505 Games is creating a game based on Olympic swimmer extraodinaire Michael Phelps, but can swimming carry a video game? Probably not. That's where the pure action comes in.
Swimming is a the sort of sport that is extremely exciting...for swimmers. 505 Games realizes this, and while there will be a healthy dose of watersports in Phelps' game, it won't be confining the action to the swimming pool.
“Swimming will be a part of it, but it won’t be set in an Olympic pool going back and forth,” said Adam Kline, president of 505 Games, the company releasing the series. “This is a pure action game”
A pure action game? With Michael Phelps? What the hell could they be planning? "Michael Phelps: SwimSpy"? A remake of Ecco the Dolphin? I mean, pardon my lack of enthusiasm, but as G4's Adam Sessler points out in the Daily News article, "Swimming — in even a Mario game — is a miserable experience".
Despite skepticism on the part of just about everyone in the gaming industry, 505 games remains unperturbed about the title.
“We will spend a very pretty penny in marketing this project because it’s important to us,” Kline said. “We believe it’s the next Tiger Woods project. ... It could be here for the next 10 years.”
Oh joy! "Michael Phelps: SwimSpy 5: Swim Harder"!