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James Rushton
Apr 30, 2023
Unrecord early trailer
content.jwplatform.com
Unrecord - an upcoming 'photorealistic' video game is splitting opinion for being perhaps a bit too realistic.
The game is an upcoming single-player first person shooter that places the player into the role of a tactical police officer - with the game seemingly entirely played via the perspective of the officer's body camera,
The initial assumption deployed by the public on release of new footage from Unrecord drew disbelief - with many commenting that it was real body-cam footage with gaming elements such as a HUD and dialogue options laid directly on top.
It turns out it's real - but not real-life. The game simply looks that realistic. Unrecord's visual style is hard to tell apart from real-life footage, thanks to its development within Unreal Engine 5, and the stunning graphical capabilities now available to developers.
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Now commentary has turned to whether the game is drawing too close from traumatic real-life experiences, and looking far too real in portraying them to boot.
At a time where - often upsetting - police body-cam footage is essentially it's own genre of video content on social media, many believe it's in bad taste to release a hyper-realistic shooting game that depicts fairly accurate violence in a manner far-distant from the almost Avengers-like bombast of Call of Duty.
Whilst others simply think it'll be a hyper-cool immersive shooter.
The flashpoint of discussion raged around a tweet from Unrecord creator Alexandre Spindler depicting the game in action.
\u201cFirst early gameplay trailer for \u201cUNRECORD\u201d, the bodycam FPS. Wishlist on steam now!\n\n@unrecordgame\u201d— Alexandre Spindler (@Alexandre Spindler) 1681919964
\u201cThis isn't real-lfe body-cam footage: it's a video game powered by Unreal Engine 5 called "Unrecord". The combination of the impressive lighting, reflections, and unpredictable camera makes the game looking startlingly real\n\n[\ud83d\udcf9 Alexandre Spindler]\nhttps://t.co/w8Hignh1PX\u201d— Massimo (@Massimo) 1682070453
\u201cNew game called Unrecord is sparking conversations due to how realistic the game graphics are, some asking if it goes too far. \u201d— \uff2e\uff45\uff52\uff44\uff59 \ud83c\udd70\ud83c\udd73\ud83c\udd73\ud83c\udd78\ud83c\udd72\ud83c\udd83 (@\uff2e\uff45\uff52\uff44\uff59 \ud83c\udd70\ud83c\udd73\ud83c\udd73\ud83c\udd78\ud83c\udd72\ud83c\udd83) 1682091920
Streamer Trainwreck summed up the realism debate with a suggestion that it makes him feel uncomfortable - and such realism in shooting games should be heavily moderated.
\u201c@esankiy Still, a video. Don't get me wrong, I am excited, but until we get a BETA, not much we can talk about.\u201d— Alexandre Spindler (@Alexandre Spindler) 1682012210
A statement on the game's official Twitter page addressed concerns following the video's reveal, stating that "As a French studio addressing a global audience, the game does not engage in any foreign policy and is not inspired by any real-life events. The game will obviously avoid any undesirable topics such as discrimination, racism, violence against women and minorities. The game will have no biased or Manichaean take on criminal acts and police violence. We also respect and understand people who may feel disturbed by the game's images. Art cannot fight against interpretation.."
\u201cPost-reveal: Response to questions and concerns from players.\n\nhttps://t.co/n6hF9aiGiW\u201d— Unrecord (@Unrecord) 1681993892
As Unrecord trudges towards a release date pinpointed on an unknown spot in the future, it'll likely attract more discussion- A) on whether it holds up to the initial footage of a hyperrealistic and immersive police shooting game, or B) how far that realism pushes the debate on 'taste'.
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