High Voltage explains the similarities between The Grinder and Left 4 Dead

“I think that generally a lot of the game design in Left 4 Dead was focused on keeping the players together and really punishing a player that leaves the group. So the difference conceptually with The Grinder is that our characters are hunters, not survivors. They’re not every day people who are kind of thrust into this situation. They are prepared for what they are doing. With that said, one of the things that makes Left 4 Dead so compelling – and really there are a lot of other games, Resident Evil 5 has cooperative mode, Gears of War is a huge game that focuses on co-op, Halo 3, any of the games that boast co-op support, the best ones are those that encourage players to stick together. Left 4 Dead did a great job of doing that with the designs of their enemies behavior. So the Hunter, the Smoker, the Witch, and all of the infected enemies that are after you, encourage players to operate together, to communicate, and stick together. And so, that general philosophy we want to keep, but we want to put our own special twist on it, that also make players feel empowered.” – The Grinder Producer Josh VanVeld

I don’t know about you guys, but this seems like my kind of game. Working together with other players through co-op is a genre that is lacking on the Wii.

Source

• High Voltage: Gladiator A.D. and Grinder could end up on other systems
Published on: June 11, 2009
• High Voltage interview tidbits – funding from investor, The Grinder details, more
Published on: June 10, 2009
• High Voltage not ruling out DLC for The Grinder
Published on: June 1, 2009
• High Voltage explains why MotionPlus was dropped from The Conduit
Published on: March 9, 2009
• EA explains why Dead Space Extraction is on-rails
Published on: February 18, 2009