It did not receive a North American release.Taking place solely behind the viewfinder of a camcorder, players control the cameraman of a news crew of the fictional ZaKa TV sent to a desolate Chicago to report on an unusually thick fog emanating from Lake Michigan. After their lead reporter is attacked by a monstrous creature, both the cameraman and sound technician Brisco join up with a new reporter to investigate the true nature of the fog and whether or not it can be stopped.Produced by Suda51 and directed by Akira Ueda, Michigan is notable for its unique player interactability, as players explore around the environment with their hands tied to the camera, filming key scenes and focusing on special points (which often has the reporter interact with them). It is also known for its non-linear storytelling, as players can have their reporter get killed through their negligence (which can skip certain levels and/or replace them with another reporter).The Japanese version is notable for featuring the swimsuit model and entertainer Yinling, both in the game's promotional material and in-game in an unlockable bonus stage.GameplayMichigan is played from a first-person perspective through the viewfinder of a video camera. The player takes control of a rookie cameraman accompanied by a microphone operator and a lead reporter that explore the game's setting. Interaction with the environment is accomplished by having the cameraman "tag" items for the reporter to examine and interact with. For example, by tagging an item that is a clue to the mystery, the reporter makes a detailed report on the object. By tagging a monster or enemy, the reporter draws a weapon and fights it.The main objective of the game is to report on all of the clues and events of interest associated with a mysterious mist that has descended upon a town near Lake Michigan. If the camera runs out of film before the investigation is completed, the game is lost.The player's activities directly impact the well-being of the reporter. If the player tags certain objects that draw the reporter's attention while monsters approach, the reporter can be killed. If they player character is not also killed, the level ends prematurely, and the next level begins with a new reporter sent in to fill their place. There is no penalty for the death of a reporter, but the number of bonuses unlocked at the game's conclusion corresponds with the number of reporters killed; the fewer reporters killed, the more alternate costumes that are unlocked for them at the conclusion of the game. By keeping the initial reporter alive throughout the entire game, a plethora of alternate costumes are unlocked, but no bonus costumes are earned if all of the reporters are killed, forcing the player to film the final level with Zaka TV's sole male reporter.PointsIn addition to the primary objectives, the player can also earn various special points by taking specific types of shots with the camera, much like the bonuses applied to creative camera use in Dead Rising. The three types of Points awarded are Immoral, Suspense, and Erotic:Immoral points are obtained by filming sensational, yet tragic events that could have been stopped by the player, such as a civilian or reporter being devoured by a monster. It can also be earned by unnecessarily ramming into things and people.Suspense points are obtained by good camerawork and by tagging important evidence for the reporter.Erotic points are obtained by obtaining perverted footage such as up-skirt shots of women, and by filming pornographic magazines or pictures that can be found randomly throughout levels.The outcome of the game is directly effected by which type of points the player got the most of, and by how much.StoryThe player's primary objective in the game is to investigate a mysterious mist that has descended upon a town near Lake Michigan. This mist is inexplicably mutating people into hideously deformed masses of flesh and limbs. Early on, Pamela, Zaka TV's star reporter, is attacked by one of these leech-like monsters and is later found in the process of mutating into one herself. The rest of the news crew is forced to kill the misshapen thing that Pamela became. The player is accompanied on their investigations thereon by a new reporter, and Brisco, the boom microphone operator.Over the course of the investigation, the team determines that the mist originated from the laboratory of a Dr. O'Conner, who was experimenting in genetic weapons for use by the government. The team attempts to recover a cure for the virus from the doctor's laboratory, but fail and are forced to flee.As the crew prepare to evacuate, they happen across an odd man in the airport. The man reveals that he was Dr. O'Conner's original test subject; he begins to behave in a bizarre manner, forcing the player to tag him as an enemy. When the reporter kills the man, the strange mist vanishes. It's speculated by the characters that the man somehow served as the focal point for the the genetic mutations and mist, and his death brought an end to the threat.
