Xbox Solution: 

Shrek Super Slam Interview

By Christina Mariannino

Xbox Solution recently sat down with a producer from Activision, Inc. to talk about the upcoming Xbox® title Shrek Super Slam.

Christina (XBS): Can you tell us a bit about yourself, and what role you play in the making of Shrek Super Slam?

Todd (Activision): Well, my name is Inigo Montoya … just kidding. I'm T.Q. Jefferson, and I'm the producer of Shrek Super Slam. 

Christina: Could you give us a brief rundown of the game?

Todd: Based on the Shrek movie franchise, Shrek Super Slam is a brawling game that features the wickedly funny humor and signature locations from the Shrek universe, as well as parodies of legendary fairytales and popular culture. The game features multiple modes of game play, including single-player story, Practice and Training modes, Mega Challenge mode, and multiplayer four-player melee combat.

Christina: Will Shrek Super Slam have characters from both Shrek movies?

Todd: It sure will! We have 20 characters like Shrek, Fiona, Donkey, Puss-in-Boots, Gingerbread Man, Pinocchio, Prince Charming, Robin Hood, and more. Along with this classic set of characters we introduce more characters like Quasimodo, Humpty Dumpty, and the Black Knight.

Christina: Aside from the fighting game style, will there also be mini-games within the game itself? If so, what can we expect?

Todd: Shrek Super Slam features a "King of the Hill" game in multiplayer and a "Mega Challenge" mode for single player. In King of the Hill, the object is simple: Instead of slamming opponents, take the hill and fend off challengers to gain slam points. Whoever has the most points at the end of the match wins. Mega Challenges, on the other hand, are a much larger proposition. In this mode, there are 50 mega challenges to work through. Many of the challenges have differing objectives: toss Gingerbread Man into an oven three times, protect Fiona from Prince Charming, or force a character out of bounds in order to win. Not all of the challenges are available at the beginning of the game—unlock them by playing the other modes (Story, Melee, Practice, and Training) and accumulating mega points. These points unlock new Mega Challenges and perhaps a few extras as well. 

Christina: I understand there is a co-op portion of the game supporting up to four players, can you elaborate on this feature?

Todd: Up to four players can play simultaneously, either as individuals or assigned to a team. In melee mode you set sides (two on two, or three against one) prior to the match. Here you can also set a handicap for human players, and difficulty levels for any A.I. characters.

Christina: I'm sure the characters have distinctive moves; can you tell us about some of the cooler ones, including your personal favorite?

Todd: Each character has a unique fighting style and signature special move. These signature special moves are unlocked whenever a character's slam meter is full. Shrek has the "green storm," which is loud, deadly, and sends opponents flying; Gingerbread Man has the "peppermint shurikens;" and Pinocchio has a move called "the hummingbird," which you really have to see to believe. These specials all have different controls; they're all fun and devastating in their own awesome way. A couple of my current favorites: Humpty Dumpty's "top spin," where he spins on his head like an out of control top, and Wolf's "huff 'n' puff." This move works in two stages—first, all characters are drawn towards Wolf as he inhales deeply, and then he exhales with the force of a hurricane slamming any unfortunate characters close by.

The game also features a combo system designed to be simple, yet with enough strategic choices to make it deep. For example, players can chain fast and strong attacks together to get different moves—but only one of the combos will break through a block. Each character has an attack tree—simple, bruiser-type characters like Shrek might go only two or three deep, while quick action/momentum fighters like Pinocchio may have trees that go four combinations deep. "Button mashers" will only survive for so long. Master the cadence of the button presses and change your final attacks in mid-combo to ultimately dominate the arena.

Christina: What age group is Shrek Super Slam intended for?

Todd: For the console version, boys ages 10-14.

Christina: Are there cars or other types of vehicles in the game?

Todd: Cars, buggies, and other vehicles show up when appropriate to a certain location, and act as part of the level. That is, they act as objects that play a part in the slams found on that level. 

Christina: Can you tell us a bit about the gameplay controls, and whether they differ based on the character?

Todd: We wanted a game that could be picked up and played by everyone, so the game controls obey that age-old axiom, "Easy to pick up, difficult to master."  We didn't want to bog down the player by making them memorize 57-hit combos, so we made the controls universal for all characters. The casual gamer, relying on just the basic (fast and heavy) attacks should be able to pick up the game, get some slams, and have a good time. The advanced player will take advantage of the deeper move set, which utilizes air dashes, wall torpedoes, air grapples, and more to get the most out of every match. Some characters have moves that others don't. Shrek, for instance, has an air dash attack but not a ground attack, while Quasimodo may have the exact opposite. Regardless, the button presses that execute those individual moves are the same; the mastery comes in knowing exactly what your chosen character is capable of and using them to their utmost potential. 

Christina: Do you consider this a kid's version of some of the more popular fighting games from Activision?

Todd: Shrek Super Slam stands on its own, delivering more destructibility, characters, locations, and moves than any of its predecessors.

Christina: What inspired the whole concept behind Shrek Super Slam?

Todd: Building on Shrek 2™'s success as the best-selling children's game of 2004, we (along with Shaba Games and DreamWorks Animation) began looking for ways to create an all-new Shrek experience for fans old and new. Collectively, we felt that the fighting genre was the next logical progression for the Shrek license.

Christina: How about the music in the game?

Todd: All music for the game is original and composed by Kevin Manthei Music. Kevin has a long and distinguished history with video games, film, television, and animation. The game's music is a mix of general purpose battle tracks that combine the classic and the contemporary, as well as music that created specifically for each level in the game. 

Christina: There is a rumor that the movie Shrek 3 is in production; will there be a Shrek 3 game as well?

Todd: In February, we announced that we would develop and publish video games based on DreamWorks Animation's upcoming animated theatrical feature film Shrek 3, which is scheduled for release in summer 2007. 

Christina: Who is your favorite character in the Shrek series?

Todd: That's a tricky question to answer, because our game introduces six additional characters to the Shrek Universe (Black Knight, Anthrax the Unicorn, Battle Gnome, Quasimodo, Lil' Witch, and Humpty Dumpty). From the two films, I'd have to say Pinocchio, because everything about that character is funny. Of the new characters, I'd say it's a tossup between Battle Gnome and Humpty Dumpty. Battle Gnome is short and spunky and fights with garden tools in his hands; Humpty Dumpty is a giant egg wearing lederhosen that break-dance fights. Need I say more?

Christina: If there was one key point you wanted the world to know about Shrek Super Slam, what would it be?

Todd: That the core of Shrek Super Slam is slam-based melee combat. The characters fight each other using unique moves, mad dashes, air attacks, and blocks. The fully interactive environments also factor into gameplay as players score and ultimately win the match by "slamming" other players. For all that, no one dies in our game. The combat in the game is designed to be more akin to good-natured roughhousing than "two men enter, one man leaves."

Christina: Is there anything else you would like to tell us?

Todd: Only that Shrek Super Slam is due out this fall on Xbox.

Christina: Thank you for your time!

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