Category: Previews (Page 18 of 19)

Is There Gold In Those Hills?

January 31, 2006 / Jonathan Waite

Fans of Survivor, The Apprentice, and Rock Star: INXS will know the name Mark Burnett. He is one of the most successful television producers in recent times, churning out hit reality series after hit reality series. Now, it seems that Burnett wants to apply his talents to another niche — interactive Web programs.

Burnett has teamed up with AOL to bring the treasure-hunt game show “Gold Rush” to the Internet. Details about the game are sketchy at best, but it will require cryptic puzzles to be solved in real-time. Contestants will be able to have “constant interaction with the showâ€™s central treasure hunt,” according to Burnett, and the prize is nothing to scoff at – $1.6 million in gold will be available in 13 locations across the United States.

The Composer & Renata Isle

January 29, 2006 / Jonathan Waite

Two weeks ago, selected members of the UnFiction message boards were sent mysterious emails from someone calling themselves “The Composer”. The emails were quickly solved — each email contained part of a coded message — and the game was on. Over the course of eleven short days, players were led to a security site, interacted via Instant Messaging, and were introduced to the story of Renata Isle.

As it turns out, the mystery has been solved, for now. On an in-game site, players have learned that they were part of a pre-game activity for upcoming ARG “Renata Isle”. The explanation promises bigger and better things to come on the “17th of the second,” which is assumed to mean February 17th of this year. There is also a teaser page that provides some basic details for the upcoming game.

From reactions in the discussion thread, this pre-game was quite enjoyable to be a part of. We will check back in on this on the 17th and see what happens with “Renata Isle”.

Preview: Find Araya

January 12, 2006 / Jonathan Waite

The 2006 batch of Alternate Reality Games is upon us, and coming soon to a computer (and telephone, and cell phone, and real world mail box) near you is Find Araya, set to launch on January 26th. While not much is known about the game at this point, action will center around helping a detective locate a woman named Araya. The game has already established in-game forums and a chatroom for players to talk with the detective character, so we expect this to be a very interactive experience. Currently, there is a pre-game element that allows players to do some preliminary research and preview what Find Araya has in store, and there is already an active group at UnFiction working on the case. Head on over to get involved — perhaps you will be the one to Find Araya?

Akalesh Ascendant

August 2, 2005 / Jonathan Waite

Keen observer Chippy at Unfiction found a new sponsored link when doing a Google search for ARG today. Akalesh Ascendant is a META website for a new ARG coming in February of 2006, according to the site. While nothing is known (at least by us) about the company behind the game (Dark Element), the Flash-based website has a slick quality to it (even though the navigation is still a bit wonky).

The site has an Egyptian theme to it, complete with a catchy music loop. Dark Element is billing the game as “what some call an ARG and others call immersive fiction” and includes a sign-up form for anyone wishing to stay informed. There has already been a puzzle found on the site.

Attack of the Clones, Island Style

July 22, 2005 / Larry Eisner

There’s been a lot of ARGishness in Hollywood these days, and the new release of “The Island” by director Michael Bay is no exception. While it is still uncertain whether the alternate reality will actually turn into a game after the opening this weekend, there is definitely at least a good creative try going on.

So far, there are only a couple sites available. There’s the official movie site, with wholesome promotional goodness (and some creepy video from the film to boot!), the (in-game?) area of Merrick Biotech, and the meta-fence straddling You Have Been Chosen site. Most of these sites have logins, so who knows what may or may not happen there in the near future.

While those areas are definitely plugs for the film (almost every site contains either desktop images or AIM icons), the most promising area for future gaming is at the “anti-cloing” site CloneWatch, where there are forums set up, and some cryptic postings as well as a couple genuinely creepy pictures, if you dig (semi) deeply.

While nothing is “launched” as of yet, rest assured that ARGN will fill you in if events develop!

“Lost” Summer Online Game?

May 26, 2005 / Steve Peters

Fans of the hit ABC TV series LOST, who have resigned themselves to the fact that it’s going to be a long summer before Season 2 begins in the fall, can take heart. We may just have found something to help you pass the time.

It seems that Oceanic Airlines has been unable to weather the financial difficulties it’s endured since Flight 815 disappeared. As a result, they’ve announced on their website that they have ceased operations, cancelling all flights.

But look a little closer. Things may not be quite as they seem at Oceanic Air. We won’t give anything away, but there are some very interesting tidbits to be found, if you know where to look.

ARG or Easter Egg hunt? Either way, if you love Lost, you’ll probably have some fun with this.