All On Syphon Filter

Ok, no big deal I know. But I've finally gone through MG! The boss fights were actually quite easy, but some parts of the game were trickier. And that checkpoint system not helping... Thanks to that great guide on GameFAQs which help me through. Anyway, it was fun. Now I'm up for MG2!

Well done! Despite the discouraging beginning you had you finished it!

Good luck with the second one, the bosses are much more difficult in it.

Yeah, I played about 10 minutes and it's already more difficult. I just got inside the hangar (it's funny how Kojima like to re-use ideas from previous game, isn't it!).
But seriously though, I'm quite impressed with the level of quality of this game. It's a big step above the first MG and it starts to really look like the MGS games to come. The presentation: the game starts with a kind of intro demo before you access the main menu (like the MGS games do, and almost every game nowadays).The dialogs, as you said, are much more credible and actually could compare to any MGS game. The first MG really is a joke compared to this one! I think I'll enjoy it, although I still have to get used to the gameplay.

Yes you are correct about Kojima re-using ideas. There are alot similarities with Metal Gear 2 and MGS.

First being you enter the base by vent and the first room is a tank hangar.

I would tell you the others, but I hate to spoil the game.

Good luck with the swap puzzle .

Swap puzzle? Hmm not sure I'm eager to find out what it is...

Congratz, I just couldn't get myself to play these old games so I watched cutscenes on YouTube. MG2 has great storytelling which compared to the stories of most shooters these days.

That is my assessment as well.

I think the best storytelling for a game in the early 90s would be Snatcher.

It was directed and written by Hideo Kojima and first released on the MSX in the late 80's, then remade for 16 bit on the Turbo CD and Sega Cd in the early 90s. Then again for 32 bit on the Playstation.

Snatcher has one the most complex and most interesting story for a game. You play as a guy with amensia in the future and the story cleverly gives a lot of clues to his past and then pieces it all together before it ends. The game is very well drawn and animated for its time. Its presented in first person and works like an interactive novel. You can interactive in the room you are in multiple ways. The game is filled with very clever riddles and has first person shooting sequences that are really hard!

I've played the Sega CD and Playstation version. I recommend the Sega Cd version because its the only one in English. But the Playstation version is interesting to play as its has so many things that were cut or changed in the English version. One being a female character's age changed from 14 to 18 in the English version. Because you theres a scene were the main character sees her in the shower (in Japan men can buy magazines with 14 year old models). Also in the Japanese version she asks for your ID and you can choose from Show JunkerID or GenderID. Selecet GenderID she screams and you soon learn what just happend.

But the real reason this game is fun is who your sidekick is.........



And its actually speaks hours of dialogue in the game.

The game also features Dr. Madnar from the first two Metal Gears and in Metal Gear 2 if you call on the frequency 140.93 when you fight Big Boss its revealed he's a Snatcher!

Overall one of the best games ever made

The sidekick reminds me of the small robot you see in MGS4... I think it's Otacon's.

Anyway is Snatchers also an espionage game like the MG games or a normal shooter?

You are correct its the same thing, except for in MGS4 it has got its own personality or voice like in Snatcher.

Snatcher isn't like Metal Gear at all, its an interactive comic book, with some RPG characteristics.

Hmm I see. What other games did Kojima created? As an average gamer, I don't know any titles outside MGS and now Snatcher. But the mind behind MGS must have created other great games.

Yeah I a huge Kojima fan, shame my Japanese is only half good.

First he made Penguin Adventures, a clearly done paltformer with a Penguin who must retrieve a diamond to save the penguin kindom. I think the fact you can use gun is funny. Very entertaining game.

Then came Metal Gear, you all familar with it.

Later there was Snatcher, you familar with that one as well.

Then he made Policenauts, which was a spirtual successor to Snatcher, not a sequel in terms of story, but used the same gameplay. Its beautifully drawn in an anime style and the cutscenes were done by an anime company. Wonderful story and beauty to play. Sadly only released in Japan.

He made a game call ZOE (never played) where you control a robot and fight other robots.

Then there is Boktai on the GBA, which is similar to Metal Gear, and get you a gun called the solar game. Believe or not but them cartiage is can detect the level of uvrays where your playing. The greater they are where your playing the greater power your solar gun has.

Finally there was the Tomiken Memorial Series on the PS1. This game sounds very sick, I will never play it. Its a game where you play as a 30 year bussiness man who dates 15 year olds. Only released in Japan thank god.

What the heck!? Dating 15 year old girls with someone who's 30? That doesn't sound like Kojima at all...

I heard of Policenauts and Zoe through the references of MGS2.

And yeah, that Tomiken game sounds pretty sick.

I think it's the endings of MGS1 that refer to Policenauts

Maybe, I don't know about that.

But I know that there is at least one Policenaut poster in MGS2.

The endings of MGS1 are. Hall and Dave refers to that other game and David and Meryl refers to Policenauts

Hal and David is a reference to 2001: Space Oddesey (may spelt it wrong), hence when they say lets fly to Juipter. David and Meyrl is a reference to Policenauts, that is correct. Meyrl and David are both BCP detectives in the game.

Also they show footage of Policenauts in MGS1, when Otacongives a letture on the robot, they show the scene from Policenauts when the EMPSs are launched.

In MGS4 the drink Narc in the game, is a reference to the binary drug featured in Policenauts. Plus the Solar Gun grom Boktai is also in MGS4.



Trust me, games like this are popular in Japan and not illegal. In Japan you can buy magazines full of teenage girls modelling. I believe in Japan there are laws against underage dating like that, but not producing that material.



Yeap there are posters of Kojima's previous work featured throughout all the MGSs.

So Policenauts must have had pretty decent graphics. How comes it never made it out of Japan (or at least not in North America)?

Actually in the late 90s there was plans to release Policenauts in English on the Sega Saturn, but however they had difficulties trying to match the English voices to the lip syncing. Also Snatcher was a complete flop outside Japan and the Sega Saturn's sales were declining so the release was cancelled. Also I could see a lot of changes to the game would have to be made, because there is a lot drug use, the main character is always smoking. There is a lot swearing (the game taught me how to swear in Japanese). Plus you can actually vialate women in very sexual places and they show no rejection to it except saying "Stop it", but don't scream or attack you.

But don't worry some very nice people with lots of free time have been working on a English patch for the Playstation version is currently nearing completion.