Wow, Snatcher is amazingly accurate

[Graham Mitchell]

I've been playing the English-translated MSX version of Snatcher lately. I owned and adored the Sega CD version when it was released, and the two versions really are remarkably similar. Having to view it in 16 colors really isn't that bad. It's still one of the creepiest games I've ever played.

Anyway, I've noticed something. In typical Hideo Kojima fashion, the game goes into great detail in regards to items you find or actual scientific facts relating to events in the game. When it does this, it's really quite accurate. They didn't make this stuff up; somebody knew what they were talking about.

I'm not that far in it, but here's some examples I've found so far.
When Metal Gear analyzes the tissue and hair samples found underneath Gibson's nails, all the obervations in report look like a real pathology report. Those are all things you would really find in a tissue sample. The same goes for the analysis of Gibson's stomach contents. The proteins and enzymes that the computer spits out are all real things you would find in meat (although I'm wondering where the actin and myosin were. They weren't present.) The description of Gibson's stomach ulcers (uclerations invading the submucosa and muscular stomach wall) is pretty accurate as well.

Later you find Gibson's ulcer medication, which is accurately described: Cimetidine, an H2-antagonist. I've got my national board exam in a week. Now I'll remember cimetidine, thanks Snatcher!

Another interesting fact is that the outbreak of the "Lucifer-Alpha" virus is somewhat based on fact. Alpha viruses are indeed real (thought I've never heard of the Lucifer variant), and they're spread by mosquitoes. In the game, there's a leak from the fume hoods of this virus from a laboratory in Russia, causing worldwide dissemination of alpha virus and killing half the world's population. Though it didn't quite happen in this scale, something like this really did happen in Russia in the 70's, I think. A microbiology lab that housed anthrax took the filters off their fume hoods to clean them. There was a shift change during the cleaning, and the second shift didn't know that the filters were removed, and turned on the hoods. Anthrax spread all over the Russian countryside, killing a few hundred people. It was a government-run facility, and the government tried to deny their responsibility, but epidemiologists looked at the geographic spread of infections and the wind directions, and localized the source of the outbreak to the government lab. Scarry, huh?

Anyway, I thought all this stuff was really interesting and impressive for a little-known game made in 1988, and I thought some of you might find it cool, too. If you liked Snatcher already, this is just another reason to love it.

[DragonMaster Sam]

Pretty interesting facts. I've only played the Sega CD version. Did you play a ROM of Snatcher for the MSX, or do you have the real thing?

[Graham Mitchell]

Pretty interesting facts. I've only played the Sega CD version. Did you play a ROM of Snatcher for the MSX, or do you have the real thing?

ROM. Where the hell am I gonna get an MSX in Illinois? LOL

I wanted to play the Sega CD version, but I don't have a Sega CD anymore, and I'm not paying $30 to download the ROM, so this was the best I could do.

[DragonMaster Sam]

Where can I find the game for download, and the right emulator for it?

[Graham Mitchell]

PM sent.

[suppafly]

Snatcher is a masterpiece. And it feels almost too real when playing it...I LOVE IT :D

I like your comments too, its nice to know that Mr. Kojima did a lot of research to make the game closer to reality!

[Kuros]

Where can I find the game for download, and the right emulator for it?

What he said. I've heard tons about this game but I can't find a ROM for it.

[suppafly]

Get the Sega Cd version ISO if you cant buy/find the original

[SoulBlazer]

That's what I did. I just wanted to PLAY the game so someone on here burned me a ISO of the game for my Sega CD. Once I was done, I threw it out. That way, I just treated it like a 'rental'.....and I was so hooked on the game I really DID tear through it in three days. ;)

[Graham Mitchell]

That's what I did. I just wanted to PLAY the game so someone on here burned me a ISO of the game for my Sega CD. Once I was done, I threw it out. That way, I just treated it like a 'rental'.....and I was so hooked on the game I really DID tear through it in three days. ;)

That's kind of what I did too, but years later I realized what an artistic achievement it was and regretted getting rid of it. Now I have to go with 16-color low-res graphics.

As for where to get the emulator, any site that has MSX2 emulators will get you what you need. As for the disk images....google, people. Search "msx snatcher". You should find something in the second page. It just LOOKS like a rom site from the google description. I don't think I'm supposed to be giving out rom-sites, here, but I've told you enough to get you what you need.

[Jive3D]

There have been myriad "I <3 Snatcher" threads here at DP. There are many of us who REALLY dig that game. I finally got the Sega CD version 2 years ago when I went through my Sega CDX revival phase and the game is incredible.

I've yet to play the MSX version, but I did just aquire the rom files necessary to play SD Snatcher. Apparently, someone did an excellent job of translating this game to English, so I'm very excited to play it. I do find the MSX emu a little bit hard to use though (maybe I'm missing something) But I want wait to get this game to work on my PC.

If anyone's interested, I found it at Underdogs. Looks like they've updated with some new stuff in the past months.

From what I have heard, SD Snatcher kind of makes fun of the original but sticks to the same storyline.

I've also heard from buddys of mine that if you emulate the Sega CD version of Snatcher, that the action sequences are VERY hard (the scenes where you have to shoot the spider robots, etc) especially the final shooting scene. That was tough enough WITH the regular controller on the actual console!

ps - I <3 Snatcher!

[Kroogah]

Yes, that's one of the things about Snatcher that impressed me the most. God I love Snatcher. Only reason I keep a Sega CD around.

And on the subject of the final shooting sequences, I HATED that first time through the game. But the worst was yet to come.

I fell for the final shooting sequence. Yyyyou know. I don't want to spoil anything. But I fell for it, died, and discovered I WAS OUT OF CONTINUES. AUGH.

I'll never get over my love of Snatcher. I don't even like Kojima's other games (well, I haven't played Policenauts, it's on my "Why I Should Learn Japanese" list)

[Graham Mitchell]

Those of you who hate the final shooting sequences (I fell for the last one, too! :D ) might be pleased to know that the MSX version has no act 3. Is that a good or bad thing?

The shooting for the MSX version is interesting. You're supposed to push shift to draw the gun, and the lines come up on the screen, dividing it into 9 areas. Then you're supposed to use the number pad to fire, and each key on the number pad corresponds to a space on the screen. That's nice and convenient unless you're emulating on a laptop with no number pad like I am. Then it sucks. I have to use the upper row of keys, so I just run my finger back and forth across the upper row as fast as I can and hope that I shoot everything. Usually if I try enough times I'll eventually get through it, but it takes forever to get used to.

By the way; in the Japanese version, Plato's Cavern is called "Joy Division". Is Kojima a JD/New Order fan?

[Tron 2.0]

Snatcher is in class of it's self.

I still find it a shame i don't see more, games like this in the U.S

Or for that matter a follow up to it.

Unless you count Policenauts as one ;)

[Tron 2.0]

Those of you who hate the final shooting sequences (I fell for the last one, too! :D ) might be pleased to know that the MSX version has no act 3. Is that a good or bad thing?

Depends how you look at it i still feel haveing, a act 3 made the game more complete.

Fun fact act 3 wasn't added untile... the PCE version came out :guitar:

[Kroogah]

Those of you who hate the final shooting sequences (I fell for the last one, too! :D ) might be pleased to know that the MSX version has no act 3. Is that a good or bad thing?

Good thing, I think. The ending of Act 2 is much more effective than a standard "THE WORLD IS THE SAVED" ending.

[Graham Mitchell]

As I'm getting farther in the MSX version, I'm noticing some differences. The main one is that there's no mention of Snow-9 yet in Gibson's PC file, probably because there's no Act 3 which is where that really comes into play. What I don't understand, then, is why the doorman outside Outer Heaven keeps sneezing.

In addition, there's much less to do in this version. No Neo Kobe Pizza. In the Sega CD version if you repeatedly pick the same command or continue harassing people, something interesting occasionally happens. Not so in the MSX version. Hmm...

I kind of liked Act 3 myself, but it totally seems like an afterthought when you play it.

[Kid Fenris]

By the way; in the Japanese version, Plato's Cavern is called "Joy Division". Is Kojima a JD/New Order fan?

Yep. That's supposedly why he called the director's cut of Metal Gear Solid 2 "Substance."

[Graham Mitchell]

By the way; in the Japanese version, Plato's Cavern is called "Joy Division". Is Kojima a JD/New Order fan?

Yep. That's supposedly why he called the director's cut of Metal Gear Solid 2 "Substance."

I knew it! It all makes sense, now. Why is Joy Division the black market, though? Spending too much time looking at the cover of Unknown Pleasures? LOL

[Sothy]

I never played it.

I just decided today reading this that im buying a copy "and a sega cd" soon.


Im ashamed to say I ran into a copy once but wound up trading it to another board member....and still didnt play it....

[scorch56]

When I rented Snatcher year's back and played it (all the way through) it WAS quite difficult to play with just the Genesis controller. Later.. after I bought the game for myself.. I also got a Konami Justifier. If I'm not mistaken.. you CAN play the game with the Konami light gun (NOT the Menacer or the American Laser Games gun though), it's mentioned in the manual. Should make it A LOT easier.. I've just never replayed it yet.

[Graham Mitchell]

When I rented Snatcher year's back and played it (all the way through) it WAS quite difficult to play with just the Genesis controller. Later.. after I bought the game for myself.. I also got a Konami Justifier. If I'm not mistaken.. you CAN play the game with the Konami light gun (NOT the Menacer or the American Laser Games gun though), it's mentioned in the manual. Should make it A LOT easier.. I've just never replayed it yet.

I had a Justifier and I used it, but it was actually a bitch because the stupid thing was inaccurate in Snatcher. The problem is that a bullet only goes in 1 of 9 divisions of the screen. So if you aim at an area that's in a border zone between 2 or more areas, chances are that the bullet isn't going to go in the location you wanted. I wised up and just used the controller. I got a lot farther.

It does make for an interesting game your first time through, though. You never know when you're gonna have to draw your gun and start firing.