The latest issue of GamesTM has spilled the beans on Ubisoft’s forthcoming disaster romp I Am Alive for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
First up, some disappointing news – the lovely Jade Raymond will have absolutely no involvement with the project whatsoever. In fact, the development team are at a loss as to how such a rumour came about in the first place.
Moving on, the game’s senior producer, Alexis Goddard, was on hand to divulge some juicy tidbits on the project:
"Disaster has been a recurring theme for entertainment since the beginning of time. We’re not really reinventing that here. We’re putting it together for the first time in a totally new package," said Goddard.
"Most of what we’re doing will remind you of tidbits that you’ve seen or heard here and there – Robert Neville in I Am Legend gradually starts to lose his humanity and sanity in the ruins of New York. In The Day After Tomorrow and War of the Worlds you see Western cities torn apart by unrelenting forces."
Goddard revealed how the game has been conceived around the idea of ‘social chaos’, drawing comparisons with the likes of Armageddon, Titanic, Cloverfield, Jericho and Lost. The game’s story involves the aftermath of an earthquake in Chicago, where protagonist Adam Collins is tasked with rescuing his girlfriend and other survivors in an effort to attract the aid of a government force.
Yet, despite being based on a popular theme, Goddard insists the game will offers it own unique twist on the subject: "In I Am Alive, we’re not only turning your everyday life upside down; we’re also changing the very social values and rules that both everyday life and videogames rely on."
“Confrontation is a way of dealing with violent groups, but will rarely be rewarded,” he explained. "We encourage the players to use tactics, diversion, and discretion. You’ve found a police shotgun, which is out of bullets – rightfully so, since Chicago has long been a proponent of a ban on guns. How about some intimidation? After all, who knows the gun is empty but you? Just point it at looters and they’ll remain at a distance as you progress toward your objective. However, you can only aim it at one person, so you have to watch for being flanked."
Goddard also revealed that the team opted for a first person perspective in order to accentuate the game’s emotional impact on the player:
"We wanted the player to really feel the power of Mother Nature, to feel the danger coming from the collapsing towers and devastating rifts, feel the chaos happening all around him. There’s nothing like a first-person view to create that kind of emotion," added Goddard.
Stay tuned for more details on I Am Alive as we get them.