October 17, 2007

TNA iMPACT! INTERVIEW 2: Nintendo Wii and PlayStation 2
By Louis Bedigian

“We’re going to have to test and make sure the Wii controls are fun and responsive and people enjoy it.”

During Midway’s TNA iMPACT! premiere event, more than a few journalists were surprised to learn that the game – once thought to be a next-gen exclusive – would also be coming to PlayStation 2. From a technical standpoint, Wii isn’t that far beyond the PS2’s power.

But there are other reasons for bringing the game to Sony’s previous console. TNA iMPACT!’s Associate Producer, Jaime Bencia (PS2 and Wii), sums it up: “It just makes sense. There are 80 to 100 million – I’m not sure what the exact count is, but there are a ridiculous amount of PS2s out there. The truth of the matter is, we don’t want to neglect the fans. We can’t assume that everyone has a PS3 or Xbox 360. TNA is a global product. We want to make sure we get it out to as many people we possibly can. We’re proud of TNA and we’re proud of the product we have right now.”

The Xbox 360 version in action.

Jaime says that the PS2 and Nintendo Wii versions are being developed by Point of View. “What they’re basically focusing on right now are the Wii controls. We want to make sure they’re functional. We want to make sure that they’re fun to play with, responsive. And basically provides more of a fun gameplay aspect to the game itself.”

Regarding the PS2 edition, Jaime and Point of View’s goal is “to make sure that the look of that version is as close to the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions as humanly possible.” So far so good, he says. “Point of View has done a really good job of taking what we have on the next-gen consoles and putting it on the PS2 and Wii and making it fantastic.

“Gameplay-wise, as far as the features are concerned, we’re basically trying to do as many of the features as we have in the 360 and PS3 versions. So there isn’t going to be much of a difference there.

“Of course, the only major thing that we have to worry about is frame rate. We want to make sure that it runs at 60fps, which so far, so good. Even on PS2 and Wii, that is our goal without a doubt. I know right now there is a concern with the PS2 version, it might be a little tough to do. I just saw a build a couple weeks ago and a newer build a couple days ago and it was running at 60fps. As far as speed and fluidity of moves and animations, it’s looking great. It’s looking just as great as the other versions.”

The big question everyone wants answered is: what can we expect from the Wii controls? On Xbox 360 you’ve got this fast-paced game with a run button, combos, and things like that. How is this going to be different when you’re shaking a Wii remote?

Jaime Bencia: To be incredibly honest, it’s a little bit on the early side to talk about that. We’re still kind of working with Point of View to determine what the best course of action is.

We actually do have a set controller scheme on paper. We think it’s going to be fun – we’re thinking something along the lines of having reversals on the actual movement and some finishers on movement. But of course, something that may be on paper may not actually work as we want it to once we get it into the game. So once we get closer to the point where we have the game running on PS2 and Wii as well as we want it to, then we’ll definitely be able to focus on the Wii controls and get it playing as well and as fun as we can.

Will the game support both the Wii remote and nunchuck?

JB: Yeah. Without a doubt that’s not going to change. It’s not going to be just the remote.

From your preliminary work on paper, what would an example be of a Wii-specific move?

JB: I think as far as finishing moves it was just a thought. It’s not fleshed out, so we’ve still gotta design the finishing moves. I think the one day what we kind of half fleshed out was the reversals. Not fleshed out, but just kind of on paper, we’re thinking we’re going to do that. It’s very basic right now – just kind of move both controllers to the left for one type of reversal. Move the controllers to the right for another type of reversal.

The truth of the matter is, it’s kind of tough to design for the Wii and for those types of controls which require movement. ‘Cause you’ve gotta figure, TNA, we’re trying to make the game as fast… We’re trying to make it more of a quick, fast action game. It’s not going to be slow, simulation-type wrestling. It’s got to be fast-action, hard-hitting wrestling. As far as that’s concerned, you can’t have too many motions on the Wii controller ‘cause then it just becomes a little too hard to play the game. So right now what our challenge is, is to basically try and balance out and make sure that the Wii controls we put in there are fun, easy to do, and they kind of make sense with the speed of the game. So that’s something we’ll be focusing on.

What you said about reversals – there will be more than one type?

JB: Correct. Basically we’ll have a reversal for punches and kicks. And there’s going to be a different type of reversal for grapple and throw-type moves.

On the Wii controls, if someone were to kick or punch you, you would move both controls – the nunchuck and the remote – to the left really quickly and it would perform the reversal, and then the opposite for a grapple.

[Editor’s Note: Reversal controls are not yet finalized for the Nintendo Wii version of TNA iMPACT!.]

“Yes, [our goal is to have] four players [running on PS2 at 60fps]. Wii is not a problem. We’re not too concerned about that. As far as PS2, it’s more of a challenge for sure. But that is our primary number-one goal, to get it at 60fps.”—Jaime Bencia

If timed correctly, this Xbox 360 build allows you to perform reversals indefinitely. Is this representative of the final game?

JB: You know what, as far as the design is concerned I believe so. But you guys know that things in the video game industry have a way of changing. We’re going to be focus testing the game, we’re going to make sure that things feel right. So right now yes, I think the answer is yes. But if we start feeling along the way while we’re playing the game that it’s not as fluid or as fun as we thought, we might actually make some changes.

What you saw today – I would definitely not consider final. It’s definitely something that’s getting closer, but you’ll even realize that a lot of wrestlers in there were performing moves that they would never perform, because there’s only one move set [in this build]. So there’s a lot of stuff that needs some tuning and tweaking.

Among the different move sets, will we end up as many moves as we’ve seen tonight per fighter or more?

JB: We’re still in the process of designing that. We’re focusing first and foremost on making sure that there are move sets for each type of style that we have. I can’t tell you all the styles. But let’s say, for example, somebody who is a high-flyer or somebody who’s like a brawler – each one of those [styles] is going to have a specific type of move set.

From there we’ll expand on that. For example, each wrestler will definitely have a certain amount of signature moves – moves that you know they do. And of course on top of that they’ll have their finishers as well.

The motion capture data – I assume that was done for the Xbox 360 version, and then you applied it to the PS2 and Wii versions?

JB: Yeah. As far as what the team in LA did, yeah, they basically did the motion capturing and it’s going to be used for everything. The game that you’re basically seeing for the PS3 and 360 will pretty much be the same game as PS2 and Wii. We just kind of trickle down a little bit because of the limitations with the hardware.

Will the Wii version be online?

JB: I can’t really say right now… It’s still in talks, still in design. It’s a little different as far as [Wii] is concerned. We’ve gotta figure that out. We’ll let you know soon.

I assume you’re shooting to release the PS2 and Wii versions with the PS3 and Xbox 360 editions?

JB: Correct. All of those are scheduled to be out spring of 08.

Because the Xbox 360 version seems to be the furthest along (based on what we’ve talked about), will it be difficult for the other versions to catch up in time for spring?

JB: It makes it a little bit more of a challenge, without a doubt. I mean my job as far as being an associate producer, and my producer Jeremy Airey, our job is basically to manage both sides of the spectrum. We have Point of View, who we’re helping with the project, while they’re actually taking care of all the data from the other consoles and importing it to the PS2 and Wii. By that same token, we’re responsible for making sure LA provides us with all those assets. It’s going to be a challenge, without a doubt.

To be honest with you we’re more than likely going to be a little bit behind. The fact of the matter is, we’re waiting on Midway LA to provide Point of View and myself with the assets we need. So we’ll be a little bit behind but we’re gonna try our best to make sure [TNA iMPACT! has] a simultaneous release. We’re going to try to coordinate submitting our games to the big first-party manufacturers pretty much at the same time [as the next-gen versions] to make sure everything comes out at the same time.

On the Wii version, do you have a process for testing what you think is fun? Do you use beta testers for this purpose?

JB: Definitely. Not necessarily beta testers. We have something at Midway called, it sounds simple but it’s just called Gameplay Testing. We will literally have people from outside the company who have never seen the game before come in and play the game for a significant amount of time and provide us with a good amount of feedback. Our Gameplay Test group is responsible for that and they take care of that in a good amount of times throughout the project’s lifespan. That we’re making sure people are having fun, people think it’s easy to pick up and play, people are liking the controls. That’s something we’re going to have to test and make sure the Wii controls are fun and responsive and people enjoy it.

Now I have to ask – how do you get into the Gameplay Testing group? How can we get on board in time to play Mortal Kombat?

JB: [Laughs] As far as [Gameplay Testing] is concerned, just live around San Diego. That’s pretty much it. To be honest with you, sometimes the Gameplay Test groups go into our local GameStop, put in some flyers in there and just have people call and we bring ‘em in. You want to bring in the people who are gamers. They don’t have to be hardcore gamers, but are gamers, and bring people who have never seen the game or played it at E3 or something, and see what they think. It’s really important for us to get the fans’ thoughts before the game is ready to go. You gotta make sure it’s as fun as possible.

Do the Gameplay Test group members ave to sign a non-disclosure agreement?

JB: Yeah, they do.

So they get to play the games before the press…?

JB: Yes, on occasion. Not every time. In our case [with TNA iMPACT!], no.

Thanks for your time Jaime, it’s been great speaking to you.

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