Just in case you didn't see this, movie studio Paramount, which earlier this year announced its intention to move into game publishing, has revealed its first three projects - conversions of the teen films, Mean Girls, Pretty in Pink and Clueless. Not that you have to be told this, but the company is aiming for the lucrative female casual gaming market with this trio - the tie-ins will be released at budget prices on PC, both as download and retail titles. Handheld console versions are expected to follow.
So, what can we expect? I fear some lightweight take on The Sims, Tamagotchi or Animal Crossing - you know, lots of dressing up and bonding, and getting your character ready for a date with the quarterback. I like all three films and they're darker than that - they're about the pressures and cruelty of social hierarchies, about the ruthless categorisation of peers based on dress and looks, about the pathological compulsion to fit in. And ultimately all three films, to different extents, analyse and rebel against notions of popularity and convention.
Instead of survival horror, they could be social horror - a feminine slant on Rockstar's Bully. But they won't be. At worst, expect simple puzzle games, rip-offs of Bejeweled with the movie soundtracks nailed over the top.
Next stop for Paramount? Flash Dance: The Rhythm Action Game? Beverly Hills Cop - the gangsta shooter? Titanic would make a pretty good third-person action game, with lots of lovely water physics. And of course, there's always Friday the 13th...
