I've been mulling over zero tropes for a couple of years now, basically as a conceptual locus for the inherent reductivism of sanctuary in militant thought and practice.  Think patient zero, suspect zero, ground zero, all of which have very technical meanings in various specialist fields: as index cases in criminology, medicine and disease control; as hypocentres in seismology and nuclear science; as vanishing points in art and architecture.

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I had the opportunity to spend a few hours playing the game earlier this week and the experience left me a combination of numb and puzzled. The plot revolves around Alex Mercer, a young amnesiac infected with a weapons-grade genetic enhancements that ties him to the outbreak of a related lethal virus. The tone is dire and the game is set in a faithful reproduction of Manhattan, albeit post-quarantine, overrun with mutants and military contractors and rendered in a style that speaks to the cinematography of Children of Men and 28 Days Later. As is the case with most open world games, while the plot is not worth speaking of, the level design and gameplay are.

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