However, following on mid-spring speculation, we now know that I Am Alive will in fact see release - through digital marketplaces, PSN and Xbox Live (sorry PC players) this winter. Still afraid to get your hopes? Ubisoft has released a trailer to prove the game is in fact en route.
Back in March we first got wind of the possibility that I Am Alive was set to release as a digital download - a rumor that was subsequently backed-up when an ESRB rating for the title that suddenly appeared two days ago. However, at the time, the rumor was ultimately deemed false after Ubisoft was mum on speculation of an I Am Alive digital release.
Whether or not Ubisoft decided to decrease the scope of the title and shove it through the digital pipeline as soon as possible, just to be done with the oft-delayed development project, is unclear at this time. However, the footage in the trailer definitely seems to hint at some of the original ideas depicted in the announcement trailer: a combination of third person action gameplay - where resource scarcity and decomposing societal constructs take center stage.
Check out the summary of the I Am Alive story:
Then see the game in action with the official I Am Alive trailer below:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-QqDsvQHXo
If you’re still trying to get a handle on what to expect from the actual game, Ubisoft has also provided a brief summary of the gameplay mechanics:
If that isn’t enough, the ESRB offers an outsider’s perspective and gives a few more hints:
The game certainly implements some interesting ideas (such as the ability to scare-off enemies with an empty gun), and has a cool premise that could afford some pretty epic action set-pieces. For the I Am Alive set-up to work, the game has to be big enough to really establish and immerse players in the world. No doubt we’ve seen plenty of downloadable titles that were incredible experiences but how many of them were large-scale action adventure titles?
As a result, development on I Am Alive looks to have strayed from a fresh, high-profile, experience with loads of new ideas and story potential to a less expansive “get this out the door” Uncharted clone. Given the less-than-stellar footage and images that leaked a month ago, as well as the sub-par results of similar download-only action adventure titles (such as last year’s Hydrophobia), it’s still too early to know if I Am Alive will be worth the wait - or should have been allowed to die on the cutting room floor.
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I Am Alive is scheduled to arrive this winter on XBLA and PSN.
