 |
The new "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" game is doing a heck of a job proving that games based on movies can actually be, well... good -- but in another surprise to veteran gamers, the iPhone app created to promote the game could actually be worth a peek, too.
***
By Rick Marshall
"Feral Sense" is a free iPhone application that encourages users to unlock exclusive Wolverine-related content by finding and photographing (using their iPhone camera) various icons scattered throughout the game's marketing campaign. Once you line up the camera and the icon correctly and snap a picture -- for example, of the claw marks on the back of the game's box -- the app will recognize the icon and unlock exclusive images, video, etc.
While Activision has made all five icons available on the game's official website (thereby removing the need to actually look around the in-store marketing and various other places for the icons), there's a lot to be said for its use of "photo recognition" technology. It's a cool little app, sure -- but it could -- or perhaps, should -- be a sign of things to come as cameras become standard on Nintendo's DSi and other systems. (I've been meaning to get one for my PSP for ages now, and I'd be more inclined to do so with apps like "Feral Sense.")
Sure, it's a marketing tool, but it's a pretty clever marketing tool -- and that's the best kind, really. You can download "Feral Sense" from the official App Store, so check it out if you have a chance. I'd love to hear what other uses for this technology you'd suggest for gaming down the road.