Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (video game)

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex is the title of a pair of video games based on the cyberpunk anime of the same name, a third person Action game, released for the PlayStation 2, and a first-person shooter game, released for the PlayStation Portable.

PS2 game
The games take place in the year 2030, between the stories told in Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG.

In the year 2030, cybercrime, espionage and terrorism plague a society lost between humanity and technology. As one of the trusted members of the government organization known as Section 9, Major Motoko Kusanagi must uncover the truth behind a mysterious case known only as T.A.R.

Characters
Playable characters include:
 * Major Motoko Kusanagi
 * Batou

Gameplay
Levels are separated along the two parallel parts of the Section 9 investigation that forms the basis of the storyline, with some sections following Batou's experiences and others recounting Kusanagi's solo journey to the region where the plot appears to originate from. Gameplay uses a third-person perspective, and players use a variety of weapons, including the ability to ghost-hack opponents, in order to progress. Kusanagi's levels tend to require the player to use her agility to progress to a much greater degree than Batou's levels, which tend to feature a focus on more heavy firepower. Media response was generally positive, but reserved, citing the high quality graphics and enjoyable, action-packed gameplay but noting the slightly awkward controls, lack of any real innovation and the failure to use the license to its full potential, for example not using hacking as a more advanced, useful or integral gameplay feature.

Reception
Ed Lewis of IGN gave the game a decent score of 7.0 out of 10. It sold 45,528 copies a week after its release.

PSP game
On September 15, 2005 a PlayStation Portable game called Ghost in the Shell: STAND ALONE COMPLEX: Hunters Territory (攻殻機動隊 STAND ALONE COMPLEX -狩人の領域-) was released in Japan and serves as a sequel to the PS2 version. Dealing with similar concepts to other incarnations of Ghost in the Shell, it has an original storyline which follows on from and refers to the PlayStation 2 plotline, and features first-person shooter gameplay. Customizable Tachikoma sentient tanks, which can operate independently as AI characters or be ridden inside by players, accompany the player at all times. The media response to the game was generally mildly critical, with reviewers generally noting flaws in gameplay and graphics. Controls are similar to other first person shooter games on the platform, such as Coded Arms and Medal of Honor: Heroes.

The game was released in Europe on October 21, 2005 and in North America on October 26, 2005 but under the same name as the original PS2 game causing confusion and misinterpreting as a port.

Characters
Playable characters include: All levels can be played by all characters. Aramaki is also available for multiplayer matches. All characters have varying statistics which can affect how a game plays out, for example Batou has more health than other players and Saito holds sniper rifles steadier than others. In addition, Tachikomas can act as an AI companion, and players can select from four Tachikoma "characters", balanced, aggressive, intelligent and humorous.
 * Motoko Kusanagi
 * Batou
 * Togusa
 * Saito

Reception
Nix of IGN gave it a passable score of 6.2 out of 10. Greg Mueller of Gamespot gave it a 5.9 out of 10.