Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (2004 video game)

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (攻殻機動隊 STAND ALONE COMPLEX) is a third-person shooter video game developed by Cavia for the PlayStation 2, based on the cyberpunk anime of the same name. The game was released from March 2004 to May 2005, with the game having its own original soundtrack album released 1 day before its Japanese release.

Gameplay
The game's playable characters include Motoko Kusanagi and Batou. Levels are separated along with 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.

Plot
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.

After Section 9 seized the black market of surplus weaponry of the Japan Self-Defense Force in Nihama Port, the suspect died from an unknown reason. During Batou's investigation, he found out the suspect was doing a transport work of a batch of micromachine rice. And then Section 9 traced the track to the old military research complex called "Tohoku Autonomous Region". Therefore, Batou and Motoko infiltrate the facility to reveal the conspiracy behind those rice.

Development and release
The game was developed by Cavia. A total of 50 developers worked on the game. The game's story was written in 6 months and took 15 months to develop. Masamune Shirow assisted in the conceptual stages of the game. Cavia wanted the game to be faithful to the original TV series, but also chose a design that allowed them to enhance the personalities of Motoko Kusanagi and Batou. Music was produced by Cavia with sound effects being in collaboration with Production I.G.

Reception
The game received "average" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of two sevens, one eight, and one seven for a total of 29 out of 40. It sold 45,528 copies a week after its release in Japan.