Destination: Afrika

Ah, yes. Here are the lions resting, enjoying the view. Them Zebras look mighty tasty.

No, it’s not National Graphic nor is it Animal Planet. It could be a very cruel FPS, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. It’s Afrika, a PS3 exclusive, which is slated to be released August 28th… in Japan. There’s no word on when it’ll be released stateside, but Europe doesn’t even have an invite to join in the hunt.

There aren’t many details concerning the purpose of the game, but early indications suggest that it is some sort of virtual photo safari. Maybe this game could save you a trip to the real Africa. After all, I imagine it would be cozier from the comfort of one’s own non-mosquito-infested couch. At least there’s no fear of being mauled by some ferocious predator, trampled on by an elephant, or catching African Sleeping Sickness…

In Afrika, you play as a photo-journalist using different modes of transportation a la walking, vehicle, and hot-air balloon to view and capture moments of natural beauty (e.g., lions ripping cape buffalo to shreds). At your disposal are binoculars and a camera to take live-action photos, as well as educational footage of animals.

Maybe gamers will learn what makes a certain predator tick and learn from a real, educational video game rather than a fantasy-based MMORPG. In all seriousness, it seems that your job is to encounter and photograph as many animals as possible to “collect them all” in your “Animal Library.” Sounds familiar…

There are also three main views: first person, aerial view, and the animals’ perspective. There is another view, though fixed, which allows the player to observe the goings-on of nature. These first two, along with the fixed, are quite common in safari shows, but the animal’s view is something new. I’ve always wondered how lions perceived zebras- there’s an obvious attraction resulting from hunger, but maybe there’s something deeper than that. Animal Planet soap opera?

Until the game is released in Japan, we’re sitting ducks, but we’ll find out soon enough what the U.S. release date is.