Tyndale is releasing an evangelical game offering today: Left Behind: Eternal Forces, saying this release is for the ‘inspirational games’ market.

Michelle Goldberg has written it up in an article, The Rapture Takes Manhattan.

The definitive series on this video game and what it is about as far as I’m concerned is Jonathan Hutson’s over at Talk2Action. (8 parts)

One million of the games are supposedly being distributed in US mega-churches. As of today the rating is Teen. I’m going to keep this simple. If my nephews and nieces wanted to play this game, I’d be sitting down beside them asking questions about their understanding while they play. I had been asked to review it, I made it clear I’m not forking out the money, there are other games that capture my time and attention. To revert to my inner teen - Inspirational games? Oh, whatever, fer crying out loud, gag me. Garbage in, garbage out.

If you are looking for wholesome PC games for the kids or yourself go to sites like Big Fish, it’s cheaper and there is more selection.
Game review sites have no beef with the technical quality of the game, or for many the story line.

This is really being professionally pushed. At EB Games the pre-order (39.95 US while supplies last) offers a preview DVD, a Left Behind bracelet, and a cheat code to pass the 1st level of the game. PLUS: a Free Book Voucher for “The Rapture.”

Next?

If Eternal Forces does well, Lyndon plans to develop another game set in an end-time Israel where Jerusalem’s ancient temple is rebuilt. Currently, that plot of land is occupied by the Dome of the Rock, which is the third-holiest site in Islam, so any demolition would likely spark a big war. “Imagine how exciting it will be, in this day and age, to be able to bring to life, in 3-D, the new temple!” exclaims Lyndon. On the other hand, if it were to happen in real life, he’d be plucked out of the mayhem, leaving only a pile of clothes in front of his PC.

Left Behind Games
Quick guide to Eschatology