"Lush graphics, tremendous attention to detail and a generous use of video amount to an almost stereoscopic experience." —juror Vas Sloutchevsky

"It’s rare that I am drawn into a site simply to explore its exquisite design. But that’s exactly what happens here. With so many elements that captivate my attention and imagination—from the stunning imagery, to the perfect soundtrack and the subtle animation—I want to keep on going just to see what’s next." —juror Robin Naughton

Overview: Intended to reflect the emotional and visual experience of the Genji 2 game, this promotional site surreptitiously loads video behind still images to surprise users as their screens suddenly spring to life with intricate artwork.

• 4 Flash movies, 3 videos
• Scrolling timeline interface
• 12-person team with a 3-month development time

Comments by Eric Kahn:
"We were so excited about this project that we immediately went out and bought a PS3 console and a vibrating gaming couch for 'research' purposes (our Foosball table immediately began collecting dust).

"Starting with beautiful high definition art from Sony, the pressure was on to maintain the visual quality of the game as it was translated to the Web. Maintaining a small file size is very important when you're trying to translate a console game experience for the Web. It has to remain a fluid and enjoyable experience; to achieve this goal many techniques were used to help us create an immersive experience in line with what people experience using the game.

"Using cut scenes from the game and compositing them we were able to sync them with site functionality. We progressively loaded site content in order of importance, starting with the navigation elements and ending with the video elements. Using a still image of the video, until the entire video loaded behind it, created a supplemental surprise for the user; it was as though they were looking at a still image that had come to life in full video.

"Ultimately, we feel like the online version of the game reflects the emotional and visual experience that a player would have playing it on the console."