D series
The D Series
D, Enemy Zero and D2 (Japanese title: D no Shokutaku, D no Shokutaku 2 ) is a series of videogames created by acclaimed Japanese musical talent Kenji Eno. Eno is responsible for the creation of WARP, a group comprised of 5 original members dedicated to making interactive cinema. After the release of D2(Dreamcast) WARP became SUPERWARP, as the company widened its scope to include network services and games, DVD products, and online music.
The Saga of Laura Lewis (contains spoilers)
Never in gaming history has a gaming character undergone such dramatic shifts in various roles. Laura herself has become the center and sort of reigning mascot of WARP. In a way she is the
dark side of Laura Croft, but not nearly a recognizable. Due to the limitations in game play, which was mainly the complaint made by critics, Laura story is widely unknown.
Laura is in her late twenties and is a scholar at a school distant from Los Angels. Her father, Richter Harris is director and supervisor of a local area hospital in Los Angels. Her mother and wife of Dr. Harris, was killed long ago. She was found stabbed to death and with her limbs amputated. Laura’s only keepsake from her deceased mother is a blue compact that appears in D and D2. This mirror holds a power that can show hints of the future and is of great use and value to Laura. Unknown to her until D, Laura as well as her father are both part of a bloodline with an insatiable appetite. She is able to manage her urges, and discusses it with no one.
D: The Story Begins (contains spoliers)
Her story begins when she is away at school. She is contacted by Los Angeles police and receives a disturbing message. Her father, Dr. Richter Harris has gone on a mass murdering spree and has now barricaded himself in the hospital. In a panic, Laura rushes to the scene of the crime, desperate to find out what has made this studious and well respected doctor kill. Upon entry into the hospital, she is instantly horrified at the scattered and grotesquely mutilated bodies lying about the dark halls of the hospital. Inching slow forward she is taken by a small metallic entity to a dark castle unknown to her.
Unwilling to give up her search she continues through the dark, atmospheric corridors of this medieval hell. In attempts to find her father she is constantly traumatized by a series of flashbacks. Short and vague in there message, it conveys the murder of older women being stabbed to death near her own kitchen table.
Laura's father warns her to leave through apparitions, for staying to long means being stuck in the alternate reality forever. He warns that he will soon become a monster void of feelings and will eventually try to kill her. Still shaken up Laura proceeds to find her father residing at the peak tower of the castle. Angrily the father reveals a disturbing story about the sorted past of his family, reviling information that forces the pieces of this horrific puzzle together. Screaming in agony as the transformation begins. Laura has to make a choice, kill or be killed.
Production Notes:
D began production in 1994 for the ill-fated 3DO console. With use of only three Amiga computers, WARP was able to harness some impressive 3D visuals. Though initially sold well in Japan, D failed to make an impact in the US, probably due to its more edited, tamed storyline. Never the less Akklaim took it upon themselves to port D over to the Sega Saturn, Sony Playstation and PC. There is a very rare released edition of D call D:Director's Cut. It features never before seen sequences, background of the family members and a mini disc with Kenji Eno's D soundtrack on it.
Enemy Zero: Laura in Space
Aboard the AKI space craft, a space station dedicated to biological research, we come to find Laura in a deep cryogenic slumber. The jets of the chamber begin to dissipates as the crafts emergency systems are activated. Laura is awoken by a large detonation in on deck 2. The outside of a door with the letters EO something of great strength is trying to break free. To the crews dismay, things are about to hit the fan aboard the AKI. The door is thrown down like a sheet of aluminum and the door is shrouded by a bright incandescent light, followed by a horrific growl. Pipes and the remains of the steel door are shifting around as if being step on. Enemy Zero is loose. Laura, quite unaware of what is happening, uses the video phone located above her sleep chamber to contact one of her crewmates Parker Jackson. Parker is speaking in a struggle, knowing that the voice networking systems aren’t working, Laura confusingly watches as Parker jolts his head instantly away from the monitor and to his room entryway doors. He can hear a screech that sends him backing up to reach for his gun. Laura watches as her friend Parker is mutilated by an indistinguishable enemy. In horror she begins to violently shake the scream only to realize that Parker is dead.
She knows EO is loose. Getting dressed an grabbing her gun Laura proceeds to find out what, and how this thing got loose. Venturing to Deck 2 her guidance system warns of an invisible presence in the corridor in front of her. Laura’s mission is to find out what this enemy is and to find her crew or the remains of her crew. And kill this monster before it kills her and her crew.
Production Notes:
Enemy Zero began life on Sony’s acclaimed console the PSX. Eventually Kenji Eno began to get irritated with Sony and at a E3 conference, made a move that made gaming history. Eno started to show preview of Enemy Zero and its impressive graphics and the Playstation fans cheered. At the end of the clips the Playstation logo appeared, but began to slow transition into the Sega Saturn logo. The crowd fell silent, and a new crowd began to cheer, the Sega fans.
While Eno did the music for D, Michael Nyman ( created the score for The Piano) was hired to create a score for WARP’s new title. With much hype in Japan EO was released in 1997 under Sega Enterprises. Receiving mediocre review, as did the D, it was later ported to the PC. Promotion for EO was a replica of the gun used in the game delivered to 20 recipients by Kenji Eno himself.
Due to the 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.
D2: Death of M2 Technology
The D cult wanted more. Due to its demand, Eno began production of D2 on the unreleased hardware 3DO M2, which was to be the successor of the 3DO. M2 boasted a impressive 1,000,000 polygon per second ratio with many other capabilities. Months before the release 3DO announced that they had sold M2 technology to Panasonic (which Panasonic used it there DVD players), who never released the M2 to the public. Eno, left frustrated, scrapped the project and began a new story for the D2 version of Sega Dreamcast
D2: The First Story
On her was to visit family, Laura is in the 3rd trimester of her pregnancy and watches as the plane heads toward stormy sky. As passengers grow uneasy, the plane begins to violently shake and Laura confronted by a demonic presence that removes the baby from her and takes it away. In horror Laura’s plane begins its spiraled descent to the earth. As she awakens she is in a medieval castle. How did she get her? Where is her child? Who is responsible? This castle must hold the secrets of what happened to her child and the mystery behind the bloodline.
D2: Dreamcast
On your way to visit family, Laura is watch as the passengers around live. She looks down to see the compact her mother gave flashing. As she opens she sees a preview of the horrific events to come. Hijackers take over the plane. In a bizarre coincidence the plane is struck out of the sky by a small meteorite. Laura awakes in a cabin outside the crash site. She has no recollection as to what has happened. This “accident” could be from the ancient bloodline. Some of your friends are here to help such a Kimberly Fox. Laura will spend many a day searching though the frozen tundra of Canada try to solve the mystery of what happened.
Production Notes
This version was the result of the scrapped project for the M2. Eno was to start fresh as he did. D2 was the first game announced for Sega Dreamcast and was never released in PAL territories. Due to its meager sales previous to this title, Sega wasn’t expecting huge creditability from this title. Generally its noted for its amazing and large atmosphere.
Characters
Laura Lewis: Female : Main character of the D series and daughter of Dr. Harris. Notable very pretty and quiet like her father. Co- Polite of the AKI space station and is 32 years of age. She is a B blood type and is in a family bloodline received by her father. A scholar until the horrific events that killed her father. She has great survival instincts and marksmanship. Her location and origin is California, USA.
Dr. Richter Harris: Male: Father of Laura Lewis and appears only in D. He was supervisor of the hospital in Los Angels and is in his late fifties. Married until the death of his wife and is now a widower. He went manically insane and killed a large number of patients and staff at the hospital. He is noted as a quiet and studios man, which makes his killing spree all the more puzzling.
Kimberly Fox: Female: Kimberly make her first appearance in EO and is of African American heritage. She is currently 32 years of age and lives in the USA. She was the counselor of the AKI spacecraft. She has B blood type and is a survivor of the Enemy Zero incident as she went on to appear in D2.
Parker Jackson: Male: Only appeared in EO, Parker was the first to be mutilated by Enemy Zero. He was the AKI engineer and noted for be a bachelor. His room on the AKI was filled with beer cans and pin-up posters. Tends to be sympatric with no cleaning ability.