Apocalypse

Group, May/Jun 1999 by Belknap, Bryan

SYSTEM: Sony PlayStation STYLE: Third person actionshooter

SYNOPSIS: Apocalypse, the first video game to star an A-list actor (Bruce Willis), takes its premise from the book of Revelation. Science and religion battle for followers in the end times, and religion, led by the Reverend, wins. Unfortunately, the Reverend is a false prophet and he unleashes "the four horsemen of the apocalypse: Death, Plague, War, and the Beast" to bring about Judgment Day. You, as Trey Kincaid (Willis), must eliminate all the bad guys to save the world from the impending apocalypse.

Although this game is violent, it's not graphic. Death occurs at a distance, and the only victims are robots, zombies, giant rats, and so on. There's mildly offensive language, but Apocalypse holds a higher standard than most in this genre and packs a ton of fun.

STUDY: Use the game's premise to talk about Revelation. Ask: Why are people fascinated with the end times? What changes do you think the millennium holds for us? Have kids form small groups and read Revelation 5-. Ask: How does this Scripture differ from the game's version of the end times? If you could stop Judgment Day from coming, would you want to? Why or why not? Why does God reveal these end-time prophecies? You may want to use this discussion to start an in-depth series on Revelation.

Bryan Belknap is co-founder of Ground Zero Productions in California, which produces music and media resources for youth leaders. He's a speaker, author, and all-around raconteur. E-mail gzero@earthlink.net.