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RGN April Retro Round-Up Part Two: Hardware

12 May 2025 RGN Admin

RGN Feature Article:April Round Up – Part Two: Hardware April in 2025 was a big month in retro gaming, lots of news of the hardware and especially the FPGA front.…

Video Game Spotlight: Snatcher (Sega CD)

Snatcher is a graphic adventure with light shooting sequences, first made in 1988 for the PC-8801 and MSX2 in Japan. It has since become a cult classic and has been ported over to many systems in English, most notably for the Sega CD which is a holy grail for retro game collectors due to how rare it is. The game didn't actually sell very well in the USA when it was released in late 1994 right at the end of the Sega CD's life. It wasn't appreciated by western audiences due to it's mature, adult content, cyberpunk setting, Japanese anime style and graphic adventure interface. Adventure games were basically a niche genre and never really gained appreciation until people talked about them on the internet many years later. So for a variety of reasons Snatcher for the Sega CD never really sold very well, with only 1 very small, limited print run barely any copies were sold. After people talked about the game on the internet it suddenly became popular and hence the demand and the price skyrocketed.

The game itself is an absolute masterpiece by Konami. The story is set in a fictional future in a sci-fi, cyberpunk setting with an apocalyptic backstory. It's the mid 21st century in a Neo Kobe an area between Japan and the mainland that has been completely filled in and populated with a futuristic city. It's very imaginative and the sound, dialogue and art really draw you into the fantasy world in the video game. The quality of the execution of the story is so high that when you first play it, you feel like you are sitting down and about to watch a movie. This is not that far from reality as the game basically plays likes an interactive movie where you control the main character. However the way the story plays out varies to a degree based on the player's decisions making it less linear than the average graphic adventure. At the very end of the game the player is given a rank that is based on how much you affected the story line towards a positive outcome. This serves in giving the game some replay value.

In the game's story a massive world wide calamity has occurred involving a man-made virus that wiped out 80% of the world's population (foreshadow of COVID?) known as Lucifer-Alpha. After civilization recovered a mysterious new menace to humanity appeared known as snatcher's which are advanced android's that blend into society, assassinating influential members of society and taking over their role. In this way they plan to take over the highest positions of power and effectively take over the world. The player is Gillian Seed a newly recruited JUNKER, an agent for an organization that is dedicated to dealing with the snatcher plague. You start the game in your first day at the job and immediately have to deal with the snatchers. The game's story is a wild ride where your character uncovers his identity and the truth behind the snatcher's and the world events that lead to it. This is one of the very best graphic adventure's I've ever played. If you can try play this game with the "Justifier" light gun that came with Lethal Enforcer's for the Sega CD.
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Retro Game News YouTube Video: Snatcher Complete Ending (Sega CD Version) (No Commentary)

Hardware Spotlight: Logitech Driving Force GT

The Logitech Driving Force GT steering wheel was released for the PlayStation 3 in late 2007 and was designed specifically with Gran Turismo 5 in mind. Manufactured by Logitech, a long-established name in PC and gaming peripherals, the Driving Force GT was positioned as a premium wheel without the premium price tag. While modern racing wheels for PS4, PS5, and PC are widely available today, PS3-compatible options are far more limited. Newer Logitech wheels such as the G29 offer additional features, but at a much higher cost and without guaranteed PS3 support. By comparison, the Driving Force GT delivers an excellent balance of affordability and functionality, offering 900 degrees of steering rotation, force feedback, a built-in sequential shifter, and dual foot pedals.

In practical use, the Driving Force GT works exceptionally well with Gran Turismo 5, as expected, but it also performs strongly across other racing and driving titles on the PS3. One standout example is Daytona USA, still available via the PlayStation Network, where the wheel transforms the experience into something very close to the original arcade game. The combination of force feedback, the manual shifter, and the PS3’s HD visuals and surround sound support (when available) creates a surprisingly immersive setup, especially when compared to playing with a standard controller. While it doesn’t replace a full arcade cabinet, it comes close enough to make racing games far more engaging and enjoyable.

Another major advantage of the Driving Force GT is its USB 2.0 connection, which allows it to be used on PC as well. This makes it compatible with a wide range of modern PC racing games and, with some configuration, suitable for use with emulation software to enjoy driving titles from older systems such as the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, and Sega Dreamcast. Button mapping may be required depending on the software, and force feedback support can vary when emulating older platforms, but once configured the wheel remains reliable and versatile. For racing and retro enthusiasts alike, the Logitech Driving Force GT continues to be a solid, practical option that still holds up well years after its original release.
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