With the recent release of Drakan II: The Ancients' Gate on the PS2, we were fortunate enough to interview Alan Patmore, President of Surreal Software, about the game and its development process. Thanks for your time Alan!

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Dead to Rights Q&A

(Questions by Mr. Nash and Tolkiemingway)

April 25, 2001

Recently we were fortunate enough to have the chance to ask Andre Emerson, Producer and Designer of Dead for Rights for the PS2, some questions about Namco Hometek's upcoming title. Tally-ho!

Armchair Empire (AE): The "interactive movie" theme of next gen games will assuredly be a magnet to that huge consumer base. What will be methods of attracting the moviegoer and the gamer without alienating either. Is this what Dead to Rights is after?

Andre Emerson (A. Emerson): Our approach is simply to use the storytelling aspect most commonly used in film to keep the player captivated in suspense and excited about the game experience. I didn't want to do a game that felt deliberately mission based. Jack Slate is a fugitive and hence has no formal 'mission' in the traditional sense. Slate's journey happens over the course of many different locations and situations. Dead to Rights is unique in that Jack doesn't know who is after him at every turn. Dead to Rights is a gamer's game, if the movie-like theme of the product attracts new players from outside the gaming audience, I think that's great for everyone.

AE: Will we be seeing in game tempo changes like the slow-mo bits in Dead to Rights shootouts on future Namco titles?

A. Emerson: Hard to say for sure. I suppose this will be determined by the design requirements on a product-by-product basis. Most importantly though, I want the player to feel 'in-control' of these sequences. I can't go into all the details just yet, but I can say that our slow-motion gameplay sequences will be player initiated and very interactive. I didn't want to do non-interactive 'cut-scenes' that only showed the player how cool the character is, you need to 'play' the cool factor.

AE: Is there a worry that special effect driven games will quickly equal redundant gameplay?

A. Emerson: I think you've pretty much summed up the answer in the question itself. If a game design is centered around special effects only, then you don't have a game. You have a bunch of special effects. Dead to Rights, for example, is built around core gameplay mechanics that stand alone. The special effects we are doing are created in support of the gameplay vision.

AE: Will the game have a movie-like feel similar to a guns blazing, unstoppable hero action movie (ie. Rambo), or will it be more paced (ie. Patriot Games)?

A. Emerson: The theme for Dead to Rights is a 'crime action-thriller'. Our hero is more like the anti-hero of film noir. We've blended the themes of classic film noir and Hong Kong action. Mixing these genres gets you great plot twists combined with over-the-top action. The pacing of the story is intended to keep the player in suspense. But to answer your question directly, I would say more Patriot Games than Rambo for sure.

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AE: Will there be some puzzle solving adventure elements in the game?

A. Emerson: Absolutely. Between puzzles, mini-games, bosses and a few key features that I can't yet go into, DTR's pacing will keep gameplay fresh while the story unfolds.

AE: How much will Dead to Rights make use of the pressure sensitive buttons on the PS2 controller?

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A. Emerson: It's currently being used for a few features. We experiment as features are implemented.

AE: What kinds of weapons will be included? Primarily firearms? A mix of melee and projectile weaponry?

A. Emerson: Weapons are of the realistic variety, although visually and audibly they will be much 'bigger' than their real-life counterparts. There is a variety of handguns, rifles, shotguns, melee weapons and a great hand-to-hand system that features combos, throws, blocks and grabs. Also, some innocent looking items will end up being very devistating weapons.

AE: Will there be any branching story line/Choose Your Own Adventure elements in the game?

A. Emerson: We've thought about this, but no determination has been made at this time. Primarily we will follow a deep, twisting plot line that is linear and very compelling.

AE: During narrative moments will they be done through CG cutscenes or will they remain in-game?

A. Emerson: We will use a combination of in-game, scripted sequences as well as CG cutscenes to drive the narrative and plot. Jack's narrative is intended to provide insight into the game and story.

AE: Is developing for the PS2 as complicated as some people have been saying?

A. Emerson: Well, when you consider that we are doing things that haven't been possible before on any console and that the hardware is completely different than anything we have seen before, then yes, complicated is a reasonable term. As developers become more familiar over time, this will obviously be heard less and less.

We'd like to thank Mr. Emerson once more for sparing time for this Q&A. Be sure to check out our Dead to Rights preview for more info on the game.