Anyone played Snatcher? Ugh

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Jakandsigz

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#1 Jakandsigz
Member since 2013 • 6341 Posts
So I found Snatcher at a bargin at the Goodwill and it has been forever since I touched it, played it, and I have to say, I understand why he did not want to continue it. It's pretty bad in story telling and tedium. But the game had tons of great ideas, some of which where put into his MGS games for better or worse, and it's Kojimas first real big story driven game. It still is entertaining though, although I don't like how the game was mixed back in the day and as time goes on the game gets praises which makes no dense since now people are ignoring the legit complaints the game had now that Kojima is a big name but it's not a terrible game by anymeans. Anyone here played it?
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#2 Panzer_Zwei
Member since 2006 • 15498 Posts

SNATCHER got high scores from every single magazine I was reading back then. And before that the game received extended preview coverage.

It was a highly praised game at least among the gaming media of the time, and still at that point in time nobody ever knew (in the west at least) who Hideo Kojima was, even though there was a message from him in the game.

SNATCHER originally came out in 1988, then the Mega CD version came out in 1994 (just days away from the omega hyped DONKEY KONG COUNTRY) and still the game blew minds away.

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Dudersaper

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#3 Dudersaper
Member since 2007 • 32952 Posts
I've always wanted to try it. I enjoy Visual Novel/Point n Click style games.
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#4 Shenmue_Jehuty
Member since 2007 • 5211 Posts

I've never seen a copy in person much less played it.

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JReefer1

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#5 JReefer1
Member since 2004 • 898 Posts

Been wanting to play Snatcher since I seen it advertised in Electronic Gaming Monthly way back in the mid Ninties, I got impatient and decided to emulate it, it's hard to play, in other words it didn't age well...hope there's a HD remake because I love that ...

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GulliversTravel

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#6 GulliversTravel
Member since 2009 • 3110 Posts
The interface can be a problem but Ive only played a few visual novels let alone ones that are that old and had no problem with it eventually. Just stick with it, the game is an incredible experience
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NinjaLegacy

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#7 NinjaLegacy
Member since 2012 • 189 Posts
Amazing game at the time it's now very dated.
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#8 Jag85
Member since 2005 • 20629 Posts

Snatcher was a great game for its time. The storytelling and interface might be somewhat dated by today's standards, but just keep in mind that it was first released way back in 1988. It had some of the very best storytelling ever seen in a video game of the 1980s, and has always been critically acclaimed ever since then through to the present day.

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#9 GulliversTravel
Member since 2009 • 3110 Posts

Snatcher was a great game for its time. The storytelling and interface might be somewhat dated by today's standards, but just keep in mind that it was first released way back in 1988. It had some of the very best storytelling ever seen in a video game of the 1980s, and has always been critically acclaimed ever since then through to the present day.

Jag85
Its true that static images and a text-based interface arent quite so hot these days, the music, art and writing however have stood up just fine. In fact its an incredibly immersive and atmospheric experience despite how old it is which goes to show just how much care went into the game to make it so. Also reading a book has many advantages over watching the film despite there being no images, its the same here, playing Snatcher has its own quality over watching an anime.
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Jag85

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#10 Jag85
Member since 2005 • 20629 Posts

[QUOTE="Jag85"]

Snatcher was a great game for its time. The storytelling and interface might be somewhat dated by today's standards, but just keep in mind that it was first released way back in 1988. It had some of the very best storytelling ever seen in a video game of the 1980s, and has always been critically acclaimed ever since then through to the present day.

GulliversTravel

Its true that static images and a text-based interface arent quite so hot these days, the music, art and writing however have stood up just fine. In fact its an incredibly immersive and atmospheric experience despite how old it is which goes to show just how much care went into the game to make it so. Also reading a book has many advantages over watching the film despite there being no images, its the same here, playing Snatcher has its own quality over watching an anime.

Yes, the storytelling is very good, in an 80's cyberpunk (and film noir) kind of way, like Blade Runner, Akira, Terminator, etc. I imagine it's not something a lot of gamers today would be used to, but Snatcher is definitely worth trying out for any cyberpunk fan.

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LAN7ERN

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#11 LAN7ERN
Member since 2013 • 352 Posts
I have never played it.
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#12 GulliversTravel
Member since 2009 • 3110 Posts

[QUOTE="GulliversTravel"][QUOTE="Jag85"]

Snatcher was a great game for its time. The storytelling and interface might be somewhat dated by today's standards, but just keep in mind that it was first released way back in 1988. It had some of the very best storytelling ever seen in a video game of the 1980s, and has always been critically acclaimed ever since then through to the present day.

Jag85

Its true that static images and a text-based interface arent quite so hot these days, the music, art and writing however have stood up just fine. In fact its an incredibly immersive and atmospheric experience despite how old it is which goes to show just how much care went into the game to make it so. Also reading a book has many advantages over watching the film despite there being no images, its the same here, playing Snatcher has its own quality over watching an anime.

Yes, the storytelling is very good, in an 80's cyberpunk (and film noir) kind of way, like Blade Runner, Akira, Terminator, etc. I imagine it's not something a lot of gamers today would be used to, but Snatcher is definitely worth trying out for any cyberpunk fan.

Yeah I agree, theres so little cyberpunk media out there.
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#13 Jag85
Member since 2005 • 20629 Posts

[QUOTE="Jag85"]

[QUOTE="GulliversTravel"]Its true that static images and a text-based interface arent quite so hot these days, the music, art and writing however have stood up just fine. In fact its an incredibly immersive and atmospheric experience despite how old it is which goes to show just how much care went into the game to make it so. Also reading a book has many advantages over watching the film despite there being no images, its the same here, playing Snatcher has its own quality over watching an anime.GulliversTravel

Yes, the storytelling is very good, in an 80's cyberpunk (and film noir) kind of way, like Blade Runner, Akira, Terminator, etc. I imagine it's not something a lot of gamers today would be used to, but Snatcher is definitely worth trying out for any cyberpunk fan.

Yeah I agree, theres so little cyberpunk media out there.

I think that's probably because the cyberpunk era has already come to pass, since we're already living in the digital age that cyberpunk once predicted. Cyberpunk was the future back in the 80's, but today it feels more like the present. However, there are some great modern "post-cyberpunk" games out there, such as Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty or the visual novel Steins Gate.

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#14 GulliversTravel
Member since 2009 • 3110 Posts

[QUOTE="GulliversTravel"][QUOTE="Jag85"]

Yes, the storytelling is very good, in an 80's cyberpunk (and film noir) kind of way, like Blade Runner, Akira, Terminator, etc. I imagine it's not something a lot of gamers today would be used to, but Snatcher is definitely worth trying out for any cyberpunk fan.

Jag85

Yeah I agree, theres so little cyberpunk media out there.

I think that's probably because the cyberpunk era has already come to pass, since we're already living in the digital age that cyberpunk once predicted. Cyberpunk was the future back in the 80's, but today it feels more like the present. However, there are some great modern "post-cyberpunk" games out there, such as Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty or the visual novel Steins Gate.

Its still a fascinating world though, I mean other than Blade Runner just how many cyber-punk films are there let alone good ones (remember Johnny Mnemonic?). The recent Total Recall did it really well but it wasnt the sole focus as the majority of the time is spent in post-futuristic environments and I hate Neuromancer (I liked the graphic novel but its less than half of the book).
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#15 cheetahman91
Member since 2010 • 214 Posts

I love it. It's my favorite Sega CD game. I really wish Konami would bring Policenauts to the West, I'd love to try that one too.

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#16 GulliversTravel
Member since 2009 • 3110 Posts

I love it. It's my favorite Sega CD game. I really wish Konami would bring Policenauts to the West, I'd love to try that one too.

cheetahman91
Woah there, theres a translation patch for the PSone version. Go play it since its better than Snatcher in every way!
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#17 GaussRiemann
Member since 2012 • 249 Posts

You got it from a bargain bin? *sob* Here in Europe, the English versions of the game cost a fortune, between 100 and 200 dollars.

I've got the Sega Saturn version of the game, but my Japanese is far too limited to have any fun with adventure games. Since I'm a huge adventures, I definitely want to play it, same with Policenauts and Hudson's Virus.

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#18 bultje112
Member since 2005 • 1868 Posts

So I found Snatcher at a bargin at the Goodwill and it has been forever since I touched it, played it, and I have to say, I understand why he did not want to continue it. It's pretty bad in story telling and tedium. But the game had tons of great ideas, some of which where put into his MGS games for better or worse, and it's Kojimas first real big story driven game. It still is entertaining though, although I don't like how the game was mixed back in the day and as time goes on the game gets praises which makes no dense since now people are ignoring the legit complaints the game had now that Kojima is a big name but it's not a terrible game by anymeans. Anyone here played it?Jakandsigz

 

yes I played and still own it and it's in my top 3 favorite games ever. the story is great. the final act 3 the story becomes a bit typicla kojima, but never as bad as metal gear solid 2 for instance. there's lots of interactivity and easter eggs in the first 2 acts and it has great writing, atmosphere, music and not to mention it's cyberpunk. if you like bladerunner you will love this as I did.

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bultje112

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#19 bultje112
Member since 2005 • 1868 Posts

[QUOTE="Jag85"]

Snatcher was a great game for its time. The storytelling and interface might be somewhat dated by today's standards, but just keep in mind that it was first released way back in 1988. It had some of the very best storytelling ever seen in a video game of the 1980s, and has always been critically acclaimed ever since then through to the present day.

GulliversTravel

Its true that static images and a text-based interface arent quite so hot these days, the music, art and writing however have stood up just fine. In fact its an incredibly immersive and atmospheric experience despite how old it is which goes to show just how much care went into the game to make it so. Also reading a book has many advantages over watching the film despite there being no images, its the same here, playing Snatcher has its own quality over watching an anime.

 

everything in this post I agree on. snatcher is a testament to how on older hardware developpers had to be more creative to create an experience like snatcher. because the graphics aren't there so much, yet it doesn't distratc at all and the game aged very well to me. unless you think comic books look ugly

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bultje112

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#20 bultje112
Member since 2005 • 1868 Posts

[QUOTE="Jag85"]

[QUOTE="GulliversTravel"]Yeah I agree, theres so little cyberpunk media out there.GulliversTravel

I think that's probably because the cyberpunk era has already come to pass, since we're already living in the digital age that cyberpunk once predicted. Cyberpunk was the future back in the 80's, but today it feels more like the present. However, there are some great modern "post-cyberpunk" games out there, such as Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty or the visual novel Steins Gate.

Its still a fascinating world though, I mean other than Blade Runner just how many cyber-punk films are there let alone good ones (remember Johnny Mnemonic?). The recent Total Recall did it really well but it wasnt the sole focus as the majority of the time is spent in post-futuristic environments and I hate Neuromancer (I liked the graphic novel but its less than half of the book).

 

try ghost in the shell and preferably the ghost in the shell stand alone complex tv series. in japan there's still lots of cyberpunk

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#21 bultje112
Member since 2005 • 1868 Posts

You got it from a bargain bin? *sob* Here in Europe, the English versions of the game cost a fortune, between 100 and 200 dollars.

I've got the Sega Saturn version of the game, but my Japanese is far too limited to have any fun with adventure games. Since I'm a huge adventures, I definitely want to play it, same with Policenauts and Hudson's Virus.

GaussRiemann

 

just use translation in cases like virus. it is very doable imo. use a e-book though for it

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#22 Panzer_Zwei
Member since 2006 • 15498 Posts

You got it from a bargain bin? *sob* Here in Europe, the English versions of the game cost a fortune, between 100 and 200 dollars.

I've got the Sega Saturn version of the game, but my Japanese is far too limited to have any fun with adventure games. Since I'm a huge adventures, I definitely want to play it, same with Policenauts and Hudson's Virus.

GaussRiemann

The SS and PS versions of SNATCHER are based on the original PC-ENGINE remake and lack a lot of stuff found in the MCD version, like the completely interactive final chapter.

Other adventure games of the time I highly recommed are NoEL 3 and ANOTHER MIND.

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#23 Dudersaper
Member since 2007 • 32952 Posts
NoEL 3 and ANOTHER MIND.Panzer_Zwei
I have NOeL Not Digital Special Edition, found it for 4 bucks, can't play it though, since I can't read Japanese. Would love to try it out though.
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#24 deactivated-5eea5a5a83edd
Member since 2011 • 348 Posts
[QUOTE="cheetahman91"]

I love it. It's my favorite Sega CD game. I really wish Konami would bring Policenauts to the West, I'd love to try that one too.

GulliversTravel
Woah there, theres a translation patch for the PSone version. Go play it since its better than Snatcher in every way!

And I've got some good news! The English patch for the Saturn version of Policenauts is currently being made!
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#25 bultje112
Member since 2005 • 1868 Posts

[QUOTE="GulliversTravel"][QUOTE="cheetahman91"]

I love it. It's my favorite Sega CD game. I really wish Konami would bring Policenauts to the West, I'd love to try that one too.

GSJones1994

Woah there, theres a translation patch for the PSone version. Go play it since its better than Snatcher in every way!

And I've got some good news! The English patch for the Saturn version of Policenauts is currently being made!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BevWB86UAkg

 

oh yes!! the saturn version is also the best version with better graphics, added clips and lightgun support. can't wait for it

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#26 deactivated-5eea5a5a83edd
Member since 2011 • 348 Posts

[QUOTE="GSJones1994"][QUOTE="GulliversTravel"] Woah there, theres a translation patch for the PSone version. Go play it since its better than Snatcher in every way!bultje112

And I've got some good news! The English patch for the Saturn version of Policenauts is currently being made!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BevWB86UAkg

 

oh yes!! the saturn version is also the best version with better graphics, added clips and lightgun support. can't wait for it

I also hear that every single version of Policenauts will be translated into English. Once the Saturn version's English patch is complete, fans will translate the original PC-98 version, which I think will take them a while, and the 3DO version will be translated last.
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#27 bultje112
Member since 2005 • 1868 Posts

they will also translate it in different laguages. spanish being first

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#28 RyviusARC
Member since 2011 • 5708 Posts

they will also translate it in different laguages. spanish being first

bultje112

 

I think it will take more than a year for them to translate any of the other platforms.

The only thing that bugged me about the PS1 version is that the artwork is heavily compressed to such a low resolution.

Everything else considered I prefer the PS1 version for.

I wish Kojima would release an HD version of Policenauts and just use the original cel artwork but do not compress it so much.

 

I also liked the Snatcher but it does have it's share of problems plot wise.

Surprisingly the voice acting wasn't absolutely terrible which was pretty common in those days and even today in a lot of Japanese games that get dubbed in English.

The opening song in Snatcher is very high quality especially for that time which is great.

Here is a video I record of the opening from the game Snatcher.

Watch in Original mode for the best quality.

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#29 bultje112
Member since 2005 • 1868 Posts

I think the plot in policenauts is far worse than snatcher. you basically know everything from the beginning. it has no plottwists. the writing and general storyline is perhaps better in policenauts though. although storyline can be argued.

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#30 RyviusARC
Member since 2011 • 5708 Posts

I think the plot in policenauts is far worse than snatcher. you basically know everything from the beginning. it has no plottwists. the writing and general storyline is perhaps better in policenauts though. although storyline can be argued.

bultje112

 

I thought the story in Policenauts was more fleshed out and it does not tell you everything at the beginning.

It only tells you that the main character was found alive after being lost in space for years.

The PC-98 version doesn't even include the intro that tells you and instead relies on the player to examine the news cut outs and put the pieces together.

Both games carry above average stories for a video game but that isn't saying much when most video game stories are mediocre.

If you like visual novel type games then there are better ones out there but not much that would fall into the sci-fi genre that Snatcher and Policenauts cover.

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#31 Jakandsigz
Member since 2013 • 6341 Posts

[QUOTE="GaussRiemann"]

You got it from a bargain bin? *sob* Here in Europe, the English versions of the game cost a fortune, between 100 and 200 dollars.

I've got the Sega Saturn version of the game, but my Japanese is far too limited to have any fun with adventure games. Since I'm a huge adventures, I definitely want to play it, same with Policenauts and Hudson's Virus.

Panzer_Zwei

The SS and PS versions of SNATCHER are based on the original PC-ENGINE remake and lack a lot of stuff found in the MCD version, like the completely interactive final chapter.

Other adventure games of the time I highly recommed are NoEL 3 and ANOTHER MIND.

I don't think any part of the game is interactive.
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#32 bultje112
Member since 2005 • 1868 Posts

[QUOTE="bultje112"]

I think the plot in policenauts is far worse than snatcher. you basically know everything from the beginning. it has no plottwists. the writing and general storyline is perhaps better in policenauts though. although storyline can be argued.

RyviusARC

 

I thought the story in Policenauts was more fleshed out and it does not tell you everything at the beginning.

It only tells you that the main character was found alive after being lost in space for years.

The PC-98 version doesn't even include the intro that tells you and instead relies on the player to examine the news cut outs and put the pieces together.

Both games carry above average stories for a video game but that isn't saying much when most video game stories are mediocre.

If you like visual novel type games then there are better ones out there but not much that would fall into the sci-fi genre that Snatcher and Policenauts cover.

I hate to get into spoilers here but let's just say the villains in the game are waaay to obvious from the get go

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RyviusARC

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#33 RyviusARC
Member since 2011 • 5708 Posts

[QUOTE="RyviusARC"]

[QUOTE="bultje112"]

I think the plot in policenauts is far worse than snatcher. you basically know everything from the beginning. it has no plottwists. the writing and general storyline is perhaps better in policenauts though. although storyline can be argued.

bultje112

 

I thought the story in Policenauts was more fleshed out and it does not tell you everything at the beginning.

It only tells you that the main character was found alive after being lost in space for years.

The PC-98 version doesn't even include the intro that tells you and instead relies on the player to examine the news cut outs and put the pieces together.

Both games carry above average stories for a video game but that isn't saying much when most video game stories are mediocre.

If you like visual novel type games then there are better ones out there but not much that would fall into the sci-fi genre that Snatcher and Policenauts cover.

I hate to get into spoilers here but let's just say the villains in the game are waaay to obvious from the get go

Still it doesn't give away everything at the beginning.

It doesn't explain how the main character survived all those years and other things I will not spoil here.