MobileTechReview.com Interviews: Nokia's Will Shen, Producer of System Rush

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"System Rush" for the N-Gage introduces a neon-drenched future where you can hack into the world's most corrupt corporate networks. With up to 15 (10 offline, 5 online) co-vecs (code-vehicles) at your disposal, you can race through hostile Globenet systems in search of evidence to absolve you of the warrant for your arrest.

Our David Galbraith chatted with Will Shen, the game's producer.

MTR: Ok, so first of all- Would you mind telling our readers what System Rush is all about?

Will Shen: System Rush is an original racing game developed exclusively for the N-Gage. The premise of the game is based on a hacking theme and you play as a white hat hacker trying to retrieve a code bomb stolen by black hat hackers employed by an evil multinational corporation.

MTR: I am very intrigued as to the role of hacking in system rush. Excluding the storyline- in what ways have you incorporated this into the game?

Will Shen: In the early parts of the game, you're hacking the web servers of the evil corporation to reclaim pieces of the code bomb. Once you've retrieved the code bomb, you'll need to go back through each corporate server to plant the bomb.

In addition to this, we've also registered all the web sites for the corporations that you hack in the game and throughout the lifecycle of the game; you'll actually see your hacking efforts reflected in changes on the sites. You can check it out at www.systemrush.com and www.whitehatz.net. These sites are a great starting point to access the world of System Rush!

MTR: Apart from this idea of hacking- how have you managed to differentiate this from other racing titles on the N-Gage?

Will Shen: All the other racing games on N-Gage feature cars, whereas System Rush features Co-Vecs (code vehicles), which are basically high-powered hover-ships. These Co-Vecs also have the ability to fly for short distances, which will prove very helpful for making your way around the tracks. The control and gameplay dynamics are very different than what you'd experience in a traditional racing title and we're very pleased to offer players a unique racing experience.

MTR: Sound plays a vital role in most fast paced racing games. How well have you guys used sound to make the gaming experience better?

Will Shen: We were very conscious in the designing phase about the audio in this game. We wanted to make sure that the sound effects and the music tracks properly matched the theme of the game. The sound effects help maintain the hi-tech experience of the tracks, while the techno based music tracks provide a driving beat and rhythm to fuel the adrenaline during the action packed races. In fact, we were so impressed with the in-game music that we created a limited edition System Rush remix CD that we'll be giving away to select individuals.

MTR: Upon seeing the game- the graphics are very impressive. As with any mobile game, this usually means challenge in keeping the high frame rate. How did you deal with this in System Rush?

Will Shen: One of our primary goals was to create the fastest racing game possible on the N-Gage. Our developer, Ideaworks 3D, already had a great 3D engine developed so we just kept adding visual effects and pushed the envelope as far as it could go until we started seeing slowdown. We then optimized and tweaked the engine for better performance and repeated the process until we were happy with both the visual quality and the frame rate. The result is a great looking game that's plays extremely fast!

MTR: I see vehicle combat has been incorporated. To what extent does this combat go; for instance how many weapons are available?

Will Shen: Racing is actually the core gameplay in System Rush with some minor combat elements. Basically, you have the ability to destroy enemy vehicles by bit-stealing (drafting off enemies until you drain all their energy). This is a feature that we all have a lot of fun with around the office!

MTR: Unlockable Vehicles, shadow racing and Player Clips are some great features in the game. It's pleasing to see that System Rush utilizes the full potential of N-Gage Arena. Did you have the N-Gage Arena in mind when developing the game?

Will Shen : N-Gage Arena is a very important component to all of our games and we wanted to offer a full set of Arena features while doing new that has not been in any of our previous games. We're very proud of all our features, but the most significant feature is group shadow racing which allows you to download up to 3 shadows and race against them simultaneously. We felt that a more populated race field would increase the quality of the overall racing experience.

MTR: Thank you very much for your time, Will!

And to our readers: you can learn more about the game or download a demo from www.systemrush.com and for the latest news and screenshots for the N-Gage games, visit our Nokia N-Gage forum. And don't forget to read our game reviews!

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