New Afrika trailer is wildly educational

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Jun 6th 2008 at 9:45AM }

Okay, we think we finally get it. This latest trailer for PlayStation 3 safari sim, Afrika, reveals that the game is, much like the Wii's Endless Ocean, all about exploring, documenting and learning about wildlife. You'll snap pictures of giraffes (they're really tall!), sneak up on a buffalo in the dead of night (where are his wings?), and drive alongside sprinting cheetahs (they always prosper!). There also appears to be an interactive encyclopedia providing details on all those animals you spied on at the watering hole, though it doesn't seem to mention what any of them taste like.

... What?

Tags: Afrika, Japan, Rhino-Studios, SCEJ

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

copa @ Jun 6th 2008 9:51AM

That's pretty. If it was a $40 title in the US, I would definitely consider picking it up to play with the kids.

LeadBoxx @ Jun 6th 2008 9:52AM

I agree. I will play it without kids.

mr nimblewick @ Jun 6th 2008 10:11AM

I agree. I will play with your kids.

Mr.ESC @ Jun 6th 2008 11:11AM

Why don't you take a seat right over there Mr nimblewick?

xGeneral DEATHx @ Jun 6th 2008 11:20AM

Mr. ESC's been dying to use that one for awhile, LOL.

Maverick Saturn @ Jun 6th 2008 11:50AM

Jeez Nimblewick, thats scary shit right there, lmao

Mr.ESC @ Jun 6th 2008 12:08PM

I wouldn't say dying but I knew this avatar was going to come in handy.

Umeadi @ Jun 6th 2008 12:56PM

THEEYY"RE FOOD!!

Brent @ Jun 6th 2008 9:55AM

On a totally unrelated note, these AOL ads that slide in from the left of the screen are absolutely the worst. I am getting more and more annoyed with these obtrusive ads.

Nikonov @ Jun 6th 2008 11:16AM

http://www.getfirefox.com

aristokrat @ Jun 6th 2008 3:07PM

http://www.apple.com/safari

No annoying ads (yet) without having to download anything else (hooray WebKit)

Nigeria @ Jun 6th 2008 10:03AM

Extreme photography.

If I had a PS3 I'd buy this. It looks interesting.

I'm not a real hippo fan, though.

MJ @ Jun 6th 2008 2:13PM

Should really not drink then read Joystiq, thought you'd typed Extreme PORNography!

Think I should go to bed lol

mezzanine @ Jun 6th 2008 6:45PM

SEE I'M DA BEST MAAAAAN I DEED EET

PojoMofo @ Jun 6th 2008 10:06AM

tell the truth Ludwig, you shot that video yourself looking out your hut's window this morning didn't you?!?!

Chris @ Jun 6th 2008 10:09AM

I bet all this picture taking of rare species in Afrika is just a cover for the IRIS Network...

mr nimblewick @ Jun 6th 2008 10:13AM

Can you be killed in game by an annoyed meerkat? That'd be awesome.

FOXHOUND @ Jun 6th 2008 10:16AM

In-game XMB needs to happen ASAP so I can blast "Hakuna Matata" while playing AFRIKA. :\

riggs @ Jun 6th 2008 10:49AM

it means no worries tbh.

cjshrader @ Jun 6th 2008 11:32AM

I'd say it's a problem-free philosophy

Maverick Saturn @ Jun 6th 2008 11:51AM

Get chased by a rhino :)

Paul (PSN: heypaul) @ Jun 6th 2008 1:00PM

This game looks it has some great opportunities to screw around. I liked jumping into subway tracks and diving out of helicopters in GTA IV, so I bet I'll love trying to pet lions and kiss rhinos in Afrika.

farfisa @ Jun 6th 2008 10:13AM

All fine and dandy until the zombies show up.
But seriously, is that guy wearing a toque?

BlackFreefall @ Jun 6th 2008 10:20AM

My question is, will the animals attack you if you invade thier territories? Are there animal pouchers in this game? Imaginge you can cause a stampede and reenact the Lion King's scene where Simba...

Ok those are just wishful thinking.

Chris @ Jun 6th 2008 1:04PM

Part of me is hoping for the "choose good or evil" style of play, where you can choose to photograph or shoot the endangered animals. I know, I'm a terrible person, but I really can't think of a game I've played where I haven't killed or beaten the hell out of something... Oh! Trauma Center! Okay I feel like less of a terrible person- I saved virtual lives.

In closing, this game looks awesome.

WRE (PSN: WorstReviewEver; Gamertag: HaloKissesBoys; Wii Friend Code: 4204-4590-6106-3583) @ Jun 6th 2008 1:16PM

Chris,
Come on. Are you trying to tell me that you've never become so frustrated during a Trauma Center surgery that you didn't wildly slash your patients lungs until he drowned in his own virtual blood?!

...because I've never done that...

NATO_Duke @ Jun 6th 2008 10:29AM

The game looks great. I imagine this will be a must buy for our house.

Luthyr @ Jun 6th 2008 10:37AM

I really hope this turns out to be great. There's such a lack of large-budget educational games today that I wish developers would try and do more of.

RoboChamp @ Jun 6th 2008 10:43AM

It's nice, but I think I'd like it more if you had to survive in the wild too. Or take your safety into account with wild animals. I mean, can you walk up to a cheetah's face and take a picture of it without getting mauled? When the animals feast on each other, is there blood? I have a feeling Sony might castrate Afrika's gore a la Liar to keep it E.

why not the LS2LS7? @ Jun 6th 2008 12:31PM

You could never get up to a Cheetah's face in real life. It wouldn't maul you, it would run from you. Cheetah are the smallest of the big cats and are not very hardy (light weight means they can run fast), so they run from things that approach them.

David @ Jun 6th 2008 2:37PM

I don't want this to turn into some chore game like Lost in Blue. I also don't want this game to be overly difficult, I want to observe animals, learn about them, and take stunning photos. I would appreciate playing as a journalist and getting a score in the form of money for my wildlife photos. I hope that this game has a lot of animals, and a checklist so I know which ones I've found, like a pokedex, or a birdwatcher's manual.

ill trooper @ Jun 6th 2008 10:54AM

I'm into it! This looks even cooler than I first thought with the revealing of the cameras, remote control car, and night photography. But like I mentioned in the last Afrika post, I'm one of those weird people that played the underwater exploration game 'Aquanaut's Holiday' on the PS1 and liked the photography gameplay in 'Beyond Good and Evil.'

Trevsweb @ Jun 6th 2008 10:54AM

the big question which will make or break this game. can you hit any animal in you jeep? failing that really piss them off.

majikarp @ Jun 6th 2008 10:59AM

Think this game has a pokeflute so you can lull some of the more aggressive beasts for a great photo?

Misfit Toy @ Jun 6th 2008 11:02AM

My favorite thing about this post is the fact that it is Ludwig that posted it :)

offday @ Jun 6th 2008 11:09AM

10 bucks says that the African women blog makes a post about how pissed they are that this game DOESN'T have any black people in it.

Lord Bowser @ Jun 7th 2008 5:48AM

Joke: failure to launch.

Mr.ESC @ Jun 6th 2008 11:14AM

Afrika A.K.A Pokémon Snap next-gen.

This game would great if you could go after illegal Hunters.

Ken Shammy @ Jun 6th 2008 11:29AM

I wonder if you can die a gruesome death in this.

Mr.ESC @ Jun 6th 2008 12:10PM

If they want this game to sell they better add alot of gory cheap deaths.

pockyninja @ Jun 6th 2008 11:37AM

I... I think we've been pun-stabbed.

ThornedVenom (Harley Quinn Defense Force) @ Jun 6th 2008 11:40AM

By the most awkward and inexplicable urges, if I had a PS3, I'd buy this game in a heartbeat for its production values, for daring to be different, and also for the valuable knowledge it has to share.

The only way to make this game better is to have pokeballs.

Maverick Saturn @ Jun 6th 2008 11:52AM

Dude... ¬_¬ lol

Maverick Saturn @ Jun 6th 2008 11:53AM

Imagine this as an MMO.

I'd have to kick all your asses to get the exclusive shot of the red rhino. :)

MegaWatts @ Jun 6th 2008 12:03PM

Give me a chainsaw machine gun (Lancer) from gears of war and put me in that game. Now that would be fun! Chasing animals through the Afrika landscape. Then BBQ them up! Tasty!

Noshino @ Jun 6th 2008 12:21PM

Or even better, have them chase YOU! :D

why not the LS2LS7? @ Jun 6th 2008 12:33PM

Well, Shane called it, it is pokemon snap. I hope they find a way to get enough gameplay into make a game of it. Snap had a huge advantage of their being lots of kinds of pokemon and the 3D models were already created, so they could include a lot of them. I'll be interested in how this game gets around that there are really only about 35 different creatures to take pics of.