September 4, 2008

“TNA Impact! is the most responsive, best feeling, wrestling game on the market.  It is an absolute blast.”
by Dakota Grabowski 

As the first title released on the wrestling promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, TNA Impact! will define if there’s room on the market for a second colossal wrestling game. 

With emphasis on a fast-paced action, TNA Impact! is ready to debut in less than a week on store shelves.  Providing insight on the development process of TNA Impact! we were lucky enough to talk to Scot Lane, the studio head of Midway Games-Los Angeles.

Question: How did your job at Midway Games come about and what does your job entail?

Scot Lane: I’ve been making games for 19 years and ended up at Midway.  I am currently the Studio Head of Midway LA (soon to be Midway San Diego). 

Can you go into detail of one of the defining moments the development team had when creating TNA Impact!? 

SL: Pretty early on, we were getting moves into the game the game felt pretty cool, but still felt a little off.  The entire time, our Creative Director was saying “be patient, wait for counters”.  When counters finally made it in, the game felt so much more complete and from that day forward, it was common to see guys in the office playing against each other.  It brought a natural balance to the game. 

Could you describe the online support and options that are being integrated into TNA Impact!?

SL:: We are really focusing on seamless online gameplay at 60fps.  We are in the minority of 60fps fighting style games that support online.  You can play any of our 1v1 game modes. 

How was it working with Samoa Joe and A.J. Styles to create the title?

SL: It has been fantastic.  From day 1, they felt like part of the team.  Between mo-cap shoots, VO sessions, and game design meetings, they are here almost every month.  They have brought a lot to the table and we feel they’ve helped us with some nuances that we would otherwise have missed.

Were there any fighters or game modes left on the cutting room floor?  If so, could you speak on them a little?

SL: Whenever you make a game there are tons of things left on “the cutting room floor”, that’s why sequels were invented. 

How far off is the downloadable content from releasing after the game hits the stores this fall?

SL: Shouldn’t be too far, within 2 months seems like a safe guess. 

How have the TNA fans reacted with the creation of the video game?

SL: So far it seems pretty amazing.  The gang at TNA have done an awesome job of integrating stuff from our game into the TV show, probably the best integration I have ever seen.  Our videos on YouTube are getting tons of hits.

Could you go into detail on how the mini-games will work when a player is put in a submission or being pinned?

SL: Ok, submission mini games are basically button press races.  Once you enter a submission, each player will see a series of buttons, if the submitter wins it rakes the guy and does more damage (up to 3 wins).  If the player getting submitted wins, he breaks out.  The pin mini-game is pretty straightforward, if you are getting pinned, spam the button feverously until you break out.  If you don’t get it to the top by the time the 3 count hits, you’ll be pinned. 

Outside of Afro Thunder showing up as a hidden character, will there be any other characters making a surprise appearance from past Midway titles?

SL:  I sure hope so. 

What’s next for your development team after TNA Impact! is released?

SL: I sure hope it is TNA2! 

Lastly, what makes TNA Impact! a must-have title this fall?

SL: TNA Impact! is the most responsive, best feeling, wrestling game on the market.  It is an absolute blast.

TNA Impact! will be in stores on September 9 for the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii and PS2.

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