God of War is pretty bloody violent - was this a conscious decision, knowing that the mythical setting would allow you to include more brutality without causing a stir?
Yes, making Kratos the most brutal, nasty hero in videogames was always the goal. I wanted a character that would let players unleash their dark sides. I wanted to take control of a character that let me get my frustrations and anger out.
It was a goal that I was so dedicated to and it took a long time to find the team of animators who could really do these nasty-ass animations. But once we found the right team, man, Kratos really came alive as a brutal, vicious killer.
Putting a brutal character in ancient times just seemed to fit. The Greek mythology came first and it just seemed natural that Kratos would be the kind of character that would fit in that world.
Are all the creatures from the game taken directly from Greek mythology, or have you created some from scratch?
They are all either taken directly from the Greek myths or heavily inspired by them. I ploughed through all the Greek mythology I could find and we really tried to take the 'greatest hits' of the Greek myths - the monsters and characters that most people knew, the ones that were really deep in the culture's consciousness.
I grew up loving the Ray Harryhausen flicks, like Clash of the Titans and Jason and the Argonauts, and there was a real desire to tap into those 'little boy' fantasies that those movies gave many of us, but update them for a more adult, contemporary audience. It was tricky because we needed to evolve the creatures but not so much that they no longer resonated.
Compared to many of today's videogame characters, Kratos is incredibly distinctive - is this something you intentionally wanted to achieve?
I remember the day we had to lock his facial features and we had to decide if Kratos was going to be a bit more rugged and rough around the edges, or more of a pretty boy.
While we were a bit nervous to have a character who didn't look like a model (like many game heroes), we really tried to stay true to the story and character at all costs. And I love that we did because Kratos is distinct.
Granted, I am very biased but, to me, he does seem more fleshed-out than most game characters and I think we are all very proud of that.
Most games in this genre come from Japan and, while I love the visual design of the lead characters in those games, I don't like the sensibilities. I think Dante is just flat-out annoying. He's a great character and he looks amazing and the games are superb. But I think he's annoying.
And while I love Link, he doesn't really have much character definition; he's very simple. And it works for him. But for God of War, I think we wanted a character who really felt more alive - less like an icon and more like a real person.
What sort of creative challenges has setting the game against a mythological setting presented you with? Do you think it's more difficult than setting a game against a more contemporary backdrop?
It was easy to set a game against the Greek myths because so much of the work had been done for us. When I went through all of the stories, I found a new mechanic and a new level design on every other page.
I think the biggest challenge was trying to design the world and story so it didn't feel dry and historical. I really wanted it to be able to stand toe-to-toe with today's most popular games (like the GTAs and the Splinter Cells). And that's tough since, at least in America, realism is really ruling the sales charts.
So we were always looking for ways to make the game cool and neat to an audience that has - for the most part - shunned fantasy games and relegated them to 'nice' status.
When I started playing videogames, almost all the hits were fantasy based. Not anymore. So it was a real challenge. How do we get the Greek myths to seem as cool as Tom Clancy?
What elements of the game are the team most satisfied with?
Well, every department has their favourite things. I mean, we all think the graphics and tech are pretty cool. But, overall, I think we just think it's a fun game.
For some, the fun is the combat. For others, it's the puzzles and story. And I think that speaks for the sheer number of cool elements in God of War, that we can all say it's fun but for many different reasons.
What's next for the God of War team?
They are moving on to the next big thing. I can't talk about it but I will enjoy watching from the sidelines as I am moving back to external game making. Keep an eye out for our next products. I would love to chat with y'all again!
God of War will be released for PS2 in June
