IGN: The game is developed for the ground up for Wii. What has this allowed you to do?
Ken Fox: The biggest thing has been the opportunity to design and tune the controls around the unique controller. That's the hook in many Wii specific games, but I think we've been able to take advantage of it like the market really hasn't seen yet. The difference between swinging your Lightsaber by hitting a button and swinging you r Lightsaber by swinging the Wii- remote is huge. Developing specifically for the Wii also gave us the opportunity to really dial in the look of the game to match the show very closely rather than needing art assets to be usable cross-platform.
IGN: Describe the gameplay in The Clone Wars. What exactly do you do? Is it a beat-'em-up? (Right now, we're picturing something like LEGO Star Wars. Please help us understand exactly the type of game you're making.)
Ken Fox: Clone Wars for the Wii is all about lightsaber dueling. It's about swinging your Wii remote like a Lightsaber and recreating what we know will be classic Lightsaber battles from the movie and the show. It's also about the character development that happens in Lightsaber Duels. We have one of the main writers from the movie and the series writing and all the voice talent from the series recording over 4000 lines of dialog for the game. So, when you as Obi-Wan versus General Grievous, they will say things to each other that they will never say to any other character. We think this is something that we've never seen in a game like this and is perfect for Star Wars and the Clone Wars franchise in particular.
IGN: LucasArts is really pushing the game's lightsaber battles. How do you control your lightsaber with the Wii remote?
Ken Fox: We've tried to make the lightsaber control as intuitive and fun as possible. It's not a Lightsaber simulator, but when you swing your Wii remote left to right; your character does the same. You use the thumbstick on the nunchuck to move your character and swing the Wii remote to swing your Lightsaber. The buttons all do cool stuff like use the force, block and dodge, but the focus is really on putting the Wii remote in the players hand and saying 'This is your Lightsaber!'
In-game screenshot of Lightsaber DuelsIGN: A lot of games have tried for one-to-one swordplay, but none have nailed it. Are you going for it?
Ken Fox: I wouldn't describe what we're doing as one-to-one in the way that you might picture, but we really tried to make it feel like you get to swing your Lightsaber 'manually'. In short, it feels like the most natural and convincing sword type experience I've had on the Wii. And on top of that, it not just a sword, it's a lightsaber.
IGN: Are you using pointer-based and gestural gameplay controls?
Ken Fox: We are not doing much with the pointer beyond menu choices as we felt like it might take away from the feeling of the Wii remote being like a Lightsaber. As far as gestural controls, there's a few 'mini game' moments that use some light gestures, but still within the context of wanting it to really feel like you're swinging your Lightsaber not using a game controller.
IGN: How can you use the environments to your advantage?
Ken Fox: Well, although we wanted to keep the focus really squarely on Lightsaber dueling, we thought you just wouldn't feel like a Jedi unless you could use the force to pick things up and throw them at each other. So we made sure that you could, you know, pick things up and throw them at each other using the force, but to make it more Lightsaber centered, we made sure a lot of the things you can throw need to be sliced off first with your Saber.
IGN: You can play as different characters from The Clone Wars series, both good and bad. How does that work?
Ken Fox: In the story mode, where we are recreating the greatest Lightsaber battles from the movie and the series, you play through as the Jedi. But in the other modes of the game, challenge, multiplayer etc. you just pick your favorite character and go to town!
IGN: What are you most proud of visually speaking in regard to the game?
Ken Fox: We are very happy with the look of the game. We use a lot of the visual tricks that the Wii is best at, but more than any specific technical achievement, I am proud of the fact through all of the technical achievements and the very close contact we have had with the animation team making the movie and the series; we have been able to achieve a look that really matches the source material and creates the very real feeling that you are playing the show.
IGN: Is there a multiplayer mode of any kind?
Ken Fox: Yes! We really see multiplayer and the social aspect of this game as a huge part of its potential. We see a scenario much like with sports games where fans will watch a real game on TV and then boot up a video game and replay the match they just watched. We see fans watching the show every week and extending the experience by booting up the Wii game and re-enacting the great lightsaber duel they just saw, then picking their favorite characters and dueling some more.
IGN: Wii owners are a finicky bunch. Why should they be excited about Star Wars: The Clone Wars?
Ken Fox: The promise of a Wii Lightsaber game has hung in the air since the Wii hit the shelves. We think this is the game that delivers on that promise. It also delivers on what we think Wii owners will want from a game based on the new Clone Wars Movie, DVD, and TV series. The Clone Wars is an exciting way to relive the duels from the series using your Wii remote as a lightsaber, as well as keep the gameplay open and accessible to everyone.
