Can I play Snatcher with no knowledge of Japanese?

[soop]

^Topic.  Everyone harps on about how amazing it is.  My friend has it on the Mega CD too, reckons it's the best version 'cos you get to use a light gun at one point.

[Tatsujin]

sure you can play it. everybody can play it. getting just one bit from the story? no.

[soop]

sure you can play it. everybody can play it. getting just one bit from the story? no.

Poop.

[SignOfZeta]

Well, its mainly just a digital comic made of text and CD audio. If you can't understand that then you can't understand what's going on.

You won't have much trouble actually beating the game though, so just use a FAQ or better yet, just keep in mind that everything in this game can be pretty accurately guessed at since its a huge rip-off of Blade Runner with a little bit of Bubblegum Crisis (which in itself was a huge rip-off of Blade Runner) thrown in.

Also, the gun parts aren't all that.

[Black Tiger]

I played through Snatcher back in the day with zero Japanese knowledge. I actually learned a lot while playing the game. I did get stuck at a couple spots that required text input, but I was lucky enough to get a Japanese exchange student to help me with at least one of them.

When the Sega-CD version came out, I was surprised how accurately I'd followed the story.

Digital comic adventure games (, JRPGs, etc) can be a lot of fun for gaijins. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, you have to find out for yourself if they're enjoyable for you.

[Arkhan]

Theyre neat, but kind of disappointing as you play them if you cant read wtfs going on so much.

Youre left guessing, and its more work than fun because youre making sure you know wtfs going on, sort of, while trying to navigate it.

[Raizen1984]

Snatcher isn't really a digital comic.  It has way more in common with those point-and-click adventure games on PC from the 80's and early 90's.  The only difference is that it's entirely text-based (if you want to move forward, you literally type in: "move forward").  The PC-Engine/Sega CD version streamlined it for consoles so that you just select from a series of pre-selected options to do certain tasks.  In that way, it has a little more in common with a DC, but you're still exploring and adventuring rather than just reading a digital graphic novel.

Playing the Japanese version without any knowledge of Japanese serves no purpose, other than to admire the artwork.  If you're just going to follow a walkthrough step-by-step, you're missing half the experience of these types of games, which is exploration and discovery.  This is why I don't understand people who play these types of games when they don't understand the language.  Feeling your way around blindly until you randomly come across a solution just seems like a chore.

If you can, get the Sega CD version.  It's pricey, but you'll actually understand it and enjoy it to it's fullest. 

[Black Tiger]

Snatcher isn't really a digital comic.  It has way more in common with those point-and-click adventure games on PC from the 80's and early 90's.  The only difference is that it's entirely text-based (if you want to move forward, you literally type in: "move forward").  The PC-Engine/Sega CD version streamlined it for consoles so that you just select from a series of pre-selected options to do certain tasks.  In that way, it has a little more in common with a DC, but you're still exploring and adventuring rather than just reading a digital graphic novel.

It's the same deal with many PCE "digital comic" games.

Playing the Japanese version without any knowledge of Japanese serves no purpose, other than to admire the artwork.  If you're just going to follow a walkthrough step-by-step, you're missing half the experience of these types of games, which is exploration and discovery.  This is why I don't understand people who play these types of games when they don't understand the language.  Feeling your way around blindly until you randomly come across a solution just seems like a chore.

Every game "experience" isn't equal and a game like Snatcher is still very cool without understanding everything completely. It's funny that you specifically mentioned "exploration and discovery", because that is what you get more of when playing Japanese Digital Comic/Adventure/RPG/etc type games. It can be a chore if you're not into this type of game, but most people find this type of game a chore even when it is in their own language.

If you can, get the Sega CD version.  It's pricey, but you'll actually understand it and enjoy it to it's fullest. 

You can enjoy the Sega-CD game to it's fullest, but it's not the same game. Especially when people put such an emphasis on the "real" story/experience, which was altered quite a bit from the PCE version and the voice acting is terrible. Especially when you hear how critical so many Turbo/PCE fans are of Sega-CD Lords of Thunder. If that game isn't the same, then the console Snatchers are radically different.

Since Snatcher and Cobra II are available in english, unlike so many other PCE "misc" games, I recommend downloading an iso of the Sega-CD versions and trying them first. Many people will give up on them in english, but some will enjoy them enough to play the PCE versions afterward.

[Raizen1984]

It's the same deal with many PCE "digital comic" games.

Well, for me, a digital comic is exactly that; the equivalency of reading a manga on your TV.  No interactivity beyond occasionally hitting a button to make the text scroll, which is just another way of "turning the page" essentially.  Stuff like Yuna or Bubblegum Crisis.  Come on, you know what I meant.

I guess a more appropriate term for Snatcher would be "Graphic Adventure".

Every game "experience" isn't equal and a game like Snatcher is still very cool without understanding everything completely. It's funny that you specifically mentioned "exploration and discovery", because that is what you get more of when playing Japanese Digital Comic/Adventure/RPG/etc type games. It can be a chore if you're not into this type of game, but most people find this type of game a chore even when it is in their own language.

See, I just completely disagree with this.

For example, I own the Saturn version of Policenauts.  Despite the art, music, and story all being great, I can't play it for more than an hour, because I just get completely bored with it.  And it's not for a lack of appreciation for the genre.  I played through Junker HQ's translation of the PS1 version and enjoyed every minute of it.  It's just that, clicking through text screens I can't read, to get to cutscenes I can't understand, to get to an action/battle sequence that has no context, is extremely unfulfilling for me.   I'm not interested in having to make "educated guesses" about the plot.  There are plenty of Adventure and RPG games I love, but playing them in a different language is about as exciting as watching paint dry.

You can enjoy the Sega-CD game to it's fullest, but it's not the same game. Especially when people put such an emphasis on the "real" story/experience, which was altered quite a bit from the PCE version and the voice acting is terrible. Especially when you hear how critical so many Turbo/PCE fans are of Sega-CD Lords of Thunder. If that game isn't the same, then the console Snatchers are radically different.

Really?  I know there were some graphical alterations, mostly to make the Snatchers look less like the Terminator, but nothing that significantly alters the experience.  All I know is, I played through the Sega CD version of Snatcher and enjoyed the experience very much.  Maybe the OP's lack of familiarity with the PC-Engine version will be beneficial in this case?

[Tatsujin]

I have to kinda agree with the digital comic and stuff. A digital comic really is like a manga to read on a TV like bakuretsu hunter e.g.
Snatcher and such kind games are more like a digital-adventure, or yes a graphic adventure. I think even japanese call it like that way.

[SignOfZeta]

I think some people who don't speak Japanese just get completely flummoxed by text heavy Japanese stuff simply because... not so much that they can't understand it, but that there is text there that they can't read.

Anyone who has played some video games, read some sci fi, and watched some anime isn't going to have difficulty in figuring out what's going on in a game like Snatcher or Yuna (which, btw, are pretty f*cking similar games) unless they are just f*cking retarded. Sure you won't get as much out of it, but if you are patient you will get a lot out of it. People are way too obsessed with "I CAN'T READ THAT!!!" instead of, "Hey, what is that?" There are also a lot of people who are just outright xenophobes who can't stand the site of "foreign" text being anywhere in their presence.

When I first started "reading" manga (1986 or so) there were no translations in English. When I first started playing import RPGs it was during the early-mid-90s when you'd get maybe 1.5 English RPGs a year. It was that or nothing. I guess I'm just patient.

The main thing you have to keep in mind here is that we aren't talking about The Usual Suspects: The Video Game. We're talking about ultra derivative genre pieces that have about as many surprises in them as an episode of Dragon Ball Z that you've already seen three times. The stories I make up in my head as I'm playing the game are probably better than the shit that's actually there. How do I know? Because I've played games before! Good writers don't work for video game companies!

I've been a huge fan of the Super Robot Wars series since the early days and when I learned they were translated the OG games into English I was pretty pleased. Finally I could stop skipping all that text! But it didn't turn out that way. Once I could read the terribly terrible storyline it just became a chore. Its AWFUL. I couldn't finish either of the GBA games in their US releases (mainly because of the story, but I would have suffered if they were real SRWs and not OG games) but I've finished many of them (before and since) in straight Japanese. In fact, these games taught me a lot of Japanese.

Now, SRW is a lot more of a game than a Digital Comic, but the point is the same. The story isn't original, with the exception of a few plot points it isn't any good, and you can guess most of it. As for gameplay...you HAVE played Snatcher, haven't you? If you can or can't read "East", "West", "Open Door", etc you still have to try every one of those f*cking options to actually finish the game. You can guess in a language you don't understand, or one that you do. Its not that much of a difference, which is why the game takes roughly the same time to beat for gaijin as it does for Japanese.

[Black Tiger]

I remember a certain point in the 90's when I was playing a lot of Japanese games and watching a lot of subbed and un-subbed anime. It seemed like I understood about 3/4 of the dialogue of the average anime, because it was all a bunch of simple words and repetitive cliches. In particular I remember coming to this realization while watching an un-subbed episode of Record of Lodoss War. It almost seemed as though it was dubbed with Japanese-lite gaijins in mind.

If you can or can't read "East", "West", "Open Door", etc you still have to try every one of those f*cking options to actually finish the game. You can guess in a language you don't understand, or one that you do. Its not that much of a difference, which is why the game takes roughly the same time to beat for gaijin as it does for Japanese.

For Snatcher-style games and RPGs, it takes very little trial and error to figure out most of the commands and make notes. I made what amounted to a strategy guide for Kabukiden back in the day that was good enough for a few friends to play through the game with. I drew out all the spell/technique symbols (kanji/katakana), based on the blurry game graphics, without even really understanding katakana at that point. I figured everything out and played the game all the time and it was much more fun than any English RPGs at the time (and I played them all). I still have most of my notes and hand-drawn English manual.

The thing is, I made a similar amount of notes for games like Phantasy Star, Ultima IV, Shining In The Darkness and even documented everything I could to make reference charts and such for Zelda (and some other) style games.

[Tatsujin]

I remember a certain point in the 90's when I was playing a lot of Japanese games and watching a lot of subbed and un-subbed anime. It seemed like I understood about 3/4 of the dialogue of the average anime, because it was all a bunch of simple words and repetitive cliches. In particular I remember coming to this realization while watching an un-subbed episode of Record of Lodoss War. It almost seemed as though it was dubbed with Japanese-lite gaijins in mind.

Strange, I never had that feeling back then. And even now, while I can almost perfectly communicate with real Japanese peeps and read any mangas without big issues, I think I still failing to understand most of that crap in animes..lol.

But I guess, it just very depends of which animes you are watching.

[SignOfZeta]

What you aren't getting isn't the subtle detail in the language, but rather the billion layers of self referential genre in-breading.

Why are there so many Moai in video games? What's with the giant tear drop meaning "embarrassed". WTF is the obsession with cloning, mind control, and amnesia? There is nothing in a dictionary that will explain these things, only thousands of hours of ota crap, and for most of that you really don't even need the language.

[Tatsujin]

I agree on every point. But still there is so much more to get.
F.e. imagine watching Dragonball (the old ones, not Z), w/o understanding a word or w/ understanding every word. The latter is so much more fun, mainly due to the sheer infinite jokes almost everywhere.

Same with the mangas, when I was young I have read all DBs, Ranma, Dr. Slump etc. mangas in French Language (since at that time only those were available in a language I could halfway understand). Now rereading the same mangas 15+ years later, but in its original language, it is so much more fun. Mainly due to the reason that I get the real jokes and not some altered translation shit or guessing 97% from the pictures alone.