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<?xml-stylesheet type="text/xsl" href="http://www.gameinformer.com/utility/FeedStylesheets/rss.xsl" media="screen"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"><channel><title>I Am Alive</title><link>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/i_am_alive/default.aspx</link><description /><dc:language>en-US</dc:language><generator>Telligent Community 1.5.134.12297 (Build: 5.5.134.12297)</generator><item><title>Wiki: I Am Alive Guides</title><link>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/i_am_alive/w/guides/default.aspx</link><pubDate>Mon, 07 Jan 2013 08:30:00 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:1567</guid><dc:creator>Anonymous</dc:creator><description>Guides for I Am Alive</description></item><item><title>Blog: I Am Alive - PC</title><link>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/i_am_alive/b/pc/default.aspx</link><pubDate>Thu, 23 Aug 2012 16:12:00 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:30763</guid><dc:creator>Anonymous</dc:creator><description /></item><item><title>Blog Post: Why..Am I Alive!?!?</title><link>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/i_am_alive/b/user_reviews/archive/2012/03/11/why-am-i-alive.aspx</link><pubDate>Sun, 11 Mar 2012 05:37:00 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:1762590</guid><dc:creator>iamaditya</dc:creator><description>&lt;p&gt;Just saw and  played Ubisoft Shanghai&amp;#39;s most anticipated game - I AM ALIVE at a friend&amp;#39;s place. I must say i really waited a long time for this release and i can sure say i wasn&amp;#39;t disappointed. Why? Well for starters, my friend has an Xbox360! :) The game really pulls u in and the environment is really something. The audio n video synchronization  is pretty good, except in some places coz of some minor glitches (being a moderate gamer, i have a tendency to ignore them!). The gameplay is pretty awesome with the ability to climb up buildings and to kill your target in multiple ways. The storyline is a huge success, aptly written and keeps you wanting for more. Many a time i really thought this game was a cross breed between the assassins creed and the resident evil franchises..and that sort of spooked me! In-game interaction is pretty decent, nothing to complain. I haven&amp;#39;t finished playiing it, so I can&amp;#39;t say if there are going to be any different  sorts of glitches or not. But to gamer, who like me, waited enough to get this game I can positively say &amp;quot;I like what I see&amp;quot; :)  &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;All in all this is definitely a game to play. My only negative feedback is, like many others, I really wanted this game for PC. Growing up playing all games on my PC, this was something different for me and can connect with the millions of people who are disappointed they can&amp;#39;t get this game. I really believe the gaming industry gets a real boost with games coming out for PCs and urge Ubisoft Shanghai to reconsider their decision about releasing this game for PC.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Forum Post: why..am i alive!?!</title><link>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/i_am_alive/f/16047/p/220118/1762538.aspx#1762538</link><pubDate>Sun, 11 Mar 2012 05:10:00 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:1762538</guid><dc:creator>iamaditya</dc:creator><description>&lt;p&gt;Just saw and &amp;nbsp;played Ubisoft Shanghai&amp;#39;s most anticipated game - I AM ALIVE at a friend&amp;#39;s place. I must say i really waited a long time for this release and i can sure say i wasn&amp;#39;t disappointed. Why? Well for starters, my friend has an Xbox360! :) The game really pulls u in and the environment is really something. The audio n video synchronization &amp;nbsp;is pretty good, except in some places coz of some minor glitches (being a moderate gamer, i have a tendency to ignore them!). The gameplay is pretty awesome with the ability to climb up buildings and to kill your target in multiple ways. The storyline is a huge success, aptly written and keeps you wanting for more. Many a time i really thought this game was a cross breed between the assassins creed and the resident evil franchises..and that sort of spooked me! In-game interaction is pretty decent, nothing to complain. I haven&amp;#39;t finished playiing it, so I can&amp;#39;t say if there are going to be any different &amp;nbsp;sorts of glitches or not. But to gamer, who like me, waited enough to get this game I can positively say &amp;quot;I like what I see&amp;quot; :)&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;All in all this is definitely a game to play. My only negative feedback is, like many others, I really wanted this game for PC. Growing up playing all games on my PC, this was something different for me and can connect with the millions of people who are disappointed they can&amp;#39;t get this game. I really believe the gaming industry gets a real boost with games coming out for PCs and urge Ubisoft Shanghai to reconsider their decision about releasing this game for PC.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Blog Post: I am Alive: Worth the Wait?</title><link>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/i_am_alive/b/user_reviews/archive/2012/03/09/i-am-alive-worth-the-wait.aspx</link><pubDate>Fri, 09 Mar 2012 13:23:00 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:1758883</guid><dc:creator>Areviewer</dc:creator><description>&lt;p&gt;It took me a while to write this review mainly because I had mixed feelings about the game when they released the new trailer that showed the actual gameplay. Not everything appealed to me in the trailer but the fact you can use a balance of power system surprised me. I saw the review and most where good. I then bought the game on XBLA and tried out the game myself. I wasn&amp;#39;t dissapointed that much.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;FIrst off, I just want to say that the game itself is very dark and grainy/bright in some moments, which fits the post apocolyptic world well.&amp;nbsp; The game is pretty in some setpeices but in other areas it&amp;#39;s just downright ugly. Some textures also look muddy from close up. I can&amp;#39;t say the same for the facial animations, they look pretty bad. The dust storms look good though.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;The story was meh at it&amp;#39;s best. I know it&amp;#39;s about a man trying to reunite with his family after a apocolypse happens. But the game really never explains why the apocolypse happens or where the dust came from (well to me anyway). &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;I have mixed feelings about the sounds also. The gun shots sound great but everything else from the machete clatter to the fence opening (I don&amp;#39;t know how many times I had to do that) sound muddy and incomplete. The voice actors sounds pretty darn good for an arcade downloadable though. &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;The game play is the final peice. The platforming sections are put in perfectly and the exploration for supplies also is good. I also liked how you can help other survivors by giving them your med-kit and you get a replay for that and a bit of what happened. The stamina/health bar also fit in perfectly. You struggle as you run out of stamina to get up a tall platforming section which adds tension and a good splash of dramatic music.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;7.5/10 for me.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Blog Post: On Vita?</title><link>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/i_am_alive/b/user_reviews/archive/2012/03/06/on-vita.aspx</link><pubDate>Tue, 06 Mar 2012 21:32:00 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:1751630</guid><dc:creator>bigdog</dc:creator><description>&lt;p&gt;Assuming your scoring this would be about a 4.5 on the Vita. Maybe lower?&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Blog Post: No.</title><link>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/i_am_alive/b/user_reviews/archive/2012/03/06/no.aspx</link><pubDate>Tue, 06 Mar 2012 20:12:00 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:1751401</guid><dc:creator>grenadeh</dc:creator><description>&lt;p&gt;No offense to you but IGN has no idea what they&amp;#39;re talking about, n or have they ever in their short stint as an online gaming authority.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Blog Post: amazing early release</title><link>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/i_am_alive/b/user_reviews/archive/2012/03/06/amazing-early-release.aspx</link><pubDate>Tue, 06 Mar 2012 19:36:00 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:1751271</guid><dc:creator>tedude</dc:creator><description>&lt;p&gt;i played it early and loved it.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Blog Post: amazing</title><link>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/i_am_alive/b/user_reviews/archive/2012/03/06/amazing.aspx</link><pubDate>Tue, 06 Mar 2012 19:36:00 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:1751267</guid><dc:creator>tedude</dc:creator><description>&lt;p&gt;i played it early and loved it.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Blog Post: ......</title><link>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/i_am_alive/b/user_reviews/archive/2012/03/06/1751257.aspx</link><pubDate>Tue, 06 Mar 2012 19:30:00 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:1751257</guid><dc:creator>napster06</dc:creator><description>&lt;p&gt;IGN says this game is not worth the money and time ...&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;to play this game we need patience . but the graphics aren&amp;#39;t good.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Blog Post: I Am Alive Review: Survival Done Right</title><link>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/i_am_alive/b/xbox360/archive/2012/03/06/i-am-alive-review-survival-done-right.aspx</link><pubDate>Tue, 06 Mar 2012 17:00:00 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:1742072</guid><dc:creator>Tim Turi</dc:creator><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;img style="max-width:610px;" border="0" src="http://media1.gameinformer.com/imagefeed/featured/ubisoft/i-am-alive/iamalive-1210-610.jpg" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;After switching studios and surviving development hellfires that have   been burning since 2008, I Am Alive has lived up to its name. The   game&amp;rsquo;s scale has been reduced from a retail release to a downloadable   title, but that hasn&amp;rsquo;t held it back from becoming one of the most   memorable survival games I&amp;rsquo;ve ever played. Days have passed since I   completed it, but I&amp;rsquo;m still ruminating over every bullet spent, life   saved, and decision made.[Excerpt]&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;The story of I Am Alive follows an   apocalyptic event that has left humanity in shambles. The unnamed   protagonist is trying to return home, driven by the desire to reunite   with his family. He chronicles his arduous quest in a camcorder, which   players watch periodically to view the story from a different angle.   Predictably, the reunion isn&amp;rsquo;t as easy as walking up to his front door.   The tale succeeds in its simplicity, and the characters introduced   throughout are nuanced and believable.﻿&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;The standout feature in I   Am Alive is interacting with bands of deranged survivors. I love the   demanding crowd management of Batman: Arkham City, and I Am Alive   delivers a similar experience in a more dire, realistic way. I became   obsessed with deducing the best possible way to take down a group of   armed bad guys as an underpowered everyman. Pulling off a surprise   machete kill, bluffing with an empty gun, and kicking guys off roofs are   all intense experiences. Checkpoint reloads are limited, making these   suspenseful altercations even more rewarding when pulled off   successfully.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;You earn extra retries by helping other survivors.   This usually involves mending the injured or performing good samaritan   acts such as bringing a dust-choked elderly man his asthma inhaler.   While the game isn&amp;rsquo;t a complete cake walk, I never found myself hard up   for retries. The true rewards are the bits of story-expanding dialogue   offered by thankful survivors that shed light on the ambiguous &amp;ldquo;Event&amp;rdquo;   that left the world a dusty husk. What makes I Am Alive&amp;rsquo;s setting so   convincing is how much is still left to interpretation.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;When not   vying for your life against degenerates or helping your fellow man, much   of your time is spent climbing derelict buildings and exploring the   city. The protagonist is a better climber than fighter, but getting   around Haventon isn&amp;rsquo;t the effortless parkour talent show seen in other   games. Scrambling along drain pipes, window ledges, and rebar feels a   little loose, making it easy to accidentally miss your intended path.   Complicating matters is a stamina meter that drains while climbing.   Unless you have the necessary items to replenish your energy, you&amp;rsquo;re   liable to fall to your death. Fortunately my paranoid, item-hoarding   play style saved me from taking too many falls. I&amp;rsquo;ve rarely felt so   rewarded for compulsively searching for every morsel and saving   everything until the last possible second.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;I Am Alive makes   surviving in a broken world a gripping experience, but it has its flaws.   Clipping through the ceiling or enemies getting stuck to the geometry   aren&amp;rsquo;t game breaking, but they kill the mood. One frustrating glitch   involved trekking across town to deliver food to a starving survivor,   only to find the game wouldn&amp;rsquo;t let me help her despite having the fruit   cocktail she so specifically requested. It&amp;rsquo;s also confounding that the   player character scribbles down every detail of the city on his map, but   never makes note of the locations of survivors. Finding your way is   even more of a nuisance when enduring the thick haze created by dust   storms. I understand the intended disorienting effect, but I would like   to see the game I&amp;rsquo;m playing.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;Good survival games have been hard to   come by this console generation, but I Am Alive proves there is still   new ground to break. The gray, oppressive atmosphere, constant struggle   to find supplies, and combating wanton scavengers transports players to a   world only experienced in harrowing novels like Cormac McCarthy&amp;rsquo;s &lt;i&gt;The Road&lt;/i&gt;.   I Am Alive&amp;rsquo;s desperate scenarios and inventive gameplay should not be   missed by masochistic gamers interested in entering a world of   unrelenting dread.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>File: I Am Alive</title><link>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/i_am_alive/m/i_am_alive_media/1740931.aspx</link><pubDate>Fri, 02 Mar 2012 18:05:00 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:1740931</guid><dc:creator>Tim Turi</dc:creator><description>Can you survive in Ubisoft's post-apocalyptic world?</description></item><item><title>File: I Am Alive</title><link>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/i_am_alive/m/i_am_alive_media/1740930.aspx</link><pubDate>Fri, 02 Mar 2012 18:05:00 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:1740930</guid><dc:creator>Tim Turi</dc:creator><description>Can you survive in Ubisoft's post-apocalyptic world?</description></item><item><title>File: I Am Alive</title><link>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/i_am_alive/m/i_am_alive_media/1740928.aspx</link><pubDate>Fri, 02 Mar 2012 18:05:00 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:1740928</guid><dc:creator>Tim Turi</dc:creator><description>Can you survive in Ubisoft's post-apocalyptic world?</description></item><item><title>File: I Am Alive</title><link>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/i_am_alive/m/i_am_alive_media/1740927.aspx</link><pubDate>Fri, 02 Mar 2012 18:05:00 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:1740927</guid><dc:creator>Tim Turi</dc:creator><description>Can you survive in Ubisoft's post-apocalyptic world?</description></item><item><title>Blog Post: Making Of I Am Alive Video Revealed</title><link>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/i_am_alive/b/xbox360/archive/2012/02/27/making-of-i-am-alive-video-revealed.aspx</link><pubDate>Tue, 28 Feb 2012 00:15:00 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:1730845</guid><dc:creator>Matt Miller</dc:creator><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="http://media1.gameinformer.com/imagefeed/featured/ubisoft/iamalive/iamalive1050-610.jpg" style="max-width:610px;" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;Curious about the post-apocalyptic survival game coming to Xbox Live Arcade on March 7th? The developer&amp;#39;s new video sheds light on how the project was crafted. [Excerpt]&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I Am Alive has had a number of ups and downs over the course of a long development period. The final game is finally headed for release in just a few days. The developer at Ubisoft Shanghai put together the following video to help highlight some of the game&amp;#39;s cooler features, including the focus on crafting a realistic and believable disaster setting, strategic interactions with other survivors, and an unusual approach to platforming and traversal.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;Ubisoft is busy hyping I Am Alive&amp;#39;s presence in the Microsoft XBLA House Party promotion, with a release date on March 7. While that means there hasn&amp;#39;t been a lot of talk about the PlayStation 3 version recently, Ubisoft tells Game Informer that the PSN version is still on the way, and we&amp;#39;ll hear an announced release date sometime soon.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Are you willing to give I Am Alive a chance? Check out the video, and let us know your thoughts in the comments. &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;[View:1477157562001]&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Blog Post: Staying Alive In I Am Alive</title><link>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/i_am_alive/b/xbox360/archive/2012/01/18/staying-alive-in-i-am-alive.aspx</link><pubDate>Wed, 18 Jan 2012 22:06:00 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:1635860</guid><dc:creator>Jim Reilly</dc:creator><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;img border="0" style="max-width:610px;" src="http://media1.gameinformer.com/imagefeed/featured/ubisoft/iamalive/iamalive_610.jpg" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;Ubisoft released a new trailer today offering players tips on how to stay alive in the game&amp;#39;s post-apocalyptic environment.[Excerpt] The trailer takes players through some of the enemy situations they&amp;#39;ll encounter and how to react. Killing everyone in sight doesn&amp;#39;t appear to be the best answer all the time.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;I Am Alive is scheduled to release somewhere between February 14 and March 15. You can read our latest impressions of the &lt;a href="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/i_am_alive/b/xbox360/archive/2012/01/12/hands-on-with-i-am-alive.aspx" target="_blank"&gt;right here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;[View:1400728113001]&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Blog Post: Hands On With I Am Alive</title><link>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/i_am_alive/b/ps3/archive/2012/01/12/hands-on-with-i-am-alive.aspx</link><pubDate>Fri, 13 Jan 2012 02:57:00 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:1620609</guid><dc:creator>Matt Bertz</dc:creator><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="http://media1.gameinformer.com/imagefeed/featured/ubisoft/iamalive/CES610.jpg" style="max-width:610px;" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;When gamers explore post-apocalyptic settings, we&amp;#39;re normally armed to the teeth with assault rifles, grenades, and stimpaks. Rare is the game that throws you into the chaotic aftermath of a worldwide catastrophe with no viable resources. Ubisoft&amp;#39;s I Am Alive ventures off the beaten path by embracing the dreary realism of a fractured civilization. [Excerpt]&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;Much like Cormac McCarthy&amp;#39;s novel &lt;i&gt;The Road&lt;/i&gt; or Gary Whitta&amp;#39;s film &lt;i&gt;The Book of Eli&lt;/i&gt;, the world of I Am Alive is desolate and barren, with few survivors inhabiting the devastated cities. Water and canned food are the most prized possessions those eking out a life in this cruel world could have. Weapons are few and far between; don&amp;#39;t expect to come across ammunition caches or bandoleers. Developer Ubisoft Shanghai further drives home the bleakness of this reality with a muted color palette and a tense soundtrack.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;My hands-on demo of the game begins with the main character returning to the outskirt of his hometown city of Haventon. He flew out east right before the catastrophe hit, and it has taken him a year to trek back. Though encounters with fellow survivors are rare, he holds out hope that his wife and young daughter are still alive. All he&amp;#39;s managed to retain during his journey is a camcorder, a few batteries, a rope, and a handgun with an empty clip. &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;The once bustling city is in complete shambles. Making into the city center won&amp;#39;t be easy considering the one bridge into town has been torn and mangled by an earthquake. Getting to the other side won&amp;#39;t be easy. I begin navigating the street full of abandoned cars and finally spot a latter up the side of one of the bridge supports. It looks like I have to take the acrobat&amp;#39;s way across the bridge.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;As I start to navigate the twisted remains of the bridge, I realize this everyman doesn&amp;#39;t have any Nathan Drake or Ezio Auditore genes in his makeup. He&amp;#39;s a sure climber, but as I ascend each rung of the ladder, my stamina bar drops down slightly. If I drain the stamina bar completely, my health will start to diminish as well and I may plummet violently back down to earth. It&amp;#39;s key to chart out a course before moving and to take any opportunity catch your breath and restore your stamina. &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;Halfway through climbing, jumping, and swinging through the mangled metal beams, I realize the next climbing segment isn&amp;#39;t going to allow me to take it slow. My stamina drains completely before I have a chance to reach safety, and I&amp;#39;m forced to repeated pull the right trigger to make the character climb more quickly before the health meter drains completely. When I finally reach the ledge, I&amp;#39;m forced to use my last bottle of water and can of food to replenish my health. &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;Once I safely reach the other side and head into the sewers, I have my first run-in with another survivor. My presence perturbs this edgy character to the point that he draws a gun on me, which makes my decision to scoot quickly past him and continue my journey all the more decisive.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;I emerge from the sewers a few blocks from the apartment. Another mentally disturbed survivor approaches me with a machete drawn, so I instinctively raise my firearm to stop him in his tracks. He has no idea the gun isn&amp;#39;t loaded, so while he stands with his hands raise I move in and clock him with the butt of the gun. As restitution for his act of aggressive, I steal his and find my first bullet in his pockets/ This commodity will come in handy in this dangerous city.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;Further ahead I encounter my first gang. This duo moves toward me with intent to injure, but stop in their tracks when I raise up my firearm. I try to pistol whip one of them, but the other moves in and stabs me with his weapon when I&amp;#39;m exposed. With the situation spiraling out of control I decide now is a good time to use the bullet to even the odds. After the first guy hits the pavement with a bullet in his head I disarm the second guy.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;With my health bar dangerously low, I thankfully come across a medkit. I don&amp;#39;t hesitate to patch my wound, but I should have exercised restraint because right before I reach the apartment I walk past a mother pleading for help for her dying son. Had I not used the medkit, the Ubisoft Shanghai rep says I could have saved the boy. In doing so, the mother would have shared some vital information about the cataclysmic event and given me another replay token that would allow me to restart at a checkpoint if I succumb to the dangers of the city.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;I finally reach my destination, and the apartment building is still standing. Unfortunately, there are no signs of life within the abode. I find a note on the mantle from the character&amp;#39;s significant other. The letter says the wife and child were ushered off to the emergency shelter, but it&amp;#39;s dated a year ago. It looks like the journey to find his loved ones is only beginning. &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;Ubisoft Shanghai says I Am Alive provides roughly six to eight hours of gameplay. Along the way players will encounter more dangerous platforming sequences, hostile survivors, and clues to what happened to the world and his family. My short demo of the game left me eager to jump back into the quest. Though the atmosphere is slightly reminiscent of survival horror games like Silent Hill, Ubisoft&amp;#39;s steadfast commitment to presenting the aftermath realistically is something I haven&amp;#39;t experienced in a video game before.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;As one of the flagship titles of the Xbox Live Arcade House Party, I Am Alive is scheduled to release somewhere between February 14 and March 15. Look for the PSN version shortly thereafter.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;[View:1190506990001]&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Blog Post: Hands On With I Am Alive</title><link>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/i_am_alive/b/xbox360/archive/2012/01/12/hands-on-with-i-am-alive.aspx</link><pubDate>Fri, 13 Jan 2012 02:57:00 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:1620608</guid><dc:creator>Matt Bertz</dc:creator><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="http://media1.gameinformer.com/imagefeed/featured/ubisoft/iamalive/CES610.jpg" style="max-width:610px;" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;When gamers explore post-apocalyptic settings, we&amp;#39;re normally armed to the teeth with assault rifles, grenades, and stimpaks. Rare is the game that throws you into the chaotic aftermath of a worldwide catastrophe with no viable resources. Ubisoft&amp;#39;s I Am Alive ventures off the beaten path by embracing the dreary realism of a fractured civilization. [Excerpt]&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;Much like Cormac McCarthy&amp;#39;s novel &lt;i&gt;The Road&lt;/i&gt; or Gary Whitta&amp;#39;s film &lt;i&gt;The Book of Eli&lt;/i&gt;, the world of I Am Alive is desolate and barren, with few survivors inhabiting the devastated cities. Water and canned food are the most prized possessions those eking out a life in this cruel world could have. Weapons are few and far between; don&amp;#39;t expect to come across ammunition caches or bandoleers. Developer Ubisoft Shanghai further drives home the bleakness of this reality with a muted color palette and a tense soundtrack.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;My hands-on demo of the game begins with the main character returning to the outskirt of his hometown city of Haventon. He flew out east right before the catastrophe hit, and it has taken him a year to trek back. Though encounters with fellow survivors are rare, he holds out hope that his wife and young daughter are still alive. All he&amp;#39;s managed to retain during his journey is a camcorder, a few batteries, a rope, and a handgun with an empty clip. &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;The once bustling city is in complete shambles. Making into the city center is tricky considering the one bridge into town has been torn and mangled by an earthquake. Getting to the other side won&amp;#39;t be easy. I begin navigating the street full of abandoned cars and finally spot a ladder up the side of one of the bridge supports. It looks like I have to take the acrobat&amp;#39;s way across the bridge.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;As I start to navigate the twisted remains of the bridge, I realize this everyman doesn&amp;#39;t have any Nathan Drake or Ezio Auditore genes in his makeup. He&amp;#39;s a sure climber, but as I ascend each rung of the ladder, my stamina bar drops down slightly. If I drain the stamina bar completely, my health will start to diminish as well and I may plummet violently back down to earth. It&amp;#39;s key to chart out a course before moving and to take any opportunity catch your breath and restore your stamina. &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;Halfway through climbing, jumping, and swinging through the mangled metal beams, I realize the next climbing segment isn&amp;#39;t going to allow me to take it slow. My stamina drains completely before I have a chance to reach safety, and I&amp;#39;m forced to repeated pull the right trigger to make the character climb more quickly before the health meter drains completely. When I finally reach the ledge, I&amp;#39;m forced to use my last bottle of water and can of food to replenish my health. &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;Once I safely reach the other side and head into the sewers, I have my first run-in with another survivor. My presence perturbs this edgy character to the point that he draws a gun on me, which makes my decision to scoot quickly past him and continue my journey all the more decisive.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;I emerge from the sewers a few blocks from the apartment. Another mentally disturbed survivor approaches me with a machete drawn. I instinctively raise my firearm to stop him in his tracks. He has no idea the gun isn&amp;#39;t loaded, so while he stands with his hands raise I move in and clock him with the butt of the gun. As restitution for his act of aggressive, I steal his and find my first bullet in his pockets. This commodity will come in handy in this dangerous city.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;Further ahead I encounter my first gang. This duo moves toward me with intent to injure, but stop in their tracks when I raise up my firearm. I try to pistol whip one of them. Before I can land the blow the other moves in and stabs me with his weapon when I&amp;#39;m exposed. With the situation spiraling out of control I decide now is a good time to use the bullet to even the odds. After the first guy hits the pavement with a bullet in his head I disarm the second guy.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;With my health bar dangerously low, I thankfully come across a medkit. I don&amp;#39;t hesitate to patch my wound, but I should have exercised restraint because right before I reach the apartment I walk past a mother pleading for help for her dying son. Had I not used the medkit, the Ubisoft Shanghai rep says I could have saved the boy. In doing so, the mother would have shared some vital information about the cataclysmic event and given me another replay token that would allow me to restart at a checkpoint if I succumb to the dangers of the city.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;I finally reach my destination, and the apartment building is still standing. Unfortunately, there are no signs of life within the abode. I find a note on the mantle from the character&amp;#39;s significant other. The letter says the wife and child were ushered off to the emergency shelter, but it&amp;#39;s dated a year ago. It looks like the journey to find his loved ones is only beginning. &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;Ubisoft Shanghai says I Am Alive provides roughly six to eight hours of gameplay. Along the way players will encounter more dangerous platforming sequences, hostile survivors, and clues to what happened to the world and his family. My short demo of the game left me eager to jump back into the quest. Though the atmosphere is slightly reminiscent of survival horror games like Silent Hill, Ubisoft&amp;#39;s steadfast commitment to presenting the aftermath realistically is something I haven&amp;#39;t experienced in a video game before.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;As one of the flagship titles of the Xbox Live Arcade House Party, I Am Alive is scheduled to release somewhere between February 14 and March 15. Look for the PSN version shortly thereafter.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;[View:1190506990001]&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>File: I Am Alive</title><link>http://www.gameinformer.com/games/i_am_alive/m/i_am_alive_media/1620027.aspx</link><pubDate>Thu, 12 Jan 2012 22:47:00 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:1620027</guid><dc:creator>Matt Bertz</dc:creator><description /></item></channel></rss>