There are certain people within the industry who define its shape and direction with each and every breath. Some of these names you know by heart, so much so that the whisper of said name conjures up images and the aroma of nostalgia from experiences long past. Some names, however, you may not know. These are the industry veterans who are every bit as important to the video game industry, yet have managed to keep on the periphery of the limelight. One such individual is D.W. Bradley, a game designer who has been making RPGs for over 20 years, including 3 games in the legendary Wizardry series. He is the lead writer/designer/programmer/visionary on Dungeon Lords, and that’s why his name is on the box. We recently had a chance to speak with Mr. Bradley and the team at Heuristic Park regarding this upcoming Action RPG for the PC.

First off, Thank you for taking the time to speak with us regarding Dungeon Lords. I’m curious as to what kinds of demographics are you going for? On the Dungeon Lords site you say you’re aiming for A

SBG: First off, what was the inspiration for the game’s setting and style? Post-apocalyptic wastelands aren’t exactly new territory, but Phantom Dust’s literally crumbling cityscapes have a compelling disarray about them…

YF: First of all, the core theme is fighting action using supernatural powers. The game combines card game and action game elements, and to realize the concept, I adopted the supernatural powers theme to permit a great range of action in the game in a setting where that would not seem out of place.

Next, I had to justify why people would have this super powers, and I decided that the power was the result of personal will, and that it would affect the world as well. Nostalgia and joy, or regret, memories one wishes to forget — how would these aspects of people’s memory affect the world? Based on this image, the entire map was drawn.

SBG: How many different mission locations will there be, and is the player A

Anyone with an MBA will tell you that there’s only enough room at the top for one. Competition is meant to separate the winners from the losers, and if you want to be a winner, you need to grab as much of the market as you can, at the exclusion of any other competitors.

Well what do they know?

Since separating from Universal Interactive Studios to form their own companies, Naughty Dog, Inc. and Insomniac Games have had a relationship that goes beyond friendly competition and straight into friendship. Though the two companies have been competing directly against each other since the days of the PS1, first with Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon, all the way to the PS2 with Jak & Daxter and Ratchet & Clank, Naughty Dog and Insomniac have remained the best of friends. Sharing technology, knowledge, and an occasional beer, these two companies at the top of their games prove that it’s not so lonely at the top when you bring a friend.

First, a little pre-history. How many Naughty Dogs/Insomniacs were originally at Universal Interactive Studios, and what motivated the exodus that created your respective companies?

(Ted Price, CEO, Insomniac Games) Al Hastings and I developed the demo for Insomniac’s first game Disruptor in the spring of 1994. We had been shopping the game around to various publishers for a while. We ended up signing a multi-title deal with Universal on the strength of that demo (which is kind of laughable – or lucky – looking back on it). We were on the Universal lot until Spyro 2. The reason we moved out was that a more A

Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus snuck onto the gaming scene in late 2002 and quickly stole the imaginations and TV spaces from gamers worldwide. Blending an impeccable art style with a truly original sense of grace and panache, Sly Cooper quickly became one of the most popular video game thieves since Looking Glass Studios’ Light-Fingered Garrett. Now, with the release of Sly 2: Band of Thieves, gamers will once again get to slip on the cap and mask of the world’s foremost Master Thief and play the best Saturday morning cartoon ever to appear on the PS2.

Will players get to control any other characters besides our Thieving Trio at any point in the game?

In addition to playing all three of the stars, there are a ton of mini-games and vehicle opportunities for players in this game. You get to drive a tank, fly a helicopter, drive RC cars, and play in Bentley’s digital hacking cyberspace, for example. None of these are “characters”, of course, but they add still more variety to the overall play experience.

The Designer’s Commentaries players unlocked for beating a Thievius Raccoonus stage under a certain amount of time were among the cooler unlockables of any game to date. Any chance they’ll be making a comeback in Band of Thieves?

Unfortunately they won’t be appearing in Sly 2: Band of Thieves. Who knows though, they make a return in a future game.

Will Sly and/or Bentley and Murray be able to unlock new moves and gadgets like in Thievius Racconus?

Most Definitely! Sly 2: Band of Thieves has a rich economic model fueled by loot the gang can pickpocket from guards and the surrounding environment. Using those items, you can purchase powerups for all three characters!

Will Sly, Bentley, and Murray each get an equal shake in Band of Thieves, or does the breakdown favor one of the characters more?

Each of them gets a strong part, but Sly is still the star, of course.

Inspector Carmelita Fox served as Sly’s constant ball-and-chain in the first Sly Cooper. What part will she have in dogging Sly and his crew in Band of Thieves?

The tireless and beautiful Carmelita Fox will of course return in Sly 2: Band of Thieves! She makes a number of appearances in this title, and even manages to catch a gang member or two in a few situations. In addition, she plays a key role in the plot of Sly 2: Band of Thieves.

If a particular job requires two or more thieves acting at the same time, will the computer AI control Sly’s teammates, or will the player switch back and forth?

It depends on the situation. Sometimes there is switching between and sometimes you’ll control one player and the other is controlled by AI. We try to present lots of visually interesting and creative setups, so we end up varying the controls to best fit the presentation.

Are players still going to be able to go back and re-play their favorite missions, or have you abandoned that in favor of the wide-open “hub” areas?

There will be less of this than in Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus. We’ve decided to focus on the huge amounts of additional content we wanted to get into this game, as well as the more organic economy elements in Sly 2: Band of Thieves.

Are Bentley and Murray going to be all you’ll ever need in the way of teammates to finish a job, or will Sly sometimes have the opportunity to hire or recruit “local talent” for certain tasks?

With buddies like these, who needs anything more?

With the new emphasis on combat, are we going to see more knock-down drag-out boss fights, or are you sticking to the more cerebral “hit A