BET’S The Game Coming to Consoles this Fall!

Created by Mara Brock Akil as a spin-off to her previous TV hit Girlfriends, The Game is a show which examines the lives of three members of a fictional football team and their relationships with the women in their lives. It was originally shown on CW, but it was canceled after 3 seasons. It was then picked up by BET, where a strong fan following gave it a new lease on life in the form of a new season, which aired this past January. Now it seems like it’s going to be game time again, as Strata, the makers of the arcade classics Time Killers and Blood Storm, have once again teamed with Incredible Technologies, makers of the arcade version of Street Fighter The Movie (which fans have regarded as the definitive Street Fighter game due to its digital representation of Van Damme), to bring The Game to Xbox 360, Playstation 2, Playstation 3, Wii, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, Sony PSP, PC, IPhone OS, Windows Phone 7, and Android in the form of a one-on-one fighter. Just as they have revolutionized arcades back in the 90s, Strata/I.T will no doubt bring The Game home in the only way to do so: with bloody combat, grisly dismemberment attacks, secret characters who are palette swaps of other characters, and a stripper pole in your bedroom.

The Game’s Story takes place between seasons 3 and 4 of the show. When the San Diego Sabers play a charity football event on a sacred burial ground, a evil wizard summons Nekros, an ancient demon god from hell to conquer the world. It’s up to Derwin Davis, Malik Wright, Jason Pitts, and the rest of the Sabers, along with their wives and girlfriends in the Sunbeams to stop this menace, but unresolved issues keep getting in the way. The game will feature honorific fatality moves that are known as Gamebreakers. In the tradition of Blood Storm and Time Killers, players can slice off the arms and legs of thier opponents. Of course, players can still fight with the missing limbs, as blood spurts can cause one’s opponent to trip, thereby allowing one to win as a quadriplegic.

Pooch Hall, Tia Mowry, and the rest of the cast are all on board for voice work and motion capture. The game’s cast of 40+ characters will not only include the shows main cast, but secondary characters such a Trey Wiggs, Dante, Camille, Jerome, and Rick Fox. The game will also include a selection of secret characters who are Nekros’s agents. There will be a number of console exclusives as well. The Playstation 3 will receive Kratos from God of War and feature a special hydra stage. Xbox 360 owners can play as Alan Wake and will receive a special voucher allowing them to play as Marcus and Dom from Gears of War. Wii owners will gain access to Link, Mario, and Luigi. In addition, players who preorder the game from Gamestop will receive Pookie from Richland while Best Buy preorders unlock Rick Fox’s basketball jersey as an alternate costume, while people who preorder it from BET.com will earn Michael Eric Dyson and Dru Sidora as playable characters.

If that isn’t enough, Akil and series producer Kelsley Grammar are in talks with Bungie to bring Girlfriends to home consoles in the form of a tactical first person shooter! For now though, remember, it’s Game Time this fall! Click here to see a gameplay trailer, and exclusive gameplay footage of Pookie from Richland and Malik doing battle with Kratos on a pirate ship!