EVERYDAY AUSTRALIANS REACT TO THE INTRODUCTION OF ANDROID HELPERS IN DAILY LIFE
PlayStation Australia runs social experiment to mark the launch of PlayStation®4 exclusive, Detroit: Become Human
SYDNEY, May 25, 2018 – In celebration of the highly anticipated launch of Detroit: Become Human™, only on PS4™, PlayStation Australia has conducted a social experiment that shows everyday Aussies are distinctly wary when it comes to potential introduction of android helpers in daily life.
The relationship between humans and artificial intelligence is already becoming increasingly complex, and it’s only going to get more complicated as it evolves beyond making haircut appointments.
For the experiment, a realistic-looking Android was created modelled on the in-game CyberLife Android protagonists designed by the game’s creators, Quantic Dream. The appearance and character of the CyberLife Android were brought to life using a trained actor and prosthetics by an internationally renowned and award-winning Australian special makeup effects studio.
Genuine reactions from the public and their pooches were captured on video in response to the Cyberlife Android completing simple tasks in two scenarios – walking a dog and ordering a coffee for its owner.
The test showed an overwhelming response of mistrust and concern around the prospect of Android helpers in everyday life. People’s powerful, and often hilarious, reactions reinforced the principle of ‘Uncanny Valley’; when robots look close to, but not quite, human, people develop a sense of unease and discomfort.
As the first phase of the experiment, PlayStation Australia created a callout on AirTasker for someone to help test a CyberLife Android. In contrast to in-person reactions, the callout received over 250 applications and with a majority of positive responses.
Detroit: Become Human, is an interactive neo-noir thriller, set in the near-future metropolis of Detroit during the year 2038. The city has been revjuvenated by the invention and introduction of androids into everyday life, but when androids start behaving as if they are alive, events begin to spin out of control. As the PS4 player steps into the shoes of three distinct playable android characters, their decisions will dramatically alter how the game’s intense, branching narrative plays out.
Exclusive to PlayStation 4, Detroit: Become Human is available now on PlayStation Store and via select Australian retailers with a recommended retail price of $99.95 AUD.
Find imagery and downloadable footage here and head to the press site for additional assets – www.siee-press.com.
##
About Sony Interactive Entertainment Australia Pty Ltd
Sony Interactive Entertainment Australia (SIEAU) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe (SIEE). SIEE, headquartered in London, UK, is responsible for the PlayStation® brand and family of products and services within the 109 territories serviced by SIEE as a regional headquarters for Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE). PlayStation has delivered innovation to the market since the launch of the original PlayStation in Japan in 1994. The PlayStation family of products and services include PlayStation®4, PlayStation®VR, PlayStation®Vita, PlayStation®3, PlayStation®Store, PlayStation®Plus, PlayStationTMVideo, PlayStationTMMusic, PlayStationTMNow and acclaimed PlayStation software titles from SIE Worldwide Studios.
You will do this through the use of Pheromone Goggles and a Pheromone gun that has been installed with a Demon Sweeper upgrade. This allows the user to suck up any mini-demons that appear attached to girls though they can simply be shot with the gun. Because of these goggles any female around the character will immediately become infatuated with the wearer, meaning that to hunt these demons the player must also avoid the numerous confessions and occasionally sadistic tendencies of the girls of the school.
Occasionally girls with mini demons attached to them will appear and not only are these girls impervious to normal shots until the demons are shot off of them they are far more aggressive than their counterparts. These demons can then be either shot and destroyed or sucked up using the Demon Sweeper for extra points. As you progress through the game it is possible to gain various upgrade parts for your main equipment, allowing the Demon Sweeper to even tear the clothing off of the girls, also eliminating them from the stage.
In fact, outside of the relatively difficult item finding missions, this game tends to be a rather easy one to complete. Rarely will players feel like they are about to lose a level as not only is it easy to stun girls by temporarily using the Demon Sweeper or by using the sweeper to suck up long range confession attacks, but the amount of damage done by their confessions and affection is rather minimal in the long run as advancing through a stage or absorbing a “Mr. Happy” plush will restore some of your health.
This candy is obtained through simply completing missions and is also the best way to raise affection with both Nanako and Chiru to unlock more of their story paths. All of these paths will feature the aforementioned Doki-Doki mode and other fan-service heavy scenes that involve finding demons hidden within their body and purifying them, often by stripping the girls down to their underwear in the process.
Perhaps one of the elements that does make Gal*Gun 2 a bit of an easier game is the fact that the Switch version will provide players better aiming if they happen to play it as a handheld. Players can choose to aim however they wish with the analog sticks but if you want to be extra accurate, especially when it comes to picking apart far away mini-demons, then you can also zoom in and take precise aim using the motion controls of the system. This control system is adjustable if you don’t like to use this function but it does make the game a bit easier.
It is interesting to note that there is only the original Japanese voice track to work with in this game but that isn’t too much of a problem as nearly every element of the game is given solid subtitle work, even with the main enemy’s verbal tic given a unique twist in the dialogue.
With the roads are rough on any vehicle still capable of running, bandits preying on anyone not prepared to defend themselves, supplies runs always leaving you at the risk of death, and numerous other disasters awaiting you, Death Road to Canada can be a punishing game and one that you will definitely need some practice and a healthy dose of luck to get through alive.
The actual game modes are all the same more or less, one is a standard mode, another focuses heavily on using characters you’ve created as survivors you’ll come across, and another focuses more on giving players special rare characters that are references to other games or pop culture icons with advancing difficulties being unlocked once you manage to complete a route.
The road trip part of the journey is where you’ll find all sorts of randomized events occurring as you travel to Canada. Your group will have short, often humorous, conversations while driving and can encounter all kinds of events on the road that can impact their morale. There is a massive amount of events that can happen and often choices that you can make that will affect your crew in various ways. Sleeping in a seemingly safe area may provide everyone rest but can leave you open to danger, attempting to escape bandits can cause members to get hurt or get away scot-free depending on your party’s stats and who you choose to handle certain situations.
That is why players will “always be looting” as the game says when you can select from a variety of locations to search in the game’s other half. This places players in a variety of locations where they will leave the relative safety of the car and brave the undead to search through abandoned stores, houses, and other buildings to try and see what they can scavenge.
Like any good survival game, your characters can only take a few hits before dying and while it is possible to heal up between scavenging sessions with medical supplies, it is highly likely that if you get swarmed you will end up losing someone. In fact, as you get further along it is entirely possible that an inescapable timed swarm battle may see your group of four survivors dwindle down to a solo survivor. The interesting thing is, as long as you have at least one human (as dogs and even pigs can be recruited as survivors) survivor you can continue your journey to Canada. Even if it means having no one left from the original group in your survivor pool.
Also it is worth noting that while co-op is available in the game, it is not available for use online. While this is nice for drop-in and drop-out couch co-op it is disappointing that the option for online play isn’t available in some form. Your co-op partner is also limited when it comes to interacting with NPCs found during your journey, making them little more than a helping hand when it comes to taking on the zombies.
Unfortunately the actual variety of the locations quickly becomes monotonous while the zombies themselves all begin to blend together with similar appearances becoming problematic. The soundtrack is fairly standard for a retro pixel style game such as this and doesn’t really lend itself to being memorable in any way.