Verdantree
1994
Policenauts exists within a strange limbo state. For years only a select few outside of Japan had played it, allowing it to take on a reverence that far outweighs the game's actual quality.
Policenauts is good, don't get me wrong. It's at its best when the game is fulfilling its promises of a gritty Sci-Fi Space Detective Noire Thriller. There are some genuinely great moments of tension and mystery and they're made all the more fun when playing with the Sega Virtua Gun/Stunner. The story on offer here is engaging and the exhaustive amount of world-building through text is a Kojima fan's wet dream.
But.
This is Kojima at his grossest. Every woman in this game - except for one or two - can be ogled, commented on, hit on, or groped. It's frequent, uncomfortable, and at one stage required to progress the plot. I can't tell if the intent was for comedic effect, some sort of roundabout reference to eroge, or just plain perviness. Either way, it does actively hamper my enjoyment and immersion in the story and makes the overall experience noticeably worse.
If you've exhausted all other avenues for Kojima's brand of storytelling Policenauts is worth your time, but be prepared for a level of uncomfortableness. Otherwise play the much cooler, better, and less creepy (SEGA CD) SNATCHER.
Policenauts is good, don't get me wrong. It's at its best when the game is fulfilling its promises of a gritty Sci-Fi Space Detective Noire Thriller. There are some genuinely great moments of tension and mystery and they're made all the more fun when playing with the Sega Virtua Gun/Stunner. The story on offer here is engaging and the exhaustive amount of world-building through text is a Kojima fan's wet dream.
But.
This is Kojima at his grossest. Every woman in this game - except for one or two - can be ogled, commented on, hit on, or groped. It's frequent, uncomfortable, and at one stage required to progress the plot. I can't tell if the intent was for comedic effect, some sort of roundabout reference to eroge, or just plain perviness. Either way, it does actively hamper my enjoyment and immersion in the story and makes the overall experience noticeably worse.
If you've exhausted all other avenues for Kojima's brand of storytelling Policenauts is worth your time, but be prepared for a level of uncomfortableness. Otherwise play the much cooler, better, and less creepy (SEGA CD) SNATCHER.
This game cost me a buck and I got 72 minutes out of it. It's cute, fun and plays well, a good time was had.
Ground Zeroes is a prelude to Phantom Pain that should have been included with that game. It's not worth paying full price for, buy it on sale. If you're only interested in seeing the cutscenes that bridge the gap between Peace Walker and Phantom Pain, watch it on YouTube. There is maybe 15 minutes of actually important info here. I have 16 hours in this game.
Ground Zeroes is an almost example of a perfect vertical slice stealth game if you're willing to stick around after its first mission. Its single map means that the dev team was able to cram tonnes of interesting content that gives you a plethora of ways to approach the location. It's almost like a roguelike in the way that you're encouraged to do lots of run attempts, trying to improve each time. There are some fun rewards in the form of Easter Eggs that are brilliant fun, it does a good job of making Ground Zeroes feel frequently worth your time.
Ground Zeroes is an almost example of a perfect vertical slice stealth game if you're willing to stick around after its first mission. Its single map means that the dev team was able to cram tonnes of interesting content that gives you a plethora of ways to approach the location. It's almost like a roguelike in the way that you're encouraged to do lots of run attempts, trying to improve each time. There are some fun rewards in the form of Easter Eggs that are brilliant fun, it does a good job of making Ground Zeroes feel frequently worth your time.