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Fantastic 4 Q&A Feature
Derek dela Fuente
08/06/2005
TVG turns the `Flame On` and grills the Lead Designer of Fantastic 4...
Make way for a myriad of super heroes this summer; With EAâs own Marvel collection and Fantastic 4 from Activision (also a part of the Marvel brand), gamers will have a feast of arcade action - and there is a lot more to come with the likes of Ultimate Spiderman and Batman Begins later in the year.
Based on the movie to be released soon, Fantastic 4 allows you to harness the Marvel Super Heroes' unique and amazing powers through a compelling single-player or two-player co-operative team based gameplay experience. Along with a strong storyline that expands gamplay, even avid comic buffs will find plenty of familiar new locales along with some new ones to convey the real essence of both the film/comic strip.
A fan of the comic strip series, Derek dela Fuente spoke with Jeff Gardiner, Lead Designer at 7 Studios, about the ideas and focus for the team putting this epic title together.
Fantastic 4 the game, is based around the movie released later in the year. Firstly how close will the team be sticking to the plotline of the film, who wrote the storyline and does it veer away or add to the Marvel comic ethos, for the sake of entertainment?
The game follows the general story arc of the movie, but also delves into some side-plots that feature environments and enemies pulled straight from the comic book universe. This has allowed us to put more action into the game than we could normally develop out of an âoriginsâ story. We think it will be extremely exciting and rewarding for fans of the original comic to come across such familiar faces as Moleman and Diablo. The story was written by Zak Penn (writer of X2: X-Men United), Martin Signore and myself.
What kind of interaction and assets have the team been supplied by the film studio and do they have any exclusivity to the actors for game purposes?
We have benefited greatly from our collaboration with Fox and the actors. Fox has been extremely helpful throughout this whole process, granting us early access to the script, conceptual art, set design, costumes and locations. We visited the movie set multiple times, bringing back photo references of the environments and props. We were also shown animatics and effects work from an early stage that helped us match the look and flow of the major action moments as closely as possible. The actors all agreed to do voiceover work for the game as well, so you wonât just be looking at Jessicaâs lovely model â“ youâll also be hearing her lovely voice as well.
We are told that the development team has come up with a number of in game ideas of their own, so could you tell us about one?
One of my favorites is our take on Reed Richards as an inventor. We gave him a special attack where he throws out a number of intelligent âspider minesâ that track down and eliminate the F4âs opponents.
The characters that make up the Fantastic 4 offer a superb selection of skills ranging from stretchy limbs, invisibility, Human Torch and sheer brute force. Firstly does the player assume one of the cast and the rest supports or is there a different, varied, storyline for each? How also exactly does the progression of the game work?
The majority of the game is played with two, three or all four heroes working together. The player can dynamically switch between any of the heroes present in the mission, and many of the combat set-ups and puzzles in the game actually require the player to switch between the characters to accomplish goals. In addition, we also have team combat moves that deal extra damage and give larger point bonuses to reward the players who use teamwork. Players can call over their hero AI teammates to help them attack a particularly difficult enemy, and each member of the Fantastic Four can use their powers in unique ways to help each other. For instance, Sue can place a protective force shield around her teammates, while Reed can use his high-tech gadgetry to heal wounded players. Our entire game can also be experienced co-operatively with a friend.
With such a wealth of powers (cast), the team must have worked hard to create some special effects to go along with them. Could you tell us about one of the special powers/moves and some neat visual trick that youâve attached to it?
Sueâs invisibility uses a great refractive technology â“ meaning when you look through her she actually bends and warps the environment behind her.
Fantastic 4 is a mix of action and adventure so firstly how important is dialogue within the game and will dialogue from the film is used in the game?
All of the dialogue in the game is unique to the game. With the exception of âItâs clobberinâ time!â
Tell us about the upgrade system, the kind of weapons on offer, in the game and how it works?
Fantastic Four has a fully fleshed out upgrade system. There are six unique attack combos, which are all upgradable, and three âcosmicâ moves with various levels of upgradeability. The upgrades change the visual effect, damage and hit reactions of the moves. For instance, when Reed upgrades his âSpider Minesâ heâll throw out more of them. When Sue upgrades her kinetic force, sheâll actually encase enemies in energy, effectively freezing them.
Excite our readers with one event in the game that really conjures up the spirit and ethos of the Fantastic 4?
The Fantastic Four are facing waves of enemies in the middle of Times Square. Sue is staring down two approaching Doombots with vicious looking flamethrowers. She quickly immobilizes one with her force hold before using her force powers to pick up the other. Reed, seeing the Doombot hanging in mid-air, pounds it into dust with his fists, now shaped like giant hammers. Meanwhile, Ben has taken the more subtle approach of hurling nearby taxis and police cars at the encroaching robots. When he runs out of those, he knocks down a nearby lamp-post to use as an impromptu baseball bat. Johnny isnât perturbed in the least by the flamethrowers that can set his teammates on fire, but he still hangs back and throws a few fireballs before moving in close to go Supernovaâ¦
Any final comments youâd like to add?
Itâs been a privilege and honour to collaborate with the creative minds at Activision, Marvel and Fox. Together weâve come up with a fun, unique game that really lets you experience the life of a super hero team - and a darn famous one at that. Each of these heroes could be in a game all by themselves, and when you combine them all together you have something truly extraordinary.
Being able to play through the whole game with friends, or compete in our arena competitions, offers near endless variety and challenges. Trying to figure out the best moves to use against enemies, how to combine hero powers and unraveling a story that takes you beyond the movie will be a great experience for original F4 fans, movie fans and folks like me who just love games.
Weâd like to thank Jeff Gardiner for taking some time out to answer our questions, weâll have more on Fantastic 4 shortly.
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Date Added:Sun 8th Jun 2008 14:46