Snatcher (1994)

[andrew8798]

So I had been watching a friend stream this game on Youtube. I always knew it was a cult classic would love to play it but not paying no $500 for a game.

Did anyone ever play it back in the day when the Sega CD version came out? And what's everyone opinion of it?

[andrew8798]

Also the music is so great

[Powerline]

Actually used to own a copy of it. Traded it for a PS4, straight up. At the time (and for a few years after), thought I came out ahead. As I've gotten more into retro gaming, looking back...should've traded for something bigger.

The problem Snatcher has in the current landscape is the story IS the attraction. If you're watching it on YouTube, you're getting 99% of the experience right there. And I don't mean that as in "Well, just like FF7 or the God of War remake, the story is the best part of the game". No, the story IS the game. Once you've seen it from start to finish (and it isn't that large of a game), other than a few winks and nods here and there, you've essentially played it.  All you're missing, assuming you watch someone play it cold or go through the bonus prompts (God help you if you watch a speedrun...the idea of speedrunning Snatcher blows my mind) is the admittedly janky and flawed shooting segments. That's why I was able to part from my copy so easily; I had seen a playthrough on YouTube, found a copy for $150 that was only missing the instructions, was a working college kid that had a giant tax return (by my standards at that time), so that was my "splurge" while the rest of the return went towards school and bills. But as I played it I was bored as hell. I knew the main story from start to finish, I knew a few of the Easter Eggs, the shooting sections barely qualify as any real gameplay, so I just grew tired of it.  It's really an interactive novel with a few (keyword: few) light (keyword: light) gameplay snippets.  Also, while the voice acting for many characters is top-notch (hell, it's legendary by mid 90s gaming standards), there are a few performances that are off.  Kinda like the voice acting in WWE games, you can tell who showed up at recording ready to nail it (Gillian) and who showed up to go home (Jamie).

Now, if you have NOT experienced the story and you have a chance to play it (regardless of "how"), give it a go. The story is fantastic. I know Kojima has a rep for coming up with total mindf***ery in the current day and age, but this in my opinion is the greatest story he's ever told, and I'll look my copies of MGS 1-3 right in the eye as I say that.  On the other hand, you could (and many people do) consider this the beginning of Kojima "getting away with" prioritizing the story over the game itself. Gillian is an amazing protagonist, Metal is awesome, and the game gets you to care immensely for its characters and hate those who stand in your way and leaves you guessing at every turn and in awe of every twist. The cyberpunk landscape and presentation for that era in gaming is insane to the point that if it wasn't for the tinny music (the soundtrack is fantastic, but you can clearly tell what songs use the "CD" part of the Sega CD and which songs use the "Sega" part of the Sega CD) you'd think you were playing a PS1 game, and not an early "getting the feel for the system" PS1 game but a great PS1 game (it did hit PS1 in Japan, to be fair).  I knew I had a few moments of looking down and seeing a 3-button Genesis controller in my hand and thinking "holy crap".  Kojima knew what he wanted to make with this and he freaking nailed it, uncompromised.  Some people are weary of Death Stranding, but with it being his first original story since Snatcher, I am cautiously hopeful.  If the story is even remotely close to Snatcher's without the gameplay being an issue, it's gonna be good, even if we're all just scratching our heads at it right now.

Also, "One Night in Neo Kobe" for a long time was my favorite song in all of gaming. To this day, it's still a top 3. When that song kicks up in the intro, HOT DAMN. Drink it in, man.

Now, is it worth $500? No freaking way, no game is. I was hesitant to bite at $150 back in the day (and that was knowing I was getting a rare game to boot). And it's a damn shame it never got any form of re-release and considering the schism between Kojima and Konami, it may never. I remember hearing rumblings through the years that it could hit the Virtual Console, or hit the PSN...I even remember hearing rumors of a 3DS version which would have been a match made in Heaven. But now it feels like the only way to EVER play it in English legally is to, by some act of God, find a Sega CD copy. Good luck with that.  In that sense, just watching a YouTube playthrough and being done with it there is a pretty good idea.

As for me losing out on a rare game...yeah, if I could do it over, I'd have kept it. But it's not the last rare game I got for a fraction of its real cost [looks at "Duck Tales 2", "Outrun 2006 Coast 2 Coast" on X-Box, and "Saturn Bomberman"].  It's a bitter pill for sure, but...eh.

Also worth mentioning, while refreshing my memory about this game, I stumbled upon "2064: Read Only Memories" and am now convinced I'll have to get that.

[andrew8798]

How it doesn't have a PSN release is nuts

[Ultimo Gallos]

Had it on my Sega CD from its release until 2009. Sold it and used the money to go on a small vacation. Fun game.