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Davilex revives classic TV series by bringing Knight Rider to the world of video games
David Hasselhoff may have retired Michael Knight a long time ago, but thanks to Davilex, gamers will be able to step inside Mr. Knight’s shoes and drive his fancy car in an all-new video game. Wanting to know more about the game and its development process, GameZone met with Knight Rider designer Teun de Haas.
K.I.T.T. Outsiders read it as “kit;” insiders read it as Knight Industries Two Thousand. K.I.T.T. was a unique, computer-controlled car that could talk. It was the most important, most exciting part of Knight Rider, a classic television show from the early 80s. Starring David Hasselhoff, Knight Rider incorporated clever story elements that have made their way into some of the most popular action flicks. It’s no surprise, considering just how well the show presented them.
Michael Long (David Hasselhoff’s character) is an undercover policeman. His life appears to have been cut short when an enemy’s bullet finds its way into Michael’s head. Lucky for him, he has a metal plate in his head, magically deflecting the bullet, preventing it from going anywhere near his brain. It severely damaged his face though, making plastic surgery the only option for repair. Millionaire Wilton Knight comes to the rescue, transforming Long’s identity with plastic surgery.
After receiving the nicest gift that any policeman could possibly receive (the K.I.T.T.), Michael Long becomes Michael Knight, a crime-fighter who must stop criminals that work far beyond the limits of the law.
Many of the show’s elements just begged to be recreated in a video game world. 21 years later, Davilex, the creator of the popular European racing series, London Racer, has taken on the helm of developing a game based Knight Rider.
Looking somewhat like a cross between Spy Hunter and the racing sequences in latest James Bond game, Knight Rider is intended to capture the exciting feeling of the show. Words speak louder than screenshots though, so GameZone turned to Teun de Haas, one of the designers who worked on Knight Rider. Everything you wanted to know about the game and more is revealed in this interview.
Question: How did you
prepare for the creation of a game based on a beloved TV show from the early
80s?
Teun de Haas: Most of us had seen Knight Rider on TV when we were kids,
but we started out by watching lots of episodes to really get back into the
Knight Rider mood. From there we did some brainstorming about what would be
typical and usable elements which we could use to create fun and interesting
gameplay.
Q: What can players expect
from Knight Rider's gameplay?
Teun de Haas: The gameplay in Knight Rider is quite varied. As in the
series, KITT will end up in all kinds of situations where his special abilities
are needed. In the game the player can use a lot of KITT's special features such
as; Turbo Boost to jump over and onto objects, Ski-mode to squeeze through
narrow passages, and Super Pursuit Mode to reach incredible speeds.
What would a racing game be without
gravity-defying stunts like these?
Q: Could you tell us about some of the objectives that you'll have to
complete in a level?
Teun de Haas: As I said the missions are quite varied, in some missions
you need to chase and stop a villain fleeing by car, in other missions you need
to scan several objects or buildings for clues, and in yet another mission
you'll need to go head to head with KARR.
Q: Is Knight Rider a re-telling of the series, or are there any new or
alternate story developments in the game?
Teun de Haas: We have created a new story using familiar elements of the
original series; like Michael Knight’s evil 'twin' brother Garth Knight, and his
truck Goliath. The story ties the missions together as were the player starring
in a Knight Rider episode.
Q: Both real-time and computer-generated movie sequences have become very
common in next-generation video games. Which format does Knight Rider use to
tell its story?
Teun de Haas: Actually we use a combination of these to tell the story;
we have some CGI movies at key moments in the game, but we also use in-game
cinematics. Also when the player will make a spectacular jump we will switch to
a TV-like camera showing the action from another angle.
Video games like these make me realize why I spend
more time with polygons than the real sun.
Q: How does Knight Rider transform visually from the TV screen to the PC
monitor?
Teun de Haas: We have kept the computer graphics that KITT will display
at an eighties level, because we really feel it adds to that 80's feeling. On
the other hand the rest of the visuals are flashy using effects like real-time
environment mapping, spectacular highlighting and real-time shadows.
Q: Considering that Knight Rider's viewers would all be adults now, are you
developing the game with an older audience in mind?
Teun de Haas: We have stayed true to the series, and kept the same
audience in mind really. Basically all men love KITT for the fancy car he is,
and thousands of kids still watch the reruns every day, even now, so the Knight
Rider theme is pretty timeless. This is also true for the violence that is being
shown, which is minimal; so an E-rating is what we hope for.
Q: Are any voice-overs used in the game?
Teun de Haas: We haven't used the original voices for a number of reasons, but being a small studio budget was obviously one of them. We have used sound-a-likes which worked out pretty well.
Q: How will the PC and PlayStation 2 versions of the game differ from each
other?
Teun de Haas: There isn't much difference, only the fact that on the PC
you are dependent
on your graphics card on how well the game will look. Of course there are no
such problems on the PS2; you'll see it in its full glory.
Expect to see a lot of explosions while
trying to complete a mission.
Q: Is the PS2 version being developed by the same people who worked on the PC
version, or is it being ported over by another party?
Teun de Haas: We have first finished the PS2 then part of the team worked
on the port to the PC.
Q: Will Knight Rider be coming to any game consoles besides PlayStation 2? Might we see a Game Boy Advance version in the future?
Teun de Haas: We are still carefully looking into all the different possibilities.
Sounds good. I look forward to hearing about the game’s future developments.
Thank you for your time.
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