a single click. All you need is Adobe Reader.
For use with either a modern browser, or an RSS program.
Interview with Jennifer Oneal Part two
The concluding portion of our exclusive interview with the Executive Producer of Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2
Written by Andy Griffiths, 06 September 2009
The second and final part of our chat with the Executive Producer of Vicarious Visions and MUA 2, the lovely Jennifer Oneal.
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 in-game screenshots.GZ: The fusions are really creative, not to mention impressive...
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 in-game screenshots.JO: They really are and you know it blows me away. When I first started on this project a few years ago. We actually started with a different concept and we came to the fusion concept and me as a producer was thinking "how the heck are we going to do this?" Creating 24 by 24 character combinations is a huge task! So everyone was totally committed.
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 in-game screenshots.At Vicarious Visions we've got lots of big time Marvel fans and they are all committed to the idea. In a lot of comic books, characters team up all the time so it's not so unusual. Figuring out a way to make all these fusions, we've found a way to make them all unique too. There are similarities to some of them because we want to have a tactical application which players will be able to grasp and not make it too complicated. But even so, every one is unique.
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 in-game screenshots.GZ: Did you guys pool your comic book knowledge to inspire them?
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 in-game screenshots.JO: Oh yeah, absolutely! Many people contributed to every single fusion, I mean we started with concepts and we had certain artists draw "Okay what it would be like if Storm and Torch did a fusion together?" From that we had the vision which powered the move itself.
GZ: Vicarious Visions are known doing lot's of work on different platforms. Is there any hope of MUA2 appearing on the PC?
JO: I can't answer that unfortunately, it appears to be more of a business decision.
GZ: Are the stand-alone missions, which explain each characters back story and nemesis, returning?
360Zine Issue 33
For our latest Marvel Ultimate Alliance coverage, click here to download 360Zine Issue 33 for free.JO: Not exactly like that, we do have arcade missions which you can play and they'll have worlds like the did before which is great to find out back story. They'll have collectibles, concept art, and audio diaries which is something new this year, they are similar to Bioshock. We also have dossiers that you can read through and get a lot of information that way.
GZ: Any favourite characters that you are really fond of in the game?
JO: For sure there are a few that are my favourites but I've worked with these guys for two years. All 24 of them feel like my children, so I hate to call out a favourite but I will anyway. Songbird for me, has become more of a favourite every day. I like her as a character, I like that whole villain turned hero complex storyline that she has. Besides that her powers and her fusions are fantastic, she's one of the best characters to fuse with.
GZ: Obviously you have DLC plans but you can't explain them?
JO: We can't talk about them in detail but we do have plans.
GZ: Do you see MUA as part of a long term franchise which can go on and on?
JO: Certainly I think we've laid down plains to keep going forward. I think it's truly hard to do something better than Cival War, it's the most popular story that's out right now. But in terms of gameplay mechanics and the game itself- I think Marvel fans and fans of the game in general, they just want more of it, more characters, just give us more levels so we can play through as our favourite characters. Because rarely do you get a chance to play a game that headlines a character like Penance for example, maybe that is your favourite character in the world. This is the one opportunity you get to live our your fantasy as that particular character. Believe me I wish I could put everyone's favourite in there, I really do.
GZ: Is it harder to develop in this economic climate?
JO: Well, this may sound weird to say but it's actually easier. Simply because there's a wealth of talent out there to draw from. The studio grew by over 100% when we started working on this title, I think at any other time it would have been really difficult to hire them and keep them.
So there you have it. We'll have a review for Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 over the coming weeks but from what we have played it's shaping up well. 360 and PS3 players will soon get the sample the superhero goodness when the game is released on the 25th. Unfortunately PC players seem to be out of luck, for the time being at least.
»View more Marvel Ultimate Alliance features...
