Policenauts(ポリスノーツPorisunōtsu^?) is an interactive movie/graphic novel/adventure game with a hard science fiction storyline, written and directed by Hideo Kojima, and published by Konami. It was initially released for the PC-9821 computer platform in 1994, followed by remade versions for the 3DO in 1995, and the PlayStation and Sega Saturn in 1996. The game has never been officially released outside Japan, despite plans for an Englishlocalization of the Saturn version. On August 24, 2009 (in honor of the 46th birthday of the game designer, Hideo Kojima), an unofficial English translation patch was released onto the internet.

If you’re new to the world of PC-98 emulation, here are some tips. First up, a small explanation of the PC-9800 series of personal computers. What you’re emulating is a really old Japanese computer, basically. It comes with floppy disk drives and hard drives, which are the main methods you use to actually load up games and other software. Policenauts, like Snatcher, had numerous re-releases on PCs and consoles throughout its span of relevance. First released for the NEC PC-98 computer in 1994, Policenauts would see a Sega Saturn release in Japan in September of 1996. Featuring full cinematic anime cut scenes replacing the pixel art of the PC-98 release, as well as new scenes.

Policenauts, like Snatcher before it, pays various homages to previously existing works. An obvious one is Jonathan's and Ed's (the main characters) respective resemblances to Riggs and Murtaugh from Lethal Weapon. The game also pays homage to the ancient Japanese tale of Urashima Taro.^[1] The game centers on a detective who travels to a space colony to investigate the circumstances surrounding his ex-wife's murder and her new husband's sudden disappearance.

Policenauts Pc 98 English

• 3Development

The patch contains a complete, 100% English, translation of all Japanese text and graphics. There is not one character of Japanese left in the game - including opening and ending credits. Aside from the translation, the patch also fixes graphical glitches and crashing that was in the original game. Re: Policenauts PC-98 Differences The scene takes place during the part in Act 2 where it is night time and you are looking for a TGear-99. If instead of going to BCH/Tokugawa you go to Ed's home, you trigger the scene.

Gameplay

The game is set in a primarily first person perspective and uses a point-and-click interface: the player can move the cursor and have the protagonist (Jonathan Ingram) analyze objects around his environment or talk to other characters in the game. Like in Snatcher, the game features shooting segments where the player must defend their character from incoming enemies. The player can use the shooting trainer at the police department to test their reflex and accuracy. There are numerous puzzles in the game, including an event where the player must dismantle a bomb by following their partner's instructions.^{[citation needed]}

The console versions of the game all include support for their respective mouse peripherals. The Saturn version features light gun support for the shooting segments.^{[citation needed]}

Story

The game centers on Jonathan Ingram, one of the five 'Policenauts', astronauts with police training, assigned to ensure the safety of Beyond Coast, mankind's first fully functional space colony in the year 2013. Johnathan tests a new space walking suit, but drifts away into space by accident and is presumed dead by his colleagues. He is found alive and well 25 years later thanks to the cold-sleep module connected to the suit. Three years later, Jonathan (now a private investigator working in the former Los Angeles) is visited by his former wife, Lorraine, who asks for Jonathan's help in solving the disappearance of her current husband, Kenzo Hojo, the only clues he left behind being a torn leaf, a set of capsules, and the word 'Plato'. Jonathan is reluctant to take her case at first, but after Lorraine leaves his office, she is attacked and murdered by a man in a black motorcycle suit. Jonathan, unable to catch the culprit, decides to fulfill his ex-wife's final request and travels to Beyond, where he is reunited with his former partner from his LAPD days, Ed Brown, who agrees to help Jonathan investigate the circumstances surrounding Hojo's disappearance and Lorraine's murder.

During the course of the investigation, Jonathan and Ed learn that Becker and Tokugawa have been involved in running an illegal drug and organ trafficking ring in order to counteract the negative side-effects of being in space for long periods of time. Hojo had been included in the business in order to save his daughter, Karen, and ultimately wanted to leave, only to be murdered. During a stand-off with Becker, Jonathan records Becker's confession about the scheme and has Meryl broadcast the recording live, exposing the scandal to the colonists. Ed saves Jonathan from death, while Meryl and the remaining police arrest Tokugawa. Jonathan donates his bone marrow to Karen upon learning that he is her biological father, and returns to Earth.

Development

Policenauts was first released for the NEC PC-9821 on July 29, 1994. The PC-98 came in one CD-ROM that included an installation floppy disk. All the cut-scenes were rendered using hand-drawn pixel art as opposed to full-motion video anime. Prior to releasing the standard version of the game, Konami issued the Policenauts: Pilot Disk for the 3DO on April 21, 1995. This disc contains a playable demo, an encyclopedia of the game's backstory, featurettes, and information about the game's voice actors and developers. Policenauts: Private Collection was released for the PlayStation on February 9, 1996, featuring much of the same content as the Pilot Disk, adding an earlier version of the game's script as well. The encyclopedia, featurettes and shooting trainer are included as hidden features in the Saturn version.^{[citation needed]}

The first console version was released for the 3DO on September 29, 1995, consisting of two CD-ROMs. Animated cut-scenes were added to this version along with CG animation, and all the graphics were redrawn. Limited edition copies came bundled with the 3DO mouse and a mousepad. The PlayStation version (January 19, 1996), also on two discs, made further additions by digitally fixing most of the graphics and movies from the 3DO version. The last console version, released for the Sega Saturn (September 13, 1996), on three discs, added support for Sega's Virtua Gun light gun peripheral. Although the home console versions of the game mostly used pre-existing dialog tracks from the original PC-98 version, all of the original voice actors were brought back to record new lines of dialog for the new cutscenes.^{[citation needed]}

The PlayStation version has been re-issued twice. The first time was under the 'Konami the Best' label on September 18, 1997. A second reissue under the 'PSone Books' series was released on August 7, 2003. The game was added to the PlayStation Store's Japanese Game Archives on May 15, 2008, making the game downloadable for the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 3.^[2]

English localization

The Saturn version of Policenauts was officially announced for a North American release by Konami on May 1996.^[3] A mock-up cover art was produced and featured on a promotional Sega pamphlet packaged with certain games. However, the North American version was never released. According to Kojima, work began on the North American version, but the developers were unable to synchronize the English dialogue with the animated FMV cut-scenes.^[4]

A fan translation of the PlayStation version has been produced, which has gained attention from the video game media. Although the translation of the game content was nearly completed by Marc Laidlaw and Artemio Urbina during the summer of 2007,^[5][6] the translation project could not find a programmer to complete the insertion of translated material into a version of the game and progress stalled.

Reception

GameFan's three reviewers scored it 100, 94 and 92 out of 100. One of the reviewers said 'that Policenauts has one of the best game storylines ever.' Another reviewer said that he 'truly thought adventure gaming could get no better than Snatcher' but Konami 'has outdone themselves in everything from the beyond-beautiful music to the professional quality cinemas.'^[7]

RPGFan rated it 97% for story, 95% for sound/music, 94% for graphics, 80% for gameplay, and 80% for control, with an overall score of 98%. They called it 'a masterpiece' and concluded that, from 'the incredible graphics and soundtrack, to the compelling story, Policenauts is a true classic.'^[8]

The game was notable for being an early example of extensive voice recording in video games.^[9] It also featured a theme revolving around space exploration and occasional full-motion video cut scenes. The gameplay was largely similar to Snatcher, but with the addition of a point-and-click interface and some first-person shooter segments. Policenauts also introduced summary screens, which act to refresh the player's memory of the plot upon reloading a save, an element Kojima would later use in Metal Gear Solid. The PlayStation version of Policenauts could also read the memory card and give some easter egg dialogues if a save file of Konami's dating simTokimeki Memorial is present, a technique Kojima would also later use in Metal Gear Solid.^[1]

References

1. ↑ ^1.01.1Kurt Kalata, Policenauts, Hardcore Gaming 101
2. ↑'PlayStationStore - POLICENAUTS - (株)コナミデジタルエンタテインメント' (in Japanese).CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)<templatestyles src='Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css'></templatestyles>
3. ↑'Konami: Policenauts for Saturn'. Archived from the original on November 9, 1996.<templatestyles src='Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css'></templatestyles>
4. ↑Policenauts: Official Guide. pp. 118–122. ISBN4-87188-835-5.<templatestyles src='Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css'></templatestyles>
5. ↑Policenauts Fan Translation Project Nears Completion news from 1UP.com
6. ↑Fan-translation of Kojima's Policenauts nears completion - Joystiq
7. ↑Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named gamefan
8. ↑Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named rpgfan
9. ↑Mark Ryan Sallee. 'Kojima's Legacy: We reflect on the influence of Hideo Kojima's 20 years in gaming'. IGN. Retrieved 2009-08-20.<templatestyles src='Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css'></templatestyles>

Bibliography

Policenauts Pc 98 English

• Various (September 1996). ポリスノーツ 公式ガイド. 公式ガイドシリーズ (in Japanese). コナミ. ISBN4-87188-835-5.CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)<templatestyles src='Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css'></templatestyles>
• コナミCP事業部 編 (September 1996). セガサターン ポリスノーツ―公式完全ガイドブック. コナミ完璧攻略シリーズ (in Japanese). コナミ. ISBN4-575-28640-0.CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)<templatestyles src='Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css'></templatestyles>
• 講談社 編 (March 6, 1996). ポリスノーツオフィシャルビジュアルデータブック. 覇王ゲームスペシャル 45 (in Japanese). 講談社. ISBN4-06-329246-0.CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)<templatestyles src='Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css'></templatestyles>

External links

• Policenauts Official website(Japanese)
• Policenauts PSone Books Re-release Official website(Japanese)