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MI6 chatted to Associate Producer Erin Turner from
EA earlier this week, about squeezing all the big
adventure and
action onto the a handheld console in great style
for "Everything or Nothing" - the latest
Bond outing on Game Boy Advanced...
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EA Interview - Erin Turner
8th November 2003
MI6 chatted to Associate Producer Erin Turner from EA earlier
this week, about squeezing all the big adventure and action onto
the a handheld console in great style for "Everything or
Nothing" - the latest Bond outing on Game Boy Advanced...
Breaking It Down..
Above: GBA cover art |
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Can you explain a little about the parallel storylines?
We've designed this year's Bond for Game Boy Advance to
be the perfect compliment to its big brother version on
the consoles (Xbox, PS2, NGC). We wanted to build on the
star cast and the exciting storyline written for the console,
but at the same time, we didn't want to spin our wheels
trying to port gameplay that isn't replicable on a handheld.
So, we took the same storyline and characters, but developed
an original set of missions and maps. We also adapted the
best of hand-to-hand combat, rappelling, driving, and stealth
mechanics to create a Bond experience that's fun for the
GBA.
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Want can we expect from the cut scenes on the GBA?
The cutscenes on Bond GBA are frames taken from the console cinematics.
They tell the story of James Bond, the world's greatest secret
agent, fighting to save the world from a diabolical madman:
former
KGB agent Nikolai Diavolo. Armed with metal-eating nanotech,
his private army will steamroll the forces of the free world-unless
Bond and CIA agent Mya Starling can come through, combating
Diavolo's
forces in Egypt, Peru
and New Orleans, culminating in a to-the-death battle beneath
Red Square!
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Different Beats... Ah..
How was the music done, is it the same as the console/
Sean Callery's/THX involvement?
I am really pleased with the music composition for the GBA.
It is always a challenge to create compelling in-game music
with the limited memory available on this platform, so we
worked with a composer who specializes in GBA titles, Ian
Stocker, and had him write original in-game themes. We also
incorporated a few pieces from the console to add a sense
of continuity.
Nintendo Game Boy Advance
UK
- MI6 Price: £24.99
USA
- MI6 Price: $29.99
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Above: Willem Dafoe as Nikolai Diavolo
MI6 Nikolai
Diavolo Profile |
Is there anything which is a first for GBA platform/ how
does it stretch the technology?
We pushed the limits of the platform in several ways. First,
we made every effort to get this 2D world to look deep. That
means
that every texture and every NPC was fully rendered in 3D before
being imported into the game and then sized and lit properly.
Second, we did some new things with the game engine in order
to
combine both third person action and isometric driving into a
single game. Finally, we created a new
mechanic for rappelling in a 3rd person isometric environment.
Creating satisfying vertical movement in this perspective was
a challenge, but the result is a lot of fun.
Above: GBA SP |
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How will gamers be rewarded for Bond style action?
The Style points system is a unique feature in the GBA
game that is not a part of the console version. Any
time a player
completes a bonus objective in a clever way or uses stealth,
he or she earns Style Points. In between missions, he
can
visit the Q-Lab and use Style points to unlock gadgets &
equipment upgrades. This is yet another player can
choose how he or she will approach the game. (For example,
players can choose a weighted handle gun if they want to
shoot their way through, or super quiet shoes if they prefer
stealth.) Choosing your strategy adds a lot of replayability
to the game - you can try to beat each level with multiple
tactics. Finally, with a high score, players can also unlock
a blackjack mini-game.
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Many thanks to Erin Turner.
Images courtesy EA and Amazon Associates.
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