Interview de Tom Crago

Puissance-Pocket : Can you introduce your Company to us ? What is your job ?

Tom Crago : Tantalus is an Australia based video game developer, established in 1994. We began developing titles based on coin-op arcade games, like 'Manx TT Super Bike' 'The House of the Dead' and 'Area 51.' We were lucky enough to work with some fantastic Japanese publishers on some high quality titles for Saturn and PlayStation. We're now focussing on original titles, and we're doing a lot on GBA. I'm the CEO of the company. I look after our international publisher relationships and try to ensure that we have a steady flow of quality titles for our teams to work on.

Puissance-Pocket : Why are you interested in the GameBoy Advance ?

Tom Crago : I think the GBA is a really cool piece of hardware. We also have the advantage of having developed for the SNES, so we're actually able to re-use some of that technology, having improved it over the course of the last couple of years. GBA projects have a quicker turn-around than console titles, so that can be an advantage too. Within nine months, our teams can have fully realised their vision for a game, and actually see it on the shelves. With console titles taking longer and longer to develop, that's absolutely a plus for the GBA.

Puissance-Pocket : Can you remember to us your projects already realized ?

Tom Crago : On GBA we've released ATV Quad Power Racing and Woody Wood Pecker in Crazy Castle 5.

Puissance-Pocket : What technologies have you developed for the GBA ?

Tom Crago : The cornerstone of our GBA technology is our proprietary CRIS engine, which we've developed over the course of the last few years. CRIS provides the full power of skinned mesh rendering on the GBA. It does away with traditional pre-drawn sprite sequences, replacing them with character images generated in real-time 3D. We feel that the result is a level of visual quality and physics realism previously unattainable on a handheld gaming device. The full power of the CRIS engine will be able to be enjoyed in our upcoming release, Top Gear Rally.

Puissance-Pocket : Is it hard to develop on the GBA ?

Tom Crago : Developing any video game is a challenge and things invariably don't go exactly to plan. That said, we have found GBA development to be fairly smooth. We have experienced producers and a very solid technology platform. We also have great tools. Combine this with a development team that have all worked on at least two GBA titles, and we're in a good position to ensure relatively stress-free development cycles.

Puissance-Pocket : Can you tell us more about your new game Top Gear Rally (features, release date, etc...) ?

Tom Crago : Although we've announced this title, we're not yet able to release screens or movies from the game. You can expect these early in 2003. The game is in beta now and we're really proud of it. Information will be posted at www.tantalus.com.au/tgr.htm when it's released, or you might read about it first here!

Puissance-Pocket : Can you tell us more about your new game The Flintstones: Dino to the Rescue (features, release date, etc...) ?

Tom Crago : This one we can talk a little more about. We've been working on this platformer for over a year and it's set for release in Europe early in 2003. It's a very nice looking game, with a 3D Dino as the star of the show. There are a handful of racing levels, and the quality of the art work is something we're really happy with. If you like platformers, or if you're a fan of the TV series, this one is definitely worth a look. Also check out the art renders and concept sketches from some of the screens and levels.

Puissance-Pocket : What do you think about the "3D games" ( Ecks VS Sever, Doom, Star X...) already released on the GBA ?

Tom Crago : I believe 3D can work really well on the GBA. There will be a handful of titles released in 2003 that really emphasise this aspect, including several from Tantalus. No one has really pushed the limits as yet. The challenge for us (and it's a very exciting one) is to be at the forefont of this drive to get the most out of the hardware. I predict that very soon gamers will see more realistic environments, more lifelike characters, and in general a level of detail in games more comparable to PlayStation than to a handheld console. That's definitely a push we want to be a part of at Tantalus.

Puissance-Pocket : What are your future projects on Nintendo's platforms ? ( what sort of games, involved technologies ... ) ?

Tom Crago : We've just finished a Game Cube version of Infogrames' 'Men in Black 2.' We're committed absolutely to the GBA, and hope to release upwards of three new GBA titles in 2003. We'd also love to work on Game Cube again.

Puissance-Pocket : These days, a rumor say that a new backlit GBA "2" will be released by Nintendo. It would have 2 additional buttons, a new design and a new processor. What do you think about that ? Did you hear anything from Nintendo ?

Tom Crago : There are a lot of rumours flying around aren't there! Look, I really do think Nintendo will release a back lit GBA. The primary issue is battery life, and as that technology improves, then probably a back light becomes more realistic. I certainly haven't heard anything from Nintendo about a GBA 2. I'd love to see a back lit version though.

Puissance-Pocket : Thanks a lot for answering all our questions. Have you got something to say to our readers ?

Tom Crago : We'd like to thank you for supporting the GBA and hope that our upcoming titles will meet your expectations. We've also made an undertaking to try to release some original titles for the GBA. This can be a tough thing to do, so to everyone I'd say take a close look at all original titles and try to support them if you think they're worthy. Maybe in this way we'll see more diverse content on the GBA.

We're also really interested to hear people's thoughts about our release Woody Woodpecker in Crazy Castle 5. This game is targeted at a younger market, but we feel it has a lot to offer. It does a lot of really nice things on the GBA. For screens and movies, people should check out : www.tantalus.com.au/woody.htm.