With Monster Madness: Grave Danger set to release on August 5th, we decided it would be great to get all new details on the title and see what the team at SouthPeak Games has in store for PlayStation 3 owners. Our interview was conducted with Associate Producer Lee Perez.
PSU: What are some of the major changes or additions to Grave Danger that were not seen in Battle for Suburbia?
Lee Perez: For starters we’ve made a lot of improvements to elements in the last game that weren’t implemented exactly how we wanted them in the original. The camera angles have been completely revamped, giving closer proximity to the action and better angles for players. The graphics have seen a noticeable texture improvement as it moved over to PS3. We’ve also restructured the control scheme so that the right stick controls aiming and firing of ranged weapons allowing for seamless transitions from melee to ranged combat. It also helps players keep the action flowing non-stop! We’ve also included 25 Challenges to spice things up for players. They’re single player missions that incorporate some additional gameplay styles. We also added 100 new items upgrades and weapon power-ups. Finally, we’ve included full online cooperative story mode, which a lot of people wanted to see in the original game. Of course, the local co-op is still in there as well as the online multiplayer matches.
PSU: Can you give us some examples of the new weapons, items, and mini-games that will make an appearance in Grave Danger?
Perez: Well, not to give too much away, we’ve included a plethora of new items in the game that will give players an extra edge on the enemy. Each character has several specific items that are tailored to their personality. For example, Zack can purchase “Boots of Bully Escaping” which let him run faster, or Jennifer’s “Beauty Pageant Ribbon” which boosts her spirits so much it increases her max health. The mini-games are essentially single player missions that are stand-alone in the game. That is, they’re not necessary to play, but they definitely enhance the overall experience. These challenges will unlock special costumes that players can use in both the story mode (single and co-op) as well as online multiplayer. One of my personal favorites is the “UFO Shooter” which is a tribute to old school shooters. You basically take a UFO through a progressively more difficult level where you’ll encounter anything from zombies on the ground to other UFO’s, Tanks and of course – bosses!
PSU: How will the online co-op matchmaking work? Will there be lobbies or the ability to create and host your own games?
Perez: You answered your own question! That’s exactly how it’s going to work, we’ll have a lobby system set up so you can join in with your friends or find some new friends online to play with.
PSU: What are your thoughts on PlayStation Home? Are there plans to incorporate any Home features into Grave Danger?
Perez: Home is definitely an interesting idea, giving players a virtual space of their own; I’m definitely interested to see how it turns out! Right now we don’t have any Home elements incorporated into the game.
PSU: What graphical improvements have been made to Grave Danger? Anything about the PlayStation 3 that has allowed for better performance?
Perez: The Unreal 3 Engine on the PS3 is a graphical powerhouse, that’s for sure! We are very pleased with the game performance and the ability to up the textures general details. The game definitely looks sharper.
PSU: Are there plans to support Grave Danger with new downloadable content after the game’s release? New zombies, missions, items, etc?
Perez: Right now we’re really focused on making sure everything goes smoothly and getting the game to the players! We’re definitely thinking about DLC, but we don’t have anything set in stone yet – keep on the lookout for more.
PSU: Monster Madness: Grave Danger is still a PlayStation 3 exclusive, correct?
Perez: Yep!
PSU: Anything else you’d like to add?
Perez: I think that pretty much covers the basics – the only other thing I’d throw in there is that the game is coming out at 39.99 which I think is a great deal for a brand new PS3 title! Especially one that has full online co-op, multiplayer and all of the new extras I mentioned. I’m looking forward to mixing it up with people once the game is out and we get some people in the multiplayer games.
We’d like to thank Perez again for answering our questions.