Do you like dystopian, noir, near-futures where technology makes anything possible?
James does.
In fact he loves cyberpunk, so he has just been itching to bring you this "Games You Might Not Have Tried"
Cyperpunk Edition
Same rules as usual apply.
You won't be finding any of the Deus Ex series or Syndicate on here,
because if you love cyberpunk you probably already tried those.
Also, you might notice a couple of recommendations on specialty lists like this one
were featured on previous Games You Might Not Have episodes
I'm putting these here anyway, because they're good underplayed cyberpunk games
And we can't just assume that everyone who clicks on this video is a seasoned pro like you who has seen seen every episode.
Here we go.
Snatcher.
You know what Kojima did before the Metal Gear Solid series?
He created a Blade Runner-esque cyberpunk adventure game, and it's kind of awesome.
If you like Kojima, but have always wanted to see a a little bit more of a straightforward narrative from him
or if you just wanted to see him full-on embrace the Sci-Fi cyberpunk elements
he's always shown in the metal gear series, here's one for you
Shadowrun for the Super Nintendo
One of those forgotten greats in the annals of the SNES RPGs,
this game falls more in the vein of some of the Black Isle
Or Origin work than the JRPGs you mostly find on that console
It's got great cyberpunk theming, the crazy Shadowrun world,
an excellent noir feel and an intriguing mystery to solve.
If you're looking for cyberpunk on your Super Nintendo, you literally cannot do better than this
Shadowrun on the Genesis
If you want more 16-bit cyberpunk there was a Shadowrun made for the genesis as well,
and though the title is the same these are completely different games
This one's more of an open-world adventure
with an overarching mystery for you to unravel while you explore to your heart's content
It's a little bit more difficult than the SNES version and the beginning can be really punishing so just be warned.
It actually gets a lot easier when the world opens up and you get to explore.
So don't get discouraged if you find yourself out of clips and desperately grinding at the very beginning. It'll get easier.
Shadowrun Returns
Yes, Shadowrun, does get three entries on this list. Because Shadowrun
And nearly 20 years after its predecessor was released on SNES,
this return to the Shadowrun world, while far from perfect, is an excellent start
While the main campaign is a fun romp,
chucked full of cameos from the other two games and easily worthy of your time for
anyone who's a fan of the IP or the genre,
what's most exciting is the toolkit.
Shadowrun Returns is built to be easily modded,
allowing anyone to create their own adventures in the Shadowrun world
Steam's already got a vibrant community on workshop,
So here's hoping we see Shadowrun returns become more than just one additional track through this world.
System Shock 2
Normally, I wouldn't put something like this on a Games You Might Not Have Tried list,
because I just assume everyone has played it,
but james keeps running into students that haven't played it,
so I'm just going to say this because it's really important:
If you haven't played System Shock 2,
finish this video, then go pick it up and play System Shock 2 today
There is a reason this game appears on so many best games of all time lists,
and it's the spiritual predecessor to Bioshock which Ken Levine also led the design for.
Seriously, just play it
TODAY.
Uplink.
If you ever wanted to play a hacker simulation that doesn't involve all of that tedious knowing command lines,
Here it is. And, actually if you can get through the atrocious UI and user experience
it's got a lot more narrative to it than I was expecting when I first jumped in.
There's conspiracy, mystery, betrayal. Heck, they even have a morality meter
and they call it your neuromancer rating. Come on, that's great
Hacker Evolution
On the reverse side do you want a little more command-line typing in your hacking experience?
Try Hacker Revolution.
I'll confess that I found the having to type in every command and every server address a bit on the tedious side,
but if that's your bag you will certainly get your fill with Hacker revolution
Gemini Rue
This one is a bit more Blade Runner than cyberpunk, but I have to put this one here just for the style of the world
It's an adventure game in the old LucasArts Point-And-Click adventure game sense.
And this means, it's probably not for most of you out there, but for most of you who still delve into games
whose mechanics mostly involve solving logic puzzles
by dragging an item from your inventory to its corresponding point on the screen:
This is a fine piece of work
Once you get into it, its story is strong
it's got a great narrative device, and it's set in a world filled with all the Sci-Fi conspiranoia you might want.
Burn: Cycle
What list of cyberpunk games would be complete without Burn: Cycle?
The FMV adventure game that came out in the heyday of FMV games on that most glorious of systems: the CDi.
It's a recipe for success.
Seriously though, if you can get past the slightly hammy FMV
It's actually not a bad piece of light cyberpunk
Actually, it's probably better acted and written than Keanu Reeves' is Johnny Mnemonic,
or whatever that's worth.
But since we're talking about it, if you love cyberpunk and you haven't read Burning Chrome,
the William Gibson anthology that Johnny Mnemonic comes from and a lot of the games here draw from,
it's high time you do
It's a great book and you might get more out of your play in a lot of these games and knowing the root to the genre.
So yeah, Book You Might Not Have Tried: Burning Chrome
And finally just for fun: Chaos Overlords
I don't know if this qualifies as cyberpunk or if it just feels a little cyberpunk-y,
but since we have no turn-based strategies on this list here's one.
if there were a gang wars version of the old Steve Jackson Game Illuminati
I feel like this would be it.
If you've ever asked yourself:
"In a dystopic future, can I form a criminal organization out of a band of misfits and rule my city?"
This game lets you find out.
Well until next time enjoy the cyberpunk-y goodness. We'll see you next week