Stardock News (thanks
Frans) has the official announcement of The Political Machine, an upcoming
politics simulation from Stardock first revealed then the game's
official website went online
(
story). Word is: "The Political Machine is scheduled to be
released in June 2004 at most retail outlets. Stardock will be starting a public
beta of the game starting April 8th via its Drengin.net (
www.drengin.net)
gaming network." Here's a bit more:
In the game, players must campaign, raise
money, take out advertisements, win endorsements, and even go on cable TV news
shows such as the O’Maley Factor, HardHitter, Barry King, and more to answer
tough questions on the issues of the day. The game map uses real demographic
information to accurately portray the political landscape of the United States.
Different states are more “liberal” or “conservative” than others. The political
issues they care about differ from state to state. How candidates respond to
these issues determines how strong their support is with their political base as
well as wooing the all-important independent voters as well.