Policenauts - Sega Saturn / PS1/ 3DO / PC-98

 Homage to Blade Runner = Good Idea / Homage to Lethal Weapon = Bad Idea

If there's one thing the Japanese love above all other things in the universe its a special police unit: not a normal police unit remember, but a special division seperate to the conventional force; one perhaps involved in the piloting of an experimental flotilla of combat Wanzers or the covert investigation of an insipid attempt by alien deamons to controll neo-tokyo by winning a highschool fashion show. Within said unit there will be a fat character, a naive female hotshot, a butch (or attractive ice-cow), a straight character (who is actually insane) and a charcter with shades: garnished with a smattering of mysterious pasts and witheringly inane childhood memories.

From the same team that brought you the cult Mega-CD classic Snatcher (concerning a special Junker division of the Neo-Kobe policeforce used to combat the snatcher menace) comes Policenauts: concerning a special division of the terrestrial police force sent to inforce traffic regulations onboard "Beyond Coast" mankinds first fully functioning(?) space colony. Despite the usual anime bunkum this game exudes quality with a sensational space jazz soundtrack and some classy direction from everyones favorite bioroid: Hideo Kojima.

Hideo Kojima's Blog in English

U.K Fansite

Policenauts Shrine and Walkthrough

Download Fully Patched PS1 ISO from Underground Gamer

Download OST (fantastic space cyber sax soundtrack madness)

Recently a full English PS1 translation patch was released by Policenauts.net to coincide with Hideo Kojimas 46th birthday (24th of August). This ranks as perhaps the most anticipated English game translation since Secret of Mana 2 and having taken some three years to accomplish the script is of a high quality and the patch bug free. There has never been a better time to forsake your conventional police unit!

Snatcher - Mega CD

A glorious paean to the film Blade Runner and the cyberpunk animes of the 80's; Snatcher still manages to articulate what is a very familiar story in a manner both fresh and extremely enjoyable. Play switches from standard point and click adventure to Virtual Cop style shoot outs, helping maintain a sense of real danger and urgency throughout (unsurprisingly rare in point and click adventures). The graphics and characters are in the anime style of the late 1980's, reminiscent of cyberpunk shows such as Bubblegum Crisis and Cybercity OEDO 808. Developed by Hideo Kojima who would later continue his cyberpunk trend with the incredibly successful Metal Gear Solid. The game is also noticeable for one of the best computer game soundtracks ever scored; swirling bistro sax solos followed by ominous downtempo electronica: the track Old L.A. 2040 is simply a masterpiece. The level of detail is superb, the pace and humour are spot-on (the best lines go to your robot sidekick: Metal Gear), the voice acting is excellent (how many times do you hear that sentence!) and the whole game just feels like a labour of love.

Download fromROMNation
The Kremlin: Snatcher Fansite
Hideo Kojima's Blog

First released for the NEC PC-8801 there are numerous versions of this game. There was even a ludicrous SD (super deformed) version of Snatcher released for the MSX2 which I personally havent played but fear the worst. For a western audience the Mega-CD edition is by far the best with enhanced features and expertly translated script. This is one of the quintessential cyberpunk experiances and one of the greatest point'n'click('n'blast) adventures of all time!