I found out about In Memoriam too late. The cross-media computer game that forced its way into your life via emails was a superb vision of entertainment to come. Since then, the ARG phenomenon has caught the attentions of big media, and interactive integration has become part of the marketing gamut. In Memoriam stands as a pure form of the kind of entertainment described in Gibson's Pattern Recognition, but one which I was unable to play. I've been looking forward to the creators' new title.
Thanks to a handy tip from Footy via bambino_tostare, it turns out the In Memoriam folks have a new interactive adventure: eXperience 112. From the official website:
In a dilapidated tanker, grounded on a Pacific island, time seems to have stood still for the past thirty years.
Apart from a few hard-to-identify animals, there isn't a soul around. Or at least so it would appear... This makes the presence of Professor Lea Nichols, a woman in her thirties who could be beautiful if the strain of her situation wasn't so etched on her features, all the more troubling...
She needs your help to escape from her floating prison. From behind your surveillance screens and using your control tools, you will act as her eyes and her ears as you help her to find a way to leave this sinister vessel.
According to Wikipedia,
eXperience 112 is an adventure video game where the player does not directly control the in-game avatar; instead, the player helps to guide the avatar via a system of camera and remotely controlled equipment.
It doesn't look like it's got all the cross-media higgledy piggeldy, but is a compelling concept nonetheless.
The game won the Grand Prix award at the 2007 French Video Game Festival (Festival du JeuVideo 2007). Look forward to more coverage to come.
