Author: Carie Ward (Page 1 of 4)

Evelyn Offscreen: A Brief Clarification

October 6, 2009 / Carie Ward

EvelynOffscreen Halloween makes everything weird. At any other time, a substantial number of overlapping clues would mean that two campaigns were linked in some sort of way. But throw Halloween into the mix, and what appeared to be a logical conclusion to a group of facts turns out to be nothing more than a set of bizarre coincidences.

ARGNet has been informed that the “Evelyn Offscreen” campaign is, in fact, not at all related to the Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights. While there was never direct confirmation in the game that the two were related, there were several coincidences that made it appear that they were.

1. A newspaper clipping posted in a comment to Evelyn’s blog mentions the Palace Theater. The Universal Palace Theater is a centerpiece of the Halloween Horror Nights experience.

2. Newspaper clippings shown in the videos about the Palace Theater talk about Evelyn Crane going into reclusion after a box office flop. This event is talked about in great detail on the Evelyn Crane blog.

3. The Evelyn Offscreen website talks about how live events will be playing in Orlando, FL. The Halloween Horror Nights with the Universal Palace Theater attraction is also taking place in Orlando. (The Universal Hollywood HHN has a different set of attractions.)

We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused players.

A New “Trick” from Universal Studios: Evelyn Offscreen Presents a Real Treat

October 2, 2009 / Carie Ward

EvelynOffscreen Halloween is fast approaching, bringing with it costumes, candy, and the macabre. If you live in Orlando, it appears as though Universal Studios is bringing one final “treat” to your homes with the launch of its horror-themed alternate reality game Evelyn Offscreen, a new “interactive Halloween adventure” that is being run to promote Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights.

Evelyn Crane is a classic horror movie actress who has been in seclusion for the past 37 years, after an incident where a movie critic called her “too old”. Ever since then, Evelyn has been searching for the secret of eternal youth so that she can reclaim her old glory as an actress. Based on her facination with Elizabeth Bathory (the Hungarian countess who, as legend has it, bathed in the blood of hundreds of murdered young girls in order to retain her youth), it would appear as if Evelyn might just go to any sort of lengths in order to reclaim her beauty, youth and position. A perfect sort of story for Halloween.

If that wasn’t enough, there is also the mystery surrounding a series of deaths at the Universal Palace Theater, where many of Evelyn Crane’s movies have been shown. Julian Browning was the usher at the Palace Theater from 1922 until 1940, when he was found hanged behind the screen at the theater. Ever since then, he has been reported to be “present” at many of the other tragedies that have befallen workers and patrons of the Palace Theater.

Visitors to Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights will be able to visit the Universal Palace Theater via the Silver Screams haunted house in the theme park. The Evelyn Offscreen website promises that live scenes will be playing in Orlando, Florida, but whether this means just in the Silver Screams haunted house or possibly elsewhere remains to be seen. However the online campaign will be available to everyone, so even if you can’t get scared half to death at the Halloween Horror Nights, you can still get scared in your own living room.

Click Here for the Evelyn Offscreen website
Click Here for Evelyn Crane’s twitter
Click Here for Evelyn Crane’s blog
Click Here for information on the Universal Palace Hotel

What Happens in Vegas Doesn’t Stay in Vegas

January 12, 2007 / Carie Ward

The lights dimmed, the music stopped, and the fountains at the Bellagio started chiming like clocks. It was time for Loki, the enigmatic puzzle mistress of the Vanishingpoint game to work her magic. For over three minutes, the Bellagio fountains were turned into a massive movie screen as clues to the online portion of the game appeared like ghostly images on the water.

Earlier on Monday, the Vanishingpoint game site updated from its teasing countdown to include ways for players to register for the game. The update also included information about the grand prize which had previously driven players into a speculation frenzy. Their wildest dreams were confirmed when it was announced that the grand prize winner would win a trip into space aboard the RocketplaneÂ® XP Vehicle, along with various other goodies.

EVA – The End of the World As We Know It?

December 3, 2006 / Carie Ward

It started (as these things so often do) with a cryptic website: in this case, a MySpace belonging to a mysterious entity calling itself EVA and bearing a disturbing message:

I have returned. Awaken[sic] by disturbance. The sickness of humanity. You have grown undeserving. The preciouse[sic] life you take for granted. a test. To prove your worthiness. to prove your will to live. Ensure your safety. The prophecy. When it is to be. none will be safe. to stop it. Take the challenge

The “challenge” appears to be a seven-round test, with each round based on a different world mythology. The author of the test, Ovdasupal, is challenging us to save Janna, whom he claims is his songstress and soon to be the mother of his child. Ovdasupal is being helped by the Scions of Punishment, who in turn have enlisted the Deceiver, Jonathan, to help them translate certain texts that would help their cause. Working against the Scions and Ovdasupal is EVA. EVA claims he is helping humanity as the Scions wish to bring a punishing purification to the human race. Although EVA also wants to purify humanity, he claims to offer a kinder, gentler purification, and may even give humanity to live if we can prove ourselves.

Playing Lawn Games for Life

November 30, 2006 / Carie Ward

What do you get when you combine a cross-country trip with a scavenger hunt, old family stories and a variety of puzzles? The answer is Lawn Games for Life, a new ARG that is running now through the middle of December.

Lawn Games for Life is part of the inheritance that Anna Ravelo has left her favorite niece, Taylor Garcia. The game is a quest to discover an even bigger heirloom: The Fountain of Truth. The Fountain is the â€œmost precious, valuable, and treasured possessionâ€ of the family â€“ and possibly the world.

Taylor, as substitute PM for the late Aunt Anna, has been assigning trials for her extended family members for the past week. Each trial reveals more information about Annaâ€™s past brings us one step closer to finding The Fountain of Truth. The trials also award points to the family who can solve them ahead of their cousins, creating a spirit of competition amidst the cooperative play.

Lawn Games for Life is scheduled to end December 22nd when a live finale will be held in St. Augustine, Florida. Interested players should visit the Trials page to solve puzzles on behalf of their extended family members (who often gather on the LGFL discussion board). There is also a guide designed to help newcomers to the four families get up to speed with puzzle walkthroughs and links to Challenge Pieces won in previous trials.

Trailhead: http://www.lawngamesforlife.com
Discussion at Unfiction: http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=17510
Guide: http://www.wonderweasels.org/lawngames/guide.html

Exploring Our Future on a Lost Planet

November 29, 2006 / Carie Ward

As any gamer can tell you, game trailers are more than just an opportunity to feast your senses on the latest pre-recorded gameplay designed to tempt you into buying the game when it is finally released. For the keen-eyed gamer, hints of deeper game mythology can often be coaxed out of these trailers, adding to the overall experience of the game.

It was just this type of dedicated gamer who first noticed that there were strange things in the trailers for Lost Planet, a new Xbox 360 game designed by Capcom and scheduled for release in January. Those that watched the first trailers on the Xbox Live Marketplace saw â€œ111â€ and â€œneovenusconstruction.comâ€ flash toward the end, leading them to rush off in search of the next I Love Bees.

These intrepid explorers have been rewarded with the discovery of several slick-looking websites that all share the goal of colonizing new planets (including, in the future, EDN 3 – where Lost Planet is set). While the in-game sites seem to be setting up background stories at present, there are numerous hints that more is still to come, making this an ideal point to join the game. In fact, it has been hinted on the Capcom boards that players have all the information needed to advance the game, so things could start to happen very quickly if they can discover what clues they are missing. Maybe you could be the one to stumble upon that one little bit of information that can blow the game wide open, so what are you waiting for? Be a hero to gamers everywhere and discover the secret.

Trailhead: http://neovenusconstruction.com
List of in-game sites: http://awiser.googlepages.com/home
Discussion at Unfiction: http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=17446