Chaos Raiden
Avid Gamer & Reviewer
This is an interview carried out between Dark Drakan. Have a look at his thoughts on the site, general outlook on DMC series, as well as his wide knowledge and understanding on gaming itself.
Site related questions
1) What is your part/role in this site as an administrator?
I dont cover as many Admin type jobs here as on other forums of ours but Im generally the eyes and ears of the team and browse through the forums keeping my eye out for troublesome members/posts etc and flag them to the rest of the team. I try to keep the forums clean from spam, keep threads in the right sections, close threads that require closing, merge multiple posts to ease browsing and defuse situations wherever possible amongst other general things. More of a Admin/Moderator really as I do a little of both. Also if there are any errors or dead links on the site etc I try to keep Steve informed so he can fix them before the members see them and risk getting lost in the void of the forums.
2) Do you have any part in creating this site with Steve or Angel?
As Sharon said in her interview this site is Steve's baby really and I too dont havethat much of a part in that side of things on these forums as im more here to do dirty work in the community. However if he were to ask for my help or want any critique off me on design decisions or new sections and things like that im always happy to give it.
3) Do you prefer Xenforo software or vBulletin software for the forum? Why?
Well id used vBulletin for many years and it was the forum software I was most accustomed to. I knew it pretty much inside out after many years of using it so switching over to a totally new forum software was a big change but Xenforo has grown on me fast. I know many members have struggled with the change but the staff had to get used to all the new things too. The very first forum id ever been on (and been Admin of) used vBulletin so not only did we have to learn everything about Xenforo just like the members we had to re-learn all the tools and their locations for it too as it was just as new to us as it was for you .
Xenforo is much more sleek however and just has this new shiny feel to it which I like and vBulletin had started to show its age over the years. Im sure when Xenforo matures and more people start using it and it gets some nice little plugins and hacks it will be the much better product overall.
4) How did you become an administrator in this site? Are you an acquaintance of Steve and Angel, or is there an other reason?
Steve and I went to school together (now I feel old) and have been friends for many years and live about a 10min drive apart though dont get to see each other as much in person any more due to work and family commitments.
Steve had created a GFX forum originally and asked me to be a staff member there and id never even been on a forum before never mind helping run one so was a baptism of fire for me really. I was thrown in at the deep end and had to learn fast as I didnt want to be asked questions that I didnt know the answers to. From that forum we thought of other ideas and branched into gaming forums.
We closed the GFX forum and concentrated on gaming ones instead and although I was aware of these forums I wasnt registered here as I dont play DMC. However Steve persisted and kept asking me to come here but I wasnt sure what the members would think about a staff member who doesnt even play the game the site is about. I ended up joining and helping out and stayed for a while then my activity dipped again, I came back properly when the forums had for whatever reason become a magnet for trolls. I saw it as the perfect opportunity to return and try and bring some order back here.
5) What features do you like best in this site?
The spam cleaner definitely as I no longer have to go through and remove every single post manually that a spammer posts. We can remove the account, all the threads and all the posts with the click of a button. Also quite like the 'discourage' button in the CP though not used it on anyone here but I do like what it does.
6) Can the administrators and moderators put a member in their Ignore list in this forum?
Ive never tried it personally but the option is there for us to select so I dont see why we couldnt. However I dont know of any staff members who have ever used it as its part of our job to view all the comments and posts on the boards in case anything untoward is posted. If we ignore someone and they post something that breaks the rules we wouldnt be able to see it then.
7) On what reasons do you ban a member in this site?
The only set rules for banning are people posting spam, intentionally trolling or breaking any one of the rules multiple times. If I think the community would be better off without a person who is upsetting people and generally making a nuisance of themselves I will get rid of them. Im pretty blunt ive been told but I have no time for rule-breakers and troublemakers. However its usually on an individual basis and some people dont mean to intentionally irritate others it just happens.
Devil May Cry series related questions
8) Have you ever played any of Devil May Cry games?
I have but only briefly and not enough to be able to form a solid opinion on the series as a whole. I have played a little of the first, third and the demo of the forth. I watched Steve play through a couple from start to finish though.
9) i) What makes the games appealing to you? (Answer only if you have played any DMC games)
I like the combat systems and how fluid the frame rate is and the stylish moves and also the fast pace of it. The boss battles look pretty badass too and the art direction of the game series is impressive as are the FMV sequences.
ii) What makes the games unappealing to you? (Answer only if you have not played any DMC games)
Some of the systems are a little to arcade like for me with the ranking system and im not a huge fan of some of Capcom's writing. I cant claim to be the biggest Capcom fan anyway overall (blasphemy here I know).
10) What do you think of DmC: Devil May Cry, the controversial reboot of Devil May Cry series by Ninja Theory?
Its an interesting decision and on one hand I can see why some fans are upset about it with it not being the sequel they had been waiting for. I would be annoyed if I had waited 4 years for a sequel then essentially got a new game with new character that had nothing to do with the series. However I can also see why some people have embraced the idea as Ninja Theory do not have to follow the pattern of the old games and can include anything they want really. Might actually make people who play the game not feel like they are just playing another DMC that isnt as good as their favourite one. This one can actually step away from the series into its own light and be recognised on its own merit rather than being in the shadow of another DMC game in the series.
11) It seems a lot of DMC fans have troubles in accepting the new Dante introduced in DmC: Devil May Cry. Why do you think so?
When people get attached to a character its hard when people come in and change things. I remember being annoyed when as a DBZ fan Toei came in and wrote DBGT and gave Vegeta a moustache and cut his hair. He was the same character, same voice and attitude but even them messing with his appearance annoyed me. This is even worse, they gave the character Dante's name but then changed everything about him so its understandable why some people will simply say 'Thats not the real Dante'.
General gaming related questions
12) What do you think about the culture of gaming currently?
Its leaps and bounds ahead of the gaming I remember when I was younger, talked about by girlfriends and work colleagues alike and not something you do with the door locked in a basement. Its more socially accepted these days and for the most part people are no longer stereotyped for being gamers as much as they once were. Online gaming used to be two people in different countries typing slow text based messages to each other, now its friends in groups all chatting as if they are in the same room and gaming as a whole is more like a community these days. Was hard to imagine all those years ago that games would boast the biggest entertainment launch figures over music albums and movie blockbusters.
13) Can you tell us how to differentiate video game publishers and video game developers?
The publishers are the guys who have the money that push the marketing campaigns for the products and provide the cash for the technology the development teams use for the most part. The development teams do all the physical work with the game and the publishers make sure people hear about it and buy it basically.
14) Japanese developers lately have been catering into making games targeted for the Western audience. Why is that so, and do you think the approach is the correct choice?
I think it is the right choice as most Japanese developed games have the same sort of general style/feel and if one doesnt appeal to western audiences then what would make another of the same type do any better?
15) Western games and Japanese games may have some similarities in a same genre, but the games' style can be totally different, for example Final Fantasy XIII (Japanese RPG game) and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Western RPG game). What makes Western made games and Japanese made games different from each other?
Ive noticed that Japanese RPG developers favour the turn based combat style that has started to feel dated along with a well written but linear story. Western developers have realised that western audiences prefer customisation, choice and freedom in their games rather than playing a set character going along a set path and story until the end.
16) A number of Japanese games lately suffered either poor sales or/and lower critical reception than usual, especially for a new installment for a current existing game series such as Final Fantasy XIII. Why is that so?
I think its because for all the flashy graphics and stunning FMV sequences they are all still using the same (maybe slightly modified) systems underneath the hood. This has started to make some games feel like you are simply playing an older game in the series with a new look.
17) IP is short for intellectual property, and it can be referred to an original and new game developed by video game developers. What factors can make the new IP game to be successful or not?
Trying something new or exploring era's or genres that havent really been touched that much. I mean WWII has been done to death but Red Dead Redemption and L.A. Noire explored eras few have dared or succeeded with in the past. A risk but one that for the most part paid off as people bought them in their bucketloads. Mixing genres has become quite popular too with more FPS games incorporating RPG elements and vice versa. Gamers can get the best of both worlds with these sort of games and seeing more and more of them pop up lately and most so far have had critical acclaim.
18) Japanese video game companies lately have been hiring or working with Western developers to develop their games based on an existing franchise, such as Capcom and Slant Six Games are co-developing Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, and Konami hires Vatra Games to develop Silent Hill: Downpour. Are the Japanese developers have lose faith on their own ability on making good games, or they want to try a new approach to make a new game? Please tell me your opinion on this.
I think they simply need an outside opinion, they want the western developers to help them to design games that may appeal more to western audiences. This way they can include enough of their own ideas to appeal to the usual Japanese audiences but at the same time branch out their ideas to appeal further afield too. Western developers average Metacritic scores are getting higher and Japanese developers has been in decline so its only right they try and work out where they are going wrong.
19) Can you tell us briefly the pro and cons of exclusive games and multi-platform games?
When a developer works on one platform they dont have to worry about optimising the game to work on multiple platforms. They only have to test it for bugs on one platform and they can concentrate on all their tools and systems working to that consoles best ability. Also means they only need one team and they can all work within close proximity so nothing gets overlooked.
However it also means that they are narrowing down their sales figures to one group of people and risk alienating a whole fanbase from future products.
Multiplatform games have the advantage of higher sales, larger audiences and more tools to use for the games development. However can also risk certain things slipping through their quality assessment tests and some online systems they design might not work as well on one console as another. Also essentially means they have different specs of equipment to work with and have to have multiple teams testing at multiple stages and every variable looked into. Such as what size hard drive has the console got, does it have an external, is it connected to the internet, how is it connected to the internet, if it doesnt have a hard drive do we cache the data or stream off a disc. All these variables mount up to slow-down, save issues and bugs and must all be considered so multi-format games have the biggest work load.
(Only read the briefly part after I wrote that)
20) Some developers lately have been developing games and releasing them in a consistent manner, such as Activision releases new Call of Duty game every year, or Sony releases new Uncharted games for every 2 years. However, not all developers are like that, and some developers only managed to develop their games after a long development time, only to meet poor reception by gamers, such as Duke Nukem Forever. What is your opinion on this, and why does the developer can have long development times in making games?
It all comes down to the publishers, if the publisher wants a new game every year then the developer has to make a new one every year. Thats why Activision have used so many studios to create the CoD series. Some publishers simply allow the development teams free reign and a lets release it when its finished attitude. Which in some instances is a good thing but with Duke it was just ridiculous because the game had to be rebuilt so many times in its development cycle due to ageing tech in it. Then to change developer entirely was a huge risk which essentially backfired but Gearbox shouldnt be held accountable for that.
21) Certain developers listen to fans to change certain aspects in the game, such as changing a character design, etc, and there are developers that refuse to do so. Is this a good thing or is it a bad thing?
Some customer feedback is a good thing when systems and ideas just arent working right. However developers shouldnt give in to every fan demand as they have every right to use their own creativity. Just because the fans want a main character to carry hundreds of weapons, be able to fly at will and teleport through walls doesnt make it a great game idea. Things have to be carefully balanced and thought through to make the full package.
22) Online passes is required to play certain online features in a game, but it is only usable for only one account, causing any gamers who bought second hand games to buy a new online pass. Does this online pass feature brings any benefit to us or to video game companies?
I can see why they do it as normally they get no revenue for a 2nd hand sale. Getting these small fees back so people can play online is just an insurance policy for the developer to get back something for every sale. They have made it that people who purchase games new that have passes get bonuses too such as free DLC, map packs and weapon packs for some games or instant upgrades to Limited Edition games with pre-orders for same price as the normal game. So although I used to be dead against the idea buying it new does have its perks.
23) PS3 games have their own regions, but they are not region locked and all PS3s can play any PS3 games, but certain Xbox 360 games have region lock, preventing a user who has an Asian Xbox 360 to play a US region game. Is this region lock necessary?
I dont think its necessary as I believe we should be able to play a game from any region. Some games arent released over here that are in Japan/Asia and vice versa and we should be able to import them and play them here. We are paying customers so I dont see the problem.
24) Which video game companies do you think are being very successful at the moment, and which video game companies are having hard times competing in the video game market?
Western RPG developers and open world developers seem to be getting most the praise lately. But main ones that come to mind are Bethesda, Bioware, Rocksteady, Valve, DICE, Ubisoft, Epic. Ones that are having a hard time are Capcom, Yuke's, Infinity Ward, Square Enix.
25) Consoles war usually involves specific console fanboys/fangirls, such as Sony fanboys/fangirls, etc, and can often lead to many disagreements and fightings. Is there a point in this consoles war?
People will always have split preferences and people will always argue one is better than the other. Happens in all walks of life and there is never a point to it as its merely a clash of opinions but it will always be there unfortunately. Shame everyone cant just get along as its surely the games that are the main concern not what console we play them on and we are all gamers.
26) HD remakes is a good fan service to gamers who like to play their favourite old games in current generation consoles, and at the same time also serves as a quick cash-in for video game companies. What do you think of this?
I can see why some developers do them as they themselves can revisit the games they created that they loved too. Polish them up and fix some things they didnt like about them as some systems in games do not get better with age. There are plenty of games ive wanted to replay but they look awful on HDTV's as the textures are so bright and blocky, only way of fixing this is to remake them. However I dont think developers should simply play it safe and stick to remaking old gamers over developing new IP's as it will stifle creativity.
27) This is a scenario case. You have a limited budget to buy just one game for this month, and there are two choices. One is Halo 4, and Halo HD Collection (self-made). Which one would you buy first, and why do you choose that particular game?
Id choose Halo 4 mainly because Id want to see something new. I played the original to death and have no reason to replay the same game over again with new physics and GFX as its still the same game underneath.
28) Does HD remakes actually hinder developers time to develop new games, or not?
Well it doesnt usually take them that long to make them and id imagine it wouldnt require the whole development team. However if companies repeatedly opted to remake old games rather than working on new games id say yes it would hinder them and their creativity.
29) Games tend to be thought as bringing many negative influences to the society, such as procrastinating, laziness, etc. What do you think of this?
I think its total rubbish, if a persons lazy they are lazy. If they dont play games they will be in front of the TV, if they take away the TV they will sit on the internet. People like that merely use games as an excuse to not do anything and its not the games that influence them to be that way. Games will never totally influence someones decision to do something, they will already have it in them.
30) An opinion on a game can be varied from one person to another, but most of the time, people doesn't want to accept other people's opinion, and causing arguments between each other. What do you think about this matter?
Its not limited to gamers, I see this sort of thing in the workplace all the time. Its simply a matter of some people being to pigheaded and ignorant to accept someone elses opinion and not simply thinking their opinion is fact and everyone else is wrong.
31) There are games that high sales, but only have rather mediocre reception by critics and gamers. However, there are games that have very positive reception by critics and gamers, but those games suffer moderate to low sales. Why does this happen?
Some people are afraid of change and like to stick to what they know. Like the same people who purchase CoD every year but then moan that its only a slight upgrade from the year before. Them buying it has raised the sales figures but then it receives a poor reception because they didnt research it enough. If people stopped purchasing them in the first place the developers would have to do a little more with the sequel.
Some games slip under the radar and are simply either not marketed well enough or are released to close to another more well known games release. I mean two of my favourite games that suffered from this was The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay and The Darkness. Main reason was because Starbreeze Studios werent a very well known studio and the games were based on a movie (tie-in) and a comic and games associated with media were well known to be rubbish.
32) Do you have any intentions to expose gaming to your children in the future?
Ive already turned my Step-Son into a gamer and he loves playing on the 360 and the Wii and now has the Wii in his bedroom and his own DS and 3DS. When I met my girlfriend 3 years ago he had never even touched a console and didnt really care for gaming. So when we have a child of our own together I plan to do the same thing and turn them into a gamer young. Plus its extra ammo for bribery when he misbehaves.
Many thanks to Dark Drakan for taking the time in participating the interview. If you haven't read previous interview, click the below links:
Steve - http://devilmaycry.org/community/threads/interview-with-steve-founder-of-dmc-org.10205/
Angel - http://devilmaycry.org/community/threads/interview-with-angel-wife-of-the-founder-of-dmc-org.10216/
Site related questions
1) What is your part/role in this site as an administrator?
I dont cover as many Admin type jobs here as on other forums of ours but Im generally the eyes and ears of the team and browse through the forums keeping my eye out for troublesome members/posts etc and flag them to the rest of the team. I try to keep the forums clean from spam, keep threads in the right sections, close threads that require closing, merge multiple posts to ease browsing and defuse situations wherever possible amongst other general things. More of a Admin/Moderator really as I do a little of both. Also if there are any errors or dead links on the site etc I try to keep Steve informed so he can fix them before the members see them and risk getting lost in the void of the forums.
2) Do you have any part in creating this site with Steve or Angel?
As Sharon said in her interview this site is Steve's baby really and I too dont havethat much of a part in that side of things on these forums as im more here to do dirty work in the community. However if he were to ask for my help or want any critique off me on design decisions or new sections and things like that im always happy to give it.
3) Do you prefer Xenforo software or vBulletin software for the forum? Why?
Well id used vBulletin for many years and it was the forum software I was most accustomed to. I knew it pretty much inside out after many years of using it so switching over to a totally new forum software was a big change but Xenforo has grown on me fast. I know many members have struggled with the change but the staff had to get used to all the new things too. The very first forum id ever been on (and been Admin of) used vBulletin so not only did we have to learn everything about Xenforo just like the members we had to re-learn all the tools and their locations for it too as it was just as new to us as it was for you .
Xenforo is much more sleek however and just has this new shiny feel to it which I like and vBulletin had started to show its age over the years. Im sure when Xenforo matures and more people start using it and it gets some nice little plugins and hacks it will be the much better product overall.
4) How did you become an administrator in this site? Are you an acquaintance of Steve and Angel, or is there an other reason?
Steve and I went to school together (now I feel old) and have been friends for many years and live about a 10min drive apart though dont get to see each other as much in person any more due to work and family commitments.
Steve had created a GFX forum originally and asked me to be a staff member there and id never even been on a forum before never mind helping run one so was a baptism of fire for me really. I was thrown in at the deep end and had to learn fast as I didnt want to be asked questions that I didnt know the answers to. From that forum we thought of other ideas and branched into gaming forums.
We closed the GFX forum and concentrated on gaming ones instead and although I was aware of these forums I wasnt registered here as I dont play DMC. However Steve persisted and kept asking me to come here but I wasnt sure what the members would think about a staff member who doesnt even play the game the site is about. I ended up joining and helping out and stayed for a while then my activity dipped again, I came back properly when the forums had for whatever reason become a magnet for trolls. I saw it as the perfect opportunity to return and try and bring some order back here.
5) What features do you like best in this site?
The spam cleaner definitely as I no longer have to go through and remove every single post manually that a spammer posts. We can remove the account, all the threads and all the posts with the click of a button. Also quite like the 'discourage' button in the CP though not used it on anyone here but I do like what it does.
6) Can the administrators and moderators put a member in their Ignore list in this forum?
Ive never tried it personally but the option is there for us to select so I dont see why we couldnt. However I dont know of any staff members who have ever used it as its part of our job to view all the comments and posts on the boards in case anything untoward is posted. If we ignore someone and they post something that breaks the rules we wouldnt be able to see it then.
7) On what reasons do you ban a member in this site?
The only set rules for banning are people posting spam, intentionally trolling or breaking any one of the rules multiple times. If I think the community would be better off without a person who is upsetting people and generally making a nuisance of themselves I will get rid of them. Im pretty blunt ive been told but I have no time for rule-breakers and troublemakers. However its usually on an individual basis and some people dont mean to intentionally irritate others it just happens.
Devil May Cry series related questions
8) Have you ever played any of Devil May Cry games?
I have but only briefly and not enough to be able to form a solid opinion on the series as a whole. I have played a little of the first, third and the demo of the forth. I watched Steve play through a couple from start to finish though.
9) i) What makes the games appealing to you? (Answer only if you have played any DMC games)
I like the combat systems and how fluid the frame rate is and the stylish moves and also the fast pace of it. The boss battles look pretty badass too and the art direction of the game series is impressive as are the FMV sequences.
ii) What makes the games unappealing to you? (Answer only if you have not played any DMC games)
Some of the systems are a little to arcade like for me with the ranking system and im not a huge fan of some of Capcom's writing. I cant claim to be the biggest Capcom fan anyway overall (blasphemy here I know).
10) What do you think of DmC: Devil May Cry, the controversial reboot of Devil May Cry series by Ninja Theory?
Its an interesting decision and on one hand I can see why some fans are upset about it with it not being the sequel they had been waiting for. I would be annoyed if I had waited 4 years for a sequel then essentially got a new game with new character that had nothing to do with the series. However I can also see why some people have embraced the idea as Ninja Theory do not have to follow the pattern of the old games and can include anything they want really. Might actually make people who play the game not feel like they are just playing another DMC that isnt as good as their favourite one. This one can actually step away from the series into its own light and be recognised on its own merit rather than being in the shadow of another DMC game in the series.
11) It seems a lot of DMC fans have troubles in accepting the new Dante introduced in DmC: Devil May Cry. Why do you think so?
When people get attached to a character its hard when people come in and change things. I remember being annoyed when as a DBZ fan Toei came in and wrote DBGT and gave Vegeta a moustache and cut his hair. He was the same character, same voice and attitude but even them messing with his appearance annoyed me. This is even worse, they gave the character Dante's name but then changed everything about him so its understandable why some people will simply say 'Thats not the real Dante'.
General gaming related questions
12) What do you think about the culture of gaming currently?
Its leaps and bounds ahead of the gaming I remember when I was younger, talked about by girlfriends and work colleagues alike and not something you do with the door locked in a basement. Its more socially accepted these days and for the most part people are no longer stereotyped for being gamers as much as they once were. Online gaming used to be two people in different countries typing slow text based messages to each other, now its friends in groups all chatting as if they are in the same room and gaming as a whole is more like a community these days. Was hard to imagine all those years ago that games would boast the biggest entertainment launch figures over music albums and movie blockbusters.
13) Can you tell us how to differentiate video game publishers and video game developers?
The publishers are the guys who have the money that push the marketing campaigns for the products and provide the cash for the technology the development teams use for the most part. The development teams do all the physical work with the game and the publishers make sure people hear about it and buy it basically.
14) Japanese developers lately have been catering into making games targeted for the Western audience. Why is that so, and do you think the approach is the correct choice?
I think it is the right choice as most Japanese developed games have the same sort of general style/feel and if one doesnt appeal to western audiences then what would make another of the same type do any better?
15) Western games and Japanese games may have some similarities in a same genre, but the games' style can be totally different, for example Final Fantasy XIII (Japanese RPG game) and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Western RPG game). What makes Western made games and Japanese made games different from each other?
Ive noticed that Japanese RPG developers favour the turn based combat style that has started to feel dated along with a well written but linear story. Western developers have realised that western audiences prefer customisation, choice and freedom in their games rather than playing a set character going along a set path and story until the end.
16) A number of Japanese games lately suffered either poor sales or/and lower critical reception than usual, especially for a new installment for a current existing game series such as Final Fantasy XIII. Why is that so?
I think its because for all the flashy graphics and stunning FMV sequences they are all still using the same (maybe slightly modified) systems underneath the hood. This has started to make some games feel like you are simply playing an older game in the series with a new look.
17) IP is short for intellectual property, and it can be referred to an original and new game developed by video game developers. What factors can make the new IP game to be successful or not?
Trying something new or exploring era's or genres that havent really been touched that much. I mean WWII has been done to death but Red Dead Redemption and L.A. Noire explored eras few have dared or succeeded with in the past. A risk but one that for the most part paid off as people bought them in their bucketloads. Mixing genres has become quite popular too with more FPS games incorporating RPG elements and vice versa. Gamers can get the best of both worlds with these sort of games and seeing more and more of them pop up lately and most so far have had critical acclaim.
18) Japanese video game companies lately have been hiring or working with Western developers to develop their games based on an existing franchise, such as Capcom and Slant Six Games are co-developing Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, and Konami hires Vatra Games to develop Silent Hill: Downpour. Are the Japanese developers have lose faith on their own ability on making good games, or they want to try a new approach to make a new game? Please tell me your opinion on this.
I think they simply need an outside opinion, they want the western developers to help them to design games that may appeal more to western audiences. This way they can include enough of their own ideas to appeal to the usual Japanese audiences but at the same time branch out their ideas to appeal further afield too. Western developers average Metacritic scores are getting higher and Japanese developers has been in decline so its only right they try and work out where they are going wrong.
19) Can you tell us briefly the pro and cons of exclusive games and multi-platform games?
When a developer works on one platform they dont have to worry about optimising the game to work on multiple platforms. They only have to test it for bugs on one platform and they can concentrate on all their tools and systems working to that consoles best ability. Also means they only need one team and they can all work within close proximity so nothing gets overlooked.
However it also means that they are narrowing down their sales figures to one group of people and risk alienating a whole fanbase from future products.
Multiplatform games have the advantage of higher sales, larger audiences and more tools to use for the games development. However can also risk certain things slipping through their quality assessment tests and some online systems they design might not work as well on one console as another. Also essentially means they have different specs of equipment to work with and have to have multiple teams testing at multiple stages and every variable looked into. Such as what size hard drive has the console got, does it have an external, is it connected to the internet, how is it connected to the internet, if it doesnt have a hard drive do we cache the data or stream off a disc. All these variables mount up to slow-down, save issues and bugs and must all be considered so multi-format games have the biggest work load.
(Only read the briefly part after I wrote that)
20) Some developers lately have been developing games and releasing them in a consistent manner, such as Activision releases new Call of Duty game every year, or Sony releases new Uncharted games for every 2 years. However, not all developers are like that, and some developers only managed to develop their games after a long development time, only to meet poor reception by gamers, such as Duke Nukem Forever. What is your opinion on this, and why does the developer can have long development times in making games?
It all comes down to the publishers, if the publisher wants a new game every year then the developer has to make a new one every year. Thats why Activision have used so many studios to create the CoD series. Some publishers simply allow the development teams free reign and a lets release it when its finished attitude. Which in some instances is a good thing but with Duke it was just ridiculous because the game had to be rebuilt so many times in its development cycle due to ageing tech in it. Then to change developer entirely was a huge risk which essentially backfired but Gearbox shouldnt be held accountable for that.
21) Certain developers listen to fans to change certain aspects in the game, such as changing a character design, etc, and there are developers that refuse to do so. Is this a good thing or is it a bad thing?
Some customer feedback is a good thing when systems and ideas just arent working right. However developers shouldnt give in to every fan demand as they have every right to use their own creativity. Just because the fans want a main character to carry hundreds of weapons, be able to fly at will and teleport through walls doesnt make it a great game idea. Things have to be carefully balanced and thought through to make the full package.
22) Online passes is required to play certain online features in a game, but it is only usable for only one account, causing any gamers who bought second hand games to buy a new online pass. Does this online pass feature brings any benefit to us or to video game companies?
I can see why they do it as normally they get no revenue for a 2nd hand sale. Getting these small fees back so people can play online is just an insurance policy for the developer to get back something for every sale. They have made it that people who purchase games new that have passes get bonuses too such as free DLC, map packs and weapon packs for some games or instant upgrades to Limited Edition games with pre-orders for same price as the normal game. So although I used to be dead against the idea buying it new does have its perks.
23) PS3 games have their own regions, but they are not region locked and all PS3s can play any PS3 games, but certain Xbox 360 games have region lock, preventing a user who has an Asian Xbox 360 to play a US region game. Is this region lock necessary?
I dont think its necessary as I believe we should be able to play a game from any region. Some games arent released over here that are in Japan/Asia and vice versa and we should be able to import them and play them here. We are paying customers so I dont see the problem.
24) Which video game companies do you think are being very successful at the moment, and which video game companies are having hard times competing in the video game market?
Western RPG developers and open world developers seem to be getting most the praise lately. But main ones that come to mind are Bethesda, Bioware, Rocksteady, Valve, DICE, Ubisoft, Epic. Ones that are having a hard time are Capcom, Yuke's, Infinity Ward, Square Enix.
25) Consoles war usually involves specific console fanboys/fangirls, such as Sony fanboys/fangirls, etc, and can often lead to many disagreements and fightings. Is there a point in this consoles war?
People will always have split preferences and people will always argue one is better than the other. Happens in all walks of life and there is never a point to it as its merely a clash of opinions but it will always be there unfortunately. Shame everyone cant just get along as its surely the games that are the main concern not what console we play them on and we are all gamers.
26) HD remakes is a good fan service to gamers who like to play their favourite old games in current generation consoles, and at the same time also serves as a quick cash-in for video game companies. What do you think of this?
I can see why some developers do them as they themselves can revisit the games they created that they loved too. Polish them up and fix some things they didnt like about them as some systems in games do not get better with age. There are plenty of games ive wanted to replay but they look awful on HDTV's as the textures are so bright and blocky, only way of fixing this is to remake them. However I dont think developers should simply play it safe and stick to remaking old gamers over developing new IP's as it will stifle creativity.
27) This is a scenario case. You have a limited budget to buy just one game for this month, and there are two choices. One is Halo 4, and Halo HD Collection (self-made). Which one would you buy first, and why do you choose that particular game?
Id choose Halo 4 mainly because Id want to see something new. I played the original to death and have no reason to replay the same game over again with new physics and GFX as its still the same game underneath.
28) Does HD remakes actually hinder developers time to develop new games, or not?
Well it doesnt usually take them that long to make them and id imagine it wouldnt require the whole development team. However if companies repeatedly opted to remake old games rather than working on new games id say yes it would hinder them and their creativity.
29) Games tend to be thought as bringing many negative influences to the society, such as procrastinating, laziness, etc. What do you think of this?
I think its total rubbish, if a persons lazy they are lazy. If they dont play games they will be in front of the TV, if they take away the TV they will sit on the internet. People like that merely use games as an excuse to not do anything and its not the games that influence them to be that way. Games will never totally influence someones decision to do something, they will already have it in them.
30) An opinion on a game can be varied from one person to another, but most of the time, people doesn't want to accept other people's opinion, and causing arguments between each other. What do you think about this matter?
Its not limited to gamers, I see this sort of thing in the workplace all the time. Its simply a matter of some people being to pigheaded and ignorant to accept someone elses opinion and not simply thinking their opinion is fact and everyone else is wrong.
31) There are games that high sales, but only have rather mediocre reception by critics and gamers. However, there are games that have very positive reception by critics and gamers, but those games suffer moderate to low sales. Why does this happen?
Some people are afraid of change and like to stick to what they know. Like the same people who purchase CoD every year but then moan that its only a slight upgrade from the year before. Them buying it has raised the sales figures but then it receives a poor reception because they didnt research it enough. If people stopped purchasing them in the first place the developers would have to do a little more with the sequel.
Some games slip under the radar and are simply either not marketed well enough or are released to close to another more well known games release. I mean two of my favourite games that suffered from this was The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay and The Darkness. Main reason was because Starbreeze Studios werent a very well known studio and the games were based on a movie (tie-in) and a comic and games associated with media were well known to be rubbish.
32) Do you have any intentions to expose gaming to your children in the future?
Ive already turned my Step-Son into a gamer and he loves playing on the 360 and the Wii and now has the Wii in his bedroom and his own DS and 3DS. When I met my girlfriend 3 years ago he had never even touched a console and didnt really care for gaming. So when we have a child of our own together I plan to do the same thing and turn them into a gamer young. Plus its extra ammo for bribery when he misbehaves.
Many thanks to Dark Drakan for taking the time in participating the interview. If you haven't read previous interview, click the below links:
Steve - http://devilmaycry.org/community/threads/interview-with-steve-founder-of-dmc-org.10205/
Angel - http://devilmaycry.org/community/threads/interview-with-angel-wife-of-the-founder-of-dmc-org.10216/
