Survivor game pushes the bounds of taste

News - Is 9/11 already suitable game material?

A new videogame from a small German developer was announced yesterday - not an entirely unusual event in an industry where new videogaming forays are announced daily. Replay Studios' opus is not one of the many that will receive little or no attention however, for the company's new game - Survivor - is based on a most controversial premise that has already got many rather irate. The game pits the player against some of the worst catastrophes in modern history, the aim being to 'survive' these historical events. Of course, the Titanic is in there, as is Hurricane Andrew, but more worryingly so is Hiroshima (can we really expect Replay to deal with this sensitively?) and almost inevitably - September 11th; the World Trade Centre attacks. A cynical ploy to generate media hype and related games sales? We suspect so.

Authentic recreations are promised in Survivor, and a free-roaming approach to gameplay similar to GTA is also touted. Whether leading retailers will want to sell, or indeed any major publisher distribute, is somewhat more ambiguous we feel. Regardless, I'm sure Replay and the mainstream media will be happy to indulge our interest in this title (part of a burgeoning sub-genre which could be dubbed 'train crash gaming') in the near future.