recommended Policenauts to fans of adventure games and anime. The game was also reviewed in contemporary Western publications despite its lack of localization. Computer and Video Games previewed the 3DO version and considered it a sequel to Snatcher. They felt the game had an interesting plot, "bizarre and inventive" characters, and appreciated the "level of senseless violence and gratuitous rudity of graphics." GameFan reviewed the PlayStation and Saturn ports; they felt it pushed the genre of interactive movies better than previous games in the genre and praised the game's intricate technical details, although they cautioned that its specificity may put off some players. They also praised its suspenseful storytelling, and felt it was worth players' time even though it emphasized text over action. They concluded that Policenauts was "a masterful achievement, a near-future scenario so intricately detailed, well thought out and full of originality it puts Hollywood's best attempts at sci-fi to shame." Konami was busy releasing many sports games at the time, so GameFan feared it would not be localized. Retrospective Policenauts has continued to receive praise for its writing and presentation in retrospective reviews. Critics highlighted Kojima's cinematic influences from science fiction films, buddy cop films, and other Eastern and Western films: in particular, the character designs drew comparisons to Lethal Weapon (1987). Mark Ryan Sallee of IGN called the game a manifestation of Kojima's film obsessions, and accomplished in its "unique direction and striking moods" thanks to the strength of its animation and vocal performances. Comparing the game's production values to anime of the mid-1990s, Bob Mackey of 1Up.com liked how the game transitioned seamlessly between cutscene and gameplay, and preferred this style of presentation to games with high-quality cinematics that do not complement the gameplay. N. Ho Sang and Peter Tieryas of Kotaku wrote that "Its flashes of Lethal Weapon-esque intrigue give way to the deep metaphysical meanderings that makes for the usual Kojima mind meld on top of fantastic production values and mesmerizing art." Kojima's fascination with space and future technology was noted in several reviews, and the elaborate detail placed into describing hypothetical technologies and commonplace items was frequently singled out for praise. Critics also felt the game's scientific terminology and dark themes were well-translated by fans into English. Regarding the game's story, Sallee wrote that the "somber dialogue" progressed it in a unique way. Kurt Kalata of Hardcore Gaming 101 criticized the story