Sing it with me, ladies:
I need a Hero[es ARG]!
I’m holding out for a Hiro ’til the end of the night.
It’s gotta be sure [it’s an ARG]
And it’s gotta be soon
And it’s gotta be larger than life…
Okay, I never was any good at the parody-lyrics thing. And while I’d love a full-blown Heroes ARG (if for no other reason than to feed my Hiro crush), even a “digital extension” of the Heroes story seems like a fun opportunity to immerse oneself in the world of this hit series.
It’s probably too early to dub Heroes 360 an actual ARG, but audience members who have been watching closely have been aware of some Lost-style clues in the show that suggested there might be hidden rewards for those willing to dig deeper. NBC promises “rich, original content” including on-air clues to investigate, “interaction with unique mobile content,” access to the phone system of one of the companies in the show, and additional content on the NBC site including hidden sites and secret files.
A website for Primatech Paper was shown on-screen in this week’s episode of the show. Call the number on the site and you receive a code which, when entered, redirects you to a job application form (unfortunately, applications at this time are limited to US residents). Despite the press releases from the network (and unlike ABC’s comparable efforts for LOST, KyleXY and Fallen), the site is intriguingly subtle about its connection to the show and as yet makes no reference to Nissan, NBC’s corporate partner in producing Heroes 360.
NBC has also ramped up its Heroes site, adding a wiki, and an interactive Flash version of Suresh’s map. Unfiction’s Heroes fans have been eagerly exploring the new content as well, and are currently engaged in trying to decipher coded information about one of the characters.
Whether it’s a full-blown ARG or just an extension of the story onto new platforms, Heroes 360 looks like a well-planned effort that integrates smoothly with the TV show (rather than just running in parallel with it) and promises to provide many happy hours of deep story exploration for fans of the show, as well as a creative introduction for newcomers. So go infiltrate Primatech paper and find out if you’re on the List!
Thanks to Brooke Thompson for her invaluable assistance in researching Heroes 360.