Policenauts is an incredible game directed by Kojima Hideo and realized by Konami. Unfortunately all versions of this game are only available in it's original Japanese language, although it is commonly believed that the game was planned from the beginning to have an English version and that it was cancelled.
- Policenauts 3do English Patch Full
- Policenauts 3do English Patch 1.3
- Policenauts 3do English Patch Online
The game features digitized anime and stills achieving what was called in it's trailers as 'The next generation of Snatcher'. Adding to the genre it achieves a richer interface by using a cursor to select items displayed on screen (in some versions aided by a mouse) and more dynamic shooting sequences that are not limited to a 3x3 grid. The Sega Saturn version even has gun support, being the last version that was released of the game.
- Trailer for the 3DO version of the game. Translated and subtitled by the The Policenauts Translation Project.
- This is the PlayStation revision of Hideo Kojima’s legendary Sci-Fi adventure game, Policenauts. This release introduces many subtle graphical and load time improvements from the initial console release on 3DO The story of the game centers around former “Policenaut” (police astronaut) Jonathan Ingram, who is hired by his ex-wife to investigate a missing person’s case on the Beyond Cost.
- It wasn’t until 2009 that a group of determined fan translators at Policenauts.net hacked the PlayStation version and released an English language patch, to elation of thousands of fans around the world.
- Policenauts (Official game website) Policenauts.net (The English translation patch for the PSX version of the game can be downloaded from this site. It also contains a summarized timeline of the game's events, among other things.) The Policenauts Paradise and Snatcher Shrine (A site dedicated to Hideo Kojima's games 'Policenauts' and 'Snatcher.
The detail, depth of story, character definition, visuals that include Computer Graphics incredibly advanced for it's time and an impressive soundtrack have made hundreds of fans desire a translated version, and those that have played it cherish it as one of the greatest pieces of interactive digital art created. Kojima has demonstrated through multiple references in Metal Gear Solid that this is one of his favorite creations, for instance the small piece of music played during the Konami logo in Metal Gear Solid is from this game; Meryl first appeared on this title; the Marine's computer OS in Metal Gear Solid 2 tanker scene was created by Tokugawa; the video shown while Otacon speaks about anime and the posters hanging from the wall (replaced by Anubis references in the Twin Snakes version); some card board boxes in MGS 2; the EMPS in Zone of the Enders and even a poster in MGS2 to name the ones I know about.
But the most important evidence that this is a game that Kojima really appreciates, is simply that he has been involved as director in every single version and port of the game, unlike Snatcher and Metal Gear.
The patch contains a complete, 100% English, translation of all Japanese text and graphics. There is not one character of Japanese left in the game - including opening and ending credits. This version improves the previous PSX translation, as well as includes all the new content, such as an in-game glossary and some additional, unseen dialogue.
I have been working on dumping the text, hope to have you positive news in the near future. Please visit the Policenauts translation page if you want to help or simply follow the progress.
I am grateful to James from Shadow Moses for helping me acquire some of the rarest pieces in this set. If you want in-depth information about Policenauts such as character information and general data you won't find elsewhere, do yourself a favor and visit the Beyond Coast Policenauts Museum. You might also want to visit the Policenauts message board at the Kojima forums.
Policenauts 3do English Patch Full
Policenauts, Hideo Kojima’s 1996 interactive sci-fi detective story, wasnt available in English until 2009 when a group of dedicated fans at Junker HQ released a translation patch for the game’s PlayStation port. Since Konami never officially localized the game, English-speaking players had to make do with this, dealing with some cut content and other issues. No longer.
Earlier this month, the Junker team finished work on a patch for the “complete” Sega Saturn edition, making it possible to finally play Policenauts in its entirety without a working knowledge of Japanese. If you’re a fan of Kojima’s brand of storytelling, you’ll want to check it out.
Policenauts 3do English Patch 1.3
Over at Policenauts.net, the team has released very detailed instructions on what you need to do to get the game up and running on your PC (or Mac), and it requires a little bit of legwork. The patch itself is a series of files that must be applied to the game’s .iso and .cue files, which means you’ll need to do a little bit of command line tinkering to ultimately replace the Japanese with English text.
As for getting the game to work, it took me about an hour to muddle through the process and get it working on my MacBook Air with no coding knowledge whatsoever, though the process is actually short and relatively simple. If you follow the instructions, you shouldn’t run into any major issues. Just keep in mind they include extra steps to rip the necessary files from actual Policenauts discs, which you can skip if you feel comfortable finding the .iso files needed for emulation online.
And what does playing Policenauts feel like 20 years after its release? If you can stomach the point-and-click interface, it holds up pretty well. The pixel art of the Saturn release is great, particularly in the game’s light gun shooting sections, a holdover from Kojima’s Snatcher. Junker should also be commended on their stellar translation work, which captures the voice and tone of the game’s hardboiled protagonist with what I can only imagine is extreme authenticity; and it helps make up for the age of its design. Even two decades later, this is definitely a Kojima game.
It’s also interesting to play now as an early glimpse at Kojima-isms. His attentive prescience about technology and society is present here in mentions of things like virtual reality porn and artificial organs, and if you’ve ever wondered where his use of the font Helvetica and tendency to introduce characters by name and voice actor during cutscenes comes from, it’s here.
Policenauts 3do English Patch Online
Need more convincing? Right off the bat there’s relatively blatant references to Blade Runner, Lethal Weapon, and 2001. Some things never change. Now you have no excuse to not see it for yourself.