Tag Archives: Rare

The Twelve Tales of Chris Seavor Part II: Rare

Full article here – The Full Twelve Tales of Chris Seavor

Disclaimer: This interview contains some strong language. Anyone who is offended by such content is advised against reading this interview.

 

How did the opportunity to work for Rare first come about?

Shared petrol money and a day out from Uni. I just turned up and they offered me a job. That’s it really. What was your first day at Rare like and what were you tasked with working on initially? It was fine… I was pretty nervous but that went very quickly…. I shared a room with Kev Bayliss, and we got on fine. Still do (which is amazing for me 😉 ) My first job was to sketch out and start building the environment for Sabrewulf in Killer Instinct.

 

In terms of working on the Killer Instinct series, what are you most proud of?

Killer Gold I reckon… Just because it was my first experience with actual polygons in a game, rather than pre-rendered. A whole other kettle of fish. I had to convert my original Nurbs Models from KI2 to work in the new engine. First game out from Rare with actual live 3D models… Quite proud of that. And they look okay I reckon, particularly Spinal’s Slave Galley…. (Early nods to Sea of Thieves there ;)) joke.

 

Did you ever come up with any ideas for any additional characters for Killer Instinct or Diddy Kong Racing?

I did a couple of characters for Killer Instinct 2 (arcade) which were not used. Fully modeled one of them, a Vampire Prince with long white hair. Even did a set of animations. I wish I still had the frames but nope… All gone.

 

How rewarding was it seeing your work come to fruition with the release of a game at Rare?

Best thing ever… Really, everyone should try it.

 

Rare 1

Are there any interesting stories about how the voice of Spinal first came about?

Same as Grunty really.. Scream and Cackle. I’m a one-note pony when it comes to baddies.

 

The concept for Gruntilda’s voice, I’d imagine, would’ve been one of the most straightforward ones to have had to come up with, but was that the case? Was there another different approach taken where she was concerned?

I just screamed and cackled… That’s what witches do right? 😉

 

How exhilarating was it knowing you had just voiced a major Nintendo villain at the time?

It was 10 minutes of work, and the tight arses didn’t even give me a free copy of the game… To this day I have never owned a copy of Banjo. Not sure but think it’s probably the same sample they use in the new Smash?? Maybe?

 

Rare 2

Who was your favorite character to have voiced before Conker?

The ones that didn’t have me coughing my guts up and no voice for 2 days. Conker. it has to be him really… Death, Conkula, Frankie, any with interesting dialogue and motivations.

 

Which additional character in Diddy Kong Racing (with the exception of Conker) do you feel would’ve been worthy of a spin-off series?

I don’t care enough about Diddy Kong Racing to be honest. Wasn’t there a Tiger? The Tiger then.

 

What were the Stamper brothers like to work for?

They were great, very hands-on when needed, very hands-off when we were getting on with it. I mean, things could from time to time get fractious but it was usually just clashing egos (mine mainly) Tim’s passion for games when I first joined Rare was in his very being. All he cared about was the game/games. Chris, I saw less of because he tended to be the business side of things, and was a software guy anyway. They had a certain dynamic as brothers, sort of like a video game boss ironically. The whole was greater than the sum of its parts… (hmm, sounds like shade, but I don’t mean it in that way)

 

Chris Seavor 8

Were there any Rare games that you would’ve liked to work on, but never got the opportunity to?

From a purely mercenary cash standpoint? Oh DK 64 and DK Racer. They made fucking TONS of cash for the teams. But creatively? Nah, I’m happy the way things were. But what about Goldeneye, You say!? Cashwise? Nah… old deal. Creatively?? I think I would have done things to stop it from being the game it is now. Not good things… I was still in a DOOM 2 mindset at the time.

 

Were you scheduled to work in some capacity on Rare’s canceled game Project Dream before it later became Banjo-Kazooie?

Nope. Definitely nope…

 

If you could’ve voiced any other Nintendo character (or Rare character) at the time, who would it have been and what approach would you have taken to do it?

Never really thought of it. The only character I would love to have voiced which Rare (almost) got to do was Harry Potter. It would have meant I’d have been the first person to perform that character in media. A good one for the CV. Plus I think I’d have made a decent enough game out of the books (only 3 were out at the time) as I was already a big fan, had I been asked… Nevermind.

 

Chris Seavor Grant Kirkhope

Who were the funniest people in the Rare office to work with?

That’s a tough one. Everyone pretty much made me laugh, sometimes unintentionally… Grant Kirkhope has ‘funny bones’ just because of his outlook on life and his rock ‘n’ roll stories. Robin’s funny as well, particularly when he’s drunk……. Martin Hollis has a very dry sense of humor and Noz always made me laugh at his various woes over the years…Doaky though, he’s just sick that man.

 

What was your reaction when you first heard about Microsoft buying out Rare?

Yay!! EA and Activision were the 2 other main contenders. Whatever criticisms people have for MS, I have no doubts whatsoever Rare as a studio would not exist now if they’d succeeded. Nintendo though? They made a great off by all accounts, and already owned nearly half the company… I don’t even want to think about that.

 

What made you come to the decision to leave Rare back in 2011?

I didn’t. I was happy to stay but things were, shall we say, engineered to make sure I didn’t….. Long story, not a pleasant experience, and some of the people involved, one in particular can go fuck themselves. They know who they are; not that things didn’t turn out well in the end… I got a nice fat cheque to send me on my way and here we are.

 

What is your opinion on the current state of Rare?

At the time I left it was not very good, what with a combination of Don Mattrick and his cronies not to mention that Kinect abomination. I was 90% sure we would be shut down within a few years… Since then though, along came Sea of Thieves .. Amazing what can happen when you just let a team get on with things and stop fucking them about. I think they’re in a very strong position now, although they really do need to mine that IP goldmine a bit more … Baffles me that they don’t.

 

Part III: Conker’s Bad Fur Day

The Twelve Tales of Chris Seavor Part III: Conker’s Bad Fur Day

Full article here

Disclaimer: This interview contains some strong language. Anyone who is offended by such content is advised against reading this interview.

 

What was the developmental process like early on with Conker’s Bad Fur Day during when the game was supposed to be either Twelve Tales or Conker 64?

I was only doing art at that point, and the direction the game was taking design-wise was not something I could influence. We were essentially trying to make a Mario 64 type platformer. It was…. Fractious.

 

How did you initially feel after being moved up to the project’s leader by the Stampers?

They knew it was what I wanted so they gave me a chance. Seemed to work out, although I think I was expected to fail.

 

What was it like working with Robin Beanland?

Yeah, okay. We don’t really get along 😉 Nah, he’s always been a talented bastard, unlike me who’s been winging it for years…. I think we get on workwise because we understand what we both want versus the limitations of the medium. It’s important to temper your expectations and ambitions with what’s actually possible. Plus we both like lager and vindaloos. Although age has finally caught up with me on both counts there.

 

Conker's Bad Fur Day 1

What was the feeling across the team following the game’s showcasing at E3 1998?

Was that the BFD first showing? I remember the TT one being a fucking disaster. The BFD one was as good as it got. Great stand by Nintendo, free beer, most of the team was there too so it was a decent crowd. And no interview pools, which I really hate… There’s nothing like a bunch of bored games journos asking tedious questions for 12 hours straight to break your soul.

 

What was the revised pitch to Nintendo like when the intention changed to make the more mature game it turned out to be?

I don’t know. I pitched it to Tim and Chris, not Nintendo. I didn’t work for Nintendo; I worked for Rare, but I’m sure some discussions were had. To be honest, if T+C were happy with what we were doing then Nintendo would have been too. Rare was the golden goose at that point don’t forget, and it gave us a good deal of leverage.

 

What was the feeling across the development team when the project was finally finished after the long development cycle the game had?

We went home for some sleep. Then I went to Edinburgh for the New Year and got completely smashed. I also bought a sword which I then had to carry around all night. There’s a great restaurant on the Royal Mile called The Witchery, it’s basically like something out of Harry Potter. The maitre’de rather than scowl at me and my sword she kindly took it and hung it in the coatroom citing an old rule of no swords in the dining area. (I think she might have been joshing me )

 

Conker's Bad Fur Day 2

How rewarding was it to see the game garnish as much critical acclaim as it did?

Validation. And relief. I wish we’d have launched in Japan too… I think they’d have liked a pissing, drunk, cute squirrel.

 

How did the voice for Conker come about?

It was the first voice I did. No process, just came out fully formed on day one…. One of those things I guess, The lisp was to add a curtness that belied the character but apart from that it was spontaneous.

 

Were there any other references to popular culture that were planned to be included in the game, but never made it, apart from the Pokemon reference?

There were a few levels that got cut, but that was for the sake of time rather than censorship. Pokemon is the only really notable one. There are a few easter eggs though… more than a few. Oh, wait there were two scenes cut from L&R for, reasons. And that’s all I’m gonna say about that.

 

Conker's Bad Fur Day 3

What was the feeling about experiencing the game’s ending for the first time, as it provides such a stark contrast to the comedy perpetuated throughout most of the rest of the game?

I had that ending in mind right from the very start. If we were going to subvert the genre then let’s go for it. I don’t think I agree with the premise of the game being a comedy in a light sense. The game is DARK all the way through, and the laughs tend to stem from the misery and bad luck of others and the unintentional actions of the protagonist. I make it clear right in the very first shot of his eyes on the throne that this won’t end well for Conker.

 

What would you change about the game if you had the opportunity?

I’ve thought about this a lot. Maybe pare things back a bit to get a lower rating (which actually wouldn’t be as much as you think) or maybe not… It is what it is. I do regret not doing the fake outtakes after the credits, I had that planned quite early on when we’d started experimenting with 4th wall-breaking stuff in the game. Just not enough time, sadly.

 

Conker's Bad Fur Day 4

How satisfying an experience has it been seeing Conker’s Bad Fur Day being updated for new audiences in the form of both Live and Reloaded and Rare Replay?

Yeah, it gave me a chance to make a PVP combat game which is a difficult thing to get right.. I also added a narrative thread through it as an experiment to a further idea (Getting’ Medievil). I think it worked quite well… They shut the servers ages ago though….. Rare Replay I had nothing to do with… It’s a thing I guess. Sold well, so says a lot about there being plenty of old-school Rare fans still out there spending money.

 

As it’s one of the most outlandish stories I’ve heard in all of gaming I have to ask; whose idea was it to come up with the Conker’s Bad Fur Day condoms campaign?

Not me. It’s a bit tacky, literally 😉

 

What new Gameplay elements were planned for inclusion in Conker’s Other Bad Fur Day?

More of the same really…. Who can say? That’s the kind of detail you get to when at the coal face and we didn’t get that far.

 

Conker's Bad Fur Day 5

Early concept art has since been released on the Internet of the Conker sequel, but what other new types of locations and characters were planned to be included?

About half the game was completely new areas and the other half was updated and evolved areas from the original. The structure was pretty much the same, hub world, then smaller story worlds…. Familiar, extended with a fine blend of old and new.

 

Have you further developed the idea of a sequel since leaving Rare?

Nah of course not. No point.

 

If Rare ever called you back to develop the sequel to Conker, would you do it?

Depends on what I’m asked to do. If it’s just to read someone else’s lines then nope. If they want me to write and direct it, then maybe, but it would be a lot of work and cost a lot of money for something so niche. Who can say.. MS has got deep pockets. Risk wise it makes a lot more sense to make BK3 and they haven’t done that either, so go figure.

 

Part IV: Gory Details

 

The Twelve Tales of Chris Seavor Part IV: Gory Details

Full article here

Disclaimer: This interview contains some strong language. Anyone who is offended by such content is advised against reading this interview.

 

How did the idea come about for you and Shawn Pile to establish Gory Detail?

Boredom, plus I knew if I didn’t do something with all the time I suddenly had then I’d go insane. Shawn was the same I think, but you’d have to ask him. We’d actually talked about it long before mainly as a creative outlet, never really thinking it would happen. Then circumstance changed and here we are.

 

What were the influences behind Parashoot Stan and Rusty Pup?

Stan is a cliché, which was the point of the character. The kid pretending to be the hero but actually IS the hero. Rusty Pup is forged from a similar fire influence wise but is a lot more subtle. It’s actually set in the same world as Stan if you look closely but is a lot more tragic. No one has decoded Rusty Pup yet, which I’m fine with but it isn’t some vague metaphor or opaque fable. It’s a series of events, in order, which really happens. The clues are all there.

 

What were the most exciting aspects of developing the games?

‘Exciting’ is not a word I’d use to describe game development. A bunch of execs off to some launch party or awards ceremony to get drunk might disagree but that’s not development.

 

What were the most challenging aspects of developing the games?

Getting past pre-production and into full production. Until your that factory, churning out assets and regular versions there’s always a nagging feeling at the back of your mind this might be canceled any second. Pre-production is nice creatively and full production is a grind, but the security of the product is a huge weight off your mind. (hey, that rhymed!!)

 

How satisfying had it been seeing both these games garnish what commercial and critical acclaim they have?

Commercially? Yeah right, we’re millionaires now Rodders. Critical, well I think they’re great little games (Rusty not so little) Labour of love, both of ’em. I wish more of the mainstream media had bothered to review Rusty. We sent out a ton of codes. They claim they support indies etc, but they don’t really… Not really. I actually had one outlet say they weren’t interested unless I gave them an interview about our next game which I’d pitched as a Conker Spiritual Successor. It was kind of a publicity stunt (though true in essence). Needless to say, we said no. If I was in the games biz to make lots of money I’d have crawled my way up the corporate ladder, squeezed the right prostates, and jumped ship every time I fucked up. I’d rather be poor. I’m fine though but no more Porsche’s. Not this week anyway.

 

Were there any ideas planned for inclusion in either game that were later scrapped or reworked?

Yeah, loads. Rusty had a whole crafting system and twice as many mechanics including mind control baddies, loads more platform types, and a whole extra world… it was just too much, and the crafting would have made testing all the possibilities pretty much impossible. Stan was going to have 2D side-scrolling mini-bosses where he landed on a large Zeppelin and would run through with guns blazing. We just didn’t have the time and I also felt it was a bit jarring with the rest of the mechanics.

 

Is there any DLC planned for Rusty Pup in the future?

I did some stuff, even made some assets. It was an extra chapter, a deeper area with shorter, very difficult one-shot puzzles. A haunted house theme. But it would have taken 6 months to make, largely down to me and was and also totally free. Time is precious, so I decided it was best spent on developing the new IP.

 

What can you tell us about Gory Detail’s third project?

It’s coming on okay. I spent the bulk of last year preparing assets and I’m pretty happy with the tone and look of the game. It’s a typical twin-stick dungeon bash game but with a twist… Fast-paced, silly characters voiced by me and lots and lots of bad language, blood, and guts. COVID didn’t help though. At some point you need to sit with people and point and talk… I’ve not seen Shawn for a year now. Still, we’re not slaves to publishers and huge wage bills so it’s not a problem. You really only want the stress of making the game, which is more than enough.

 

Would you still like to see Urchin be brought to life under Gory Detail?

Yes… But we can’t call it that. Anyway, games aren’t the only medium in which to explore interesting narratives. 😉

 

Have any of the former Rare alumni at Playtonic Games had any advice to share with you and Shawn or has there been any general conversation between you all?

Yeah, we’ve chatted a few times… Gavin has been really helpful and made some gracious offers of help with production but the studio environment isn’t something I find appealing… It’s just me. I’m an old fart. In the future though, who can say? They’ll certainly have first dibs on the next game we do if they want it.

 

What are your opinions of the indie development scene today?

Business-wise, it’s very healthy for a lucky few, but for most I suspect it’s a struggle in a saturated market. Getting eyes on your work is increasingly difficult, and for the very small indies such as Gory, it’s almost impossible. From a gamer’s point of view, it couldn’t be any better. There’s a lot of good stuff out there and with the big boys taking fewer and fewer risks with their products, ironically people are turning away from their games as they tend to be over-produced and under-developed.

 

What genre of game have you and Shawn never undertaken before that you would like to do one day?

I have folders full of stuff. I think the next game though will be our last probably, as its core game is just the beginning. It’s designed around mini self-contained storylines, like the chapters in Conker. So if it’s a success I’ll be happy to just keep making and selling new Chapters as DLC so long as people still keep buying them. That’s the plan anyway.

 

Which pre-existing video game character would you like to see make a cameo in either Parashoot Stan or Rusty Pup?

They’re not that type of game, particularly Rusty. The next one though… I have plans for lots of cameos, although not very complimentary ones. 😉

 

Do you and Shawn find that having creative freedom is one of the best things about developing games for yourselves?

It is. It’s the price you pay for having to fund everything yourself. We’re not averse to having a publisher, just not during development. Finish the game first, then see if anyone fancies tackling all that marketing, support stuff I fucking hate doing.

 

Have Rare since reached out to you following the establishment of Gory Detail or the release of the two games?

Only for Conker stuff. I’m happy to do it although I suspect it was a last resort. I was sent some recordings of a guy they’d hired to mimic Conker and it wasn’t very good. Point is, they tried to do it with someone else and must have realized the fans would not accept a fake Conker. Heh! I also offered to do other voices, for the Young Conker app, but they already had someone for them. Just Conker for me…

 

What have you been most proud of throughout your career?

Rusty Pup… So far. I filled that game with my very soul.

 

Is there any advice you would be able to offer any aspiring developers who may be reading this?

Don’t let anyone tell you you can’t do something.. …. It might be true, but the best way to find out isn’t by shrugging, but by trying to make it work and then finding out they were wrong.

 

I’d like to take the opportunity to thank Chris for agreeing to answer my questions, and for sharing so much about his storied career and what we can expect to see from him and Gory Details Ltd in the future. If you’re interested in what Gory Details has to offer, you can view their steam page via the link below:

https://store.steampowered.com/search/?developer=Gory%20Detail%20Limited

You can also keep up with Chris’s posts on Twitter via his Twitter handle:

@conkerhimself

A full review of The Unlikely Legend of Rusty Pup will be coming to the site very soon but in the meantime, I’d also like to wish Chris, Shawn Pile, and Gory Details the best of luck with their current games as well as their new upcoming project… MARVELLOUS!!

Game on,

Scouse Gamer 88