Feel free to comment and discuss this game here. Also, if you have any useful tips or tricks don't hesitate to share them with the others! Thanks!

Review and Download (if available)

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Sebatianos @ Jul 25 2007, 02:06 AM) [snapback]301233[/snapback]</div>I too played and was overwhelmed by this game (loosly based on this book that started the whole cyberpunk genre) the 64 as a child... I played it years later on the Amiga and mildly enjoyed it, but found later types of this game (Shadowrun on the Snes and Genesis) to be much more satisfying.

This a true classic and I enjoyed it immensely as I had already read the book. I just loved to play Case himself. Note that the game is quite hard, especially towards the end. I can't recall how many times I got wasted in the matrix, but it was a lot ! Your biggest problem is money, but there is a cheat (can't recall) that allows you to make a million bucks or so the first day.

Highly recommended for Gibson fans !

The book was great, though I never really got much into the game.

Bit of trivia: The theme playing on the title screen is "Nothing ever changes" by Devo.

Also: the money can be easily hacked using any hex editor of your choice.

PS: Reminds me we've got several approved requests for System Shock in the forum...

This (along with Wasteland) is probably my all time favorite game! I too got it on the C64 to start, and went to buy it with a friend. When we got home, we went to 7-11 for provisions, and ended up playing for 16 hours straight! It was the kind of game that made you want to try just one site, or make it to the next zone, and then of course you found some new warez, and needed to try them out!

Completely agree that this one would be a great remake -- I bought Uplink (by Introversion), but it is a bit too repetitive.

Wtf, how long have I requested to have this game on here, every time I've been told it's ESA, now someone posts it on the site.

You're all hypocrites.

I think the graphics are very good for 1989 game.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Blood-Pigggy @ Jul 25 2007, 07:35 PM) [snapback]301350[/snapback]</div>The company is still a part of ESA protected group, but this game is abandonware. Something that has been happening quite a lot. The changes happened in winter if I'm not mistaking. You may look at threads about it (don't know where they are - haven't been to the forum at the time). I bet this was all anounced.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Blood-Pigggy @ Jul 25 2007, 07:35 PM) [snapback]301350[/snapback]</div>You requested it once, two years ago.

At the time the entire situation with ESA was not very clear and we were avoiding ESA games like leprosis. It was way before the 10/15 year rule.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Blood-Pigggy @ Jul 25 2007, 07:35 PM) [snapback]301350[/snapback]</div>You should calm down, Piggy.

The graphics don't bother me as I'm old so I am used to them. Anyway gameplay means more to me. I will download this but might never get a chance to play.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Blood-Pigggy @ Jul 25 2007, 05:35 PM) [snapback]301350[/snapback]</div>Seriously: chill.

This was one of the best RPG/Adventure games of its kind, back when it came out.

The graphics aren't amazing, but if you had a C-64 when this game came out, they certainly were at least on par with other games that came out for that system at that time. They may be kind of dissapointing on an Amiga, but again---look at other games out in the late 1980s and their graphics.

The sounds on the other hand---well, until you actually get to go into the Matrix, they're kind of boring.
Case stomps around as he walks (I remember a friend watching me play the game saying something like, "MAN what kind of shoes is he wearing?!?!") and the bleeping MIDI version of the Devo song gets annoying after a while. So turn the sound down and put on a Front 242 CD (or your favorite 80s synth or industrial stuff) until you get to the Matrix part and you'll have a fine time. Maybe the Amiga version has better sound---I don't know, I never played it.

There are a lot of puzzles to solve until you can get a deck that can go into the Matrix---that's the Adventure part of the game---but once you do get in there, that's where the fun begins! (the RPG part of the game)

Some tips:

DON'T SELL YOUR ORGANS. The money is tempting but it's not worth it, and it will make the Matrix parts of the game a lot harder because you won't have as much health to spare (you will NEED IT when you start fignting ICE) and you can't buy the organs back later---once you sell them they're gone.

It's possible to get as much money as you need in the game without cheating.
That's what the banking nodes are for. Be clever and you'll figure out how to get as much money as you could ever need.

For the puzzles to get you to the Matrix part: that Panther Moderns/warez store guy sure is a jerk. I'm sure the law might be interested in his activities...and that's all I'm gonna say :)

Hope you have as much fun with this game as I did back in the day!

I have this game on my C64, which I still have. If you want this game in the equivalent of EGA rather than CGA, I would download the C64 disk version and run that in a C64 emulator rather than this version in DOSBox. It is the same game, just with the better C64 graphics (16 colour) of the time, rather than the PC graphics (4 colour) of the time....!

Actually, that's not at all accurate. You can buy them back, although you will need the Bargaining skill to do so. You're still right - you really need your organs to make it through the game.

A game I always wanted to try, but never did. Maybe I should now.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(humorguy @ Jul 27 2007, 06:55 PM) [snapback]301606[/snapback]</div>Err... look at the main site and you'll see the PC version (although not as good - graphically - as the C64 version) does have the 16 color EGA graphics (not the 4 color CGA as you've mentioned).

That most of the posts in this thread are relevant speaks highly.
Ok, I'll give it a whirl.

can some one tell me how to use the pax machine? i really don't know what its for and i can't seem to do anything to it,

It's the heart of the game really!

It's the terminal through which you can surf the net and you need to inhance yourself before doing that by buying stuff (first of all you need the deck you pawned away). Before that you can't really do anything with it.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Guest @ Aug 13 2007, 05:21 PM) [snapback]304482[/snapback]</div>Sebatianos explained what the PAX machine is: a terminal for accessing the net. Now I will explain how you make use of it.

There are six buttons on the bottom left part of your screen. The button between the "speech bubble" and the "note" is the one you are interested in, you know, the one with a red pattern on it which could look like anything ranging from a chisel being hammered into a block, to an assault rifle, to a mutated fish... but with a little creative imagination, you'll see that it says PAX in a very bold font, compared to the small number of pixels in the space it is written in. You can only use a PAX machine when you are in the room with one.

Once you are interfacing with the PAX machine, the first thing that happens is that you are asked for a verification code. If you started the game running the NEURO.EXE file, you are out of luck, as this verification is shipped physically with the original game, and is not supplied in any text file with the zipped archive. However, if you run the game using the NEUROCRK.COM executable (*), you can write any six digits as a verification code (I used 112358...), and you're in. Using PAX is easy from now on.

I only just started fiddling around in this game, so I cannot explain how to "surf cyberspace" (as you need a cyberspace-capable deck for that, one which I am yet to obtain in the game).

Some interesting links (**):

A story-like walkthrough:
http://faqs.ign.com/articles/594/594443p1.html

A William Gibson fansite, containing this game for different architectures, and, most notably, including a walkthrough and a Game Manual:
http://www.angelfire.com/de3/gibson/download/index.html

Cheers,
TheSatori.

(*) : as hinted by the game reviewer, Sebatianos, in the game's review:
(**) : I hope it is okay that I post these -- if not, then send me a message, or, if you have the priviledges, simply remove them.

The book was awesome, will try this :)

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Sebatianos @ Jul 30 2007, 04:08 PM) [snapback]301976[/snapback]</div>Err... look at the main site and you'll see the PC version (although not as good - graphically - as the C64 version) does have the 16 color EGA graphics (not the 4 color CGA as you've mentioned).
[/b][/quote]

Your absolutely right Sir! It was the cyan colour of the main character that got me thinking CGA, and looking closely, while they are EGA they look shockingly bad. The C64 palette allowed for a better use of colours and that makes a heck of a difference! :) Certainly when it comes to CGA and EGA PC games, it would always be wise to see if there is a C64 version that looks or even plays better! :)

Thanks for pointing out my mistake! :)

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(humorguy @ Aug 18 2007, 05:00 PM) [snapback]305354[/snapback]</div>No problem. I thought maybe you didn't notice because you set the game wrongly or something. But I certainly agree that (with some exceptions - check out the Bruce Lee game also on this site) up until the first 256 color palettes came to PC C64 had better graphics.

Please can anyone help me.

As i read the general Armitage message he offers me the job and i must reply with BAMA id?
Please can anyone tell me what is the bama id?

I remember getting this game from somewhere but I didn't have the manual or anything, and therefore I couldn't get past the copy protection. But somehow I lucked out and guessed the right number for one of them, and after that I'd just type that number in for an hour until it finally came up as correct. I think I guessed another one of the numbers too. I never could figure out how to do the cybernet battle things. I'd always get the crap kicked out of me.

I have an old walkthrough for the game,if anyone is interested.The best version of the game is the one on amiga,though.
Also,if you still haven't read the book,do yourself a favor and read it! Is one of the cyberpunk literature milestones ;)

Did you wrote it or have asked the Author for permission to host it? then post it in your Offers-Thread.

I have downloaded the walkthrough in 2000 from home of the underdogs,which sadly is no more.I'll try to search in my backups and see if there is the author's email in it.Then i'll contact him/her and wait for a reply :)

BAMA id is your banc account id you find it on PAX under the bank page.

I think this game really went before its time, but the thing that you could right at the beggining aqurie that hacker-program that allowed you to move between matrix-zones, ruined the difficulties.

How do I fix damaged programs? I have a debug rom, but sometimes it says it can't repair a program. I also don't understand the difference between the Cyberspace program and Comlink except that Cyberspace logs me directly into "cyberspace." But from the FAQ I read, it sounded like it was supposed to let you surf for free, but I still lose credits. So I don't see the benefit of using it.

I don't remember how to fix things, but here are my ideas:
- is the debug-skill upgreadable? (Or the debug program has upgraded versions?)
- maybe debugging is random?
- I remember one of the AIs had a repair skill (gamefaqs says it is Dixie Flatline).

I also remember so, that cyberspace was the highest level of access (and via that reach everything), so after being able to enter it there was no reason to go any lower.
I wouldn't worry too much about loosing credits by the way, as after you buy ca. the middle-level board, you'll have more money then you can ever spend.