss, himself, to be involved in it. Bulk is voiced by Wataru Hatano. Out of all the members, Bulk's the oldest!
- Paradog: She is the 15-year-old racer of Neo Vortex. Optimistic and rather forgetful at times, Paradog wanted to enter the grand prix so she could remember her true identity. Paraodog is voiced by Yukari Tamura. Easily known for having strong feelings for Weiss, but clearly hides it due to her being scatterbrained. Out of all the members, Paradog's the youngest!
- Sven: Like Weiss, Sven is 16 years old and is a part of the Neo Vortex team. Sven's personality is very hard to read, as he has MPD ("Multiple Personality Disorder"): while on foot, he acts timid and apologetic, in racing, Sven is quite insane (not sadistic, need I mind you) and tends to laugh a lot. Sven is voiced by Koki Miyata.
Wave Crusaders[]
- Tidal: He is the self-proclaimed genius and acting captain of his team. At 21 years old, Tidal is very tauntful and egotistical, never admitting that anyone's better than him at racing in tournaments. His purpose for entering the tournament is so he can join a crack team of agents that are saving all aquatic organisms. Tidal is voiced by Hiroyuki Yoshino.
- Drown: She is a 16-year-old member of the Wave Crusaders. Although she founded the team, Tidal is usually disgusted by this fact and hides that he made the group all along. Playful and kind, Drown decided to enter the tournament in order to find out the whereabouts of her missing brothers. Drown is voiced by Aoi Yuki.
- Oceano: He's the 17-year-old member of the Wave Crusaders. Oceano is pretty quiet and only speaks when spoken to, or just being aggravated to a fault (for example, he'll tell Tidal to "shut up" after the latter is speaking for a prolonged amount of time). While he does have a purpose for entering the race, the boy never tells why. Oceano is voiced by Mitsuo Iwata.
- Tsunami: She is 17 years old (just like Oceano) and part of the Wave Crusaders. Although very attractive in terms of appearance, Tsunami is nearly aggressive and prone to swearing frequently in English (or in this case, 'Engrish'). Her reason for entering the race is so she could get revenge on the Hadesbuster organization for killing her parents, hence the way this girl acts nowadays. Tsunami is voiced by Chie Nakamura.
Guest characters[]
- Jared: Voiced by Showtaro Morikubo; origin: Epic Saga
- Beecanoe: Voiced by Junichi Suwabe; origin: Epic Saga
- Princess Sephira: Voiced by Emiri Kato; origin: Epic Saga: Those Who Fight
- Shrikes: Voiced by Kiyotaka Furushima; origin: Eclipse
- Zio: Voiced by Shunsuke Kazama; origin: Excalibur
- Light Nova: Voiced by Ryotaro Okiayu; origin: Space Warriors: The Legend of Souls
- Joka: Voiced by Takashi Kondo; origin: Frontier Adventure
- ETG: Voiced by Takeshi Kusao; origin: Epic Saga: Conquest of the Judgement Emperor
- Janga no Eon: Voiced by Sakura Nogawa; origin: Eon
Race tracks[]
First Salvation bracket[]
- Neon Circuit 360
- Industrial Pipeline
- Melodic Graveyard
- Funky Hall
- Gigapolis
Second Raid bracket[]
- Thunder Cavern
- Swampy Desert
- Underwater Labyrinth
- Vacant Coliseum
- Exedra
Third Void bracket[]
- Cloud Hill
- Ring of Fire
- Winter Wonderland
- Chaos Schoolyard
- Automaton
Fourth Sense bracket[]
- Narrow Minefield
- Pirate's Ark
- Plasma Laboratory
- Fog Warehouse
- Incubus
Final Gate bracket[]
- Topsy Casino (unlockable)
- Hadesbuster Hideout I (unlockable)
- Hadesbuster Hideout II: This is the final battle! (unlockable)
- Hidesbuster Hideout III: Mastodon City will be protected! (unlockable)
- The White Abyss (unlockable)
Items[]
- Speed boost gauge
- Bombard gauge
- Laser gauge
- Slo-Mo gauge
- Ludicrous speed gauge
- Sword gauge
- Hyper jump gauge
- Low gravity gauge
- Invincibility gauge
- Hijack vehicle gauge
- Grenade gauge
- Shield gauge
- Giant gauge (if being activated, you turn into a more massive version of the racer you're using)
- Mini gauge (if being used on yourself or others, the racer transforms into a miniature version of him/herself)
- Switch positions gauge (if being activated, you will switch spots with another racer, getting into a different place; this only works when you're in either 7th, 8th, 9th, or 10th place)
- Invisibility gauge
- Jetpack gauge
Other information[]
- Rating: Teen (ESRB), B (CERO), 12+ (PEGI), M (OFLC)
- System(s): GigaCom
- Publisher: Gamecom (Europe, Australia), Konami (North America), Namco Bandai Games (Japan)
- Developer: Gamecom
- Platform: 1-4 Player Racing (1-8 Player via GigaStream)
Trivia[]
- This article is still a work in progress. Additional help is acceptable
- The third racetrack in the "Third Void" bracket shares its name from a song, and it's also an alliterative title.
- Neo Vortex has a bit more innovation compared to other Mario Kart clones, in which you can walk on foot, race in saucers, tanks, jetpacks, motorbikes, spaceboards, or just generic racing carts; you can also hijack another racer's vehicle and use it to your own advantage if your own vehicle has critical damage.