Cyberpunk Source Material: Games, Movies, Books

[Rivercliff]

Neuromancer (Yes, that Neuromancer!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0-oDSD-o1M

Often wondered why this one was never revised.

 

[PHYKUR]

19 Games added!
08/FEB/2013

 

[drcase]

I played and worked on a multiplayer text game (MUD, or specifically a MOO in this case); CyberSphere. It was originally created in the mid-90's, and is still around today... definitely a staple of cyberpunk style and boasts an incredibly rich world. The website is still in its "classic" form @ http://cs.netsville.com and the game can be accessed via telnet (or any other MU* client) using the connection details on the site under the "Game" tab at the bottom.

 

[braindancer12]

wow thats a good list

 

[Radbane]

Hmm, some of the games aren't really cyberpunk. Warhammer 40K for example? Sure, it has bionics, but that's where the similarity stops imho. Crysis? Aliens and a hi-tech suit makes it cyberpunk? If we're that vague we can add a lot to that list.

Just my 2 cents

 

[Sardukhar]

It's pretty open, yeah. I've noticed a tendency for people to equate cyber with cyberpunk.

But hey, fun games anyway.

 

[ZioYuri78]

Released System Shock 2 on GoG

 

[PHYKUR]

Back to the list people

 

[Glaroug.531]

Beneath a Steel Sky

Currently playing it and loving it. Give it a try my friends, as its free to play on GOG!

http://www.gog.com/gamecard/beneath_a_steel_sky

 

[digitalemotion]

I think that we can add Anachronox http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Nl92PHkLzI, and the upcomming game Watch Dog http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nwm46hiFNBQ to the list.

 

[sm0kexfr0g]

Don't forget this new one that's either out or coming out or whatever (I can't find much info on it) looks great! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fqvEG5E0jk

 

[Decatonkeil]

I'd counter-argue with; Police.
If it's so dark and dystopian, why would anyone become a cop?
Like my two examples of both Appleseed and GITS, both of them features the main protagonists to be law enforcers.
Motoko is heavily cybered up BUT is the world dystopic? Why? Why not?

And if that's not Cyberpunk, then what is it?

A lot of the stories revolving Cyberpunk features an anti-hero as protagonist living for him/herself but that doesn't mean that everything has to follow that goldenrule of thumb.

Why would anyone become a cop? So that there's cops! (be they the enemy or whatever).
Now about how dark are Appleseed and Ghost in the Shell I'd say VERY. The Olympus of Appleseed is this apparent utopia (and they do many things well) that is ruled and administered by bioroids. But what are bioroids? Well, bioroid obviously comes from biological android. You can make an android with oganic parts. But what's the cheapest approach? Clone people (and sometimes splice genes for combat bioroids), select them for a task and "educate them from birth" and somehow plant (pharmacologically?) devices that prevent them from rebelating against the original species (humans). So are these high ranking and highly regarded functionaries or are they slaves that don't live that bad?

And now for the main course, the cops. You can clearly see how Deunan and Bri are the prototype of the recruits of the OPD, SWAT, and ESWAT. They survived the badlands with their strenght and aggressivity. You can also read a cop in a Landmate enjoying his job killing a terrorist because "they only need to get one alive". And man, they take interventionism to the next level! They want to take their "flame of Prometheus" everywhere with a police that has a military grade dotation.

And Ghost in the Shell: well, Shirow and others made the Section 9 somewhat pleasant to hang around with, as we would be spending some time with them, but they're neither the paragon type or are as highly regarded by the masses. We see the Major be attacked with an axe by antimilitaristic groups, we see how far different sections can go when stepping on each others' jurisdictions, we see them perform state murders and some people are offended when they read Batou (in the episode Robot Rondo) or hear him say (in Innocence, partly based on this chapter) something harsh to a southeast asia slave child (here he goes all Judge Dredd on the kid, not seeing the desperation in her actions, only that what she did to survive was illegal and harmful to others).

 

[Sunder]

Huh, weird how no one brought up BloodNet. Sure, it has the vampire bits in it, but otherwise the game is quite solid on the cyberpunk aspect.

Also, would be nice if the other two Syndicate games were linked in the original post, rather than just the FPS game by EA.

 

[drcase]

Don't think anyone's listed this here yet, but this latest Shadowrun video game currently in dev is far more my flavor than the recent FPS... take a gander for yourself:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MiMjQwd2VE

 

[PHYKUR]

3 Games Added!
16/MAR/2013

 

[stankobre]

Also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Eden, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradise_Cracked and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Clancy's_ruthless.com aren't on list and they are solid games.

 

[n3trunner]

Real Cyberpunk games:
n/a

Most successful Cyberpunk games:
-Deus Ex (1)
-Neocron

 

[username_3659674]

Gemini Rue was a great little independent cyberpunky point & click adventure.

 

[Glaroug.531]

*cough, cough

Beneath a Steel Sky

 

[Decatonkeil]

Nighlong: Union City conspiracy, yet another point and click cyberpunk adventure.

The Longest Journey, its sequel Dreamfall and the upcoming Dreamfall Chapters are adventure games with their narrative divided between two worlds: a fantasy world called Arcadia and a cyberpunk world called Stark.

Nikopol: Secrets of the Immortals seems to be an adventure game in the vein of the Atlantis series adapting the Nikopol Trilogy by Enki Bilal.