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PostPosted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 8:32 pm  Post subject: 1up preview "Groove Gameplay"  
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Previews: SSX Blur
We ask EA about SSX Blur's new "Groove Gameplay."
By Matt Leone 02/02/2007
The last time EA started talking up music as a big part of a game -- in Def Jam: Icon -- it turned out to be a bigger deal than pretty much anyone could have imagined. So when we heard the company talking up music in SSX Blur, we had to find out more. Is it as big of a deal in SSX? Doesn't sound like it, but we got EA lead designer Eric Chartrand on the record to find out about the new "Groove Gameplay" anyway.

1UP: We've heard a bit about the Groove Gameplay feature with dynamic music -- how exactly does this work in the game?

Eric Chartrand: Basically the music is linked directly to gameplay. Every music track is divided into five layers that can be put on top of one another. The better you perform in the game, the more layers are combined so that you really feel the music in a meaningful way. The Groove Meter is in step with this and is also divided into five sections, so you have a visual reminder of your success as well. Each section of the Groove Meter corresponds to one layer of music and once three sections of your Groove Meter are full -- you are enabled to pull of an uber trick.

1UP: How integral to the gameplay will the music be? Do the dynamic music mechanics drive the gameplay like in Def Jam: Icon, or will gameplay allow you to create the musical soundtrack, like in Rez? Do you see the music in Blur as being as big a deal as it is in those games?

EC: Unlike Def Jam: Icon where the rhythm of the music determines when you want to make your moves, you are free to perform big tricks your way in SSX Blur and the music will follow you. So to answer your questions -- filling your groove meter, and thus increasing the complexity and depth of the music -- is at the core of the gameplay, but it is not the driving factor. This game is about fun -- and feeling the music is really additive to the overall experience.

1UP: In what ways can the music change during gameplay in terms of volume, tempo, intensity, complexity, etc.?

EC: Since each music track has five layers of audio, the intensity and complexity is related to the number of layers played simultaneously. As explained above, the music you hear is determined by performance. The difficulty of tricks you land, and completing the course with speed etc. are all ways to fill your groove meter and thus pump up the music.

1UP: Will you be able to provide your own soundtrack via Wii's SD card functionality, and if so, will it be able to dynamically change with players' moves?

EC: Because Groove Gameplay is such a big part of the overall SSX Blur experience, we couldn't allow you to bring in your own music. The way that audio is layered into our music system is very complex and each track needed to be composed following certain guidelines to properly function within gameplay.

1UP: Aside from enhancing a player's enjoyment of the game in terms of experience and ambience, are there any other rewards associated with getting the music to play a certain way, gameplay or otherwise?

EC: The music is the oral expression of the groove meter essentially. So yes -- the music is absolutely linked to rewards. When the music is pumping, you have filled your Groove Meter and can therefore unleash your uber tricks -- which are the easiest way to increase your score. The points you receive when pulling an uber trick are huge -- but the best part is the feeling of pulling it off.


http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3156926

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PostPosted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 8:59 pm  Post subject:   
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:heh Leave it to EA to repackage something that was in SSX as being "integral" to SSX Blur. :heh

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PostPosted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 10:40 pm  Post subject:   
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Awww they still could have let us use SD cards even though they don't layer. How lazy of them!! ><

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PostPosted: Sat Feb 03, 2007 12:27 am  Post subject:   
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They left out the last entry by 1UP:

"1UP: Wow, this sounds exciting. It also sounds exactly like the last few SSX games. Thank you for advertising a basic feature from the old games as something new and cutting edge.

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