D (series)

D is a series of survival horror games that follow the events of "digital actress" Laura and were developed by now-defunct WARP. The series officially began with 1995's D, then the 1996 game Enemy Zero and later the 1999 game D2. Japanese musical talent Kenji Eno directed and produced each game. The series is noted for its controversial nature (with extreme blood and violence, and a plot that involved cannibalism).

D

The first game in the series was a 1995 puzzle adventure game run entirely in full motion video, like many games of the mid-1990s. It was developed for the 3DO, and ported to other systems when it became a commercial success. D was heavily inspired by Polarware's (later Penguin Software) Transylvania graphic adventure series of similar theme.^[1]

A series of limited editions were released. One of these was D's Diner: The Director's Cut. The director's cut featured new cinemas for the 3DO version (most scenes added were already featured in the Sega Saturn and PlayStation versions), an insert containing the game's story in detail, and Kenji Eno's soundtrack.

Enemy Zero

Enemy Zero combines the FMV-based puzzle gameplay of D with a first-person shooter where the enemy could not be seen, and sound had to be relied on for guidance. Enemy Zero began life on the PlayStation. Due to their low production runs on the PlayStation version of D, Kenji Eno became irritated with Sony, and released the game as a Sega Saturn exclusive instead. While Eno did the music for D, Michael Nyman was hired to create a score for Enemy Zero.

Released and received with much hype in Japan at the end of 1996, E0 was released in North America and Europe in 1997 under Sega Enterprises. In 1998, it was ported by Sega to the PC. Due to its popularity in Japan, Sega sponsored the support of a few Enemy Zero items, such as the official Enemy Zero soundtrack by Michael Nyman and a strategy guide. Both were published by Smiles, Inc.

D2

D2 was the first game announced for Dreamcast, after the 3DO M2 was scrapped. Eno chose to start from scratch for the new system, even developing an entirely new plot. D2 was never released in PAL territories. It was the first game in the series to mix three types of games play: third person exploration, first person combat, and RPG. Due to its cult popularity in Japan, a comic book was released based on the game. It tells of Laura Lewis's journey, with a storyline similar to that of the game.

Screenshot from D2: Laura in the Canadian hills

Recurring characters

The D series features several "digital actors", who appear in multiple games with the same likeness but different personalities, last names, and backgrounds. The "actress" Laura appears in D as Laura Harris, then in Enemy Zero as Laura Lewis and at last, in D2 as Laura Parton, while "actors" Kimberly and Parker appear in both Enemy Zero and D2.

References

External links

• The D series at MobyGames