February 25, 2008

Bug-Eyed and Dual-Screened: Michael Levine on Insecticide’s DS and PC Invasion
By Louis Bedigian

“We wanted to make something that would entertain us first ... And just hoped others out there felt the same way.”

Action/adventure games are big business. Popularized by a plumber and a hedgehog, this beloved genre has been played by virtually every gamer. But aside from the new Mario titles (and occasional surprises like Psychonauts), action/adventure games have not been treated well in recent years. Most of them lack action, few of them are truly adventurous, and only a handful are actually worth playing.

Hence the reason behind Crackpot Entertainment’s hype for Insecticide, their new DS and PC game that promises to be an action/adventure in the truest sense of the word. “We say this because this genre, action/adventure, in the media and in games, has come to mean almost nothing,” said Michael Levine, Head Monkey at Crackpot Entertainment. “But Insecticide really is an action/adventure game, combining both those gaming elements in the truest sense of the word. This is why we talk about it like this.”

Insecticide sounds like somewhat of a sneaky game, with bits of mystery and espionage held within the crunchy thorax. Tell us about this.

Michael Levine: Thanks! (That is, if “sneaky” is good – we think it is!) We (we being Crackpot Entertainment) wanted to make something that had equally great gameplay as well as great story and characters. We wanted to make something that would entertain us first ... And just hoped others out there felt the same way. Market research, sales charts, etc be damned. I watch a lot of cop movies and TV shows, and I wanted to combine that with something very foreign. I took the gem of an idea to people like Larry Ahern, who I worked with at LucasArts in the 90s, and it just kind of percolated from there.

How are the shooting and detective elements merged together for one cohesive gameplay experience?

ML: Just like a great detective or cop film, we merged the two together based on things like story and flow. There are moments in a story like this when you are chasing after perps, guns blazing. And other moments where you are moving slow, talking to suspects and finding clues. To lose control of that flow means giving over complete reigns to the story, and that was something we weren’t prepared to do. While it sounds cool from a gameplay perspective to talk about merging the two together, from a content and entertainment standpoint, the way we did it makes the most sense we think.

Are you able to control both characters (Chrys and Roachy)? If not, what role does Roachy play?

ML: You play as Chrys but Roachy is never far behind giving clues, making a joke, or just some good old fashioned motivation to keep going.

A lot of games claim to be cinematic – but what does it mean for Insecticide? Does this refer to gameplay element or just the movie sequences?

ML: It’s really both. First from a visual stand point the game is definitely “cinematic” in that we always try to use the camera in ways, when we can, that are derived from the language of film. This is something we were all weaned on working at LucasArts, and its just part of our DNA now. From the gameplay/story side, its also “cinematic” in that we are telling a story and the gameplay is dictated by that story. We wanted the story to lead the game, and not the other way around. This also gives it a really cinematic, movie vibe to it. Or at least that was the goal.

In terms of story development, we've seen everything from high-quality CG movies to low-budget drawings on the DS. What will Insecticide use?

ML: On the DS we made a full, real-time 3D game with a more cinematics than you commonly see on the DS. There are rendered stills on the DS so we could tell the story and still fit it on the cart, but those are painted and look very nice. On the PC we have upped the graphical quality of the game immensely, while still making it a downloadable game over the Internet. Plus there are more cinematics.

The PC edition runs in a much higher resolution than the DS version.

Can you give us a hint as to what the secret at the end may be?

ML: That wouldn’t be any fun now, would it?! All I will say is the ending has a very classic kind of film noir ending, and will likely leave people with as many questions as answers. So that either sounds like we are geniuses or have no idea what we are doing ... Or maybe somewhere in the middle if we are lucky.

Nectarola is the new bug species' soft drink of choice. What significance does it have in the game (other than the murder plot)? Will you pick up cola cans to power-up Chrys?

ML: Without revealing too much, as its central to the plot, yes, you can pick up cans as power-ups, and there [is] more than one “flavor” of Nectarola as well.

So...uhh...what is the cola made of anyway? Do I really want to ask that question!?

ML: It’s called “Nectarola” – so you can guess from the sounds of it its a “nectar-based” product. But the Bee-like company that creates it has spiced it up over the years, let’s just say.

Thanks, but can I get some regular, potato-made fries without any side of bug?

What will the PC "bisodic" be like? Is it an entirely different game, a supplement to the DS version, or...?

ML: The PC version, story- and level-wise, is the DS version essentially split in two. The PC version has much better graphics, more cinematics, and more things to do and click on than the DS, but its still the same basic story from beginning to end.

Thank you for your time.

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