GP Q&A: Lost Planet dev team talks future, downloads
- January 12, 2007 16:16 PM PST
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GamePro editor Tenacious Moses spoke with three key members of the Lost Planet development team: Executive Producer Keiji Inafune, Director Kenji Oguro, and Producer Jun Takeuchi.
GamePro: How did the Lost Planet development process start? Is it true that the game's wintry setting was based on a decision to maximize the Xbox 360 visual abilities by reducing visibility?
Keiji Inafune, executive producer: To answer the last part of your question first; yes, moving to the Xbox 360 had a lot of extra capabilities with the processor (CPU) and graphic card (GPU). We wanted to make something that hasn't been seen on a console before, which snow would be perfect for because you get all the effects of the walking in snow, fog, blizzards, and snow falling.
As far as the goals for the development, we wanted to first make a shooter, which is something Capcom hasn't really tried before, and have it compete with, but not be exactly the same as, Western shooters. So we wanted to make it very much Capcom style. We also wanted to make it not just a simple, straight forward first-person shooter, we wanted to incorporated Capcom style with the action, the anchor, and add in Japanese influence with the Vital Suits that you can pilot. So our goals were to put all that together then add a story on top of that and set it in the snowy world to make up Lost Planet.
GP: Some team members have hinted that Lost Planet is a sort of Japanese take on Halo. Are you fans of Halo? Why do you think Halo doesn't translate well to the Japanese market?
Jun Takeuchi, producer: It's probably not a fair comparison to say that this is a Japanese Halo. Of course, we did play Halo and refer to it a lot and we were playing it a lot before and during the making of the game. We didn't really want to make a copy of Halo. We wanted to add shooting with more action and put it in the third person so Japanese people could get into it a lot more. A lot of Japanese people that play first-person shooters or watch the screen get motion sickness, so putting it into more of a realm of control with the camera and layout the Japanese could play was one thing.
But our main goal was to make a shooter game that could appeal to everyone. In doing that, making a high quality game with the action and third-person camera it automatically became accessible to Japanese players who might not get into standard first-person shooters.
GP: In terms of gameplay, what are the key similarities between Lost Planet and western shooters are? What about the key differences?
TAKEUCHI: The biggest similarity would be the controls, the third-person controls play much like a first-person shooter. We played a lot of Western shooters to get a feel for the controls. The biggest difference would be that it's a more proactive action game than a straight shooter. In other games you're either hiding back behind cover or sneaking around shooting people from afar. But in Lost Planet you run in and there's a lot more moves, you can roll on the ground, use your anchor to hop up on high platforms, a lot more action as opposed to just a straight shooter.
GP: Are you getting more comfortable using the Xbox 360 hardware? What advantages do you think we'll see moving forward on that platform?
TAKEUCHI: We started with Dead Rising at Capcom so we were working on that, but we were also working on Lost Planet at the same time. Dead Rising came out last year on the Xbox 360. Through both of those games we've learned a lot about the hardware and I think we'll be able to put that knowledge to use not only on the Xbox 360, but for the other next-generation consoles as well and make games that look even better than we've seen so far.
GP: Will online console game modes catch on in Japan soon, or is it more of a US obsession?
TAKEUCHI: Up until now it hasn't been widespread in Japan. I think that Lost Planet for the 360 in Japan may be one of the most played online games in Japan possibly. But I think that with the 360 and other next-generation systems I think we'll start to see more people getting online and playing with each other.
GP: Can you talk about the design decision to incorporate the "heat meter"? How does it add to the experience?
Kenji Oguro, director: First of all, it works into the story setting of the extreme condition, this freezing planet, so it keeps you alive and we wanted to put that in there from the beginning as a main gameplay element. What that also does for the gameplay experience is, without that energy you die so you have to keep on fighting. You can't go through and skip enemies or take your time here and there; you have to keep on rushing forward all the time. That makes it a really different game than it would have been without that.
GP: What future plans do you have for the franchise, and are there any plans to bring Lost Planet to other systems?
INAFUNE: I can't announce anything now, but I'd be lying if I said we hadn't though about it. It comes down to how well the game does and whether people want a sequel.
GP: How important is multiplayer gaming to you? Where will multiplayer gaming go in the future?
TAKEUCHI: Of course online gaming will become more widespread. You may see new genres, such as co-op, but it doesn't necessarily mean you need to have more players online together. If you play 200 people in a Halo match, it won't necessarily be fun. The game has to be designed around a fun experience...[be it] two people or four people, or a hundred people depending on what the game is.
GP: Any news on downloadable content for Lost Planet? New maps or modes, perhaps?
TAKEUCHI: We do have plans for downloadable content. The patch is already out, and the Collector's Edition comes with an extra ninth multiplayer map [available before anyone else]. We do have plans for other downloadable maps, though we haven't announced anything yet. If lots of people [ask for certain downloads], that's something we can definitely look at.
