Reservoir Dogs Gives Fans a “New Perspective”

by Louis Bedigian

“You don't have to shoot to feel empowered by having a gun.”

Don’t you just hate it when everything goes awry? You’re living the high-life, committing crimes like it’s nobody’s business. Cars, cash, cuisine – it’s a drop in the bucket. Then one night guns are drawn, blood is spilled, and somebody’s got a giant mess to clean up. Police are miffed, hands are cuffed, and local morgues and prisons get a little tighter.

No one knows that better than Mr. Blonde. He’s had first-hand experience with a good day gone awry. Unfortunately for him (but very fortunate for players), he’s about to experience the craziness all over again in the first video game based on the Reservoir Dogs story.

It’s not a sequel, but it’s not a remake either. You’ll know the faces, the scenarios, and expect a bloody outcome. But you won’t see the twists and turns coming. You won’t be able to predict every move this game is going to make, nor will you be able to ease your anticipation when you see the exciting car chases for the first time.

Where will the game take us? How much further will it develop the classic story? Eidos wasn’t about to reveal any secrets. We were, however, able to get some new details out of the game’s marketing manager, Kevin Gill.

Reservoir Dogs is not a remake, nor is it an entirely new saga. How would you classify the story then?

Kevin Gill: The story in the game is set on the day of the heist but the player gets to play the events that are only hinted at in the movie. So I would classify it as a 'new perspective' where you get to play out the aftermath of the heist.

There have been a lot of dark and gritty games lately – some based on movies, some not. Going into this project, what was job number-one? How were the developers going to make this a standout title?

KG: We wanted it to be that little bit different in terms of gameplay and stay as close as we could to the spirit of the movie. Therefore we picked out bits from the movie that we felt we could use and expand on. The movie is mainly set in one location - the warehouse and the plot was centered around who the rat was which doesn't work for a game. Therefore, we decided to take the idea from the movie where White and Pink talk about how criminals should act like a professional and not a psychopath like Blonde. So combining the desperate escape through the streets of Los Angeles with the ability to choose whether to act like a professional or a psychopath would be a fresh angle for gameplay and stay within the movie's time frame and style.

Has Michael Madsen been on board from the beginning? Or was it the game you were working on that lured him in?

KG: Michael Madsen was approached before the game started development and he readily wanted to come on board. It's a movie that he is proud of and he wanted to be part of the videogame. 

How involved was the voice recording process? Did the script allow for one block of recording sessions?

KG: The voice recording was a major part of the project – besides Michael Madsen we had over 40 speaking parts which all had to be auditioned and chosen from a huge range of LA voice talent. In the end we had three recording sessions in the US to get it all done.

Tell us all about the gameplay. Is this full-on third-person action?

KG: The gameplay has third-person shooter missions and separate driving missions. The missions are in a non-chronological order and the player will get to play all the dogs. Primarily it's about escaping from the heist. So the player can choose to shoot everyone who gets in their way like cops and civilians which is considered to be acting like a psychopath or alternatively they can use hostages to avoid killing people which is considered acting like a professional. If you do kill people then it is likely cops will call for back up and more cops will arrive on the scene as well as SWAT. The game gets harder but it doesn't become impossible. Therefore there is an advantage to acting like a professional but of course things can still go wrong if you are not careful and you can up end up being shot or turning the place into a bloodbath. Oops.

The driving / car chase levels look more like action sequences from a movie. What can we expect from them?

KG: There are six driving missions and each has its own objectives. Driving is only glimpsed at in the film but we know that all the dogs had to get back to the warehouse by car. To inject more action along the way we decided to view the missions as if they were inspired by classic 70s driving films such as The French Connection and Gone in 60 seconds. Include the 70s soundtrack from the movie and add in some amusing dialogue and it acts as a nice balance to the third-person shooter sections. 

Are there any significant weapons that we'll get to use?

KG: The player can pick up weapons from fallen cops and SWAT as well as finding weapons hidden along the way. These include shotguns, sniper rifles, tranquilizer rifles, automatics, machine pistols, smoke and tear-gas grenades, flash bangs and Molotov cocktails.    

One of the game's most intriguing elements is hostage manipulation. Tell us how this works, and what options players will have in dealing with their victims.

KG: This is the key feature of the game. Often neutral characters don't play much of a role in shooters but we figured that if you are a criminal on the run in broad daylight, then you are going to have to deal with the public in one way or another. So taking hostages is a way to stop people running to alarms or alerting the cops. If there are already cops on the scene then you can rough up your hostage which will make cops drop their weapons. You can also directly control weaponless cops and civilians and command them to open up locked doors etc or get them on their knees so they are unlikely to run away or go for their guns. So you don't have to shoot to feel empowered by having a gun.

Will there be multiple paths in the story? Is there anything that the player can do in the game that will change the Reservoir Dogs plot as we know it?

KG: In each mission there are sections where the path splits but essentially the multiple path depends on whether you choose to play as a professional or as a psychopath. The key thing that the player can alter in the plot is the fate of Mr. Pink at the end of the game, but that's all I'm allowed to say for now.

Thank you for your time.