Let's Cyber-Play... SNATCHER. (Finale)

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Last update was all like "holy crap" and "whoa". Time for things to cool down a bit... not ! Hmmm. I've got no idea what the hell I'm trying to say here...
Anyway, Back in Junker HQ:



Excellent Job, Seed. One Snatcher less to worry about.

Thank you, sir.

I was just looking at the reports. Let's see what has happened in this investigation, so far. Metal, will you ?

Yes, sir.

So, who is this... Hajile ? Friend or foe ?

What about that banking account the bounty money got into ?

The funds were re-transfered from there, we couldn't learn anything from it. As for his name, it's not in the database. He's either an illegal immigrant, or it's an alias.

Well, what matters now, is the hospital that Gibson had tracked down. If we can hit that, we may be able to shut down this... Snatch operation of theirs.

We may be able to learn something from that memory module we recovered from Gibson's navigator, Little John.

That's right. Navigators record everything Junkers do, just in case.

Just in case, huh ? Well this seems to be one of these cases...

Seed, I'm counting on you to find this hospital.












CHAPTER 9 : ILLICIT OPERATIONS









And we're now officially in act 2. Harry finally got off his ass and checked that memory. But before going to Harry let's take a look around the room... What's that picture on the wall, anyway ?




Wow, he's really upset about the picture. I wonder what that's all about ?
Who knows... We better head over to Harry.



It was about time you got here, Gillian. I'm afraid Little John's memory was almost completely destroyed, beyond recovery.

What ? You weren't able to get anything from it ?

Just relax. I was able to get a single video image out of it. I don't have the slightest what this is.



Hospital OLEEN ? This is almost certainly the Snatcher controlled hospital that Gibson discovered !

You may want to run this with Jordan, but if that hospital isn't legit you won't find it. The city is packed with unregistered hospitals.


Hospital OLEEN , huh ? Now we're getting somewhere. I mean how many hospitals can there be in Neo Kobe ? 5 ? 10 ? I'm sure no more than 15, right ?
Let's talk a bit more with Harry. Why don't we take a look at that picture of him as a child ?



So, this is all you've got to remember your parents ?

Yes, it really bugs me that I can't see their faces. I don't have any actual memories of them. I tried searching for them but didn't find anything. They must have died in the Catastrophe.

Are you sure it's you ?

Yeah, we've analyzed the bone strufture of the kid in the picture, and it's definitely me.


Ok, enough with Harry's background. Let's head over to the Computer Room.
Maybe we should check out this bounty hunter...




Hmmm, there's no data on him on the network. If that's his real name, he must be an illegal immigrant...
Why don't we also do a search for our favorite actress/dancer ?




"Ridley Scotty" sure has an eye for talent
Ok, how about searching for that hospital.




Nothing, nada, rien, niet. Metal informs us that Jordan doesn't have an actual search function for hospitals. Great. Maybe Mika can help.



I've always wondered about this, but how did someone like you end up as a Junker ?

That's a tough question. I'm sure we all have the same reasons, more or less.

Sometimes I get really worried, you know. After all, it is a dangerous job. Maybe I won't be able to see you here tomorrow.

Don't talk like that, Gillian ! Everything will be fine.


Let's ask her about the hospital :




So, nothing here either...
Maybe we should give a call to Jaime, she works for Kobe Pharmaceuticals, after all.

HOLY CRAP !



A SNATCH- ....



....man, that was mean.

Bet I surprised you, huh ? Don't worry, that's just a tape recording. I'm at work right now. If you want, leave a message after the beep. Sorry to scare you, buy !

Damn ! She really had me for a moment there ! Since when did she start pulling practical jokes like this ?

No doubt that message is a strategy of hers to deal with your troublesome calling.

Just what is that supposed to mean ?!

No need to be embarrassed, Gillian. I'm fully aware that Jaime has "Snatched" your heart. I've got her work number if you want to call her.


Our insightful piece of junk finally provided some help. Let's call Jamie at her work.



Neo Kobe pharmaceutical labs, may I help you ? Oh Gillian, what's up ?

Jaime, that message on your answering machine... Wasn't that going a bit too far ?

Were you worried ?

Of course I was !

Good.

If the Snatchers ever actually got their hands on you, I'd... I don't even want to think about it as a joke.

You're right Gillian... I'm sorry.

So, how's your memory doing ? Any sign it might be coming back ?

Somehow, I feel like I've always been doing this job. I seem to remember wearing white...


Hmmm, Jaime in white...
I wonder if she can give us any help with finding that hospital.



Well, having facilities to treat ultraviolet ray exposure is nothing rare. But we keep records here on the hospitals on the island. I'll take a look at those.

Have you ever heard of a hospital called "OLEEN" ?

Hmmm. I think I might have heard a name like that. But don't get your hopes up. If it's a black market place, we probably won't have anything at all on it. If I figure anything out, I'll give you a call.

Now I've got a reason to talk to you again sometime.

Silly, you don't have to have a reason to talk to me. You know, I wanted to thank you for asking me to the amusement park the other day. I'm sorry I couldn't go, but I was really happy that you asked.




Good, maybe Jaime will find out something, but we really don't have any leads right now. It seems that finding that hospital will be difficult than we thought.
Maybe it's time we talked to that informant, Napoleon. We call him and we set up another appointment in Alton Plaza.




Christmas time is here... There's even a Santa Claus here ! He's selling tissues... ?!



What's wrong ? Shall we check him out ?

Maybe we should.



Wait a minute, you're no santa ! How did you fit in that outfit ?

I can't afford to show my face around, somebody's after me. You know I'm thinking of quitting this job, before I end up dead like Gibson


Hey, it's Napoleon, master of disguise !



Why don't you just go ahead and tell us who you really are, Napoleon ?

Heh, one of these days I might just tell you why I'm called Napoleon.

I need some information about underground hospitals.

There are scores of those underground places all over the city. You'll never be able to find 'em all.


Let's ask him about that hospital.



I might know something, but before that why don't we take care of business...

You want more money ? Here take it.

Heheh, thanks. It may not be the one you're after, but I know of an "OLEEN hospital". It's over in the RF district.

Thanks, I'll check it out.


AAAA-CHOOO !



You got a cold there, Napoleon ?

Some kind of Allergy, I guess. I always get this way in the winter.

An allergen that only operates in winter ? That could be SNOW-9, you know !

Hmmm, could be. I hear that somebody started cultivating it again about three years ago.

Three years ago ? That's about the time the Snatchers appeared !

SNATCHERS ?! All right, I've had it. Don't call me anymore, ok ?

Now wait a minute, Napoleon. I'll keep any Snatchers off your back.

They're after both of us. You better worry about watching your own back !

Oh, come on, Nap-

See ya ! Merry Christmas !


Well, Napoleon has good reason to be scared. Well he left us a box of his tissues as a present. Maybe we'll need them when snow-9 is around.
Ok, we got what we wanted. Next stop : Oleen Hospital.




Hmmm, the sign looks a bit different than the one in the photo from Little John's memory... Let's sniff around :




Brace yourselves, faithful viewers, we're going in !





huh ?



Hmm ? Everybody is holding an animal of some sort.

They must be very rich individuals.


Let's ask these ladies...



I'm not worried. We keep a dog at our house. Snatchers hate dogs, right ?

There is no solid proof, but animals with good senses of smell are said to be able to pick them out.

What kind of hospital is this ?

What, didn't you know ? This is an animal hospital. Sorry, but I don't think they can help your little robot friend.

Madam, my condition is superb !

The doctors here are very good. They don't do direct genetic manipulation, but their treatments are good and they service manufactured pets here.


Let's check out some of these pets and get a glimpse of the future :



The cat is my favorite :



Using animals like this is cruel. There are some things in the future that I can't get used to.

We should check the reception area.

Hmm. Looks like they take insurance here.

Then it cannot be an illicit hospital. Since this establishment is legitimate and Snatchers can't tolerate dogs, I think it's safe to assume that this isn't the one we're looking for.

The sign out front is different, too. I guess we barked at the wrong tree...Now we're back at square one.


Bummer. Let's bark our way back to the turbocycle.

Gillian ! It's the emergency line from HQ ! I'll connect you.


What on earth... Mika ?



Gillian, I got a call from Katrina ! She says she has something she wants to give you.

Something to give me ?

She sounded really scared. Kept saying that Alice was barking.

Damn, we should hurry ! Katrina could be in trouble !






-Is Katrina in the hands of the Snatchers ?
-Has she already been Snatched ?
-Will Gillian get any fanservice ?
-Does rigor mortis apply to intestines ?
-How the hell do you make Neo Kobe Pizza ?

These agonizing questions may, or may not, be answered in the next chapter...

What's this about "One less snatcher to worry about"? Gibson's scored two! Well, one was a kill-steal, but clearly he had the upper hand.

Also, there seems to have been some potential foreshadowing here...

What I like about the story and the way it evolves is that it pays a lot of attention to details. A lot of seemingly unimportant information is actually significant to the plot.

This looks like a Blade Runner-Terminator mishmash. Seems like Kojima was always a master of copying.
One things calls my attention though: is there any actual gameplay in the game?
Do you get to chose what happens, what you do, get any actions beside speaking? Because it really looks like the game is almost purely dialogue driven, and not in a good way. It would seem the game is awfully linear. Then again, I might be getting the wrong impression.

Yes the game is very linear, but yes you also get the wrong impression. It's not overly railroaded as you have multiple areas to check out simultaneously but the actual path is one (as in most adventure games). In order to proceed you have to perform certain actions and not only talk. You have the option to "look" investigate" and "use" items among other things. I'm not showing each move in this LP, since it flows better if I stick to the dialog that comes after each action.

The game does feel like an interactive movie , but it's a damn good one. The actual puzzles are few but clever and nicely implemented. You wont get here the usual illogical, or out of context adventure game puzzles.There is a good one in the next update. There are also some things that can be done outside the main plot and some random situations that add some flavor to the game. It's also quite long it can take up to 15 hours in a first play through. I think it's the best of Kojimas games because he sticks to what he does better, interactive storytelling, and the story isn't blown out of proportions as his latter games.

Ah, that actually addresses the things I've been wondering as well. However, I'm still wondering, if any of the characters that Gillian knows are at risk of being Snatched, is there a way to prevent it or intervene? Or is it something that has to happen anyway?

That is if we presume that someone gets snatched.

No, you can't decide about who will be snatched, or anything similar. The only affect you can see are some extra comments/dialog according to certain previous actions you made.

One thing that surprises me is how little the locals actually care about the whole Snatcher business. It's like "Eh, so there are murderous robots that kill you and steal your identity on the loose. Party time behind masks and with a rented black taxi!!"

As Jamie said in the "negligee" chapter, most people don't even believe in the existence of Snatchers. They think it's some kind of urban legend, or an isolated incident. The fact that all Snatcher bodies up to now have either been destroyed or stolen, helps that belief.

Ah yes, and I guess the government does what any good Cyberpunk government does best, so unless the shit really hits the fan, everyone will continue thinking they're a myth.

Or maybe the government was snatched first! :shock:

CHAPTER 10 : KATRINA, WHERE ART THOU ?

You can now cry with joy. Another chapter of the prestigious Snatcher saga is out !


Last time we tried to cool down a bit after those agonizing moments of extreme slaughter in Freddy Nielsen's house. But Junkers don't have the luxury to take a breather. We had a call from HQ saying that Katrina might be in trouble. We'd never let anything happen to that sweet girl, so we jumped on our turbocycle and went straight to her house. The atmosphere is eerie and Katrina is nowhere to be found...



There's no answer. Metal, check the door.

It isn't locked ! Katrina is always careful, it's not like her to leave the door unlocked !

Damn ! let's go inside !









CHAPTER 10 : KATRINA, WHERE ART THOU ?












Hmm it appears that there is something in the shelf, we hadn't noticed before. A miniature house :




Remember the Jean's note that said "Search the house" ? This might be what he was referring to... But our priority now is to find Katrina. We should head to the study.



They've destroyed the PC. Fortunately we already know the contents of the disc.

They have also torn apart the sofa. They were certainly looking for something.

We must find Katrina quickly ! Let's check the garden.



It definitely belongs to Alice. It has been torn apart.

Alice is a Doberman. That's not exactly the kind of dog that goes down easy... but if it was a Snatcher... Dammit, where's Katrina ?!


There's no sign of Alice or Katrina. Nothing here but the shadows. Let's go back into the house...



SNOW-9 ?

Let me analyze the air... Yes, it's a very slight amount, but there are some traces of SNOW-9 here.

So Snatchers have definitely been here.

Gillian ! I read motion ! Outside the window !!


THE FUCK ?




Yikes ! You know, in the original version of the game, the dog's intestines where twitching...



(NOTE: No animals where harmed while making this LP)

It's Alice !

The dog is dead. Body temperature suggests it was killed 10 minutes ago. No doubt the work of Snatchers !

SCUM ! No reason to kill the poor animal ! Where is the bastard ?

My sensors don't pick anything. It appears he's gone.

These Snatchers were frantically searching for something and by the looks of it they don't seem to have found it...

Perhaps that means Katrina is safe.

That may be true ! If they had her there would be no need for them to turn the place upside down.

Perhaps Katrina took whatever they were looking for and fled.

We have to find her before they do !


Maybe she went to Junker HQ ?



She shouldn't know any of the numbers of anyone in the Agency. What about yours ?

Gillian, didn't you give her your phone and address ?

That's right, I gave her mine ! She may be calling my house !


Time to go back to Gillian's apartment, then.



Huh ? The lights are on ! Metal check the status of the door of my apartment.

All right. Now accessing the building security system... Gillian, it's unlocked.

What ?! I know I locked it before I left !


Tension is rising ! (or not). Let's go in !




We should investigate...



These shoe impressions are very sharp and deep. Most of the weight of the person was focused on one point.

Something sharp ? A SNATCHER ?

Could be. The footprints lead to the bathroom.


To the bathroom we go !



I read movement from within the stall !

All right Metal, get ready. I'll open the stall !

Gillian, use extreme caution !





I'm sure nobody expected what comes next :





WHOA !




AAAAAAAHHH !




:wooosh:




:gasp:



Well, I hope you learned your lesson.

Shut up, Metal !

I can't believe you did that, Gillian !

I, uh , I thought a Snatcher was in the apartment... I'm just glad you're ok Katrina.

I'm sorry... did I surprise you ?

You bet you surprised me ! How did you get in ?

Hey, I'm the daughter of a Junker. I've learned a few tricks from my father...

I see... and you avoided the sensors as well... Hmmm. You may have a promising career ahead of you.

Yeah. Either that, or your security sucks !




:gulp: (Thank god Katrina is 18 years old and not , let's say, 14...)




I just took a shower, so I'm a little hot. I'd like to stay like this for now

Good thing Gillian has these thin, almost transparent, towels in his bath.

O-Kay... Now about that phone call. Can you tell me what that was all about ?

That's right ! When I was straightening up the living room, I found this inside that model of our house.



Well then, the Snatcher hospital, the one that Gibson found, must be on this list !

This list has over 3000 places listed ! We could never hit them all. We need some other information to narrow it down.


3000 medical facilities ? Are you fucking kidding me ? I've heard of over-prescription, but over-hospitalization ? The future is a scary place.


Well, we have that photo don't we ? The one with the "OLEEN" sign. The thing is that aside from that veterinary hospital , there isn't another with that name. So, the picture probably doesn't show the full name of the hospital. It's up to us to guess the name...



This is quite a clever puzzle. The game doesn't have many puzzles, but the ones it has are pretty good and fit right into the plot.
Let's see, is it JOLEEN ?




AGGGHH... I can't think ! All I see is pointy nipples ! Maybe... it's KAROLEEN ?




Eventually Metal will give us a hint. Remember that "grEAT MEals" sign ? Maybe something similar happened here...




So, what if the neon sign has some part of it burned out ? Let's try "QUEENS"



So, it was QUEENS after all. That's what the chess piece from Gibson was trying to tell us !

It's in the CX district. The director is Chinese. Name: Chin Su Oh.

Chinese huh ? Didn't that emploee in Plato's Cavern say that A Chinese guy bought a bunch of those sunscreens ?

We have them now !

Gillian, please be careful.

Don't worry Katrina. You're safe now. They won't be coming after you. And to be on the safe side, we'll place you under protective custody.

I'm sorry about what happened in the shower... Maybe if your timing was a little better...

No problem. I think I needed a cold shower anyway.

I... I don't want to lose anybody else.

Don't worry Katrina, we'll be fine. Metal, let's go !


Time to pay a visit to QUEENS hospital...

awesome!

cool
bla bla bla
bump for the next page
.
.
.
I like how the story is unfolding.

I'm enjoying this.

Great stuff.

Will not be complete without this:


(not mine)

By the way, were there actually a download link that I managed to miss?

Hah, fun times. Please, do continue.

I smell uncomfortable explanations of why exactly Gillian has a young, pretty girl walking around his flat in a transparent towel to his wife (who will of course have decided to accept his offer at last!)

Heh, I believe these figures were supported by a spin-off game called SD-Snatcher. It was a game developed for some jap console. It seems that it has essentially the same story , but the game also has rpg elements. It looks like those snes era jrpgs. SD stands for the super-deformed heads the characters have (don't ask me, it's one of those strange jap things). http://www.mobygames.com/game/super-deform-snatcher

As for a download link, you mean for the game ? You'll need Snatcher's iso image for the segacd, the segacd bios and the Gens emulator. The iso image and the bios can be found in sites like romnation.net

Kega Fusion >> Gens.
Even Gens Plus is better than Gens (doesn't switch to 16 bit palette with every run).
Also: moar.
Also: Policenauts LP after this one plz.

You've got an extraordinary taste for choosing games for LP. Great LP, even better than Cthulu one and it's hard to top that one!

MOAR!

I've found out there are two ISO images out there, one at ~110 mb that comes with mp3s, and another one that comes at ~370 mb. Any discernable difference you know of?

Wow, do you think that might compliment the original adventure game?

edit: I've just found a torrent that comes with 5 versions of the game, coming at various sizes from 350 to 470 mb. One Saturn version, one Sega CD, one PSX/1, one PilotPCE(?) and one, uh, I don't know what, it only says Konami 1992 NTSC-J.

Only Sega-CD version was released in english (in USA).
Snatcher was released in Japan for:
MSX, PlayStation, SEGA CD, SEGA Saturn, TurboGrafx CD.

Some ISOs will gamebreakingly freeze up at your first car scene but others won't, iirc the romhustler version was the one that worked for me.

http://romhustler.net/roms/segacd/s



Original snatcher kill screen


Original shower scene


And a very cool video showcasing the different graphic styles between all the console versions
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8yVl5UxT5k