Policenauts

The second game in line of Kojima's and his team's attempt on point and click action game / interactive visual novel, but while Snatcher is mid at best, Policenauts is great. The game was never released outside of Japan which is why it's not widely recognized internationally, but thanks to the fan translation released in 2009 it is fully playable on English.

The basic premise of the game is that you are investigating a missing person's disappearance on a space colony and while investigating you will start to realize it is part of something bigger. If the title of the game didn't give it away already, that description should make it clear that it is quite sci-fi-esque story while simultaneously falling on the mystery/thriller category. The cast of the characters is fun and the art looks good, with the cutscenes of the game being beautiful hand-drawn animations that bring you back to the 90s anime style.

While the game is point and click styled, it is unlike most games in the genre as it is very linear and it's practically impossible to get stuck on it, but if there is something you see on the screen you can examine it - and the funniest part is being capable of sexually harassing most female characters in the game by fondling their tiddies; a truly groundbreaking feature, but one that probably didn't help with its localization.

If you are in the mood to read some Hollywood quality cop drama piece but set on space, give Policenauts a try - it's worth your time.

Phenomenal music and a fascinating setting with plenty of lore undermined by a plagiarized plot ripped straight from Lethal Weapon and Coma, an offensively unlikable abrasive protagonist who molests every woman he meets including his partner's daughter and never gets called out on it, super weak gameplay aside from one or two interesting unique segments, and a flaccid third act. If you like repeatedly mashing your way through screen upon screen upon screen about how Japanese 30 year olds think the medication of the future will work, you'll love Policenauts. And I mean that, because in order to progress, at several points you'll be required to ask or examine the same person or thing several times to progress with zero indication you're doing what you need to be doing.

It has things to like but isn't the hidden gem people make it out to be, only play if you either played Snatcher and are starving for more even if it isn't quite as good, or you just want to see how truly bad and derivative Hideo Kojima can get, as well as probably why he doesn't spend much time at home with his wife.

P.S. It's probably better if you play it with the Sega Saturn lightgun or the Playstation Mouse peripherals that are specially supported, but I wouldn't know.