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Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds: Interview
by Joseph Bennett
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds (GC,PS2, X-Box) Interview with Greg Goodrich
Joseph Bennett - Questions - Video Game City, Vice President
Greg Goodrich - Answers - Vice President and Executive Producer of Vivendi Universal Games
1. How does this game differ from previous Buffy titles, namely the game that was made exclusively for the XBox?
Unlike the first game, Chaos Bleeds is available on the PlayStation 2, GameCube and Xbox. Buffy also has a few allies to help her battle the bad guys this time around. There are 6 playable characters in the single player portion of Chaos Bleeds including Buffy, Faith, Willow, Spike, Xander and Sid the Dummy. Each of these characters has a unique set of moves and abilities ranging from hand-to-hand combat, specialized weapons and, in the case of Willow, the ability to cast magical spells.
2. Its clear from footage of the game, that there is a lot of voice work integrated into the gameplay and storyline. Was it difficult getting most of the television show's cast involved?
We had a tremendous amount of support from 20th Century Fox and Mutant Enemy Productions (the creators of the show) so when it came time to record the voices, most everyone showed up to play their part. There is over an hour of bonus DVD-style content on the game disc that includes behind-the-scenes interviews and outtakes from the voiceover sessions.
3. Which cast members provided their voices for the game?
Greg Goodrich: Amber Benson (Tara), Nicholas Brendan (Xander), Eliza Dushku (Faith), Anthony Stewart Head (Giles), James Marsters (Spike), Tom Wyner (Sid) and many others, but if I told you their names it would ruin the surprise.
4. The game exists as a "lost episode" from the fifth season of the show. Was there a reason why it was integrated into Season 5 and not any of the others?
It just felt like a good time to follow-up the first game. We also wanted to place it in a spot where we could specifically relate to the events that were unfolding during that time period. There are a few inconsistencies with the final season (as development of the game began prior to the taping of the final episodes) but we did go back and make some changes once the final scripts were made available to us. Luckily, the game revolves around a “dimensional bleed” so we can always blame any remaining inconsistencies on the overlapping realities.
5. What research went into making this game as faithful to the show as possible?
First off, we hired Buffy comic book writers Christopher Golden and Tom Sniegoski to write the script. That took care of about 99% of any potential problems. As the authors of the official Watcher’s Guidebooks, novelizations and series regulars on the comic books, they have certainly explored every inch of Sunnydale and beyond. They hold as much knowledge of the Buffy universe as anyone.
6. Throughout the media coverage of the game, we have heard of a multiplayer mode that will be available. Could you describe that for us?
The multiplayer portion of the game allows for 24 unlockable characters and support for up to 4 players (with the use of multi-tap on the PS2). There are 4 different multiplayer modes: Survival, Bunny Catcher, Slayer Challenge and Domination, and 4 arenas to choose from in each mode. The multiplayer component alone provides an endless amount of gameplay.
7. We have seen from screenshots and footage that Willow uses her spells in the game. How will being a different character affect the way the game plays?
Willow’s combat (and defensive) magic system is very robust. Willow is the only character (this time around) that actually gains personal abilities as the game progresses. Buffy and Faith have all of their moves at their disposal from the very start and can consult their slayer journal at any time to learn the button combinations to pull off a certain move. Willow also has melee abilities (as with all of the characters) but as the game progresses she learns new spells. There are aggressive combat spells such as fireball, shockwave and the sun-spell as well as defensive spells such as the shield spell. There is also a possession spell that allows Willow to take control of an enemy as an ally against other evil characters. However, this being said, each of the main characters including Spike, Xander and even Sid all have their own unique abilities.
8. In conclusion, what aspects of this game do you think will attract fans and non fans alike?
I think fans of the show will absolutely love this game. We’ve just given them everything they’ve ever asked for in a Buffy game. With the single player, the multiplayer, the bonus content, we simply couldn’t fit anything more on the disk. But for the people who have never seen a single episode of Buffy, we’ve given them an extremely robust adventure game with an extensive fighting engine, lots of weapons, and the ability to cast magic, all wrapped around a compelling story. Believe me, we’ll get the fans. Our goal is to create new ones.
Greg Goodrich
Vice President, Executive Producer
Vivendi Universal Games
I would like to thank Greg Goodrich and Vivendi Universal Games for answering our questions and you can find Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds in stores now.
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