[Marek]

As posted on GameSpot:

Killer 7 director Gouichi Suda at work on new PS2 title

Gamers put in the role of a TV cameraman who must choose between saving lives or letting the camera roll.

TOKYO--Gouichi Suda, president of dev studio Grasshopper Company and director of Capcom's upcoming Killer 7 is working on a new title for the PlayStation 2 according to media reports in Japan. Suda and Grasshopper Company are reportedly developing a new horror and suspense game, currently titled "Michigan."

The game takes place in Chicago, Illinois and opens with a dense fog enveloping the city and the government orders an evacuation of all citizens. Finding the fog and civic leaders' reaction to be suspicious, a TV station investigates and finds the city to be infested with zombies.

Players take the role of a cameraman who is paired with charming female reporter and an audio crew. The objective of the game is to film and file as many "scoops" as possible before their camera's video tape runs out. The tape length is each game's stage's time limit and players must meet a certain objective to advance to the next level.

With both hands affixed to the video camera, players can't do anything to directly intervene, like opening doors or helping someone in need. Instead, they can try to alert the reporter about something in the hope that she will act. In one example, players can alert the reporter to a key and hopefully get the reporter to crouch down and find it. In a none-to-surprising move, the player can also film the reporter from a low angle while she is, say, bending down to grab the key, in order to secure some additional points. It is up to the player whether to to help rescue an NPC in trouble or film their death and receive points for a scoop.

Michigan is currently 50 percent complete and scheduled for a Spring 2004 release in Japan.

I'm very excited by this concept. It sounds like a very original twist on the standard zombie game. I love the fact that you're not a standard action hero, and I love the fact that you don't have a gun. Hopefully the recording of videos will be as exciting as it could potentially be.

[bigjko]

Very interesting. I wonder how we'll know if we're getting good footage. Or what actually judges that. Just keep the zombies in the frame for as long as you can and the uglier the monster the better the score?

[Starflux]

But is it purely a game about moral choices, or can you also die and everything? If you can't do anything, it seems illogical that there would be bosses or something...
Looks more like a House of the Dead kind of thing, except you can't kill anything. But it sounds original ^_^

[bigjko]

Originally Posted by Flux

Looks more like a House of the Dead kind of thing, except you can't kill anything.

And you can control the camera yourself, as opposed to the camera on rails in House of the Dead. And you'd be indirectly killing a zombie if you alert your partner of the zombie in time for the partner to kill it.

[Starflux]

So instead of you being an unlikely hero that can actually kill a zombie; the reporter, who has to be nudged to be made aware of the possibility that she might kill the zombie could do it for you.

[ragnar]

It seems intriguing. Will it ever make it out Japan?

[Erkki]

Sounds intresting and could be great. But why can't they think of something else instead of zombies?

[Marek]

True. But you're going to need games that bring originality "trojan horse" style. Since most marketing folks are completely incompetent you need to give them something they can handle, and wrap the originality inside it

[Starflux]

And zombies sell Even Lord of the Rings had zombies. But I think that worked the other way around; Peter Jackson had to bring the zombies in "Trojan Horse"-style

[ragnar]

Originally Posted by Flux

And zombies sell Even Lord of the Rings had zombies. But I think that worked the other way around; Peter Jackson had to bring the zombies in "Trojan Horse"-style

Except they are not zombies.

[Starflux]

Well, not zombies in the Braindead sense, but the ghosts of the Dead Marches and the Uruk-Hai and the way they're born have unquestionable zombie-influences

[ragnar]

Originally Posted by Flux

Well, not zombies in the Braindead sense, but the ghosts of the Dead Marches and the Uruk-Hai and the way they're born have unquestionable zombie-influences

In that case I think the zombie-movies was inspired by Tolkien, not the opposite way around.

[Erkki]

Originally Posted by Flux

Well, not zombies in the Braindead sense, but the ghosts of the Dead Marches and the Uruk-Hai and the way they're born have unquestionable zombie-influences

I haven't seen the movie Return of the King, but there were definitely zombie-like things in the book.

[Intrepid Homoludens]

...they can try to alert the reporter about something in the hope that she will act. In one example, players can alert the reporter to a key and hopefully get the reporter to crouch down and find it.

Try? Hope?

HA! Let's see how 'advanced' the A.I. will be on this one, considering how often devs fuck it up or pretty much forget about good A.I. altogether. What a....novel, idea...

[SamandMax]

This game sounds good. I hope it comes out here, this is game that could sell well.

[Ringmaster Bent]

>>currently titled "Michigan." The game takes place in Chicago, Illinois...


Huh?

[Helen]

Wondering about that "Michigan" title myself.
Anyway, sounds promising to me, Im looking forward to it.
And I love Zombies.

[Royal Fool]

Sounds interesting. I suppose that if Killer7 does well they could get Capcom to publish this one as well.