Mortal Kombat: Armageddon Wii Version Interview
Thus far, the Wii remote has been used with various degrees of success across a wide array of game genres. One genre that has been only infrequently tested is that of the traditional fighting game. Pointing and shooting have been pretty well with the remote and nunchuk configuration, but other than Spike's Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi, delivered by Atari, the well has been rather dry for fans of the genre.
Mortal Kombat is a series that has long-depended on the ability to execute special moves and lengthy combos with precision. When I heard about Mortal Kombat: Armageddon's development for the Wii by JGI Entertainment and Midway, I had to ask myself, Would the ability to pull off combos suffer when using the remote and nunchuk? Shaun Himmerick, the game's producer, answered some of my questions about how the popular fighting series would fare on a non-traditional controller.
Shack: What control options will Mortal Kombat: Armageddon support on the Wii?
Shaun Himmerick: It depends on what controller the player has chosen to play with. We have completely redesigned the controls of Mortal Kombat for the Wii remote and nunchuk system. However, if the player prefers [a more traditional set up] they can use the Nintendo Classic Controller or the GameCube Controller for every mode of the game. We wanted the player to have any option they could think of. On the Classic Controller and GameCube controller the controls are what you have always experienced with Mortal Kombat.
While fighting your friend in Kombat, you can use the Wii remote and nunchuk and your friend can be using a Classic Controller or the GameCube controller. Either one of you can instantly swap out the controller you are using and change to a different one right in the middle of the game.
In Motor Kombat we also support a Wii remote only driving system that is super easy to pick up. You can race 4 players with everyone using a different system of control. For instance, players can try Wii remote only, Wii remote and nunchuk, GameCube and the Classic Controller. Racing in Motor Kombat with the Wii remote only is something that has really blown us away by how fun it is.
For the Wii remote and nunchuk [everything has been] completely redesigned.
Shack: How does one execute one of Mortal Kombat's trademark special moves, such as Scorpion's Spear, using the Wii-specific controls?
Shaun Himmerick: Every special move in the game can be done with a gesture using the Wii remote. We wanted the motions to help the player feel more connected to the game. For example you mention Scorpion's Spear; to do that you simply hold the B trigger, move the Wii remote away from your opponent and then towards your opponent, release the B button, and the spear will fly towards your opponent.
Shack: Fighting games rely on all their buttons being conveniently placed. What will Armageddon's control scheme look like on the Wii?
Shaun Himmerick: We basically tried to put all of the attacks on the Wii remote and all of the movement and defensive moves on the nunchuk. So character movement, changing fighting styles, and blocking are done on the nunchuk. The Wii remote does all of the super moves with our simple gesture system. The throw button is the A button and the attack buttons are done with the d-pad. We experimented with a lot of different configurations, and we're sure you'll be amazed by how intuitive this system becomes.
Shack: Any good fighting game player knows that mastering special moves is just a part of the equation. How simple will it be to execute combos with all of the attack buttons squished together on the d-pad?
Shaun Himmerick: Players who could never do super moves will be able to easily perform them with our simple and intuitive gesture system. This system should also help players who previously had difficulty with performing combos. Like before, the combos are done with the attack buttons. But since super moves can now be done with simple gestures and motions the player can immediately start attacking as they are doing the gesture, or they can start doing a super move gesture while doing attacks.
Shack: How are fatalities executed if the player decides to use the Wii controls?
Shaun Himmerick: The Fatalities in the game are all executed with our gesture system. We add in a lot more gestures above the 8 for super moves so that the gestures are closely related to what your character is doing on the screen. For example, if you are going to rip your opponent's head off, you would need to reach forward and pull their head up. So the motion in the game is a simple gesture of "poking" the Wii remote towards the screen and then lifting the Wii remote up in one motion, a "poke then up" motion.
Shack: What new content will be available to entice gamers to purchase Armageddon for the Wii if they already own Armageddon for PS2 or Xbox?
Shaun Himmerick: There is a completely new mode called "Endurance." The player will be given one life bar and then fight one opponent after another in single round battles. There are some health bonuses along the way, but it is definitely a single player challenge. Additionally, we will have an extra character exclusive to the Wii.
The redesign of the controls for MKA Wii is one of the features we are most excited about.
Shack: Any online plans for the Wii version?
Shaun Himmerick: Obviously we had online on previous platforms so it wasn't going to be a technology issue for us, but Nintendo just didn't have their online system ready for us when we would have needed it. That is a big reason why we focused on giving the single player experience even more attention as well as perfecting the new controls system, the addition of Endurance mode and an additional character.
Shack: Will the Wii version of Mortal Kombat: Armageddon see the inclusion of any of the content found in the PS2's special edition?
Shaun Himmerick: There will not be a special edition for the Wii, but we consider the Wii version of Mortal Kombat: Armageddon to be very special in its own right.
Shack: Thanks for your time.