Tim Norton writes:

“Bringing together previous discussions here about whaling and computer gaming, have a look at Harpooned.
My personal favourite is the inclusion of protest boats & helicopters - you are instructed not to hurt them, to avoid unwanted legal fees.”

Read the entire post here.

Brandon Sheffield writes:

“The game comes as a reaction to Japan whaling in/near Australian waters. On top of the political element, it’s actually quite fun, with ‘extremely scientific’ multipliers and things. Give it a shot!”

Read the entire article here.

Derek Yu writes:

“Harpooned is a socially conscious shoot ‘em up that puts you at the helm of a Japanese whaling boat. It was created by artist Conor O’Kane as a criticism of the Japanese practice of “scientific whaling.”

The game definitely argues its point well for the most part, and its message is bolstered by the fact that its production is fantastic and the actual gameplay is challenging and fun”

Read the rest of the article here.

Molleindustria writes:

“Non ci vuole molto per rendersi conto che Harpooned è un commento sarcastico sulla caccia alle balene che proprio in queste settimane sta infiammando il dibattito internazionale. In particolare viene presa di mira l’ipocrisia del governo giapponese che quest’anno ha pianificato di uccidere “a scopo di ricerca” circa 1000 balene comprese 50 balenottere comuni, in pericolo di estinzione.”

Read the rest of the article here.

Babelfish can translate Italian to English.

Colin McInnes writes:

“Whaling game uses outrage to spread environmental message.

…what if a game designer wanted you to feel outrage, but also hoped to motivate you to do something about it? That is the case with Harpooned.”

Read the full article and discussion here.

James Cottee writes:

“New whaling sim is bloody great.

There’s a new game out now that perfectly captures the hypocricy of whaling. The ‘message’ is presented in a tongue-in-cheek fashion, and unlike most agitprop games it’s actually fun to play.”

Read the full article here.

Matt Bachl writes:

“Internet denizens are going wild over a gory Australian-made video game where players slaughter whales with explosive harpoons.
Harpooned invites players to kill the mammals and turn their meat into burgers while avoiding protest ships and icebergs in the oceans around Antarctica.

Despite the violence, fans say the game — which jokingly refers to the fishermen as “Japanese scientists” — carries a powerful anti-whaling message.”

Read the full article on NineMSN.

the2bears writes:

“I don’t like whaling, but I’m the sort to keep it out of mind. Frankly, there are too many other things that need fixing in the world, and I feel sometimes I can only care about so much. But the game succeeds, here, by bringing these issues back to our conscious brain.”

Read the full article here.
Thanks for the writeup Bill.

Kotaku writes:

“Ever wanted to play the role of a Japanese science vessel performing “very important research” on Antarctic whales?

You know, that super special type of research that supposedly involves killing and eating them? Yeah, that kind.

If this sounds like you (oh dear), then you should probably check out Harpooned: Japanese Cetacean Research Simulator - unless you’re particularly sensitive to the issue, in which case just ignore the rest of this post, grab an inflatable boat and head south.”

Read the whole article here.