"Hi you might remember me from titles such as..." TVG catches up with the former id level designer to find out what's happening in LA...

Over the last few years American McGee has started to establish himself as somewhat of a cult figure and a voice that many are keen to listen to. His latest creation, billed American McGee Presents: Bad Day L.A., is a third-person action/adventure game that weaves a wild storyline and offers a unique art style.

Plunging the player into a satirical, comedic and at times deep storyline that plays off the "fear culture" of modern America, Bad Day L.A walks a fine line with its depiction of America under threat from terrorists, zombies, earthquakes and Mexicans! Being the only person in L.A without any material possessions to his name and thus nothing to loose, players take on the role of Anthony, the reluctant and politically incorrect homeless hero, as his quest finds him taking on tasks such as healing drugged up children and extinguishing burning babies on his quest to save the city.

If dealing with unfamiliar material is key to Bad Day's design we're left hoping that the actual gameplay invokes a similar level of creativity, as TVG took the opportunity to find out more with American McGee recently.

What has been the vision and goals for Bad Day LA and what is your input?

Bad Day LA is meant to be a 3rd person comedy action-adventure game. The narrative of the game follows a homeless man named Anthony Williams as he tries to survive the worst day in the history of Los Angeles. Our homeless hero humorously highlights the ridiculous nature of "fear culture" in the United States by showing that no one is truly prepared when disaster strikes and that ultimately the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.

My input on the project started with the initial conception of the story and game design and has continued through the development, marketing, and finishing of the game. Currently, I am living in Hong Kong and working directly with the development team on a daily basis.

Can you tell us about the team working on the game; what they have created before and how the interaction with the team and yourself works?

The team is based in the Hong Kong offices of Enlight Software. They have worked on numerous Enlight titles in the past, including Joan of Ark, Seven Kingdoms, Capitalism, Zoo Empire, and Hotel Giant.

As for the interaction between the team and myself, as I said, I work with the team on a daily basis. After supplying them with a full game script and game design I've been here to help solve problems, oversee production, and guide the game development process. I also handle all the VO, music, and SFX related producing tasks for the project. As a team we're having a great time working together.

"The art style is meant to offset the serious nature of the game's story."

Why have you gone with this very stylised artistic direction; is it a reaction to the serious tone that hides underneath the game?

The art style is meant to offset the serious nature of the game's story. Trying to create a disaster spoof is difficult because you're dealing with concepts that are by their very nature overtly negative. The hope is that the art style will help to visually communicate the satire aspect of the game before the player even begins to interact with the product.

OK, can you tell us a little about the cast and story within the game and what the overall task is?

The main characters are Anthony Williams, the hero, and four sidekicks. The sidekicks are the Sick Kid, Juan the Mexican yard worker, Beverly of Beverly Hills, and the Sergeant. These characters join the player along the journey through the game. They each bring their own special abilities and weaknesses. So the player has to employee some amount of strategy in using them against enemies.

The "overall task" in the game is to help Anthony and his friends escape the city.

Away from the visual style and the content of the game, what do you feel Bad Day L.A offers in terms of unique gameplay experiences?

Probably the most unique aspect of the game is the "chaos management" system. This layer of the game is build on top of two tried and true elements. The first is the general narrative driven quest to reach the end of the level. The second is the mission-based game play that is presented to the player inside of each level. On top of this is the chaos management layer, the constant challenge of working to keep things in the world around the player under control. That means ensuring that terrorists and zombies don't kill too many people at once, that people who are on fire are extinguished, and that people who are injured are healed. If the player ignores this elements of the game things will quickly devolve to a chaotic state where no forward progress can be made. Ultimately the player will die as a result of the chaos. We've found that playing in this environment is very fast paced and addictive and adds something new to the existing 3rd person action genre.

The player must think strategically in order to move through a given level and missions as quickly as possible but at the same time must also pay attention to the chaos in the level around him. If the player tries to simply "run and gun" through the levels he will meet with destruction. For this reason the player must carefully choose what paths, weapons, and support characters to employ.

What kind of progression does Bad Day L.A offer; tell us about interaction with the game's NPC cast and what rewards players can expect?

The game is very straightforward and heavily focused on cinematic immersion in the various disasters that strike the city. All the game play is geared towards increasing the chaos in the levels so that, as the player moves through the game, the amount of work that goes into maintaining the peace is ratcheting up. Rewards come in a variety of basic forms such as power-ups, weapons, and support characters. The player will also acquire new skills that help with recruiting NPC characters to dampen the chaos level.

What would you label as the game's most significant pull?

Personally, I am pulled through the game by the promise of the next disaster piling on top of the current one. In addition I really love all the comedic elements that are present in setting, characters, items, and cut-scenes. Even now, after working on the game for over a year, I still laugh out loud at the characters and the things they do and say.

How detailed is the recreation of LA, will you be able to identify locations within the game?

There are a total of 10 major Los Angeles locations in the game. The game starts in the early morning, near the 10 freeway and Crenshaw Blvd. By the end of the day the player has visited many well-known Los Angeles locations such as Hollywood Blvd, Venice Beach, and the La Brea Tar Pits. The game ends with the city mostly destroyed as the player makes a final stand in the wrecked remains of Beverly Hills' famous Rodeo Drive.

American McGee Presents Bad Day L.A is slated for a European release in Q1 2006, however with a publisher yet to be confirmed and March fat approaching we'd expect this to change shortly; TVG will have further information soon...