Punisher: Warzone is a film due for release Friday, December 7th and is the next film in Marvel’s the Punisher film franchise. Starring Ray Stevenson, the film follows Frank Castle, aka the Punisher, in his one-man war on the world of organized crime. If the official website for the film, http://www.punisherwarzonemovie.com/, is any indication, it should be a very cool movie as far as Punisher fans, new and old, are concerned.
A warning: due to violent content, this website may not be considered appropriate for everyone.
The website (flash based) is very dark and themed perfectly to fit with the film. The first thing I noticed upon visiting the site was the innitial loading screen: instead of the traditional left-to-right loading box, the blood seeping down from the top of the screen indicates the progress of the main site’s loading (on blazing-fast connections you barely notice it, however on my slower DSL connection at home, it’s noticeable), and the mouse changes to a rotating crosshair.
Once within the site, the loading box for each of the sections/pages is a spinning Punisher logo with the red circle indicating the load progress. There are many sections/pages, including pages for the film itself (synopsis, cast & crew, etc), video, galleries, etc. Upon rolling over on one of the links for each section, the link’s indicator, which resembles a target and bullseye, expands in a splattering animation as if it had been shot and the Punisher logo appears with an appropriate “splat” sound effect. When you hover on Enter The Warzone, flames burst into life behind the text. There is also music on every page, and you can choose the artist/song title at the bottom of the screen.
Upon clicking Enter The Warzone you are taken down to the streets where you have three possible destinations: The Police Station, The Bradstreet Hotel, and The Punisher’s Lair.
The Police Station contains two sections, one with information on the Mafia and the other on the Punisher Task Force.
The Bradstreet Hotel gives you two options: to enter the hotel or play the multi-player game. Note: entering the hotel takes you to a different website in a new browser window/tab. It contains several sections, including a downloads section with wallpapers and such, a news section with news regarding the film, a trailer section with trailers from the film, a game section, etc. If you choose multi-player game, it will load the game in a new browser window/tab.
The small multi-player game linked to from the website can contain a review all on it’s own. Long story short, you have a choice to register (so as your score and such are retained) or enter as a guest. Once you have entered, you can then play against a live player or the computer. Following the theme of the film, your character and your opponent’s character resemble the Punisher and you are both placed what looks like a hallway with branching corridors. It is then your task to punish your opponent by leaning into the hallway and shooting them. If you defeat your opponent, you score points. The more points you score the higher you will level up. As you level up, better weapons are unlocked and become usable. It’s really a violent game, but it’s still a lot of fun.
Upon entering the Punisher’s Lair, you have two sections to choose from: Mashup and Weapons Gallery. Mashup loads opens a new browsers window/tap with a new site to build your own Mashup, which is like a custom trailer for the film, using video clips, images, and music which you can drag to the timeline and preview and/or save. Weapons Gallery loads just that, a gallery of weapons. There are many weapons to choose from with information on each.
Mirror’s Edge is an innovative new first-person shooter out on the XBOX 360 and PS3 (and due out on PC in January 2009). From the website: In a city where information is heavily monitored, agile couriers called Runners transport sensitive data away from prying eyes. In this seemingly utopian paradise, a crime has been committed, your sister has been framed and now you are being hunted. Link to website:
http://www.mirrorsedge.com/ls/us/index.asp
The difference between the Mirror’s Edge website and the Punisher: Warzone website is literally night and day. Whereas the Punisher website was heavy on features, the Mirror’s Edge website is very moderate in the sense that not a lot is going on feature-wise in comparison with the Punisher: Warzone site. The use of Flash on this site seems intended mainly to deliver the site as a whole and to deliver the video content contained therein.
The interface as a whole is flash, with some interesting rollover effects on the navigation links at the top of the page. Just below the navigation is a rotating view of a city skyline. It would have been cool if the viewer had the option of changing the rotation (slowing down, stopping, or changing direction with the mouse). To the left is the main character, Faith; the hair on the left-side of her face is animated, seemingly blowing in the wind.
On the main page is a brief video of the game and the latest news.
The Wire contains information and articles on the game.
On The Mirror’s Edge gives you the following navigation options: The Game, Buy Now, Achievements, and Demo. Under The Game is a synopsis and information on how to play the game. Under Buy Now are links to retailers where you can purchase the game. Under Achievements is a list of gamer achievements and trophies, as well as gamer scores. Under Demo is the original video demo/trailer for the game, with options to download it or watch it in a large player directly on the site. One of the things I noticed, and I’m thinking it was intended, is if you don’t move the mouse constantly over the loading bar at the bottom of the player, the loading progress will pause. It follows with the theme of the game that you have to keep moving.
Videos & Downloads gives you a variety of different trailers to view, as well as screenshots, wallpapers and ringtones.
Leaderboards provides top rankings for XBOX 360 and PS3 players of the game.
As a whole, however moderate it may be, the design and interface of the Mirror’s Edge website is streamline and functional.
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