The King of Route 66 Q&A
We talk to AM2 about its upcoming truck-driving game.
Sega's upcoming truck-driving game for the PlayStation 2, The King of Route 66, continues the love affair between its development teams and big rigs. The quirky game puts you behind the wheel of a truck and asks you to burn rubber and help make Route 66 safe for everyone by delivering goods and outracing goons. While its premise is certainly loopy, the game features arcade-style gameplay that keeps it accessible. We recently had an opportunity to talk to Mr. Shinichi Yoshino, the director of the game, to find out more about The King of Route 66 and just why Sega developers love big rigs.
GameSpot: Where did the inspiration for the game come from? Is it related to 18 Wheeler?
Shinichi Yoshino: There is so much mythology around the real Route 66 that we thought it was great fodder for a trucking game. That famous stretch of road represents a different time in US history, and we thought it would be a great setting for the game. We believe it brings back memories of a moral time, as studying it reminded us of nearly forgotten values that are still important to many people. That said, we intentionally made this game racy and included a lot of slapstick action, which makes the game much more fun. If the gameplay were too authentic, it would be really square and boring.
GS: What can you tell us about the game's premise and story?
SY: There are five modes in The King of Route 66: two main modes (king and queen) and three secondary modes. Of course, players drive along Route 66 throughout all the game stages. In the king mode, gamers play as a righteous trucker whose mission is to bring peace to Route 66. To do so, they'll have to defeat Tornado Co., an evil truck company who rules the highway.
In the queen mode, gamers participate in competitions held in each of the eight states along Route 66, from Illinois to California. There's an attractive queen in each state, and by completing each queen's mission, players will win that queen's heart. They'll also be able to upgrade their trucks by earning money at the competitions.
The secondary modes are rival chase, Route 66 challenge, and versus battle. In rival chase, players will crash and shoot rival truckers off the highway until their life gauge is down to zero. It's a great opportunity to enjoy smashing rival trucks during a race, or compete against an evil duo from Tornado Co. The Route 66 challenge mode is basically a minigame mode with several truck-themed minigames. Versus battle mode is the two-player mode. Players will race against their friends, choosing from a wide variety of trucks to compete in.
GS: Who thought up the eccentric cast of characters in the game?
SY: The characters for this game were created by myself and another game planner. We developed more than 40 characters for this game, and we believe that everyone will like at least one of them. We even added some hidden characters to give players the opportunity to interact with more people as they unlock the secrets of the Route 66.
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