Tweet
TVG: Character customisation is obviously a key part of Saints Row gameplay; why do you think that having such functionality is so important for players of the game?
Well I guess that with customisation, we wanted to reduce any kind of barrier that the player has. If they want to create someone that looks like them; if they want to create someone that looks like their friend, they can do that. Or if they want to create a borderline freak, they can do that all because we didn't want to create restrictions on it. We just think that customisation just adds into player choice, which is the staple thing about open-world games, which is why they're so popular. It's like "Don't restrict me, let me do what I want to do!"
TVG: So you don't think that it hinders character development of the protagonist?
I've been asked that question before, and I see the logic in asking it - but the answer is no. Let's not forget that you can change the way you look mid-way through the game. Once you've doing it, you're not stuck that way. If you find out it's not working for you, then you can go back to a point where it is.
TVG: It's difficult to talk about Saints Row 2 without mentioning GTA IV. The US release date for Saints Row 2 has been announced for the end of August, between the mid-way point between the launch of GTA IV and its Xbox 360 downloadable content at the end of the year. Can you talk about the decision in not shifting it to a date where Saints Row 2 could take advantage of the build up to the Holiday season?
Well you know, that has a lot of to do with internal THQ strategies. I can't get into specifics; I don't want to misrepresent Sales and PR in that context in any case. What I can say is that four months is more than enough for people to get through the competition and be ready for a new experience. The bottom line is that from what I can tell, Saints Row 2 is offering a very unique experience that gamers are going to want to get anyways.
TVG would like to thank Greg Donovan at Volition for taking the time to answer or questions. Saints Row 2 is due for release on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 at the end of August in North America. A European release is yet to be announced.
Well I guess that with customisation, we wanted to reduce any kind of barrier that the player has. If they want to create someone that looks like them; if they want to create someone that looks like their friend, they can do that. Or if they want to create a borderline freak, they can do that all because we didn't want to create restrictions on it. We just think that customisation just adds into player choice, which is the staple thing about open-world games, which is why they're so popular. It's like "Don't restrict me, let me do what I want to do!"
TVG: So you don't think that it hinders character development of the protagonist?
I've been asked that question before, and I see the logic in asking it - but the answer is no. Let's not forget that you can change the way you look mid-way through the game. Once you've doing it, you're not stuck that way. If you find out it's not working for you, then you can go back to a point where it is.
TVG: It's difficult to talk about Saints Row 2 without mentioning GTA IV. The US release date for Saints Row 2 has been announced for the end of August, between the mid-way point between the launch of GTA IV and its Xbox 360 downloadable content at the end of the year. Can you talk about the decision in not shifting it to a date where Saints Row 2 could take advantage of the build up to the Holiday season?
Well you know, that has a lot of to do with internal THQ strategies. I can't get into specifics; I don't want to misrepresent Sales and PR in that context in any case. What I can say is that four months is more than enough for people to get through the competition and be ready for a new experience. The bottom line is that from what I can tell, Saints Row 2 is offering a very unique experience that gamers are going to want to get anyways.
TVG would like to thank Greg Donovan at Volition for taking the time to answer or questions. Saints Row 2 is due for release on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 at the end of August in North America. A European release is yet to be announced.
Comment