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Ever fancied killing Frodo Baggins as a terrifying Nazgûl? Of course you have. Ever fancied burning holes in Elvish faces as the demon Balrog? Of course you have. And so has Pandemic Studios. Hence, The Lord of the Rings: Conquest, the upcoming action game from the team behind the Star Wars: Battlefront games. Following our recent hands-on preview, we thought we’d have a chat with director Eric “Giz” Gewirtz to get some last ditch info before the review hits the internet, and find out if he’s got any concerns about rewriting The Lord of the Rings history book.
VideoGamer.com: Thanks for taking the time to answer some of our questions. The game has been confirmed for 360, PS3, PC and Nintendo DS. Why aren’t you guys doing a Wii version and is there any chance of a Wii version coming later?
Eric “Giz” Gewirtz: We wanted to focus on the core mechanics of the game, which as you can tell, lean heavily on the Battlefront-style game play. Because of this, there was a decision to go in the direction we did, without Wii. That said, we know we have a legion of fans who own Nintendo systems. We believe the DS game will deliver an addicting fun game play experience, that gamers currently can’t find for the platform.
VideoGamer.com: The game will cater for 16 players online. Why not 32, like Battlefront 2? Some of the fans have expressed disappointment over that…
EG: The team went back and forth on this and ultimately it came down to gameplay balance. 16 players tested to be the optimal number of gamers. It allows our rich, diverse set of character classes to really shine and empowers the gamers to really strategize how they can work as a team. Also, we found that the more players you have in a game, the less importance each individual player has in influencing the overall match. We wanted to empower our fans to have a greater role in the outcome of the game.
VideoGamer.com: What are the issues surrounding creating an alternative ending where the bad guys take over Middle Earth and other “non-cannon” elements, and are you expecting any hate mail from “angry” LotR fans?
EG: This is an incredible opportunity to provide fans of the lore a ‘what if…?’ scenario. The entire team are huge fans of The Lord of the Rings and we worked closely with the Tolkien people and New Line to keep the integrity of the fiction and universe created by J.R.R. Tolkien. Everyone was really excited about the idea of adding on to the fiction, without taking away anything from the actual books and films. So, although some fans may be upset to see The Shire under attack and up in flames, others will find it a guilty pleasure.
VideoGamer.com: Lots of fans are quite excited about playing the Balrog – can you give us some in depth info about what you’ll be able to do while in control of the fiery beast?
EG: The Balrog essentially makes quick work of clearing a path. When the opposition sees The Balrog coming toward them, they don’t have much time to figure out their game plan. But The Balrog is not invincible. Every character has a check and balance system that keeps the game engaging. So playing as The Balrog and incinerating Ents or Hobbits is just as fulfilling as taking The Balrog down with an Ent or Hobbit.
VideoGamer.com: Without any recent films, is there a danger that the value of the LotR license is waning?
EG: I think the fantasy created in The Lord of the Rings universe is pretty evergreen. Good versus evil, grand adventures, epic battles, amazing characters and real drama, all tied into one. Though different generations have had new adaptations (new books, films, etc), it all comes back to the fact that this story has been cherished by every new generation that comes across it. Aside from the influence it has had on the fantasy genre itself, I believe it will remain one of the richest worlds created for our time.
VideoGamer.com: You’re releasing the PC version of the game at the same time as the 360 and PS3 versions. PC piracy is a hot topic at the moment, and we’ve seen many developers go on the record to say the PC game market dead. What’s your opinion on the subject, and how much of a risk is it to release the PC version of Conquest at the same time as a console version?
EG: Different territories have different markets. PC may not be the top of the list in the United States, but it still dominates in countries like Germany. Our goal is to deliver a great game play experience no matter what platform you choose. That said, the game was built for the consoles, not the PC. So the PC game is not going to need Crysis-spec equipment to run. It’s a fun game for fans of The Lord of the Rings and Battlefront.
VideoGamer.com: I understand you’ve used some elements that were cut from the films. What elements?
EG: We’ve expanded on some of the locations and battles mentioned in the books and turned them into fully formed missions. For example, in the books they make mention of Minas Morgul, an evil fortress in between Minas Tirith and the path to Mordor. In the trilogy they just pass over it, but for the game we’ve created a full battle within the walls of the sinister castle.
VideoGamer.com: A cooperative mode is available for up to four players. Some commentators have said that this generation will be remembered as the generation of co-op play. Why do you think co-op play has become so essential and how do you see it evolving in the next five years?
EG: Online gaming is still coming out of its infancy, especially in the console sector. While the hardcore like playing online against anyone, most casual gamers prefer to play online with someone. There’s a satisfaction in working together, providing voice feedback to enable a team rather than simply smack talk. With games like Left for Dead, I think we’ll continue to see a large crop of co-op games offering new game play experiences and bringing further innovation to our industry.
VideoGamer.com: Any chance of a Conquest demo for Xbox LIVE and PSN?
EG: You bet! And expect it to hit prior to launch.
VideoGamer.com: Final question. The game was originally planned for release this Christmas. Was it put back to January in order to improve the quality of the games or to avoid drowning in the Q4 deluge of titles? What is your personal opinion on the industry’s focus on Q4? Is it ultimately damaging?
EG: Mostly we wanted to make sure the game could come out at a time where it would rise above the clutter of the holidays. But there are always little tweaks you can do to improve the overall game experience, and we definitely took advantage of the extra time. Now just be sure all your readers save their holiday gift cards. Jan 13 will be the perfect day to cash them in!
Lord of the Rings: Conquest is due out for Xbox 360, PS3, PC and Nintendo DS on January 16, 2009.
