Xbox Solution:
Shrek’s Back on the Box
In previous articles, we’ve given you our viewpoint on the current games available on the Xbox console. Now we let the developers speak for themselves. This time, we chat with Luxoflux Art Director and Project Lead Joby Otero and Activision Producer Ryan Rucinski about their upcoming title, Shrek® 2.
Xbox Solution: What made Activision decide to bring back Shrek to the Xbox once again?
Rucinski: We knew there was great potential for games based in Shrek’s world by looking at the property’s vast popularity, its special blend of humor, action, and adventure, as well as its clever use of characters from familiar childhood stories.
Your favorite fairytale friends in action.
Xbox Solution: Tell us how Shrek 2 differs from the first one on Xbox.
Otero: The two games differ in almost every way with the exception that they are both inspired by the film.
Xbox Solution: When can we expect to see it on store shelves?
Otero: The game will be on store shelves on May 4.
Xbox Solution: What type of game is Shrek 2? Can you tell us a little bit about the story line?
Otero: Shrek 2 is a four-player action-adventure game that finds Shrek and company dealing with combat, puzzles, and minigames as well as something called Hero Time where individual characters get the spotlight to themselves in specially designed interludes. The player is always in control of one of four characters they can switch among at any time. The game has a four-player multiplayer feature with dynamic joining, meaning anyone can join in or leave the game at any time without disrupting gameplay.
The story starts when Shrek and Fiona, just back from their honeymoon, receive an invitation from Fiona’s parents, the King and Queen of Far, Far Away, who want to meet the groom. The catch is that her parents don’t know she is still an ogre and that she married one. A surprising adventure begins as Shrek realizes he has to prove himself to Fiona’s family and to himself.
Xbox Solution: This time gamers must use a group of four characters simultaneously. How does this affect gameplay, and how many characters will players get to use? How does this affect multiplayer?
Otero: There are 10 playable characters, and each character is designed to use his or her own special ability. For instance, Shrek is a brute-force brawler that can also carry things and throw things; Fiona has faster attacks and can slow down time; Donkey has the gift of a “burro blast.” Each character’s abilities are designed to benefit the player in different ways depending on the situation. For instance, a player can choose to use Lil’ Red’s exploding rotten apple to destroy something while another player runs in and keeps the enemy distracted by wailing away with Shrek.
Each playable character has a special ability.
This style of gameplay makes multiplayer a true team effort and allows each player to concentrate on his or her individual character a bit more than when playing alone.
Xbox Solution: What age group do you consider Shrek 2 to be geared toward? Why?
Rucinski: We believe the game will appeal to the same audience as the film: everyone. We worked hard to make sure the game could appeal to all ages as it has a wide variety of gameplay. It’s simple and intuitive but has innovation and depth to keep more seasoned gamers happy. Folks who don’t play many games will have fun with it because of the humor, personality, and the multiplayer ability.
Xbox Solution: Is it difficult to take a movie and make it into a video game? What are some of the challenges faced by the developing team?
Otero: It is very difficult, especially when the movie is as high profile as Shrek 2 where there are a lot of expectations about what it will be, what it should look like, etc. Having said that, Dreamworks and Activision gave us such creative latitude that it felt like we weren’t making a licensed game at all. It was a blast to work on because it’s hard to be in a bad mood while running around as a gingerbread man.
Xbox Solution: How will Shrek 2 benefit children?
Otero: Shrek 2 will help children understand teamwork to appreciate that fact that each person has his or her own special abilities.
Xbox Solution: As a developer, what is your philosophy on creating games that will appeal to a larger age group?
Otero: We do have some deep-thinking methods and philosophies, however, none of it works if there isn’t an intuitive sense of fun. We ask ourselves what would be fun in our game, and we then hope that if we like it, others will too. We prototype, put it in the console, play it, and analyze it. If it’s fun it gets further analysis, if not, it gets cut.
If it’s not fun, it won’t fly.
Additionally, a lot of thought is applied to the presentation of gameplay (the way the layout, colors, sounds, motion, etc. all guide the player to the solution). Say you have a single puzzle or potential interaction in the game; we design it so there is more than one solution. We tune it so there is one simple and intuitive solution, and there are other solutions that are more complex. We try to present the solutions in a way that makes each feel good for different players with different mindsets.
In Shrek 2 the humor of the characters helps tremendously, and it touches players’ emotions. Emotions are often discussed in our design meetings, and ultimately, what we want is a complete connection with the player. We want the player a little scared one moment, awed the next, and then hopefully laughing a lot.
Xbox Solution: Anything else you would like to tell us about?
Otero: There’s a lot of replay value in the game especially by playing through levels with different characters.
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