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Exclusive GhostHunter Interview Feature
Derek dela Fuente
04/11/2003
We chat to the guys behind this creepy yet impressive Playstation2 title...
 GhostHunter, to be released in late November, looks like one of those terrific games that combine inventive ideas with some really tasty looking graphics. It follows the adventures of Lazarus Jones, a Detroit cop turned supernatural demon hunter. During a routine patrol through a derelict High School, once the site of a brutal but unexplained massacre, Lazarus and his partner, Anna Steele, stumble across the ghost research laboratory of Professor Peter Richmond. Inadvertently, they release a host of deadly spirits and supernatural monsters who begin to wreak havoc around the world. One of the ghosts abducts Steele and another fuses with Lazarus gifting him with second sight, allowing him to see into the realm of the dead. Intrigued by this interesting storyline and a whole host of in game features that could have gamers on the edge of their seats we spoke with James Shepherd, Creative Director. TVG: Who came up with the idea and what has been the inspiration for the game and the aspirations from the team? It was a few of us, weād worked together before on MediEvil 1 and 2 and we came up with an idea that was based on our favourite topic ā“ horror films. Well, horror and action films really. GhostHunter was originally pitched as āAn adult GhostBustersā, and weāve pretty much stuck to that although our dark sense of humour has probably come through far more than the ghostbusters slant. I think as you play the game youāll see there are several ānodsā to famous films, from Deliverance and the Texas Chainsaw Massacre in the swamps level to Deep Rising, The Abyss and even The Poseidon Adventure in the haunted ship level. TVG: Many horror adventure games have a very formulaic approach - lots of dark and spooky settings coupled with weird characters. Have you tried a different approach to come up with something fresh, captivating, and innovative? I think dark and spooky settings are a given for all horror movies or games. But we have tried to push things that little bit further. We saw no reason why every level should be dark and dingy and essentially boring to look at so weāve added colour and lighting where appropriate and instead weāve created atmosphere in a number of other ways ā“ music, lighting, acting, humour even! I think youāll find GhostHunter is certainly different from what has gone before. TVG: What is the background story to the game and how important is the gameās story as the game progresses? I think in any game thatās using atmosphere and environment then story becomes important ā“ the key is to make sure that the gameplay is still far more important than the story! The background to the story, on a basic level, is that ghosts exist and Lazarus Jones has just released a load of them. Not only that but his police partner has been kidnapped by one of them and heās being talked to by a computer thatās telling him heās the new GhostHunter. Lazarus refuses to believe in ghosts but heās determined to find his partner and thatās where it all starts. TVG: Tell us a little about Lazarus and the skills that he has up his sleeve? Lazarus is just a normal guy, heās a cop who has just transferred from some backwater town to Detroit PD and itās his first day on the job as a Homicide Detective. However, as the game progresses he makes the transition from rookie cop to professional GhostHunter ā“ keeping his trusty pistol and shotgun but also moving up the armament scale to ghost machine guns, ghost lassoes and the all important capture grenade. TVG: Do you actually have to trap ghosts, or is it simply a means of killing them? How do you kill whatās already dead? No, here you have to capture them ā“ but donāt worry itās not a matter of eco-friendly mousetraps; you get to blast them first! TVG: Horror, at its best, is all about what you don't see and the ambience and atmosphere that is created, as well as the surprise and instant shock value. How have you gone about creating the ambience to the game? The ambience is generated by all the arms of game creation coming together at once ā“ in fact it took us a long time to explain to our bosses what the game was about just because we didnāt have all the tools in the game to show them at the time. It was only when lighting, animation, dialogue and, most importantly, sound effects and music were added that they suddenly went āOh wow, now I understand, thatās brilliant!ā I think youāll find this evident across the game, right from the start in the High School murder scene through the Deliverance-inspired swamps. Also, we didnāt want to have just one oppressive feel to the game so there are scary bits, funny bits, horrific bits, sad bits ā“ we wanted to toy with the playersā emotions and thatās just what we do. TVG: What are some of the Hi-tech weaponry and gadgets on offer? Itās probably easier to describe the two fundamental differences in weapon types. Some are āreal worldā weapons, like his sidearm and shotgun. These can be useful against some ghosts and especially when ghosts become anchored into our reality, but most of the time ghosts flit between dimensions and then youāre forced to use the specially designed ghost weapons. Theyāre powered by the same energy that gives the ghosts life and so the more of them you capture, the more ammo you have for your guns! TVG: It certainly looks as though youāve got to grips with PS2 development; can you tell us a little about the technical aspects that create such a stunning look? Long, long, days and nights ā“ and the fact that we stole the Primal engine and spent a lot of time creating the special effects that make GhostHunter stand out so much. But one thing I should add is that I donāt think weāve completely got to grips with the PS2 yet ā“ yes, weāre getting some good stuff out of it but thereās still a lot to comeā¦ TVG: Sum up the whole extravaganza in a single sentence! An unearthly, otherworldly, supernatural slugfest with the darkest, meanest, most disgusting creatures that have ever haunted your world. TVG would like to thank James for taking the time to answer our questions. GhostHunter is scheduled for release on November 26th; we'll have a closer look at the game soon. |
