Interactive cinema: games that let users play their favorite film stars represent a new art form and a new challenge for developers.(backdrop)(Interview)

Q Why was it so important to re-create real movie actors for the new James Bond game?

A James Bond is the most successful, enduring film character in history. When creating a visual experience that takes place in the Bond universe, the characters that the audience has grown to know and love over the last 40 years need to be present in order for the experience to be credible. Moreover, when we reached the decision to move into a third-person perspective, the quality bar for the visual representation of these characters, whose features are so well known and identifiable, is raised to the highest level possible. If we were to deliver characters that failed to meet players' expectations, their presence in the game actually might have detracted from the experience.

Q What are the trade-offs of playing a game in the third person (as Bond, in this case) versus the first person?

A The main advantages of playing a game in first person, beyond some small gain in bandwidth due to polygon and texture savings, are the immersion of the player into the avatar they are controlling and a simpler camera-management scenario. Conversely, a third-person perspective allows the gameplay to evolve into a more complicated set of mechanics, such as greater strategic and tactical movement in a space, obstacle navigation, and the ability to accommodate a more robust hand-to-hand experience.

Q Why did you re-create the Bond movie format rather than build a new game environment?

A Reinforcing the James Bond movie experience makes sense when you consider that this is how the audience got to know him. If we were introducing a unique character, or one unique to the interactive space, an alternative approach may have made more sense. But when that iris appears and the James Bond theme hits, there's no question in any player's mind what lies ahead.

Q How did you go beyond the cinematic form?