Hardcore Gaming 101 - Policenauts

By Kurt Kalata

Index:

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Version Comparisons

The original PC98 version differs substantially from the console versions. Although all versions come on CD, the console versions use full motion video for certain important cutscenes, while the PC version just uses animated stills, similar to Snatcher. The visuals in the PC version are all high resolution 640x400 static bitmaps with 16 colors, looking remarkably crisp and surprisingly colorful, despite the dithering. The console versions consist of scanned cels, with much higher color count and detail, but at a lower 320x240 resolution, which ruins some of the detail. For example, the scientist, Victor, has an AI named Gorby to help him analyze samples. In the PC98 version, he looks like a polygonal Mikhael Gorbachev, as he should, but it's made completely generic in the console versions. Some other small animations also had to be removed too. The bomb defusing sequence is much harder in the PC98 version, because the maze you have to guide the block through is viewed at a slight angle, making it difficult to see the edges. The viewpoint was changed in the console versions.

Policenauts (PSOne)

The character designs are slightly different, with the console version using the redesigns that animation studio AIC created for the cutscenes. Most of the scenes look approximately the same, but a few were completely redrawn, especially the biomort storage facility. The PC98 version looks heavily inspired by the 1982 thriller Coma, with suspended bodies in mid-air, but perhaps it was too graphic for the consoles. The PC version also features little portraits at the bottom of the screen during voiced dialogue, without subtitles, just like Snatcher. These were removed for the console versions, although it adds in text. (The PC98 version does let you turn this on once you've beaten it.)

The PC98 version also has a longer script, with more dialogue, and some events that play out slightly differently. For example, Jonathan signs a document upon giving the capsules to the BCP, which in turn is used to forge incriminating documents. And during the bomb search sequence, Ed's daughter arrives on the scene with an "authentic" purse, before her dad confesses that it's fake. In the console versions, she's nowhere to be found, and Ed just confides to Jonathan about his grievous error. There's nothing really major that was deleted, though, so it's not like console gamers are missing huge chunks of the story. The console versions also introduce summary screens, which act to bring the player up to speed upon reloading a saved game, an element carried forward to Metal Gear Solid. (Policenauts also started the Kojima tradition of showing a character's name, along with their voice actor, when they first appear onscreen.)

Policenauts (PSOne)

The opening is a bit different too. The console version starts with a flashback that shows Jonathan's accident, before moving onto the opening credits. The PC version doesn't have this and it moves straight to the credits, allowing the player to determine the backstory through the news clippings in Jonathan's office. The opening theme is also completely different - the PC version uses the (outstanding) track titled "Old LA 2040", while the other versions use a variation on the main theme "End of the Dark". "Old LA 2040" can only be heard in the console versions on Hojo's CD rack, which acts as an in-game sound test.

There are slight differences between the console versions. The first was the 3DO version, oddly enough, which used some crappy compression for the video cutscenes. (There's also a promotional retail release called Policenauts Pilot Disc, which has a short demo along with tons of artwork and storyboards, documentation from the designers, and a full database containing a glossary of all important terms. (This is fully translated online at Policenauts.net.) The second release was the PSOne version, which has the best looking videos, but these only run at a rather choppy 15 FPS. A supplementary release called the Policenauts Private Collection was later released, which includes nearly all of the goodies from the Pilot Disc, plus the script and storyboard. Since the Pilot Disc was meant to be a demo it dances around spoilers but the Private Collection has no problem revealing the entire game. The Saturn version is the final release, and comes in a 3 CD package with a hardcover art booklet. The video looks slightly worse than the PSOne version, but it's also a bit smoother. It also contains a few extra scenes and slightly modified story elements, making it the most comprehensive of the console releases, as well as light gun support for the shooting segments. It also has most of the goodies from the Private Collection, including the ability to look up any term in the glossary via hyperlinks in the in-game text.