Robo-D, the tiny Disney robots from Japan. A 1UP Classic...

Friends, today we're going to look at my favorite capsule toys, the Robo-D series by Yujin. The parent company Takara Tomy has been in the business for a long time and has the Disney license for a number of unique products. I had mentioned the detailed figures the company produced with the Epic Mickey capsule toys blog. Many years prior they released a series of figures that were absolutely brilliant. The 1-inch plastic robots shaped after the Disney mascots were among the most unique figures I had ever seen. A decade ago I had seen these figures in a Japanese toy magazine. I knew that they would never appear in the US and was saddened with that realization. The tiny figures were meant to be won in capsule toy (vending machine) prizes and not for sale in any Disney park. However there were stores that did nothing but sell these prizes directly to the consumer. My big brother surprised me by tracking down the set and giving them to me for my birthday almost a decade ago.

The figures were reminiscent of classic wind-up tin toys. The small rivets, boxy proportions, tubes and dials that made up the details were amazing. The hard plastic figures looked as if they were metal toys. The initial release featured Pluto, Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Donald. On the backs of the figures were wind up keys featuring the initial of the character. They had the illusion of being wind-up toys but the arms, legs and keys were simply springs. The figures did not move. Yujin did release a set of figured that did move but they were larger and did not quite have the same proportions or charm of the original Robo-D series.

As the years progressed Yujin would revisit or update the line. They released a matte painted version of the figures called the Robo-D Zero version, a 5-inch version of Mickey, Minnie and Goofy and keychain versions of the original lineup as well. A few years ago they revisited the line and added new members. Robo-D version 2.0 featured Pete, Popotto (a Japanese character), Mickey with wheels and a paint gun, Winnie the Pooh and Bambi. The new figures kept the same color scheme and proportions of the original cast. As he was in animated form so too did the Pete figure impose over the rest of the cast. Pete was the heftiest of all, he was about 2 inches tall and about 2 inches wide as well.

The figures were instantly collectable and something not really seen in the west. They married the classic Disney designs with a nostalgia of tin robot toys that never existed.

The most recent Robo-D release, Version 3.0, saw more familiar faces but also a bold redesign for Donald. The updated Duck featured him riding atop a UFO sporting a removable visor.

The new lineup also updated Mickey slightly, with a large rocket booster belt. The new robots included Chip and Dale, Daisy and Popotto's girlfriend. Disney fans and collectors owe it to themselves to track down these figures. It might be hard to find the first generation of figures but V.2 and V.3 still appear in circulation. Thanks to eBay it has never been easier to collect rare items from around the world.

Happy hunting!

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Prop Cycle, the most interactive arcade game you've never heard of. A 1UP Classic...

Looking back on the rail shooter arcade legacy got me thinking of other gems players might have missed. One of the most original arcade titles in the entire history of video gaming was also one of the rarest and easily one of the most interactive titles as well.

Prop Cycle, released by Namco in 1996, was an arcade game unlike any other. Instead of a joystick or trackball the game was played on a modified exercise bicycle. The handlebars were set vertically and could be tilted forward and backward similar to the yoke on an airplane. The handlebars even had a functional speedometer to show the air speed of the main character. The design of the arcade seat and controls mirrored the "Laperopter" the flying bike featured in the game.

Prop Cycle was an imaginative game, a game so whimsical and improbable that it would probably never have gotten developed in today's market. According to the official story, the game was set in the far future. Following some terrible catastrophe people had finally learned to get along in peace. Steam powered the new world and humanity was the remastering flying. Here is part of the story directly from Namco. 

This is a far away world someday. 200 years ago, the final war caused by the hyperspace magnetic weapon “Tesla bomb” completely changed the landscape. The few survivors abandon high technology and lived a simple but elegant life. The best technology here is the steam engine, and the best energy source is fuel stone.

The technology has become so advanced that it is possible to use it to fly airplanes with steam engines. In the aftermath of the massive bombs, all the terrain had become steep and valley-like, but the personal flight technology necessary for people to live without destroying nature had advanced to a high level. It is the culmination of a new civilization's great wisdom that has been accumulated to allow humans to fly freely in the sky using only human power. That is the human-powered flying machine “Laperopter.” (The name was a combination of two words; helicopter, and Laperot which was the name of the fictional village used in the Namco theme park Wonder Eggs.)

One day, someone touched a part of the altar and a violent bolt of lightning struck the village. Each village was cut into the shape of a sun, moon, or star, and the villagers were taken to the sky together. The land always floated above their heads, and before they knew it, they came to call it “Solitar” (Solitary Island).

The flying machine workshop “Laperopter Ichisha” was established 170 years ago, and while there are several competing companies, it is a flying machine manufacturing company that has become so famous around the world that the generic name for its flying machines is “Laperopter.” It is a long-established store.

Everything you needed to know about the game world, and story was presented on screen, even if you didn't have access to the official translation. There was a temple built in the area over some ancient technology. When a resident of the town touched an ancient (radiation warning) symbol several parts of the village were sent skyward accidentally. The thing I found interesting was that this power source that shot electricity was shaped just like a Tesla coil, but it was covered in stone, and warning symbols. Could this have been some sort of hostile architecture? Additionally under the stone we could see the copper coils, but they were reminiscent of the stripes of the USA flag. Was this a coincidence? The story continued...  

One day, a letter fell from a resident of Solitar. It seems that what was thought to be an altar was actually a weapon controller. The red balls floating in space are floating energy, and if you destroy them all within the time limit, the "Solitar" will return to its original position on the ground, but if it cannot be destroyed, the red balls will return to their original positions with a thunderclap. It was written that it should be put away. Some heroes so far tried, but failed and crashed.

This series of floating islands was called Solita, which is a Spanish word for lonely or isolated, the name was translated to Solitar in the US. The islands had distinct celestial shapes, a sun, a moon and a star. Perhaps it was destined to be the first city in the sky but the technology was premature for the inhabitants as they had no idea how to return the islands back to Earth.

The villagers on the ground had been trying to bring back Solitar for some time. Unfortunately every attempt was met with failure and the implied death of those that tried. Again from the official translation. 

"In order to prevent further casualties, a prop cycle test was to be carried out sponsored by Laperopter. It imitates the properties of the red ball and also serves as a preliminary simulation. The heroes selected in this tournament are tasked with challenging the Solitar, and are launched into the Solitar using a giant slingshot from in front of the Laperopter Company." 

So they had established a challenge to find a champion. A series of balloons spread over the land would test the flying ability, maneuverability and speed of the flying craft. The gameplay would revolve around these themes and players would chase down hot air balloons to explode.

The game was broken down into two basic components. The Novice mode was a one level point attack game. Any one of the three regular stages could be selected in Novice mode, these included Cliff Rock, Wind Woods, and Industarn. This mode was great for players that were trying to memorize the maps and locations of hidden paths however at the end of the time limit the game was over. The Advanced mode followed our unnamed hero through the levels with a story element. If players met the minimum point requirement for each stage then they would be able to progress to the next stage without having to pay for it. Failure to meet the score meant that players had to start over from the beginning but with a reduced point requirement. Unfortunately extra points would not roll over to the next stage.

Early on in the Advanced mode the balloons were evenly spaced and gave players clear lines to follow. The harder levels changed the location and point value of the balloons and made it so that only a flawless ride-through with every time bonus and hidden path would meet the minimum requirements to advance to the next level. Given that this usually cost a $1 per play then it was not hard to see why more players did not try to complete the Advanced levels. With that said the game and level designs were still great and worth the challenge.

Each stage was filled with details that supported the story and world that Namco was setting out to create. The tiny villages were filled with people that would wave at the hero as he rode by on his flying bike. Steam engines ran along tracks connecting the valleys. Every detail was rendered in simple textures, including store fronts, clotheslines, churches and sheep grazing on polygonal fields. Memorization of the levels and layouts of the tunnels and paths was only part of the challenge. The location of the balloons varied slightly between the first day and third day of the story mode. Players had to be extremely proficient at navigating their flying bike through some very tight spaces and doing so quickly.

The art direction of the game was not quite steampunk, at least not in the western definition of the culture, but it certainly was retro-fantastic. The simplicity of the designs, especially for a flying bike was in the vein of Jules Verne meets Hayao Miyazaki. The towns and people had a quaint late 1800's early 1900's stylization. The addition of giant steam powered machines, trains and factories helped reinforce the technological limitations of the universe. The level details, and lighting effects for day, night and even indoor areas helped give the game a distinct look and a level of plausibility. 

The designers at Namco were always mindful to try to connect each of their video games to established canon, or in this case include elements from the history of the company. Namco was known for their prize games, and kiddie rides in Japan, as much as for their arcade hits. The location of the game was inspired by Lapello Village which was a mix of fantasy, and sci-fi from their Wonder Eggs amusement park. Even the steam train running through the village was similar to the kiddie ride created by the company.

To help bring back elements of the dangers of the nuclear energy that sent Solitar into the sky there were radiation symbols hidden throughout the levels. A collection of radioactive barrels was seen spilled inside of a gigantic cave. Rising out of the glowing mist were enormous worms lunging into the air, snapping at the wings of the player. While these worms could not really harm the player they were a sight to behold. They were surreal science fiction monsters placed right into the middle of an inviting simplistic world. The entire game was layered with subtext involving the future of humanity.

If the player beat all three levels in the Story mode they start the final challenge. The player would be hooked up to a gigantic slingshot and shot up at tremendous speeds towards the floating islands of Solitar. The main character was seen pedaling quickly in order to reach a certain altitude. When the islands came into focus they were amazing.

There were parts of the community mostly intact on the island, including houses, factories and businesses. One building was split in half with the interior exposed. Players could find the other half of this building in the regular levels. It turned out that the villagers that went up with the island had managed to survive. The people stranded on Solitar could be seen waving to players from their homestead. Instead of balloons players had to destroy glowing red orbs. The electrified spheres appear to have been what was keeping Solitar suspended in the sky. Players had a fixed amount of time to locate and destroy all of the spheres on the level. There were no orbs that offered 10 or 20 extra seconds as there were on the regular stages. If a player failed to destroy the spheres within the time limit then the final cinematic would play out. A temple would shoot an arc of electricity right at the player and knock him out of the sky. The unconscious player would then be sent spiraling toward the ground, not a friendly ending to the otherwise inviting game.

If a player destroyed the red orbs within the time limit then the islands of Solitar would The plot and design could best be appreciated in the final level of the game. At a high altitude players could see what had become of the Earth. Gigantic craters dotted the surface of the planet. Based on the number and identical scale of craters it was inferred that they were caused by the aformentioned "Tesla Bombs" rather than by meteors hitting the planet. It was an impressive visual but layered with a melancholy subtext.

This game could be a prime example of the greatest elements in the arcade game design as well as some of the worst. The game succeeded on several levels. It was one of the early arcade titles that allowed freedom of movement in 3D space. The character and level designs were fun and memorable. The bicycle seat controller was highly original. Of all the positive elements the most important was that the story was very minimal. All of the details and clues for what happened to Solitar were told through the levels and scenery.

It was up to the players to interpret this world based on what they saw and played. The best games always left enough elements for the players to interpret and internalize the experience. Those games never insulted the intelligence of the player. Many games today have to explain every little detail, auto save frequently and hand-hold the player through boss battles. These things cheapen the universe the developers worked to create and the experience of playing.

Where Prop Cycle fails is in its difficulty and control scheme. The pedal mechanic is great, however it determines both the speed of the player and the ability to gain altitude. While the physics behind this were solid, the control suffered because of how the mechanic worked in the levels. The stages were compact, with high rock cliffs that the player could not fly over. Most stages could be traversed within a few seconds if not for the tight, winding paths. The spacing of the balloons guided players through a set path in the Novice Mode.

Players could never climb too steeply in the Novice Mode and the game would remind players when to pedal faster to gain altitude. In the Advanced Mode the balloons were spaced further apart and the lines to reach them were more open. Players had to have the pedaling speed and stamina of an experienced cyclist, combined with the precision timing of a race pilot . It was difficult to navigate the tight turns in the caves and tunnels and then perform a burst of speed from one balloon to the next. Circling back cost the player precious seconds and most Advanced Levels required a few play throughs to complete. By that time the player would be physically exhausted from playing.

The wonderful universe that Namco had created took a back seat to the laborious gameplay. What started off as an experience that felt like a lost level in Pilotwings quickly degraded to an unforgiving experience. Based on this gameplay I could see why Sonic Team chose to put the gameplay from NiGHTS into dreams… on rails instead of free flying from a behind the back POV as they originally wanted. If it weren't so difficult, or so rare, Prop Cycle would have been celebrated as the most interactive arcade game ever made. By comparison G4 dubbed Arctic Thunder the most interactive arcade game ever because it featured a pair of fans that blew in the face of the player.

In the past few weeks I've highlighted games that did far more to the player, including flipping them upside down and spinning them 360 degrees or immersing them inside a sensory deprivation parabolic dome. Prop Cycle required more physical effort and concentration than just about every other arcade game ever, however it was possibly surpassed in physical demand by Namco's next arcade title. Rapid River, released in 1997 featured a moving seat and paddles that the player used to navigate up and down a series of branching paths. Imagine Sega's Rail Chase sans machine guns and set in a raft. The upper body strength and stamina requirement was absurd. It was a game destined to remind players how out of a shape most gamers were. The use of fans was more luxury than immersion, G4's assessment of interactivity is absurd and I'll take a flying bike over a snowmobile any day. If you would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Pirate Red, the sexiest Disney Pirate?

The big news for the weekend (aside from some shopping on Olvera Street in Downtown LA) was the late-but-appreciated wedding present for my wife. She is a huge Disney fan as you probably know. She used to have a collection of rare merchandise as well as original animation and theme park items that would have been the envy of even the most die-hard collectors. Unfortunately most everything was stolen a few years ago. All she has left are a handful of books and a nice collector piece here and there. In our collective lifetimes we could never hope to restore the collection that she once had, so little by little we are trying to build a new collection together.

The one piece of Disney art that she has always wanted and that has never been reproduced or made available is a painting of a red-haired pirate girl. The actual painting that is hanging in the Captain's Bar scene on the Pirate's of the Caribbean attraction at Disneyland. It's the scene on the right side of the attraction after the second waterfall, opposite of the Captain's Quarters. The painting is in the shadows and a detail that is easily missed. Here are pics courtesy of DaveLand

The painting was done by animator and imagineering legend Marc Davis. Shelly, my gal, pointed it out to me on one of our first trips to Disneyland. She told me about how much she loved the painting and how it has never been reproduced. Even when she was on the Disney Parks Committee she could never convince any of the park reps or marketing people to reproduce the painting. They said it was too risque' for Disney. As luck would have it Marc and Alice Davis (the costume designer for PotC) became the godparents of her daughter. But even then Shelly was no where closer of getting a reproduction of the painting, or even a good picture to make a poster from.

I could tell that it meant a lot to her and began gathering as much information as I could on the piece. Thanks to the web I found the original concept sketches by Marc and even a great head-on shot of the painting. I decided that I would recreate the painting as best I could using Illustrator.

I spent two months before the wedding working on the art, when I wasn't working on other details for the wedding. Sadly I didn't finish the project in time and had to buy Shelly a back-up present instead, a Monorail playset which she also loved, but it certainly wasn't a present from the heart. I went ahead with the project and had it printed on canvas. My friend Trevor got me an amazing discount on the printing and made the job as large as their largest printer could go. Then my friend Marisol at Picture This Framing, just down the street from school, got me an amazing price on the frame.

The finished project was as close to scale to the original as I could get. It's about 5 feet by three feet in size. Marisol made sure to get the double frame detail right, red on the inside and actually matched the same gold frame on the outside. Although the colors pop more in my version and the edges aren't as soft, I'd like to think that the spirit of the original is there. I surprised my gal this weekend with it. I placed it at the head of our bed with the lights off in the room. I waited patiently for her to turn on the lights and get the surprise. She actually walked in and out of the room twice without noticing it, even after turning on the lights. I thought she was playing it super-cool! Anyhow she did finally notice it and started screaming. She's been loving it ever since. I was only grateful that this was a piece I could reproduce and something that would be very special to her. She'd been out of luck if she had wanted a sculpture instead...

What do you think of the finished piece? Is it something that you wouldn't mind hanging at home? Too risque' for Disney or is this the classic stuff you remember before political correctness took the fun out of the attraction? If you'd like a larger version for your computer check out my Deviant Art page.

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Mickey Mouse, Vampire Hunter! A 1UP Classic...

Good Monday morning my friends. I hope all is well on your side of town. To my friends on the East Coast, take care and I hope the hurricane loses steam quickly. Last week I was talking about how fans in the US were finding it harder to relate to the Disney mascot characters. Certainly the fans knew who they were and were familiar with their body of work, however they were also aware that they had not appeared in a new comic or cartoon in quite a long time. The most recognizable characters; Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy and Pluto appeared regularly on a show targeted for toddlers in the US. The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse held little interest to the older fans. Worse yet, the programming on the Disney and Disney XD channels did not feature any of the mascot cartoons either. When the Topolino comics overseas wanted to broaden their appeal they would introduce a new arc that made use of a bold storyline and was complimented with some fantastic art. One of the more recent entries fits in perfectly on Halloween week.

Dracula di Bram Topker was a retelling of the Dracula story by Bram Stoker. In this version the main players were all replaced by Disney characters. Mickey is playing Jonathan Ratker instead of Jonathan Harker. Instead of Professor Abraham Helsing the vampire hunter was played by Pippo Van Helsing (Pippo is the name of Goofy in Italy). Dracula was played by the Phantom Blot.

The writer, color artist team of Bruno Enna and Fabio Celoni did a fantastic version of the horror classic. The veteran artists did an amazing job at creating a gothic comic book style out of cartoon characters that would have made Mike Mignola (of Hellboy fame) proud.

The art was dazzling. The Italian cartoonists had been mentored by the Disney Academy. It is an art school set up by their publishing parents.

Those familiar with the story would find it kind of macabre yet interesting that Minnie Mouse and Clarabell Cow take on the roles of Mina and Lucy.

The violence was more implied than shown, same with the scares, even with that said it is doubtful that the story may ever be localized in the US given the subject matter.

It is truly a shame that more people in the US never get to see these comics. They have no idea how great the Disney comics and characters could be.

The friends and rivals to Mickey truly shine when creators are allowed to place them in wonderful stories. Month to month the readers of Topolino are reminded why Mickey is not only a friendly face but also synonymous with courage, loyalty and bravery. In the US that realization is slowly happening. Warren Spector and the group at Junction Point are steadily making Disney take notice of who Mickey is and what Mickey could be when faced with adversity. We'll look a little closer at the roots of Epic Mickey in the next blog. Until then see if you can track down a comic book shop that carries the recent comics by Boom Studios as well as the hardcover reprints of classic Disney stories by Fantagraphics. If you would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Meet Vector Unit, developers of Hydro Thunder Hurricane. A 1UP Classic...

Without hyperbole Hydro Thunder was one of the greatest racing videogames of all-time. Created by Midway in 1999 and quickly ported over to the PC, N64, Dreamcast and Playstation. It developed a reputation as one of the most innovative racing titles around. What set this game aside from the rest were the use of high-powered racing boats instead of cars and levels layered with tremendous details, hidden paths and various secrets. There was an amazing sense of speed, power and precision that Midway captured through the use of multiple boat types as well as their ability to boost and even jump when powered up. While under boost they could charge through obstacles and even take down opponents via a "Mighty Hull" attack. This was done years before the Burnout franchise made the "Takedown" popular. When combined with some of the most original tracks ever to grace a videogame, Hydro Thunder was the perfect racing package. Unfortunately Midway made some cuts and closed down several development studios. A sequel to Hydro Thunder was started but never finished.

After a decade of waiting there was finally a named sequel, however it would not be the one that the original Team Hydro had started back in 2000. Hydro Thunder Hurricane would be a completely new title, built from the ground up by a new development team. The only bad news so far being that I haven't gotten a chance to play it. The good news was that in the summer of 2010 just about everyone will get a chance to play it from the comfort of their own homes. Here are the people responsible for Hydro Thunder Hurricane. Matt Small and Ralf Knoesel, Co-Founders of Vector Unit Inc.

They were kind enough to respond to an interview request shortly after debuting their game at PAX East. Here is Ralf, one half of Vector Unit, talking about the game in his own words.

How and when did your company get started?

Back in the Summer of 2007 Matt was working at EA Maxis and I was working at Stormfront Studios. We were both already 10+ year veterans of the gaming industry, so we were part of the transition from small (5-20) to the large (50-300) person teams it takes now to create high quality console games. One day we were reflecting on how much more fun it was to be part of a smaller team where each team member can make a real difference, so we started talking about founding our own company based on applying what we knew about making high-quality large games to the digitally-distributed console game market. In the Fall of 2007 we decided to go for it, so we each finished our projects we were working on for our respective employers, then founded Vector Unit in January 2008.

How did two people that had worked on licensed fantasy videogames; Lord of the Rings, Eragon, Spiderwick Chronicles... end up on the Hydro Thunder sequel?

We're big fans of water racing games generally -- the original HT and Wave Race 64 in particular. We also come from a watery background – Matt and I both led the team that developed Blood Wake on the original Xbox. So when we started Vector Unit, we decided to kick the company off with a new speedboat racing game that captures the spirit of those old games, with the addition of all the amazing new things that you can do with water physics on new consoles like the 360.

Was this a dream project that you pitched to a publisher or were you sought out to develop it?

The first game demo we made was an original speedboat racing game. The demo showed off the game's controls and our new fluid dynamic system. Microsoft was interested, and through talks with them the idea came up of making this a full-featured sequel to the original Hydro Thunder, which we started developing in April 2009.

Whom exactly has the license now if it is no longer Midway?

When Midway was acquired by Warner, the rights to Hydro Thunder were part of that acquisition, so now Warner owns the license.

Your previous boat action title, Blood Wake, was a fun game with positive reviews. Did you have plans for a sequel?

There was definitely interest in making a sequel, but in the end an agreement could not be reached. We were pretty bummed out by this, but we were glad to see Blood Wake become a Platinum Hit.

What lessons learned from Blood Wake (or any other of your games) were incorporated into HT Hurricane?

The biggest lesson learned from Blood Wake that we incorporated into HTH was the way we approached our physics model. If you take a realistic simulation as your foundation, then massage this to make the controls accessible and forgiving, you can end up with the best of both worlds: We feel that we were able to make a game which a Novice player can easily pick up and learn, while the more advanced player will notice all the intricacies which emerge from interacting with a complex water simulation.

Hydro Thunder was one of the best loved and best remembered arcade racing games, how closely did you follow the cues of the original game when designing a sequel?

Our goal was to create a game which captures the spirit of the original while providing the depth, controls, and graphics you would expect from a modern console title. One of the first things we did was to make a list of what people remembered most favorably from the original. This list, unsurprisingly, included the big drops, the over-the-top themed environments, specific boats, the high speeds, the secret shortcuts, the announcer, etc. The list is actually pretty long, but we were able to include just about all of these elements that made the original game what it was.

How much homework did you do or did you have a wishlist of things if you could work on a sequel?

When we started our research, we spent quite a bit of time playing the Dreamcast version, which back in the day was our favorite version of the original, with some of the best graphics of its time. It's a funny thing, however, what 10 years of technological advances can do, so the first thing on our list was to build new environments targeted at modern graphics hardware. Another feature which was important to us was to enable network play over Xbox LIVE, which will allow both old and new fans of the series to compete. Additionally, in order to make the single-player experience more compelling, we decided to include some more game modes.

Were there any criteria from the publisher when you were given the project or did they trust you to use your best judgement?

Throughout the development process, Microsoft has been a superb partner, taking a very hands-off approach, trusting us to do what's best for the game. It became apparent early on that we were in alignment with Microsoft's priorities.

Were you given assets, notes or direction from the never completed Hydro Thunder 2 arcade project? Or was this all up to Vector Unit?

We were given code and assets from the original HT, but not anything from HT 2. Initially we considered using some of the original assets, but it's been a long time since the original game, and the 360 is capable of so much more than the hardware was back in the day. In hindsight, looking at the boats, tracks, and gameplay we were able to create, this was the right decision.

The team that created the original Hydro Thunder reunited a decade later to form Specular Interactive. Their arcade title H2Overdrive is the spiritual successor to Hydro Thunder. Did you get a chance to play through this game? Any thoughts on it or the developers of the original game?

Unfortunately we have not had a chance to play H2Overdrive yet, since none of the local arcades have it. We watched all the videos and have read what we can about it, and were definitely inspired to try to cram even more animated surprises and insane set-pieces into our game. There's a rumor of a cabinet down in Santa Cruz (~2hr drive), so once we get some breathing room, we look forward to a field trip. We're huge fans of the original game and its developers, so we can't wait to play H2Overdrive and all future Specular titles.

What did you feel were the most important elements to preserve from the original HT when beginning work on HT Hurricane?

Aside from the core game mechanics, the most important element we wanted to capture from the original HT was the crazy over the top theme-park environments. Of course there are the huge drop offs, secret shortcuts and unexpected surprises, but there's also this heavily themed, storytelling quality to it, like you're on some crazy ride at an amusement park. For each track we came up with a kind of story that the track tells, leading up to some kind of crazy climax as you draw close to the finish line. That was key to capturing the feel of the original game.

How did you expand on the ideas in the original game?

The major new element is the interactive, dynamic water surface. Everything in the game affects the water as you're driving over it -- the other boats leave physical wakes, whirlpools and waves disrupt the surface, and triggerable elements like avalanches and explosions create these huge waves that toss the boats around. Because of all that stuff, the racing experience is a little bit different each time you race a track.

Can we expect the original lineup of ships to return? I noticed two ship that looked like different color versions of the Tidal Blade, are there now multiple colorways for the ships?

8 boats from the original game are making a comeback. They're all redesigned, but they're all recognizable -- Razorback, Tidal Blade, Rad Hazard. In addition to creating new models and textures with a lot of new detail, each boat has multiple skins so you don't have to all look the same online. Plus there are new transformation animations when you acquire boost; we tried to really punch those up to make them even more dramatic, with lots of engine parts and rockets and stuff unfolding out from hidden compartments.

How many new ships can we expect to see in HT Hurricane?

The original HT had such a memorable lineup of boats that we decided to focus our efforts on these, so we ended up with just one original design, bringing our total boat count to 9. However, there is an additional surprise boat in there, plus, being a digitally distributed game, we have the option to release more boats in the future as downloadable content (DLC). How many tracks will HT Hurricane feature? There will be 8 all-new tracks in HTH. One of them, Lake Powell, is artistically inspired from the original game, but the layout and the story it tells is all new.

What types of single player or multiplayer experiences can we expect?

For the single-player experience, in addition to racing against a field of 15 AI opponents, the player also has the option to participate in Ring Master and Gaunlet events. The Ring Master mode consists of a total of 24 unique slalom-like courses (Novice, Pro, and Expert courses for each of the 8 tracks), where the player is challenged to race against the clock while weaving in and out of shortcuts, and in the case of the Expert courses, making some tricky turns and jumps. The Gauntlet mode is at its core a time-trial, but with exploding barrels placed all over the place, which definitely raises the level of adrenaline. Moreover, the player also has the option to participate in Championships, which are series of events (races, ring masters, and gauntlets) where the player is competing with AI opponents to score the most points by the time the last event is finished.

For the multiplayer experience, we support up to 4 players in split-screen mode. On top of that, you can also play split-screen and online at the same time. When playing local (offline) split-screen, the human players are pitted against AI opponents championship-style, where after each race the players are returned to a lobby where they can change the track and their boats.

How does the online component work?

When playing on-line, an additional game-mode becomes available, namely the Rubber Ducky mode, which is designed to be played by 4 players or more. In this mode, one person on each teams chooses to drive a Rubber Duck, which is a bit slow and awkward to drive. Whichever Rubber Duck crosses the finish line first, that team wins. All the other players will tend to choose fast speedboats, which they can use offensively to smash the other duck or defensively to protect their own. This mode was inspired by the “Mini vs Enzo” phenomenon that players came up with by themselves while playing PGR 2 on the original Xbox.

Another huge part of our online implementation are the Xbox LIVE leaderboards. This is where players will really be able to show off their skills to their friends and the world. We expanded on the basic leaderboard implementation by adding a feature we call “Leaderboard Opponent”; when you play any single-player event with a LIVE-enabled profile (Silver or Gold), we look at the leaderboards to figure out which one of your friends is just ahead, then show you their time before the event starts. Then, while racing, you will see a split-time against theirs whenever you cross a checkpoint, then finally you are shown whether or not you beat them as you cross the finish line. If all your friends happen to be slower than you on a particular event, we instead query the world rankings to make your opponent the next best player in the world. Although this is a relatively simple feature, it allows players to interact without needing to be online at the same time. We have a lot of “Oh man, I almost had you, gonna try again!” moments at the office with this feature.

The AI was ruthless in the original game with boats sometimes pushing you off course or causing you to miss a boost. How difficult will the AI be in Hurricane?

The AI doesn't go out of its way to smash you, but it will keep a firm line, especially before critical turns. They do, however, become aggressive based on various criteria, in which case they get trigger-happy on their boost and a bit reckless. One more thing to keep in mind when dealing with the AI opponents is that if you time your passes right, you can use the drafting mechanic to help your overall finishing time.

To keep games close between players and AI boats, the original Team Hydro incorporated a "catch-up / ketchup" function where the AI could cut corners to keep pace with the race leader. Will this be Hurricane?

The AI does pretty well on its own, so it doesn't really need to cut corners. We did, however, add a new catch-up mechanic for multiplayer racing based on feedback from lots of focus testing. This feature, implemented after PAX, converts most of the boost powerups to mystery boosts (only in multiplayer events), which randomly give players anywhere from 1x to 8x boost. The farther you are behind the leader, the more of a chance you have to get more boost. This change has resulted in our multiplayer sessions being much more competitive and exciting, with lots more photo finishes. How will you balance the difficulty of the AI boats or courses during single-player races? We kept true to the original when it comes to difficulty. If you pick one of the “Novice” boats, which you do when you first start playing the game, the AI is also set to a novice level. Once you earn enough credits you will unlock boats in the “Pro” class. When you drive these boats, you will notice the AI being much harder to beat, but you are rewarded with more credits when you do. Finally, once you graduate to “Expert” boats, you will be faced with fields of mostly RadHazards, Razorbacks, and Cutthroats, and the AI will definitely be hard to beat. Regarding the courses, the more difficult tracks tend to be unlocked later in the game. However, there's nothing easy about winning a race on the first track (Lake Powell) with an “Expert” boat. And you know you're going to want to earn that Trophy for the “Golden Delicious” achievement!

The original HT had a number of secret courses and boats, are these elements returning here?

In the early stages of development we threw around the idea, but decided instead to focus on making the existing boats and tracks as awesome as they could be. It also helps to have the option of DLC after the game is finished.

The original HT also had great music and sound effects, who will be handling these elements in Hurricane?

We are working with an external audio contractor, Robb Mills, who is handling all of our music, sound effect, and voice needs. All the music in the game is composed and performed by him, and it turns out that he is quite a talented voice actor as well.

What are the challenges of creating Hurricane as an XBLA title? Are there any benefits of releasing this as an XBLA title?

The main challenge for a digitally distributed game compared to a retail title is of course the smaller budget/scope. Our goal at Vector Unit is to create big games in small packages, using an efficient development model, and I believe we have accomplished this with HTH. One of the benefits resulting from this increased efficiency is that we were able to keep our team size very small, which gave a real sense of ownership to each team member. Regarding the XBLA platform, while we were building our prototype on the PC, our engine was designed from the ground up to be cross-platform. So as soon as we received our 360 development kits, we were able to get stuff up and running extremely fast. As a testament to the developer-friendliness of the platform, we were able to focus on the gameplay and additional features from the start instead of fighting with the hardware. One additional benefit of being on XBLA is that our audience is guaranteed to have an internet connection, so we expect some really good leaderboard times to be posted!

How is the control scheme set up, with regards to steering, throttle and boost jump?

The default control scheme is relatively straight-forward. Steering is on the left thumbstick, throttle is the right trigger, boost is on the A button, and the boost jump is on the X button. Additional controls are brake (left trigger), switch camera view (Y button), reset boat (back button), look back (either shoulder button), and change music track (dpad left/right). We also support the Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel, for which we created some custom force-feedback effects to mimic the boat driving through the waves.

Are there new control or gameplay features compared to the original?

One feature we knew was important from the start, which we kept from our original game demo, is the ability to control your boat while jumping through the air. While coming off a huge jump, for example, you can turn your boat to the right or left and use your boost rocket to steer away from an obstacle or simply help you hit that perfect landing spot to set yourself up for the next turn. We also used this as a tool to balance the boats, so some boats (e.g. Rad Hazard) are better at this than others (e.g. Thresher). Another feature we implemented is the switch powerup. These powerups are used to change the environment, such as raising ramps, opening gates, and turning on wave machines which, for example, allow access to a shortcut on the next lap. Another feature worth mentioning is the drafting mechanic. Our water simulation makes it possible for boats to leave physical wakes in the water. If you get into another boat's wake, you get a drafting speed boost, which makes passing other boats more exciting, and makes for some interesting strategy in multiplayer races.

How was the reaction to Hurricane at PAX?

Overall the reception was very positive. We had no idea what to expect going in, but we were pleasantly surprised that both fans of the original game and people who had never heard of it had a great time playing the game. Since this was an opportunity for us to interact with some hardcore HT fans, we were also able to get some great feedback, some of which we were able to squeeze into the game over the last couple of weeks.

How many boats / tracks / game modes were available at PAX?

Everything was playable in the PAX build. We had two kiosks and were there to guide players through the initial learning process, mostly on the Lake Powell and Asgard levels. Some attendees were able to come back when the floor was not so crazy-busy, so they were able to explore some other tracks and game modes. There were also some opportunities to set up online matches between 4 players by using 2-player split-screen mode on both consoles.

The version of HT Hurricane previewed at PAX East seemed to be missing the "Mighty Hull" attack, will it be returning in this game?

Actually the game will not feature the Mighty Hull attack. The main reason is that it was really important to us to create a fun, balanced multiplayer experience (both online and split screen), and getting blindsided from behind with the Mighty Hull was just not that much fun in MP games. The other reason is that we put more emphasis on overtaking and passing other boats by boosting and drafting in their wakes; it's really fun to try and time the perfect pass as you draft closer and closer to the boat in front of you, waiting for the perfect moment to slingshot past -- if you could just plow through them, we felt like it was a little less interesting.

Is there a target release date?

The release date has not bee set yet, but we expect it to launch some time this summer.

Will Hurricane support DLC?

The base game will definitely support DLC. If the game is as popular as we expect, it would make sense that we'll be seeing some more boats and tracks after the game has been released.

Are there any plans to recreate the original HT tracks as well?

No such plans are in the works, sorry.

If there is one detail that gamers should keep an eye out for, what is it?

Waterfalls, of course :)

I would like to thank Ralf and Matt for their time and wish Vector Unit all the best. Be sure to join the Hydro Thunder Hurricane page on Facebook to get more info on this upcoming racer.

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