1,000,000 CITIZENS AT YOUR BECK AND CALL
Mobs move the world. That's the logic behind Demis Hassabis' upcoming PC strategy game, Republic: The Revolution (www.republictherevolution.com). The 25-year-old Elixir Studios CEO — and protégé to god-game pioneer Peter Molyneux — invented Novistrana, a former Soviet republic populated with a million citizens, each with his or her own hopes, dreams, and apartment. As the demagogue who would rule them, your means for seizing power are as unlimited as your Machiavellian inclinations allow. By modeling the social ecosystem of an entire nation, Republic is groundbreaking enough to presage a revolution in game design, too.
Big brother: Elixir's Totality graphics engine vividly depicts Novistrana in 3-D. It's agile enough to provide views that are satellite-high or street-low. The telescoping, level-of-detail AI brings each citizen to life.
Crowd control: How well you manipulate the throng determines your success. Organize and lead a faction whose ideology is defined by eight variables, including political outlook (fascist to communist) and religious orientation (fundamentalist to sacrilegious).
Coup d'interface: Gameplay is intuitive and free-form, allowing for moment-to-moment micromanagement or a hands-off approach. Use the interface to guide your career through three acts: Begin as a small-town kingpin, advance to big-city boss, then storm the capital.
Strong-arm persuasion: Back-alley muscle is but one tool in your arsenal. Others include full-scale military action and economic leverage (i.e., you kill by closing off markets and, therefore, your foes' cash flow).
PLAY
Blonde Ambition
Maxed Out
Geek vs. Geek
Boy Toy
Ben Kenney, The Roots
Life Imitates Star Trek
Read Me
The Republic of AI
Talking Fashion
Containment Strategy
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Gusgus
Elvis Presley
Sonic Youth
SOCOM: U.S. Navy Seals
UFC Throwdown
Toxic Grind
All About Lily Chou-Chou
One Hour Photo
fetish
Free-Range Sound
Digital Filmmakers
Debug It Yourself
Plug-and-Play Camp
Hi-Fi, Lo-Effort
One Suite Fits All
