Slashdot Mirror
Sega's Midwest Alien Horror Plans
Thanks to GamePro for their report discussing the Sega Japan development team researching a next-gen horror title in the exotic environs of Carbondale, Illinois. The original report from the Southern Illinoisan mentions that the Sega team are "..documenting Carbondale from every conceivable angle" for this unannounced alien-invasion horror title, which, according to Sega producer Cord Smith, is "..being built from the ground up for the U.S. market, [and] will be one of the biggest Sega titles of next year." But this unexplored environment is evidently most educative for the Japanese developers, as Cord says: "It's a challenge for them to see even the most mundane details. What does a normal U.S. bathroom look like? What does a family room look like? How do people watch TV? How do people decorate?"
focuses around some geek sitting in front of 4 or 5 monitors, all running different OS's. he spends his/her day reading news sites, posting on forums, playing games, making runs to the kitchen/bathroom (all of which are in complete disorder), and is haunted by RIAA lawyers. I think a few more cliches could be worked in somewhere.
they should have taken them to lost cross (carbondale's finest punk house) though the sewer tunnels are pretty similiar, arguably cleaner though. living in carbondale did seem like a sort of survival horror experience at times, but it's still neat to see my old home town become famous for alien weirdness and random violence, even if it's of the virtual sort.
The article and writeup both mention that the Midwest visit is part of an effort to build a game for the U.S. market, but wouldn't a detailed recreation of Midwestern environs hold a certain appeal for Japanese gamers, as well? As the article noted, what seems mundane to a Midwesterner -- e.g., the typical U.S. bathroom -- could seem exotic and intriguing for someone from Japan.
This is not to be too orientalist about it -- the phenomenon works both ways. I remember how much fun it was, when I played Shenmue, to experience Japanese small-town life to some degree. As I have traveled in Japan over the past two years, it has been even more fun to see how accurate the Shenmue designers' attention to detail was. (Well, OK, I've never had to perform a Quick Time Event in a back alley, but otherwise--)
... are something we should all be a lot more familiar with.
It's about time that the Alien Invasion genre got a serious kick in the ass. People are so naive about what happens during Alien Invasions, and how to deal with them.
Providing a suitable analog in a video game reality will prepare the species for its ultimate test.
I praise Sega for their initiative in this matter, and would like to invite them to Recklinghausen to see how the Germans will deal with the situation as well. There can never be enough serious studies of the effects of Alien Invasion, in my opinion.
; -- the corruption of government starts with its secrets. a truly free people keep no secrets. --
As a former resident of Carbondale I can tell you that the area is pretty much a horror story in every day life anyway. It will be nice to walk into that damn art store and slaughter everyone inside whenever i feel like it though.
damn hippies.
Oh the horror!!!
-Look lively. LOOK LIVELY!!! --Mr. Shmallow
...as I've never seen any better digital representation of an utterly decayed New England town. I've lived most of my life on the North Shore of MA, and aside from the dam (there aren't a hell of a lot of dams out here) the familliarity of the locations (like the bowling alley and the decrepit museum/old prison *shiver*) Whoever did the art direction for that game deserves a medal.
From Bentonville, Arkansas it came, the spawn of Sam. It came to rest on the outskirts of town, on a vast apron of asphalt.
Glaring blue-and-white amidst the cornfields, it proceeded to suck the life out of the downtown of Carbondale.
I forsee an abduction of our beloved Salukis. Don't worry; the cops in Carbondale have plenty of riot gear and tear gas and soon will have the situation under control. The city and the university have been trying for a decade to change its "party" reputation for nearly a decade. I doubt this is what they have in mind for a new image.
As someone who has spent a good amount of time in Carbondale, I can tell you that the average folks there in town think of an Alien Invasion as a bunch of foreign students living in an apartment building. Which they will proceed to burn down.
what assumptions about the tiny details of American life and other little oddities the Japanese end up concluding are going to appear in the game. In other words, I wonder what little things we take for granted and/or don't think about are going to be highlighted in the game and make for a funny pause in the key market. What *does* the "All-American" bathroom look like?