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* [http://www.konami.com/games/saw/ Publisher's official website]
* [http://www.konami.com/games/saw/ Publisher's official website]
* [http://www.zombie.com/saw.html Developer's official website]
* [http://www.zombie.com/saw.html Developer's official website]
* [http://www.sawgame.net saw fan site]
* {{imdb title|id=1144553}}
* {{imdb title|id=1144553}}


Revision as of 21:02, 10 September 2009

For the online browser game based on the same series, see [[:Saw Das Spiel (Online Game)]].
For the film series this game is based upon, see [[:Saw (franchise)]].
Saw
The official North American box art
The official North American box art
Developer(s)Zombie Studios
Publisher(s)Konami
Designer(s)David Cohen (Producer)
Writer(s)James Wan
Leigh Whannell
David Cohen
SeriesSaw
EngineUnreal Engine 3
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows,
PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Genre(s)Third person action, Survival horror
Mode(s)Single-player, Multi-player

Saw (also known as Saw: The Video Game) is an upcoming third-person survival horror video game with action elements. It is currently in development by Zombie Studios and is being published by Konami. The game is set to launch on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles, with a downloadable version being made for the Microsoft Windows platform. It is an adaption of the Saw film series, and has a tentative release date of October 6, 2009 in North America[1][2][3], and October in Australia.[4] The Microsoft Windows version will be released on October 31, a few weeks following the initial release for consoles. Saw is set to release around the same time as Saw VI, although they have entirely separate story lines.[5] The development team also brought in James Wan and Leigh Whannell, the creators of the first Saw film, to write a new storyline and design new traps for the game.[6]

In Saw, The Jigsaw Killer has healed Detective David Tapp from his gunshot wound, and places him in an abandoned asylum to teach him a lesson of life appreciation. Tapp traverses the building gathering clues along the way in hopes of finally apprehending Jigsaw. He encounters both friends and foes as he comes closer to escaping the asylum and its inhabitants who have plans contrary to his survival. Along the way, Tapp uncovers the origins of Jigsaw and his motives behind his tests, as well as learning the fates of those from the first Saw film.[7]

The game was originally being published by Brash Entertainment, who later ceased all operations due to financial troubles. This allowed Konami to pick up the publishing rights for the game only a few weeks later. The game, now under control of Konami, is being designed to be a spiritual successor to Konami's other survival horror franchise, Silent Hill. The game has not been drastically changed due to the change of publisher, but Konami has contributed significant input into the development stages of the project. Konami plans to make Saw its next big survival horror franchise, although no plans for a sequel have been discussed.[8]

Gameplay

Saw is primarily a third-person survival horror game with action elements. The player controls David Tapp, a former detective trapped in the Jigsaw Killer's asylum filled with traps. The primary goal of the game is to traverse the asylum and solve traps and defeat hostile prisoners in order to escape alive. Tapp will have several abilities in the game to fulfill his objectives such as searching things like toilets, dead bodies, nurse's carts, and nightstands to find things like weapons, health, clues, or others.[9] There are also various things hidden around the asylum that can be found to provide background on why Tapp is there and other information on Jigsaw and others. Many of these come in the form of "Jigsaw Notes" left behind or cassette tapes found laying around, similar to the "Holotapes" and notes found in Fallout 3.[9]

File:Saw Videogame Screen 3.jpg
The player being prompted to control the in-game character. A close-up camera angle is used to aid the player in completing a task.

The game's combat system allows the character to block, counter-attack, and perform weak and strong attacks to fend off enemies in the asylum. Tapp will have a variety of weapons and resources available to him such as lead pipes, scalpels, crutches, or just bare fists. Certain weapons may also be used for other purposes such as cutting open a body to search it or breaking down a molding wall to reveal hidden paths. Similar to the Condemned series, weapons in the game deplete over time in real time until they are rendered unusable. Tapp's health bar, once depleted, can only be restored by hypos which can be stored in an inventory.[10]

Dread central reveals that Saw will in fact have an online multiplayer component because, "working together will help you survive The Game." The extent of the multiplayer has yet to be revealed except that it will be online through Xbox Live and Playstation Network.[6] At certain points in the game, the player will be joined by AI teammates that will help Tapp in certain tests or areas. At many points in the story, there are multiple paths that can be taken to avoid certain areas or uncover hidden items. The game can be played at two difficulty settings; normal and hard.[11]

A few minigames have been incorporated into the game. These include a searching minigame in which an X-ray view is given to avoid dangers like razors or syringes and grabbing a key before a "Pain meter" fills and wounds Tapp.[9] There is also a lockpicking minigame in which he must turn the dials of a lock so that they all match to successfully unlock the door.[10] Finally, there are doors rigged with shotguns attached to pulleys littered all around the asylum. As soon as opening such a door, the player must press a randomly assigned button before the pulley falls too far to avoid the gun discharging. There are also puzzles called "environmental traps", in which Tapp must use different elements in the environment, the in-game camera, or go to certain locations to accomplish a task.[12]

Synopsis

Setting

Saw takes place between the first and second Saw films, shortly after Dr. Lawrence Gordon and Adam Faulkner's trap concludes at the end of the first film.[13] David Tapp, a cop who was shot in the chest, was healed and brought to an abandoned insane asylum. The building contains many traps and victims left in place by the Jigsaw Killer to test Tapp and his "survival instinct". The asylum itself has many sections. There is a morgue, cold storage, security wing, washrooms, offices, and other areas. A large part of the asylum are cells that held the criminally insane before it was condemned and abandoned.[11]

Characters

Further information: List of Saw characters
  • Detective David Tapp (unannounced voice actor): A veteran policeman, Tapp has been on the Jigsaw case since the beginning. After being shot by Zep Hindle in the first Saw film, Tapp was brought to an asylum by Jigsaw, who got someone to heal his gunshot wound and also place a key inside his chest. When Tapp awakens in the asylum with the Jaw Splitter trap on his head, he quickly escapes and begins to unravel the clues left behind by Jigsaw. Tapp will not be voiced by Danny Glover, the actor who portrayed him in the films.[14]
  • John Kramer, "Jigsaw" (voiced by Tobin Bell): The antagonist of Saw, Jigsaw is a serial killer who captures victims and puts them into traps to test their survival and teach them lessons to correct their past errors. Jigsaw has captured Tapp and put him into the abandoned asylum that the game takes place in. A persuasive being, Jigsaw has minions stalking Tapp placed all around the area. It was officially announced on June 4 that Tobin Bell would reprise his role as Jigsaw.[14][15]
  • Billy the Puppet (voiced by Tobin Bell): Jigsaw's puppet that is used to deliver clues and information to his victims. While usually through video messages, Billy also appears in person riding a tricycle to congratulate surviving test subjects. Jigsaw will assist Tapp through Billy to help him navigate the asylum. Billy is described as a "very ominous figure. When you see him, you know you’re screwed."[14] Billy has also been featured prominently in promoting the game.[16]
  • Amanda Young (unannounced voice actor): One of Jigsaw's first victims, Amanda survived her first test and was rehabilitated by Jigsaw. Seeing him as a savior, she has become his protege upon his request. She has been posing as a recaptured and trapped victim in the asylum to keep watch over Tapp and his game. For unknown reasons, she is being stalked by the mysterious Pigmask Stalker. Tapp must find and save Amanda and discover what information she has about the asylum and Jigsaw himself. It has been revealed that Amanda will play a major role in the plot.[14]
  • Dr. Lawrence Gordon: The doctor who diagnosed Jigsaw with his inoperable frontal lobe cancer, Lawrence Gordon was placed in the bathroom trap in the first Saw film for adultery and deceit. After realizing his wife and daughter were at risk, Gordon sawed off his foot in a rage.[17] Despite the fact that the creators of Saw wanted to leave his fate a mystery, it has been leaked that the game will explain what happened to him following his escape from the bathroom.[18]
  • Unnamed ally (unannounced voice actor): A man who is saved early in the game from a room filled with nail bombs, he assists Tapp in moving through the asylum and fending off enemies. The man soon betrays Tapp as part of his own game. When attempting to go free after completing his test, he is killed by a shotgun trap.[10]
  • Pigmask Stalker: Recent trailers for the game detail a person dressed in Jigsaw's robes and his signature Pig Mask stalking people in the asylum. It is unannounced who the person is in the robes.[16]

Screenshots released by Konami also reveal many other unnamed characters present in the game. Among them are a male who is in a large steel box trap covering his entire head. The trap is the first of the unique traps revealed that are not present in the films. Another character is is a dead male who is left wrapped in razor wires after bleeding to death; This is the same trap that held Paul in the first film. In addition to these (and other) characters, there are also several other attackers spread around the asylum with orders to kill Tapp in order to get the key inside him and free themselves. Some of these attackers have the "Reverse Bear Trap" on them, some with the "Venus Fly Trap", and others with no traps on them at all. Recent interviews have confirmed that the game will have elaborate on the fates of characters from the first film.[7][11]

Plot

The story centers on Detective David Tapp's kidnapping by his alleged suspect, The Jigsaw Killer. During the first Saw film, Tapp witnesses his long-time friend and partner, Detective Steven Sing, fall victim to one of Jigsaw's traps. This left Tapp mentally unstable and he was soon discharged from the police force. Later, Tapp was shot in the chest by Zep Hindle after chasing him in pursuit of Jigsaw.[17]

Jigsaw then gets someone to heal Tapp and put a key in his chest.[7] Later, Tapp is placed in an abandoned asylum. Other victims in the building are instructed to kill Tapp and retrieve the key inside him in order to escape their own tests. Upon awakening in a bathroom with the Reverse Bear Trap on him, Tapp quickly pulls it off and ventures into the rest of the asylum. Tapp saves and then cooperates with another test subject to proceed through the asylum to a medical wing. There, the unnamed man betrays Tapp because it was part of his game, and is quickly killed by a shotgun hanging from atop a door. Next, Tapp moves through the asylum's medical wing to find and save Amanda Young, a survivor of Jigsaw's tests, who has information that could help him escape alive. Unbeknown to Tapp, Amanda has become Jigsaw's protege and is sent into the asylum by him to make sure Tapp follows the rules of the game. From there, he is forced to work through several more of Jigsaw's traps containing people with dark connections to Tapp and fight to escape alive.[19][20] Recent trailers also show a person dressed in Jigsaw's robes and the signature Pig Mask stalking Tapp and others throughout the asylum.[7]

IGN states that the game will have moral choices to be made that can result in multiple different endings. In an interview, the game's producer David Cohen stated that the game will "combine action, puzzles, mystery, and terror" and that "it has always been a priority to make sure the Saw video game feels like it is as important part of the puzzle as each film".[6]

Development

Prior to the release of Saw III, Twisted Pictures and Brash Entertainment announced they were planning to create a game based on the Saw property. Although no release was confirmed, they stated that the game would most likely release alongside Saw IV. Originally, Brash was going to develop the game and co-publish it with Twisted Pictures. It was stated that the game's plot would follow that of the first Saw film, but this was later changed as development progressed.[21]

After the initial announcement of the game, it was soon dropped from mention with no updates from Brash. The only form of news came from a teaser site for the game, which was removed as the game moved further into production.[21][22] The game resurfaced at the Game Developers Conference 2008, on January 22, where a teaser trailer was played. The trailer showed franchise staple Billy the Puppet preaching to reporters about their wasted lives. Brash announced that Zombie Studios had taken over development of the game, leaving Brash to publish. The trailer also briefly showed some gameplay elements from one of the traps featured in the game. After the trailer, Brash also confirmed that the game would utilize the Unreal Engine 3 and be releasing on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Microsoft Windows platforms.[5][16] A poster for the game was also released soon after at the 2008 Comic Con convention which depicted an amorphous gamepad in a pool of blood. The tagline "Dying To Play?" was also coined by Brash through the poster.[23]

On November 14 2008, it was reported that Brash Entertainment would be ceasing operations due to financial difficulties. It was further reported that since Brash Entertainment was publishing the game with Twisted Pictures, the game itself may have been left in a "possible state of limbo".[24] Considering that the game was far into production, the owners of the Saw brand, Lions Gate, was considering publishing the game themselves. The idea was soon rejected as Lions Gate is primarily a film company and has no experience in the video game industry. After some time, with the state of the game unknown, Konami picked the game up for distribution/development on February 6, 2009, after almost four months of uncertainty regarding the game's fate.[8]

File:Saw Videogame Screen 18.jpeg
Konami's Saw booth at the 2009 E3 Electronic Expo (read development for more info)

On April 14, 2009, Konami held a Gamers Night Press Event which allowed a more general public to demo the game. While it was only in "Alpha stage", the demo allowed the play-through of a Jaw-Splitter trap, some interactions in the asylum, and other things. The demo was well-received by many people who had tested it.[19]

The game was demonstrated by Konami executives at the E3 on June 1, 2009. More plot details were revealed, along with some gameplay footage. Another trailer was shown shortly after the demo. The trailer showed Detective Tapp in the Jaw Splitter trap, glimpses of the asylum, and other features. The Saw booth (shown at the right), was the first time that anyone outside of the immediate realm of Konami and associates were allowed to play the game for themselves. The image in the background depicts Billy on his signature tricycle which is used frequently in the films (another instance of his prominent marketing use). The image itself, labeled with the Mature rating by the ESRB, is hosted on the game's official website.[7] Many preview articles stemmed from the expansive demo.

At the San Diego Comic Con 2009, more of Saw was demoed and two more trailers were released. The game's combat system, which was initially a topic of complaint amongst critics, was reworked to incorporate more life-like character motions and collisions. On July 31, the game was rated 18+ by the BBFC for strong bloody violence.[25]

To advertise the game, Konami has released a series of screenshots and viral videos. The screenshots depict different areas of the asylum and victims in their traps. The videos demonstrate the first hour or so of the game and gameplay. While a few of the videos have contradicted themselves due to Zombie making dramatic changes to the environment and gameplay, they still have maintained the general roots of the game and it's story revealed thus far.[26]

On August 8, the Konami website had lost the entire section on Saw, including screenshots and information. The reason for this is unknown, but it is speculated that this is due to the Konami website being under construction. The site was soon restored within a few days with updated information, including the official ESRB rating of Mature 17+ for blood and gore, drug reference, intense violence, and strong language.[7]

Reception

Controversy

Further information: List of controversial video games § Saw

Saw has been the subject of much controversy, even prior to the games release. Critics have even regaled the game into the widely hated "Torture porn" genre. The game's violence and visual intensity received many allegations that the main goal of Saw is to mutilate characters simply for the sake of doing so. It was compared to games such as Grand Theft Auto IV, Madworld, and Manhunt, but contrasted for the claim that the aformentioned games violence served a some-what humorous purpose or a moral reprieve. William Usher of Cinemablend wrote that Saw pushed the controversial boundaries and called it a "tutorial for sadists to get pleasure from". Usher also claimed that the lack of a moral message or choices make it even more controversial.[27] In response to these claims, Konami and previous publisher brash had revealed that Saw does indeed contain choices like choosing what characters will live and die, ultimately resulting in a few possible endings depending on the players decisions.[6]

The game contains one scene that allows players to cut open bodies and sift through their insides to retrieve a key. This area was particularly critized by critics. It was stated that this scenario was "sick" and "tasteless". In defense, many forum users have replied that the action does have a purpose and is not as bad in gore as other games such as Gears of War. As of September, Konami has already had indefinite BBFC and ESRB ratings, so no plans for censoring or editing have been made.[27]

References

  1. ^ "Gamestop.com Buy SAW - Xbox 360". Gamestop. 2009-08-15. Retrieved 2009-08-10.
  2. ^ "Saw: The Videogame (PS3)". Gamespy. Retrieved 2009-08-10.
  3. ^ "Saw for Xbox 360". Gamespot. Retrieved 2009-08-22.
  4. ^ "IGN: Saw The Videogame (Saw)". IGN. 2009-06-24. Retrieved 2009-06-24.
  5. ^ a b "Saw Announced". IGN. 2008-01-30. Retrieved 2008-01-30.
  6. ^ a b c d "Game Producer David S. Cohen Talks Saw Video Game". Dread Central. Retrieved 2008-10-24.
  7. ^ a b c d e f "Broken Konami Saw Site". Konami. Retrieved 2009-08-10.
  8. ^ a b "Will Saw Be Konami's Second Great Horror Franchise?". The Cut Scene. 2009-04-02. Retrieved 2009-08-04.
  9. ^ a b c "Saw SDCC 09: Kindest Cut Gameplay [HD]". Machine Production. 2009-07-26. Retrieved 2009-08-21.
  10. ^ a b c "Saw - Survival Gameplay". KingzHouse1. 2009-07-27. Retrieved 2009-08-21.
  11. ^ a b c "Saw Company Line". Gamespot. 08-11-2009. Retrieved 2009-08-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ "E3 2009: Five Minutes of Saw Gameplay". BingeGamerDotNet. 06-03-2009. Retrieved 2009-08-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ "Live Or Die, Make Your Choice". IGN. 2009-04-13. Retrieved 2009-04-14.
  14. ^ a b c d "Saw video game preview". Metromix Orlando. 08-17-2009. Retrieved 2009-08-20. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ^ "Konami Signs Tobin Bell To Voice Jigsaw In Saw Game". Team Xbox. 2009-07-04. Retrieved 2009-08-03.
  16. ^ a b c "Saw teaser trailer". GameVideos. 04-02-2009. Retrieved 2009-08-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ a b "Saw (2004 film)". Wikipedia. Retrieved 2009-08-22.
  18. ^ "Exclusive Saw Video Game Update!". Bloody-Disgusting. 2009-01-19. Retrieved 2009-08-28.
  19. ^ a b "Saw Hands-On Preview". Team Xbox. 2009-04-14. Retrieved 2009-04-21.
  20. ^ "Learn Your Lesson With Three New Saw: The Video Game Stills". Fearnet. 2009-04-03. Retrieved 2009-04-09.
  21. ^ a b "Brash Entertainment's 'Saw' Game Isn't Dead, Filmmakers Provide Update". MTV News. 2008-05-16. Retrieved 2009-09-05.
  22. ^ "Saw - Who Is Jigsaw?". Brash Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-09-05.
  23. ^ "SDCC '08: Hi-Res 'Saw' Video Game Poster, Tattoo!". Bloody-Disgusting. 2008-07-30. Retrieved 2009-09-06.
  24. ^ "Saw Video Game In Peril? Game Over For Brash Entertainment?". Bloody-Disgusting. 2008-11-14. Retrieved 2008-11-16.
  25. ^ Cite error: The named reference Saw rated 18+ by the BBFC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  26. ^ "Saw previews, videos, and more". IGN. Retrieved 2009-08-22.
  27. ^ a b "Editorial: SAW Game Is Depraved And Inhumane; Konami Should Be Ashamed". Cinemablend. 2009-07-28. Retrieved 2009-09-07.

External links

See also

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