INTERVIEW: Smash and Survive Creators Version2 Limited
Manicgamer were lucky enough to hold an interview with Rajat Ojha the President of Version 2 Games Limited about the up and coming Smash n Survive PS3 game. Read on below to hear what he has to say….
Manic-Stu: V2 appear to be new to the gaming scene? Can you give our readers a little insight into your company, your vision and expectation for Version 2 Games?
Rajat Ojha: We started V2G in September 2010 with a clear vision to be a global game development studio with a prominent presence on digital downloadable game mediums. We are based in Hyderabad, India and we are wholly owned subsidiary of Zen Technologies Limited which is leader in simulation development. We are working on two other titles right now.
Manic-Stu: Within the DLC arena / PSN/XBLA/Steam games are plentiful so how do you think Smash n Survive will make an impact with so many other titles to compete against?
Rajat Ojha: We are talking to Sony for placing our banners on store and trying to release various DLCs throughout the year to remain visible on store. We are utilizing social media and online game websites to stay alive in gamers’ memory. We also have wall papers, videos and themes for extra brand awareness. Above all, Sony is supporting us really well and I’m sure that our USPs will stand out and will help sell this game. We really trust word of mouth marketing and hoping that whoever plays the game, will love it and will talk about it.
Manic-Stu: Would you explain concisely to our readers the objectives of the game and what you feel makes it unique over other racing/destruction titles?
Rajat Ojha: In a world where gambling is everywhere some people are looking for more excitement: They are gambling on the life and death of drivers engaged in underground fights. Drivers are modern gladiators driving high power cars equipped with nasty weapons … and they don’t fake it. They are organized in teams where loyalty is as important as driving skills. The various groups fight each other in order to weaken their competition. Joining one of them requires skill, dedication and above all, loyalty to the group.
The game offers so many firsts which nobody has seen or played before. Car games are not known for objectives like planting a bomb, controlling the territories, escorting your dying friend to a safer place and nobody has seen how melee or close range weapons can be used on cars. Smash ‘N’ Survive features various game modes like checkpoint run, chases, convoy protection, planting/diffusing a bomb, controlling the territories, escorting and another untouched mode which is team destruction derby which is more like team deathmatch. Another great thing about the game is that it’s not racer and you have to plan a lot of strategies throughout the game.
Manic-Stu: Smash n Survive features a host of game modes in both split screen, two player and six player online. Firstly how appealing will the game be to single players, will you get the same rewards and exciting playing offline on your own? Secondly how focused, specialized is the multiplayer online mode for real encapsulating gameplay and competition?
Rajat Ojha: The game is very rewarding in single player mode also. The game not just features campaign mode which has 19 missions, game also features various game modes where you can choose your favourite gameplay type and play against AI cars. In fact, single player unlocks cars, game modes and trophies so single player is going to be very rewarding for sure. All of these modes can be played in versus mode also. We are giving multiplayer as free DLC in April 2012 because there are still some balancing issue and we want to provide solid experience to our gamers.
Manic-Stu: Are the environments and vehicles based around real time physics and real life destruction or does the game have more of an arcade feel - Realism v gameplay?
Rajat Ojha: The game was originally intended to be more realistic but it was not fun so later in development, we took a U turn and changed pretty much everything for an arcade feel.
Manic-Stu: Can you highlight one vehicle and one awesome ‘in game’ weapon that is a ‘ must have’?
Rajat Ojha: My favourite car is Interceptor and I love sonic boom which actually doesn’t give any damage to the opponent but topples them down and then you can plan your hit
Manic-Stu: If you had to pick one element of the game that really shows off the gamplay and unique features what would it be?
Rajat Ojha: One of my favourite pick will be planning a bomb in backyard because that’s where you can see how smart our AI is and I would also like to highlight is Killer Blow which is basically a Quick Time Event where you have to press R1 right after weakening your opponent.
Manic-Stu: Please tell us some information about some of the locations you compete within.
Rajat Ojha: You can compete in maps like black market, ship, various backyards, hilly terrain (Where you deal with tornados too), junkyard, arena full of catapult and other weapons, under construction stadium and factory. Each terrain offers a specific type of gameplay and there are lot of objects which can be utilized for planned attacks.
Manic-Stu: Finally is there any reason why the game is appearing on PSN exclusively and are there plans for other formats for the game to be released on?
Rajat Ojha: For some odd reasons, Microsoft doesn’t give XBOX 360 development kit to Indian game development companies so we have to stick with PSN for console. Sony supports us immensely and this title could have been possible because of the immense support they provided. We might think of PC release sometime later but currently there’s nothing much to talk about on that front.
We will keep you informed of updates to the game It is now planned for release on PSN 22nd February 2012, We will bring you more as we get it!
Featuring 30 brutal concept cars, including muscle, agile, monster, buggy and SUV vehicles, racers compete across 10 fully destructible maps, in eight action packed gameplay competitions, including vehicle mêlée combat, demolition derby, group derby, plant the bomb, protect the convoy, chase, finding and escorting your team mate and checkpoint challenge. Smash ‘N’ Survive features campaign mode, two player split screen and six player online multiplayer will be available in April 2012 as free DLC. To fuel the mayhem and carnage each car can be customized with innovative melee weapons including a flame thrower, sonic boom, blades, magneto pulsar and duel saw.
“Smash ‘N’ Survive has been developed exclusively for the PlayStation Network, and is an action packed intuitive pick-up-and-play brutal vehicle brawler, that with endless hours of single and multiplayer madness offers fantastic value”, said Rajat Ojha, President of Version 2 Games, “We are proud to be the team behind India’s debut PlayStation 3 release and look forward to establishing a dedicated community and expanding the Smash ‘N’ Survive universe post-launch with future downloadable content.”
Throughout competitions players compete across a range of destructible maps including a black market, stadium, factory, ship, backyard and various arenas and can also take control of environmental factors such as tornadoes to destroy opponents’ cars. Players can also upgrade their cars in both the garage and shop.
Rajat Ojha, ” Smash ‘N’ Survive offers nuances/ideas that are not usually seen in games of this genre especially in the premise you don’t need to chase and surpass the vehicles but you have to smash and ‘kill’ cars, whilst the group Demolition Derby and planting a bomb are also being tried for the first time. Each of the many locations offers a new challenge and objective – the territory control is where players will play dominance play by capturing the territories or assisting their friends to capture the territory, you can also try to reclaim your territory. Plant the bomb is about getting to a certain destination or conversely finding and defusing a bomb that you must find.”
Featuring PlayStation®Network Trophies, Smash ‘N’ Survive will be available through PlayStation® Network on February 22nd and is rated PEGI 7+. For more information, please log onto www.snsthegame.com or www.version2games.com
we will bring you a few more articles closer to the release, but for now here are some excellent in game pictures:
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