Def Jam: Fight for NY Designer Diary #1
Producer Josh Holmes fills us in on the process of formulating the newest Def Jam wrestler.
After the success of Def Jam Vendetta, the folks at EA Canada and Aki could have rested on their laurels, cranking out a cookie-cutter sequel to the hip-hop-themed wrestler and raking in the subsequent cash flow. Fortunately for us, the development teams have gone far beyond that, crafting an original and extremely promising new game in the series for fans to chew on. Producer Josh Holmes is here to tell us about the process of creating the newest Def Jam game from the ground up.
Flipping the Script: Redefining the Fighting Game
By Josh HolmesProducer, EA Canada
What makes a great fighting experience? Is there anyone out there who isn't completely bored with the traditional fighting game?
These were two of the questions we asked ourselves when we started on Def Jam: Fight for NY.
Conventional fighting games have been pyramid-like in the way that they have developed over the years. The higher they have evolved from their early foundations, the narrower their focus and appeal has become. Each new version seeks to improve upon previous iterations by adding more complexity to the control system. The focus has been on the multiplayer experience to the exclusion of all else. The result has been a very shallow single-player experience, limited character customization, and gameplay that is totally skewed toward the hardcore gamer.
With Def Jam: Fight for NY, we wanted to do things differently. We wanted to create a fighting system that was simple and rewarding enough at its core that any new player could pick up the controls and do some cool stuff. At the same time, we knew we needed great variety, underlying depth, and strategic play to keep things interesting for more advanced players. We sought to create something new and original that took cues from fighting games, wrestling games, and classic beat-'em-ups. We also wanted to disprove the notion that a fighting game can't have a deep single-player experience and storyline.
The first thing we did with the gameplay was set out to identify all the most exciting things that could possibly happen in a fight. We did a ton of research by watching fight sequences in movies and footage from hardcore fighting competitions. This helped us to create a huge list of ideas. Whether it was breaking a pool cue over an opponent's head, raking his face across a chain-link fence, running up his chest to deliver a kick to his chin, or smashing him through a car window, we wanted to make it possible in the game.
Next we focused on developing a control system that allowed users to pull off these attacks easily and naturally within the flow of a fight. We came up with a simple palette of mechanics that allowed users to perform a huge assortment of attacks, depending on the objects and situations presented within each environment. From there we went about creating and populating the many environments available in the game. One of our primary goals was to keep the gameplay experience constantly changing while introducing a variety of strategic elements into the fight.
So in the subway station, not only can fighters beat their opponent silly with their fists or slam a character headfirst into the pillars, pop machine, and newspaper box, they can get really serious and toss them in front of the moving train.With the new emphasis on creating strategic gameplay opportunities, we managed to set up a lot of hidden weapons and interactions. An expert player is going to have the upper hand when it comes to knowing where to find all these painful goodies in a given environment. If you get slammed into the dumpster at Hunt's Point Scrap Yard, your opponent can knock a welding torch loose. At Club Babylon, a character can grab one of the fluorescent lighting tubes off the wall and smash it over someone's head. In Gun Hill Garage, fighters can loosen the muffler on an SUV and then use it to beat some sense into their opponent.
Another thing that became really obvious early on in preproduction is that it's fun to break stuff.
Def Jam: Fight for NY Quick Links
Summary | Reviews | News | Previews & Features | Images | Videos | Answers | Hints & Cheats | Forum | Check Prices
- GameSpot Score8.7great
Content you might like…
-
Def Jam: Fight for NY Gameplay Movie 4
D-Mob and his Crew roll deep. Take a look at everyone on the roster in this movie.
- Aug 31, 2004
Users who looked at this article also looked at these content items.
Images
Games you may like…
-
Def Jam Vendetta
(PS2) -
Def Jam: Icon
(PS3) -
Def Jam: Icon
(X360) -
WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw
(PS2) -
WWE SmackDown: HCTP
(PS2)
Users who looked at content for this game also looked at these games.
See More Similar Games
1 Comments