‘Red Faction’ Targets Blast-’Em-Up Fans

Although concerns over video game violence are a hot topic in the news media, not everyone is sweating bullets over political correctness. Observe publisher THQ, which soon will launch “Red Faction,” the latest big, bad 3-D shoot-’em-up for the PC and Sony PlayStation 2. The game features lots of nifty new features such as the ability to blast your own path through walls and bring buildings crashing down. It’s no wonder lead designer Alan Lawrence, of the development studio Volition, couldn’t stop talking about it.

Q: Are shoot-’em-up games shot to heck or here to stay?

Shooters are a well-established genre and aren’t going away any time soon. There will always be someone developing the next great first-person shooter, and as long as developers can keep raising the bar, there will always be customers buying them.

Q: Can a lack of innovation in a first-person blaster be covered up with bigger guns and flashier graphics?

To some extent, yes. But at the end of the day, the games that are truly fun will be the most successful. But of course, it could be argued that bigger guns and flashier graphics are innovative in the first-person shooter genre.

Q: What kind of lunatic finds killing other people fun?

Ask Hollywood.

Q: Why go with Mars and not Pluto?

The fiction of the game takes place about 150 years in the future. Mars was a logical location for a mining operation on another planet.

Q: Care to cite any classic gaming influences for this project?

“Red Faction” doesn’t really have any direct classic gaming influences. Certainly, the most popular first-person shooter games over the last few years have had an influence, though.

Q: Aside from the novelty of free-range destruction, what will keep gamers coming back for more?

The single-player game is driven by an engrossing story line. I think players will want to play simply to find out what happens next. The PC version will also contain an added multi-player component, allowing players to compete online.

Q: How much refinement does this type of game go through to get the playability down pat?

The game is constantly being evaluated from a playability standpoint. We try to get feedback from anyone who has contact with the game--team members, focus testers, the press, fans, significant others, you name it.

Q: Any idea why PC gamers identify so readily with ultra-violent blast-’em-ups?

I think the PC audience tends to be a bit older and more mature. Perhaps this is due to the higher levels of technical knowledge that PC gaming requires. That said, I don’t think blast-’em-ups are at all unique to the PC.

Q: Among “Half-Life,” “Unreal Tournament” and “Quake III,” where does “Red Faction” fit in?

Of those three titles, “Red Faction” is most closely related to “Half-Life” simply because of our strong single-player emphasis.

Q: Whose job is it to invent killer guns, and how do they come up with such adorable little toys?

The initial game design will typically call for certain types of weapons. Using these specs, an artist will come up with several concepts, frequently drawing upon real-world weapon designs. From the concepts, the weapons are then modeled, textured and integrated into the game.

Q: Do you think you could outgun the average shooter fan?

Totally.

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Scott Steinberg is a freelance writer specializing in video games.