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Definitely one of the best cyberpunk games ever, Neuromancer is an
excellent adaptation of the classic book of the same name. You play a hacker who is
struggling to make ends meet at the beginning, only to discover that all is not
well in cyberspace. Although initially there are not many locations for you to
visit in the game, there is a great deal to find out and cyberspace locations
("WELLs") you can visit. For instance, you have a special connector attached to your
head that allows you to insert silicon chips. These chips contain various "skills"
which will enable you to achieve certain objectives that would otherwise remain
beyond your grasp. The skills, which include subjects like Psychanalysis, Sophistry,
Evasion and even Cop talk, can also be upgraded, so while you might have the
Cryptology skill chip, it may not decipher an encrypted code word until you find a
way of upgrading it to version 2.0 or even 3.0. You will generally acquire skills
and upgrades by talking to other characters within the game, and this brings us to
the game's weakness: the specificity of its parser. You need to get the exact word
right before it gives you needed information. A notepad is absolutely essential
for playing Neuromancer, as there is a lot of information and WELL addresses to keep
track of. Neuromancer is undoubtedly the best "hacking" game in existence, as the
thrill of hacking into forbidden sites, editing databases to further your cause, and
generally finding things out is exhilarating (and harmless, as opposed to real life).
Overall, no cyberpunk fan should pass up this overlooked classic. |