Recently we got the chance to talk with the folks at Sega about Space Siege. I want to thank Denny for making the interview happen.
GVK: What is the background and setting for the game?
Space Siege is an action/role-playing game from Gas Powered Games. Set in the future, it starts with an alien invasion of Earth. The aliens successfully destroy the planet, but a few colony ships manage to escape. The player’s character, Seth Walker, is onboard the Armstrong, and it serves as the setting for the game. Unfortunately, the aliens—called the Kerak—are able to attach a pod to the ship, so the first task is to get rid of the invading aliens.
GVK: What are some of the units featured and their abilities and can you talk about the ability to customize your character and the repercussions that this can have in game?
There are a number of enemies in Space Siege, from different types of the Kerak to some surprise enemies.
While you can’t change your character’s general appearance, you can upgrade your visual look by acquiring different armor and weapon upgrades. The game’s biggest customization option is choosing whether or not to install various cybernetic upgrades. This choice forces you to decide how much you’re willing to sacrifice your own humanity in order to save humanity. The choices you make affect your character’s stats and give you different “pure” or “cyber” abilities.
GVK: What can you tell us about the A.I. players in the game and how they will interact with the player character?
In the earliest parts of the game, you rescue a number of characters who play important roles as the story develops. You have conversations with these characters throughout the game, as they’re back at a “home base” area trying to research the Kerak and determine what’s going on in other parts of the Armstrong.
GVK: How is resource management handled and will players be able to trade and salvage?
Players can find cybernetic pieces and weapons in the environment, and creatures drop “parts,” which can be used to upgrade your character at workbenches.
GVK: What can you tell the readers about how the Robot Sidekicks will be used in game?
Seth’s robotic companion is a Hodgsons Robotics Unit Mark V; “HR-V” for short. HR-V can be customized to use different weapons the player can find in the game. Proper use of HR-V is vital to a player’s eventual success.
GVK: What sort of weapons will players be able to use and how is combat handled in the game?
Combat uses a point-and-click interface; select your target, and fire away. There are a half-dozen weapons in the game, and each can be upgraded to add additional damage.
GVK: How will players save their progress in game?
The game auto-saves every time a player uses one of the health stations, which are liberally placed on each level, but players are free to save their progress at any point of the game.
GVK: What forms of Multiplay will the game offer?
The game has one multiplayer mode, which consists of a unique set of co-operative missions for 2-4 players that are set on a different ship. You create a multiplayer character that can be saved for future multiplayer games, with all of your upgrades and “parts” intact.
