|
|
|
Total Mortal Kombat - Ed Boon Interview
|
TMK Ultimate Mortal Kombat Q&A – Answered by Hans Lo, Producer
[TMK] 1. Has bringing over UMK3 from Arcade to DS been a challenge?
[Hans-Lo] A: I think there are always unique challenges when bringing a classic, such as UMK3 and Puzzle Kombat, to any new platform. There are issues such as scope of design, hardware specifications, and of course always trying to maintain the essence of what made the game great to begin with. In this particular case, one of the biggest challenges is adapting games that were never originally designed for online play, let alone being wireless. In the end, Other Ocean was able to pull this off, and we on the MK Team are very pleased with the results and we think the fans will agree.
[TMK] 2. So far we have seen that in the package we get UMK3 & Puzzle Kombat...is there a chance that there is something exclusive to this version in the game?
[Hans-Lo] A: The addition of wireless play for both these games is pretty big. The player has 3 different ways they can play online with friends. As you may know, we have Wi-Fi play through the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, Local wireless, and game card sharing, where two players can play off of one cart. Then there’s the inclusion of the moves list for UMK3. This was something we received a lot of early feedback on from gamers. We heard what they had to say and it was a great idea.
[TMK] 3. I have noticed from the latest batch of screens that the Ultimate Kombat Kode is 5 boxes now, is this so solo players can unlock Ermac, Mileena and Classic Sub-Zero or do you still need a 2nd player to komplete the kode?
[Hans-Lo] A: This was something Ed was very passionate about during development, as he always felt the original interface never lent itself well to the console versions of the game, especially on handheld units. Basically it’s system was too complex. There are entries in online forums that support this view. The DS’s touch screen allowed Ed to come up with a more simple and elegant interface that allows solo players to simply enter the kode. I have to note, I approve of your spelling “komplete” and “kode”.
[TMK] 4. Once the kode is entered are the characters saved in there unlocked status?
[Hans-Lo] A: The short answer is yes. Specifically the characters are unlocked to the profile being used.
[TMK] 5. I have seen 2 versions of the Puzzle Kombat select screen, one had a dragon symbol on it the other had just the mug shots...can you tell us which will be in the final version?
[Hans-Lo] A: The “mug shots” are in the final version game. The one that had the dragon symbol was one of our earlier conceptual designs.
[TMK] 6. If you guys are using the one with the dragon symbol does it mean anything, like a possible unlockable or just decoration?
[Hans-Lo] A: No, dragon symbol was more of an artistic decision. In the end, we felt this screen was just a little too cluttered.
[TMK] 7. UMK3 on arcade had a teaser code that said "Rain can be found in the graveyard" later on Rain and Noob Saibot were added to the home versions of UMK3 / MKT...did you guys consider adding them to the DS version?
[Hans-Lo] A: This version of UMK3 is based on the arcade version of the game rather than the console, which is why neither character makes an appearance. While it would have been great to include them, we wanted to stay true to the original arcade version.
[TMK] 8. Have you guys added any cheats for the DS version I miss the old days of things like "At the title screen press d,u,l,l,a,r,d to get a cheat menu!" ?
[Hans-Lo] A: Aside from the Kombat Kodes, and the Versus Kodes, there are no other cheat codes.
[TMK] 9. In the arcade version of UMK3 lots of characters didn't have friendships or babalities like Ermac and Classic Sub-Zero, will they have these moves in the DS version?
[Hans-Lo] A: I wouldn’t say “lots” of characters didn’t have friendships or babalities. All the main characters you start off with in the game have these moves. The two you refer to were locked/bonus characters. With this game being based off the arcade version, we wanted to keep this as close to the original. The idea here was not to create a whole new game, but to bring back a classic that was well remembered and loved by the MK fans, such as yourself.
[TMK] 10. Would I be right to say that because you are running the game from a flash cartridge rather than a CD based media, you must have lots of advantages such as no load times and Shang Tsung can morph into anybody almost instantly?
[Hans-Lo] A: The short answer is yes. But it’s not as straight forward as you’ve described. While ROMs are faster in loading times that disk media, you need to remember that the hardware specs between the DS and other platforms, whether it be the arcade unit, to other consoles, can be vastly different. Each platform has its unique strengths and weaknesses. With that being said, we’ve done our best to optimize the game for this platform. In the end, I think people will like what they see and play.
[TMK] 11. Will we see any MK Team members playing UMK:DS online?
[Hans-Lo] A: I think it would be safe to say “yes”. I know I will be playing online.
Thanks Hans-Lo!
|
|
|
|
