Joel goes over the huge upgrading options available via West Coast Customs in L.A. Rush with Midway's Nico Bihary, as well as mad jumps over the Hollywood sign and more.
Hi can we please start by you telling us who you are and your involvement with the development of L.A. Rush?
Nico Bihary, Associate Producer, LA RUSH
I know I remember most of the Rush games back on the arcades and earlier consoles, what sort of things can we expect to change from those games to now L.A. Rush on this generation of consoles?
We're taking L.A. Rush to the next logical step... At its heart, it's going to have a lot of the characteristics that everybody who's loved Rush will love about the game, but we're also bringing it to the year 2005. It has to have the appeal to reach the masses, with the licensed cars, West Coast Customs, Rides Magazine, a lot of celebrity talent in the game, and a pretty interesting approach to the story mode. With all of that said, though, at its heart and soul, L.A. Rush is going to be filled with all of the crazy shortcuts and tremendous game speed that the Rush franchise is known for.
What modes are we going to have to choose from in the game?
The heart of the game is single player Story Mode which takes you through the story of a wealthy street racer who has had his warehouse of over 30 cars stolen by a rival prior to a series of big money races coming into the city. The story is your quest to steal back your cars and win this series of races. The Story Mode is where you unlock multiplayer tracks, and in classic Midway fashion find a host of hidden goodies like bad ass concept cars, stunt coins, low rider missions... .there's a ton of stuff. To find everything it will mean exploring the world off the beaten path
We are taking advantage of our differentiated tech to provide Stunt Mode, Missions in the storyline that play a lot like chase and destruction missions in games like Driver. We have the entire story mode play out in a sandbox environment that lets the player decide what he wants to do next Race, take a Mission, Stunt Challenge or just explore. We've hidden a ton of secrets all over the city to encourage players to just drive through all the nooks and crannies of the map to find cash, unlock-able cars and other goodies.
Jumps have always seemed to be a big part of the Rush series; can you tell us of some of your favorites so far in the game?
Wow, that's a tough one. I'd definitely say there are quite a few spectacular jumps, but the Hollywood sign is by far one of the most fun and really is an exclamation point for the type of game this is.
One the coolest aspects of our jumps is not only the sheer number of them, but how they are integrated into the exploration of environment as well as how they come into play during a heated race. When you're barreling towards the final stretch, veer off the beaten path hit a huge jump, grab that hidden nitrous coin in the air and overtake first place right at the checkered flag, man, that's a Rush.
We have heard there is going to be some upgrades for your ride in the game, can you tell us how that is going to work?
We signed a deal with the renowned crew over at West Coast Customs, widely known for their hit MTV TV show, Pimp My Ride. Including WCC into LA RUSH was a perfect fit. Ryan and his crew really know how to take any car you bring them and pimp it out in ways you never thought were possible. We wanted that type of freedom when it came to customizing our licensed cars in the game.
Players can take any of the 36 licensed cars in LA RUSH to West Coast Customs to have them upgraded and outfitted with everything from Carbon Fiber body kits, to rims, to new paint. Flat screen TV anyone? Heh.
Nice.. Anyway, the Rush series has always been great for multiplayer as well, what sort of multiplayer options will you have in the game?
XBox users will be treated to awesome downloadable content and Online Aware features over the upcoming months.
If you could pick one of the cars in the game to be your own, which would it be and why?
I would definitely take the Saleen, I mean it's pretty much a work of art from all standpoints. I would detail it everyday, get regular tune ups and oil changes, eat my vegetables and never say a mean thing about anyone ever, ever ever.
If you Saleen guys are reading this... .
I'm sure others would agree with that. Moving on, what sort of audio can we expect to hear from L.A. Rush?
LA RUSH has a decibel-pumping soundtrack that includes 75 songs from over 25 artists including Lil Kim and DJ Rap, two unreleased tracks by Twista, four original songs by Damian Valentine and more.
If you had to pick one of the games from the Rush series to be your favorite which would it be and why?
I think the unique thing about the Rush franchise is that the whole catalog of Rush titles really delivered on fun, challenging gameplay. I loved the collection of coins from 2049, the track design of Rush the Rock, as well as the stunt tracks from Rush 2.
I am happy to report that my favorite aspects of all of these titles have been represented in LA Rush.
And finally when can we expect to see L.A. Rush hit store shelves and for what consoles?
LA RUSH is scheduled to ship on October 10th for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox.
