It's no surprise that Bizarre Creations' Xbox-Live Arcade game Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 is one of the top selling arcade games of all time considering the amount of fun to be had. With it's simple gameplay and amazing graphics the game has snuck it's way into hearts of gamers everywhere. We got a chance to sit down with Craig Howard, Games Manager at Bizarre Creations to ask him a couple questions about the future of the Geometry Wars franchise.
1. How did your job at Bizarre Creations come about and what does your job entail?
I'm Craig Howard and I'm a Games Manager here at Bizarre. I look after several things including our downloadable games team.
2. With entering the top 10 list of Xbox 360 titles last week and being number one on the Xbox Live activity list, is it safe to say that Geometry Wars 2 has met the teams expectations?
We are really happy with the reception that the game has received. The game has been in development for a long time, as we really wanted to get the whole package 100% spot on. It means a lot to us to hear back from people who have bought the game and appreciate all of our effort.
3. Can you describe one of the defining moments the development team had when creating Geometry Wars 2?
I think Geoms were one of the key elements that helped us shape the sequel. They really help tune the gameplay of the game. To score big you need to attack and then harvest the multiplier. With the previous game you could adopt a circular pattern, and as long as you hit enemies you could increase your multiplier. The influence of Geoms is that you need to be aggressive to hunt them out to score big. The beauty is that you are not forced to pick them up, giving the player more second-to-second choice in their playing strategies. Having the aggressive or defensive choice opens up the playability of the game to more people, and gives added depth to the hardcore players.
4. Has there been any backlash for the addition of the multiplier being effective the entire game?
When we decided to not reset the multiplier, it did cause a stir internally. However this is just because historically arcade games didn’t do this. We wanted people to feel that their entire actions within a game should contribute towards their final score. Resetting the scores after you die is also a very hardcore thing to do, it deflates many more players than it inspires. Especially as most people get their highest multiplier on their first life. Post launch, we’ve seen that this change of scoring mechanics has gone down exceptionally well with all types of players.
5. How did the addition of the new game modes come about? Was there any game modes left on the cutting room floor?
A game like Geometry Wars has lots of interesting gameplay scenarios that can be brought to the fore. So we wanted to create some that felt like games in their own right. We are very happy with the ones that we included in GWRE2, but there are a fair few that we dropped due to us not feeling that they were quite right for this game.
6. Will Geometry Wars 2 support any DLC in the future?
It’s always a possibility!
7. How has the transition turned out with being acquired by Activision Blizzard?
It’s all gone really smoothly for us. Activision is very supportive, and they let us get on with just being the Bizarre Creations we have always been.
8. Overall, was Bizarre Creations satisfied with the release of Project Gotham Racing 4 on the Xbox 360?
We are very proud of PGR4, it was well received critically and we feel it was a great game to finish the franchise with.
9. Could you possibly speak on the genre Bizarre Creations is venturing into next? Are you returning to the often rumored racing genre?
I couldn't possibly comment, sorry!
10. Is it safe to say that there’ll be a third Geometry Wars title after the success the title has reached?
At some point in the future I am sure it will resurface…
