EPISODE 1 OF “THE EXCHANGE STUDENT” GAME RELEASED
(4th of September 2006) First Day in Sweden, the pilot episode of the new interactive sitcom The Exchange Student, is now available for PCs at www.theexchangestudent.com. Macintosh and Pocket PC versions will follow soon.
The Exchange Student is a new episodic comedy game starring Emilio Carboni, a 22 y.o. Italian student who has never had a girlfriend in his entire life. His friend Vincenzo just came back from an exchange program in Sweden. Vincenzo was really satisfied with the program since he met many attractive ladies during his stay in Sweden. Emilio decides to follow his friend's path. He travels to Sweden to spend a semester there, studying in a city called Västerås. Fate however is not that kind with our 'hero' as he soon realizes that finding a Swedish girlfriend is not as easy as it seemed to be.
The Exchange Student is developed by Pan Metron Ariston, a team of developers and artists from all over the world. The development team and the cast behind the game consist of high-profile names. To name a few: the background artist, Bill Eaken, has worked on several legendary titles by Lucasarts and Sierra in the past such as Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, Leisure Suit Larry 3, The Dig, The Secret of Monkey Island, Curse of Monkey Island and Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance. John Bell who is performing the role of the main character, has done voice over work for games like Need for Speed Underground: Rivals, Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II, Rise of Nations, Star Wars: Rebel Assault and Star Wars: X-Wing. Dave Rigley, the character designer and animator, is the man behind the webcomic 24andahalf.com . Irene Tuomainen, the actress performing the role of the Swedish student Frida, was the dialect coach of Jennifer Garner, for the TV show Alias.
The game blends classic adventure gameplay into the casual game format, making the pace of progress faster and simpler so that the gamer can practically be entertained even if he/she only has a little time to devote into gaming. Featuring a simple point and click interface The Exchange Student requires a minimal learning curve making the game appropriate for both hardcore and casual gamers. At the same time however, the developers have seen to it so that the level of interactivity remains high throughout the game and that The Exchange Student is not just a click-through experience. The initial sales statistics suggest that Pan Metron Ariston is on the right track as over 40% of the customers so far are female gamers.
The Exchange Student is a series that should appeal to those who enjoy TV cartoon shows like Johnny Bravo, games like Leisure Suit Larry and Curse of Monkey Island and TV sitcoms like Friends, That 70s Show and Married with Children. The full version of the first episode costs 10 Euros (equal to $12.8) and can be bought within the free trial version by using a Credit Card or a Paypal account. Episode 2: The Point Game will be released this October. For more information visit the official website at www.theexchangestudent.com
THE EXCHANGE STUDENT ON BBC RADIO!
We have some great news for the Italian casanova Emilio. His adventures are going to be one of the talking points during the BBC Radio programme On Screen tomorrow, Friday at 13:00 GMT. Presenter Nicola Christie will be discussing with Dimitris Manos about the development of The Exchange Student and the future of the project. Those of you who do not get BBC Radio in your area can listen to the programme online here. The programme On Screen is a show featuring interviews, news and gossip from the TV, film and gaming industries and interviews with well known directors and actors such as Oliver Stone and Meryl Streep have been conducted recently during the show.
On other TES-related topics, we are currently working hard on the Mac version of the game, and it should be released this coming week if all goes well. Unfortunately the Pocket PC version will have to be postponed for the time being. For more information on The Exchange Student check out the official website at www.theexchangestudent.com .