| Lifeline | |
|---|---|
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| Developer(s) | Sony Computer Entertainment Japan |
| Publisher(s) | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| Director(s) | Manabu Nishizawa |
| Producer(s) | Yasuhide Kobayashi Takafumi Fujisawa |
| Designer(s) | Manabu Nishizawa |
| Programmer(s) | Takayuki Wakimura |
| Artist(s) | Taku Nakamura Benimaru Watari |
| Composer(s) | Shingo Okumura |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Survival horror |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
Lifeline, released in Japan as Operator's Side,[a] is a 2003 survival horror adventure video game developed and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. Set in the near future aboard a space hotel attacked by unidentified monsters, the game follows the player as they direct cocktail waitress Rio Hohenheim to safety while searching for the player's girlfriend Naomi as well as the source of the monster infestation.
Lifeline's defining aspect is its voice user interface: the vast majority of gameplay is conducted by using the PlayStation 2's microphone to issue commands, which are interpreted by the game via speech recognition to control Rio and dictate her movements and actions.
Lifeline was released on January 30, 2003 in Japan and March 2, 2004 in North America by Konami; in Japan, it was optionally sold alongside the PlayStation 2 headset. It received generally mixed reviews, with praise for its innovation and potential but criticism for the low reliability of its speech recognition. However, Lifeline still sold well enough to be rereleased in Japan on September 25, 2003 under Sony's The Best budget range, and the game has maintained somewhat of a cult following over the years since its release for its innovative gameplay and the depth of its voice mechanics.
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