The Fascinating & Infuriating Voice-Controlled Game | Lifeline

Lifeline is fascinating, frustrating, and a unique title that I can compare to only a few other games.

Released in 2003 in Japan, and in 2004 in the West, Lifeline is a voice-action adventure title for the PlayStation 2. A game in which you guide a character through voice commands.

Sounds frustrating, doesn't it? Well, Lifeline is.

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My Lifeline streams:

A guide to getting Lifeline to work with the PCSX2 emulator:

But there's something utterly fascinating with Lifeline. There are interesting and clever systems at play within Lifeline, like the combat system. The story and character you're guiding take a whole different shape and feel compared to a more traditional game.

With how much technology has advanced in the last 20 years, I would love to see how a game like Lifeline could be done today

Lifeline is a game where the technology was not quite there with the ambitions they had. This results in goofy moments, and some downright frustrating ones, but there are plenty of moments where its charm shines through in Lifeline. It's a fascinating and unique title that I can only compare it to a few other experiences.

Timestamps:
• 00:00 - Video Intro
• 00:59 - Getting Lifeline to Run on an Emulator
• 03:26 - Game Intro
• 05:58 - Rio & Voice Commands in Lifeline
• 12:03 - Combat in Lifeline
• 14:36 - Highlights & Major Beats of Lifeline
• 31:20 - Voice Recognition Technology: 20 Years Later

Additional Footage:
• Dumb and Dumber
• Speed
• Team America: World Police

#lifeline #lifelineps2 #boulderpunch

[BoulderPunch]

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A guide to getting Lifeline to work with the PCSX2 emulator:

[meowser]

"My sign is no parking let's get a move on" is a great line to shut down people

[fattiger]

The gameplay seems frustrating as hell, but at least the Rio VA did a great job. I imagine if they hired someone with an annoying voice, it would be an all around miserable experience.

[kiricappuchin]

Rio's voice actress is amazing. I really felt for her when she was distressed over her destroyed belongings

[SPARTANTROOPER]

God, the PS2 era was genuinely the peak of videogame aesthetics. So many PS2 games upscale to HD flawlessly and look better than modern games due to their focus on art direction and design.

[Jose-sepu]

You have to give it to these early '00s games, big companies were willing to give developers A LOT of money for weird concepts like these...I never played this game, but it reminds me of Seaman.

[Cybershroom]

I wish they made a modern take on Lifeline, with the new A.I. technology that we have, I can imagine a virtually pseudo-self-aware A.I. controlled by the player's voice input in a sci-fi survival horror setting could be a revolutionary stage in gaming.

[Upsetkiller]

"Save it for someone who cares, BiMbO!"

I will never not laugh at the delivery.

[radicalsandwich]

This game has probably one of the best examples of Ludonarrative Harmony where the player's gameplay perfectly matches their position to the story. It's interesting to look at especially from a game pre-2010s when realism was all the rage.

[oriontrips]

I like what you said about sincerity in this game, and older media in general as opposed to newer games. I agree and can definitely sense that sincerity in Lifeline - it's very charming. From Rio's voice-acting to the music itself, there's a great earnest and innocent quality to it all that I find really appealing. I think that may be a characteristic of Japanese media in general as well.

[Chihiro-Kikuchi]

That’s actually an interesting concept for a game

[EarthboundX]

I really feel this type of game could be done much better now. Voice recognition has a come a long, long way since 2003.

Well, if the game really even needs to be made anyway. But I do miss when devs would experiment.

[ThijsFilms]

fun fact, when playing toung twisters. if you complete 3 in a row Rio heals a bit.
its an absolute life saver that i used a ton when i played it.

overall an amazing video, Lifeline holds a special place in my heart. i played it while streaming it to a friend over the course of a few weeks (every friday night baby!) it was frustrating, but it was so much fun at the same time. unlike some other frustrating games, this one kept me going and it's one that i will never forget.

as of writing this comment i have also found and bought a review prototype build of the game, so i'm excited for that!
i hope lifeline gets more attention over the upcoming months, and will hopefully get a pc and/or console rerelease/remake.

[Benoitwc]

I remember seeing the review of this on Xplay way back in the day and being amazed at the idea of controlling a game with only your voice. By the time the Kinect rolled around, the idea of screaming commands into a mic while playing a game seemed like the stupidest fucking thing on earth. Great Review!

[OmarCruz-rxnv]

So you are a character in 1st person perspective(the operator) but you're indirectly controlling another character in 3th person(Rio).
This means that this game is in second person, right? If it is, it's the first time I've seen a game in this perspective.

[UnrivaledPiercer]

Lifeline is honestly a wonderful experience once you get passed the frustration. Like you said in the video it has a charm that isn't found anymore. There was another game by the name of "Eyedentify" that was scheduled for the PS3 but it was cancelled. It wasn't exactly the same as Lifeline but it had a lot of the same aspects by the look of the trailer along with using the PS3's camera as well. It's a shame it never made it to market since it could have been a fun experience in the same way Lifeline was.

[plaguedoctorjamespainshe]

Honestly an survival horror fixed camera angle game like this were the angles are actually from in world cameras like this today could work so well, specially with the advances in technology
And of course, having the option of having text commands would help a lot if the voice commands are faulty

[net-]

Me: "shoot the left eye"
Rio: "Use a healing item?"
Me:

[cannabisanomaly]

4:00 absolutely unforgivable that blue stinger isn’t listed within the christmas games wikipedia category. brb, gonna go correct that

[arandompasserby]

The funny thing is, this same concept of "controlling a video game with your voice" was one of the main selling points behind "Tom Clancy's: Endwar" which came out in 2008. Unfortunately, it seems like the idea was just too ahead of the tech.
Interestingly, I think one of the first to try this idea was "Seaman" for the Sega Dreamcast.