Project Hacker: Awakening (Nintendo DS) Preview

For those of you that are unaware, Red Entertainment is quite a famous and prestigious developer, having previously worked on the Sakura Taisen series, as well as classics such as Gungrave and Far East of Eden. However, Project Hacker: Awakening takes the developer in a rather different direction this time round. You are to become a criminal sleuth, just as you had the chance to be a surgeon in Trauma Centre: Under the Knife and a rookie lawyer in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. Nintendo is following in the footsteps of Atlus and Capcom in getting gamers deeply absorbed in the gaming experience.

This adventure game focuses on the investigative work involved in trying to get to the bottom of various Information Technology-related crimes that lie hidden in the depths of today's society. You must scour the Internet and interrogate many people in your mission, as well an undertaking several brain teasing puzzles that will leave you scratching your head in confusion on many an occasion. You will be faced with all sorts of scenarios, such as having to crack personal passwords, break through computer firewalls within a set time limit and force your way into computer systems to obtain vital information, all innovatively using the touch-screen and stylus to great effect. One example shown on the official website has gamers desperately trying to reconnect a clock, for example! Everything ties in well with the storyline and as you correct corrupt programmes and clear systems of any disturbance or virus issues, you will progress deeper into the underground world in what has been described by early adopters as a more mature version of Phoenix Wright.

The game was released in Japan on 13th July, but so far has not been strongly supported by Nintendo there, with low initial stock levels leading to a highly unimpressive first week placing. This does not bode well given that the title has not been mentioned for a Western release either. However, it seems quite a Western styled game and with the heavy amounts of Japanese text, will only be playable properly if translated (so importers should be wary).

The game starts with an overview of exactly what you will be dealing with. You are told how withdrawing from the bank account of a newly established IT Company without prior authorisation is an IT crime. Modifying patient data in a major hospital by using a complicated computer virus also falls under the same category, as does hacking into an airport control tower's network in order to hi-jack a passenger aircraft. You take on the role of the newly employed IT crime investigator Satoru Amatsubo as he endeavours to aid the international organisation of GIS as it tries to cease such felonies.

You must then gather as much information as you can by speaking to lots of people, searching various different areas and scouring the beast that is the Internet, before then noting down all your findings in your small-sized portable PC pad using the stylus as your trusty inputting device. Your powers of deduction will be tested to their limits when trying to crack passwords, security locks and access the important clues that will aid your investigation, but will also be able to take part in several mini-games to abate the terror caused by hackers. The PC pad is not only used for noting down new information, but is an essential piece of equipment that allows you instant access to the Internet and can transmit mail to people in case you need hints about certain subjects.

When it comes to surfing Ye Olde Internet, it appears as if there are three main choices

Anyway, enough of the confusing intricacies of the game and a little bit more about the characters you meet throughout the adventure. So far minor details have been released on the main star of Project Hacker, as well as five other supporting cast members. The main man is Satoru Amatsubo, a university student who is extremely proud of his computer skills. So proficient is he at computing that he is actually head-hunted by the government agency GIS to help with their tough mission. Then there is Rina Kokubo, Satoru's charming and curious childhood friend and Misuzu Sekushi, who is basically the office totty