July 3, 2008
NewsGet off your Computer and Get a (War) Job
GamePro Magazine's August 2008 issue is offering a 10-page preview of Resistance 2. The GamePro website offered a sneak peek at the preview, leading to the trailhead for the rumored Resistance 2 ARG. Phew. Following so far?
One of the WWII-era advertisements directed me to visit GetaWarJob.com, a recruiting website for the American military. A business card on the website told me to dial 866-931-9417 to hear a rousing speech urging me to enlist. And without even realizing what I was doing, I found myself enlisting for military service on the registration page. Fine upstanding citizen that I am, I expressed an interest in "Law Enforcement", one of the many military fields available. The recruiter got back to me fairly quickly verifying my interest in an honorable career of government service.
Underlying this military fervor is a trifling concern. It seems a deadly strain of influenza is ravaging Europe. "La Grippe" made the Great War fairly uncomfortable for its soldiers...somehow, I can't imagine it being any easier the second time around. Although as long as I eat my vegetables, avoid immoral behavior, and floss daily, I'm sure I'll be fine. And the discovery of oddly familiar alien skulls deepens my sense of foreboding. Indeed, an encrypted message within the advertisement asks "How far will they go Project Abraham", leading to ProjectAbraham.com. The morse code at the end of the video at the "Project Abraham" site leads to a page showing a group of soldiers.
When ARGNet last asked 42 Entertainment to confirm rumors that they were developing an alternate reality game for Resistance 2, they offered no comment. The privacy policy reveals that this campaign is sponsored by Sony Computer Entertainment America, Resistance 2's publisher. Whether or not 42 Entertainment are behind this project, the interface looks slick, the audio and recordings have a nice vintage feel, and the propaganda posters will take you back a few decades. It remains to be seen whether this game will be as "viral" as the flu, but initial indicators look promising.
Click Here for the thread at UnFiction
Click Here for the sneak peek of the preview of GamePro Magazine
Update: Some of you might be wondering why the woman in the ProjectAbraham video (let's call her "Cassie") looks so familiar. Although this has not been confirmed by official sources, "Cassie" bears a striking resemblance to Katee Sackhoff, an actress you may know better as Kara "Starbuck" Thrace from Battlestar Galactica (or as the voice of Female Marine #3 from Halo 3 for you diehard Halo fans). The resemblance is uncanny, really.
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June 29, 2008
Events News UpdateUPDATE: Prototype 161 Launches July 12
For those that remember the postcard we received a few days ago with the enigmatic "Wish You Were Here" message, we can now point you towards something more than just a vague location in New York City. A comment was left for that article by prototype161, stating, "Infringement will not be tolerated. Your sticker has been removed." This led us to look at prototype161.com, which is the home of prototype161 investiagtions. There's a client section which offers solutions when "problems cannot be solved by ordinary methods," and a recruitment section that reveals details about a live event in New York on July 12th.
Two days ago, a letter was received, addressed to me, telling me that I have been selected as a prospective agent of prototype161. According to the letter, I will play a vital role in the development of a new "perscrutative method" -- yes, I had to look up perscrutative, and it means thorough search -- in the evening of July 12th. I hope that my vital role can be played as I sit at home, because I won't be in New York City on the 12th. The letter encourages me to assemble a team of not more than eight people, and notes that if I am ubale to loction a sufficient number of friends, some will be provided for me. What are you saying, mysterious recruiter, I can't find my own friends?! Just kidding.
The only potential puzzle I've found so far is on the letter itself -- the footer contains the text prototype161 form LMTH."EUR", with the E in EUR red in color. Our friend Sean C. Stacey at Despoiler received a postcard and a letter as well, and there is an ongoing thread at the Unfiction forums for developments thus far.
If you are in the New York area and wish to represent ARGNet at the recruitment event, drop us a comment or a voicemail and we'll get in touch. Anyone attending the event that is able to take pictures or video, please send them our way, with our thanks and appreciation!
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June 20, 2008
News UpdateCannes Lions Award for 42 Entertainment
42 Entertainment has won yet another distinguished honor, and this time, it's a grand prize. On Thursday, June 19, the company won the Grand Prix Cyber Lions award at the Cannes Lions 2008 festival in the Viral Advertising/Viral Marketing category for their alternate reality game. The Cannes Lions awards are widely considered the most prestigious of all advertising awards, so this is definitely a feather in the cap for the company responsible for this enthralling collaboration with Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails fame. Congratulations to the crew, which includes Steve Peters, the previous owner of this very web site.
In picture: Susan Bonds, Producer/CEO, and Alex Lieu, Creative Director/CCO, 42 Entertainment
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June 17, 2008
NewsMailbox: From zombies to a mystery pole
It's turning out to be quite the summer for alternate reality games, or so the relentless parade of packages, letters and postcards to come through the ARGNet snail mail box seems to indicate. First up, from last week, is a lovely package from Lost Zombies, a new post-apocalyptic venture billing itself as "a community generated zombie documentary." Inside the package was a letter, a paperback copy of The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks, and a retail DVD copy of 28 Days Later, the superb film by Danny Boyle. According to the letter (full text available after the jump), these materials "provide valuable insight into zombie behavior and its many forms," and should help increase our chances of survival. Sweet!
Also in the mail -- just today, in fact -- was a postcard. Apparently, we're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year, because the sender wishes we were there, 'there' being New York City. And, beyond that, we have no idea why this postcard was sent to us. We do know that our friends at Despoiler received a similar postcard, and surmise that the image on the front is of a location in Times Square, NYC. They've urged their legion of readers to go outdoors and find the pole marked with the arrow, and we urge the same of our loyal viewers, if only to satisfy our curiosity as to the mystery of the blue pole.
Continue reading "Mailbox: From zombies to a mystery pole"
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