SNATCHER

Indie Genesis/Mega-Drive Action RPG “Secret of the Four Winds” opens pre-orders; features all-new arranged music hardware

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Every once in a while, there comes an indie game for retired game consoles that does something really special to stand out from all games on that system, new and old. This is one of those times. Kai Magazine Software, who have developed a bunch of games for the Genesis/Mega-Drive before, have debuted their newest, most ambitious game to date: “The Secret of the Four Winds.”

The Secret of the Four Winds is an action RPG inspired by the likes of cyberpunk classics like Snatcher (1994) and Shadowrun (1994) on the Sega CD and Genesis respectively. The game centers around a trio of protagonists brought together after a mysterious army of shadowy ghosts is summoned that are only vulnerable to a special pistol found by main protagonist Gillian Seed Al. Once you meet your two cohorts, you’ll be able to command each of them in battle and outfit them for any role in battle, such as a tank or healer, for example. You’ll also make choices throughout the game that will affect the outcome of the story and your relationship with your two allies and other characters.

What makes this game really special, and unlike any Genesis game ever seen before, is its use of an all new audio chip developed by Kai Magazine Software, allowing the game to run fully arranged music, as if it were a Sega CD game. While it also gives you the option of regular FM sound, the arranged music is an incredible technical achievement. This has never been seen on Genesis outside of certain flash carts such as the Mega Everdrive Pro, which allowed you to add arranged music to existing Genesis classics through special game patches with its MSU-MD and MD+ technology. The downside is that this game will not function on certain Genesis systems, such as the Genesis 3 or most Genesis clone consoles. Any Model 1 or 2 Genesis should work, according to Kai Magazine Software. They also recommend disconnecting your 32X or Sega CD if music isn’t playing.

For more info, as well as a special video showcasing the game in action, have a look past the break below.

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SEGA Talk #70: Snatcher (1994)

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This time on SEGA Talk, George and Barry dive deep into the cult classic Konami visual novel Snatcher, directed and written by video game legend Hideo Kojima. This episode is dedicated to all those cyberpunks who fight against injustice and corruption every day of their lives.

Support us on Patreon! Get early access, tell us what games to cover, and have your SEGA memories read at the end and more!

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If you want to give us feedback, suggest a topic for the next podcast or want to ask a question for us to answer on the next episode you can add  them as a comment below or send theme directly to our email. Make sure you use subject line ‘SEGA Talk’ and as always, thanks for listening!

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English Sega Saturn Policenauts fan translation released

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English Sega Saturn Policenauts fan translation header

An English Sega Saturn Policenauts fan translation has been released today, which is certainly not the October surprise you were expecting to be excited about.

Policenauts is a graphic adventure game that follows in the footsteps of Konami’s Sega CD cult classic Snatcher. Several years ago, an English translation patch was released for the PlayStation version of the game. Which was nice, but what most of us wanted was for the Sega Saturn release of the game to get the same treatment.

The Japanese Sega Saturn port of Policenauts contains all of the same content as the other editions of the game, but with a number of improvements. Most notably, the anime cutscenes run at 24 frames-per-second, while it’s PlayStation counterpart chugs along at just 15. In addition, it features more dialogue and scenes, less censorship, bonus videos after the game is completed, and an alternative credits sequence. It also features light gun support if you still have a handy Virtua Gun and old CRT TV to play it on.

The translation team has already made the game region free with the patch, so all you need to do is patch your game and load it up. You’ll be good to go and finally be able to experience this lost Hideo Kojima classic.

Head on over to Policenauts.net to download the patch and instructions.

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My Life with SEGA becomes a Junker in Hideo Kojima’s Snatcher for SEGA CD

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That’s right, SEGA fans! Andrew Rosa is finally reviewing one of the most sought after SEGA CD titles ever produced, Hideo Kojima’s Snatcher! The cyber-punk graphic adventure’s yet to see an English translation since its appearance on SEGA CD, and very few copies were produced, so there’s no denying that Snatcher‘s value to gamers and collectors alike is exceptionally high. Join Andrew as he examines Hideo Kojima’s sophomore effort.

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Next week on “My Life with SEGA”: the premiere of the short film “Nothing Else Matters”, the follow-up to “Theater of the Eye”. After the break check out a teaser trailer!

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Hideo Kojima’s SNATCHER being remade on Dreamcast

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SNATCHER
Have you ever wanted to play SNATCHER, Hideo Kojima’s awesome SEGA CD game, on the SEGA Dreamcast? You might be able to do that soon enough, since Collectorvision is planning on remaking the game for the Dreamcast with ‘enhanced visuals’ and a remixed soundtrack.

Outside of this, not much else is known. You can check their facebook post, where they posted the above image (comparing the graphics of the SEGA CD version to the Dreamcast remake). Don’t expect it to be out soon.

Let’s get excited!

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