News: The PS3's photographic safari simulator has a release date.
Afrika, Sony's photographic safari simulator, was one of the first games announced for the PlayStation 3. The game was released in Japan in 2008 and even though Sony had been exhibiting the game to American audiences for several years at that point, a US release was considered unlikely. But Natsume, the game's new publisher, has finally announced that the game will be released in America on October 6.
The game's slow pace is designed to show off the game's environments and realistic wildlife:
In Afrika, players step into the role of a freelance photographer exploring a brand new African wildlife conservation area. They'll document the wildlife and photograph incredible sights such as a titanic clash between hippopotamuses, a pride of lions watching over its playful cubs, and a cheetah's lightning-fast chase as it runs down its prey! All of the game's animals and environments are rendered in photorealistic detail with animals that move, behave, and interact with each other just like their real-world counterparts. Produced in cooperation with National Geographic, Afrika features a wealth of information about each of its animals, including footage and photographs from the magazine.
But Afrika is also being designed as a heavy duty simulation of real world photographic conditions. It also includes a partnership with the foremost experts of nature photography, National Geographic magazine:
The photography in the game is as meticulously modeled as the animals themselves; players will need to learn from the game's innovative photo grading system and compose their photographs with the eye of a professional photographer if they want to earn top dollar. The money they earn can be used to purchase new licensed lenses, cameras, and safari equipment. If players are good enough, they just might find their photograph on the cover of National Geographic!
We'll have more soon.