| X-PO 2089: Cyber Revolution [J] | Kalisto, NEC Interchannel | 1999 | |
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The history of video games is full of forgotten titles. Usually, these are projects canceled before their development is complete. But sometimes it happens that quite complete games are deprived of a commercial release. We are talking about an "unreleased" game, which patiently waits for historians or collectors to reveal their existence for all to see. We are happy to introduce you to an unreleased PlayStation game: X-PO: 2089 Cyber Revolution. This game is also available on PC. At first glance, X-PO is a fairly classic 3D platform game. In 2089, you play as Koji, a hero whose mission is to protect the Internet of the future from the threat of an evil entity. You do this by walking through different levels, looking for items and information that will help you move forward in the story. You can jump and punch them, although the most effective way to eliminate enemies is to jump on them! The particularity of this title lies in the objects and other elements present in the levels. For example, the first level of the game asks you to develop a photo, explaining the origin of this invention by the French Nicéphore Niépce, in 1827. Further, by finding a film reel, we explain how the Lumière brothers invented the cinematograph. During an aquatic level, you must find the propeller of the submarine developed by Commander Cousteau. Turning to another level, you meet Lucy, one of the oldest fossil skeletons of prehistoric man, discovered in 1974 by French and American researchers. Not to mention avoiding being knocked over by an Foucault pendulum, or even coming to the aid of a TGV stuck on its tracks. You will understand that this game, while being fun, also has an educational dimension. The latter is perfectly summed up by one of the indirect sponsors of the project, the then President of the French Republic, Jacques Chirac. During the speech delivered for the official presentation of the game, he declared: "It is an action game, more particularly intended for children, which speaks of France, of its role in the great discoveries of history. , but also from its participation in the most recent technological innovations. " Developed by the French studio Kalisto, located in Bordeaux, X-PO should normally be released in Japan in 1999, as part of a major cultural event: the Year of France in Japan. In order to introduce France to the Japanese, between April 1998 and March 1999, the Year of France in Japan brings together many cultural events (more than 500 over one year), such as several artistic exhibitions, the organization in Tokyo of an agricultural fair for the French regions, as well as a series of conferences for French Nobel Prize winners. The Kalisto studio is then mandated by the event organizers to create a video game that will be distributed during the event. Initially, the game is to be released commercially on both PC and PlayStation. Unfortunately, Sony is pulling out of the project along the way, which means that the PlayStation version, while complete, will never be released. For the PC version, the manufacturer NEC, via its subsidiary NEC Interchannel, must take care of marketing the game in Japan. Unfortunately, the manufacturer ultimately decides not to sell the game, but simply to distribute it for free as part of a promotional contest, as well as through magazines. The Japanese PC version, the only officially distributed version of the game, is therefore very rare today. Finally, a French PC version of the game is also being developed. Kalisto seeks to publish it commercially in France, but this project is undermined by the bursting of the “Internet bubble” in the early 2000s. In addition to many other high-tech companies, this financial crisis unfortunately leads to 2002 the closure of Kalisto, then one of the French flagships of the video game industry. | ||
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