Pre-E3 Interview of The Grinder
by VGChartz Staff, posted on 11 June 2010 / 1,573 Views
Once upon a time, The Grinder was a first-person shooter. Then High Voltage turned it into a top-down shooter. We still don't know what the Wii version looks like. Is it a platformer now? Probably not, but we will let you know in a couple of days. We will be meeting with High Voltage software at E3 to give you guys an update on the game, but for now we have a Pre-E3 interview with Eric Nofsinger, Chief Creative Officer at High Voltage Software. Enjoy!
1. First, how did the idea behind The Grinder come about?
We have always been big fans of horror movies, comics, and games, including the Hunter: The Reckoning series that we created for the original XBOX. So when we started looking towards the future and what kind of game we wanted to develop, we naturally turned towards this genre. We wanted to create something new, but also build upon our technology and fill a niche within the market. This is how The Grinder was born. Since its conception though, the game has enjoyed the fruits of an incredible team. As the gameplay developed, the team ran wild with a couple very cool ideas and some of those ideas pushed the boundaries of what the Wii can do. We knew that we would not be able to see the ideas thrive unless we expanded onto other platforms. So we started designing a version of the game for the XBOX 360, PS3, and PC along side the Wii version and that is where we are today, an incredibly passionate team working hard on our exciting new project.
2. What can you tell us about the storyline behind the game?
The Grinder takes place in an alternate reality that splintered off from our own some time back in the 1880’s; around the time of our Gold Rush. However, in The Grinder, instead of gold being found in the American Southwest, a different resource was uncovered. Dubbed Storm Crystals, these powerful magical crystals were used to advance technology and improve power production the world over.
3. What are the playable characters like in terms of skills and abilities?
Each of our four monster hunters has their own class, skills, and abilities. The four classes are: the muscle (Tank), the brains (Engineer), outlaw (Rogue), and shaman (Healer). Each class has a specific set of skills and abilities that are designed to make them feel different, yet also provide a reason for why players would want to use them. We think people are really going to be excited.
4. What sort of locations will The Grinder have?
The game takes place in the American Southwest, in and around a mining town called Molino. Some of the environments that players will travel too are stifling hot deserts, craggy canyons, and storm crystal mines. I don’t wanna give away too much, but there are also much more fantastical environments to explore and destroy…
5. How would you describe the combat in the game? Is is pure action based or is there some RPG aspects to it?
While were trying to stay very close to our action-oriented roots, there are definitely RPG elements infused into the game. Weapons can be bought and upgraded, character stats are increased per level, and skill trees are used to craft unique characteristics. While we are definitely not trying to make an extensive RPG like Fallout, we are developing this game with the intention of extending the core action gameplay with enough RPG to keep players coming back for more.
6. What are some of the team's favorite weapons to use?
That is like asking a parent which child they like best… Well, I have to say that currently, I am really digging the Stake Launcher. It kills Vamps in a single shot and pierces through them so that the kill count from a single round can be enormous! Just imagine a ton of Vamps charging at you, you switch to your stake gun and fire down the middle. You then watch in glorious ash-laden splendor as your single stake cuts a swath down the middle of them… good stuff.
7. What are some of the more memorable enemies and bosses in the game?
We are trying to make the first time you encounter any enemy a memorable experience. However, the one that is really impressing me lately is The Slasher. He is probably my favorite enemy in the game. He appears periodically throughout the game, selecting a player to torment, and then engages that player in a quick-time event similar to those seen in God of War series. The major difference between what God of War and Grinder is that up to four players can be engaged in the quick-time event at the same time. When the Slasher appears, he grabs a player character and attempts to choke the life out of her. The player being choked presses a series of buttons, similar to God of War. The other players also press buttons to perform breaker moves on the Slasher. The entire team has to work together to break the Slasher’s grip and win the event. We have found the events to be incredibly fun and we think gamers will too.
8. How will multiplayer be handled in The Grinder?
The Grinder features both local and online multiplayer gameplay. For local play, you and up to three of your friends can play through the entire game together. For online play, we are still looking at additional modes of play, but we will definitely be providing players with the ability to hook up with their friends to enjoy the game together. I think it’s safe to say that we are looking to provide online players with the opportunity to play with or against more players than we provide locally.
9. What other gameplay features do you think are important to point out?
One feature that we haven’t mentioned but that we are very excited about it the transformations. Each hunter can transform into a beast that can wreck havoc like not weapon in the game. These beasts are capable of dishing out incredible damage and feature some of the coolest gameplay in the game. We are only talking about the Werewolf transformation at this time, which is a dream come true for many of us, but we are also looking at providing lots of other transformations in the final game.
10. For the PC port are you planning any extra features like DirectX11 support, multi-monitor support or higher graphical features?
We are exploring all of those options and many more. Our goal is to not deliver a crippled game experience on any platform. Being a huge PC gamer myself, I can say that there is great care going into the sku-specific design changes necessary for each platform.
11. You are making The Grinder while still searching for a publisher. How hard is it to make a game like this that doesn't have that kind of publisher money at first?
It is very rewarding because we get to develop the game we want to make. However, we pride ourselves on our relationships, be they with publishers or with gamers. We love showing off our games and getting feedback on our progress and we never turn a deaf ear on criticism. We want to make a game that gamers want to play and we believe that listening to your market is an essential part of development.
12. Finally is there anything else you wish to say about The Grinder?
I want to take a moment to thank everyone who has written in with questions, critiques, and feedback. We are listening and we are more excited than ever to deliver a great product.
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