Snatcher

How can you like a game like Snatchers, yet you despise (which is an understatement) Myst so much? You wouldn't believe how many times I get asked that question, and there is some honesty in that question.

But where Myst is simply a bore, Snatchers is more of an adventure. The story is reminiscent, like Flashback (and Déjà vu) your character is suffering from amnesia. However, not all is lost, you have been accepted as part of the elite "snatcher" movement, who's goal is to take out, you guessed it, snatchers. What, or who, are snatchers? They are robot creatures, similar to the John Carpenter's movie THEY LIVE.

You may not remember much, but you aren't alone, you are equipped for business with your own Metal Gear (yes, this game IS by Konami, and even created by Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima). The only problem, Metal Gear is really just a walking talking cell phone/fax machine. Not really good for much.

The game is swift, and rarely boring. There is so much to do, and so many people you need to talk to, that if you get stuck it's not because of bad programming (like in the case of Myst), it's you not talking to enough people. The game actually feels more like Shenmue or Flashback than it does Myst.

And there's more ... it's not just an adventure, it's also a shooting game, even used Konami's own Justifier. There may not be a lot of the shooting in the game, but it really is a lot of fun.

In fact, the whole game is extremely well done. It's entertaining and original, yet it uses many of the confines of the genre. There is some pretty good voice acting, but the writing is superb. And the graphics (while dated, see below) are extremely well produced. And how can you resist the in jokes cluttered throughout the game (including extremely interesting phone numbers to call).

It's a shame the game is only for the Sega CD in the United States, it's even more of a crime that the sequel (Policenaut) never was released here, either. Heck, it was only one three major systems!! Anyway, I digress. Snatchers is among the top 1% of game making, and anybody who likes the story of Metal Gear Solid or Blade Runner will love it! Go and buy it NOW!

(R and D Staff Note: Snatcher was first made in 1988 for the PC-8801, an NEC 8 bit personal computer. It received resounding praise for its story, sound and graphics, and is still tremendously popular among adventure game players. We wanted this game to be enjoyed overseas as well, so we game it a "power up" just for all of you. We hope you love it as much as we do!