Mike Orlando: Let's start off with the big question: Is Broken Saints making a video game for the Nintendo Gamecube?

Brooke Burgess: I am negotiating with several publishers with that as my goal, yes.

Mike O. : Would you be able to disclose the name of any of these publishers at this current time?

Brooke B. : My round squishy bits may end up sacrificed were that the case. ;) So I'd say a big no there, fellah.

Mike O. : Lets turn the conversation to your website and online comic, Broken Saints for a minute. How long was Broken Saints been in planning before you started going live?

Brooke B. : Approximately 6 months. Character designs, storylines, and initial technologies were all covered during this period.

Mike O. : How many stages of production are there in getting each episode

together?

Brooke B. : Whoa...(pardon the Keanu-ism)...It starts with me devising a shotlist, which then goes to Andrew for storyboarding and shot approval. After Ian approves the number of shots (file size approximations) and special effects plans, we move onto colouring and inking. Then Ian and I do layout, mix audio (and create effects), and work on special effects. I lay in the final dialogue and fine tune as the last stage. So what's that...7?

Mike O. : Wow. What was the inspiration for Broken Saints?

Brooke B. : I've wanted to write a big story arc in the graphic novel medium for ages...I was triggered to the poetry and possibilities by such classics as The Watchmen by Alan Moore and The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller. But it wasn't until reading Neil Gaiman's Sandman Anthology that I knew I had to give this a shot.

Mike O. : That's quite a list. What (if any) were some of your previous comics projects?

Brooke B. : None...but I've been writing for a LONG time, always with a dramatic sensibility ;) Lots of plays, short films, weird projects, etc. Even working in the games industry let me spread my wings a little when it came to level design and cinematic creation. Comics are essentially more passionate and detailed storyboards for film, as far as I'm concerned.

Mike O. : The gaming industry? Well, I didn't see that aspect popping up in this interview, but we may as well explore it. What stage are you currently at in finding a developer for the potential Broken Saints videogame?

Brooke B. : Cute...let's see...what can I say...

Currently, I'm discussing particulars of the property and my game design with multiples publishers.

We're discussing platforms right now...it seems that some publishers aren't as keen on making a Nintendo-only original concept title as I am.

Mike O. : Why would you like to see Broken Saints an exclusive Gamecube game? What personal and business advantages does that decision yield?

Brooke B. : Well, personally I'm a great advocate of Nintendo platforms and their design philosophy. After the beating they took in the 32/64 bit race due to lack of diversity and 3rd party support, it just seems to make sense that a mature and ORIGINAL title could work wonders for them...creatively and fiscally.

Mike O. : Your praise for Nintendo has been noticed through your own words, and hints on your website, such as various pass codes which correspond with up and coming Nintendo products. Why so much respect for the big N?

Brooke B. : I respect master storytellers in ANY medium...be it Shakespeare in theatre, Tolkien in literature, Moore and Gaiman in comics, Lynch/Gilliam/Kubrick in film, etc. Nintendo, and more specifically Miyamoto-san, are masters of their craft, and immerse you in the medium in a way - even with an action game - that tells a compelling story.

Mike O. : And my psychiatrist told me it was wrong to love both Kubrick and Nintendo. If this Broken Saints game were to materialize, what genre would the game most likely turn out to play as?

Brooke B. : Not many games have really hit me cerebrally/psychologically...sure, there are some PC titles, but I've always felt that console games are more engaging and immersive (the whole pick-up and play philosophy). The last game to do that for me was a little title on the SNES called Shadowrun. It was an action RPG with a wicked storyline, interesting characters, a disturbing world, and pretty decent interfaces. If Broken Saints were to become a game, it would end up in that sort of mould...with major twists, of course ;)

Mike O. : With what is known, would the potential BS game mimic the storyline and characters of the comic, be a completely new story with new faces, or a bit of both?

Brooke B. : Depends on whether there's a GBA version or not :-)

Mike O. : You're getting ahead of me, but we might as well jump to the GBA section! Are their currently any plans for a GBA Broken Saints videogame?

Brooke B. : Well...I can't say that I'm against the idea. I love what I've seen of the platform so far. Our 2D art-style certainly lends itself to the medium...even the screen size seems perfect for a Flash comic :) The only drawback would be turning by my cousin Tobias' amazing music into MIDI loops. If the sound was decent with headphones on, then I'd definitely humour the idea...in conjunction with a Gamecube version, of course.

Mike O. : Excellent! There were not nearly enough action/adventure/RPG's with atmosphere on the GBC (understandable considering the medium and technology), and a B.S. GBA game would fill in a potential void in the same genre for sure! Moving back to the Gamecube side of things; Was a B.S. game always in your minds or was it something that came about? The elemental aspect of character bios seemed to suggest an RPG from the get go...

Brooke B. : Umm...I'd like to say that a game was at the forefront of our thinking from day one...but it honestly wasn't. Sure, there were a few daydreams, but I really had to see how much of an impact the story would make on the WWW audience first before moving forward with any plans of moving BS into other mediums. That said, as we started designing the website, I just had this visual of a presentation akin to a videogame front-end. Ian and Andrew smelled what I was cooking, and the rest is history (and currently...conjecture :))

Mike O. : Excellent. In your opinion, which genre has least reached it's full potential with the quality and innovation of its corresponding games? And, no, F.R.E.E. isn't a genre!

Brooke B. : Haha...so what you're asking is which gameplay style has yet to truly evolve on current/pending hardware?

Mike O. : Yes, and not just the recent generation we went through, but accumulating every generation of videogames, which genre hasn't lived up to the task in comparison with its brothers?

Brooke B. : Hmm...this might surprise you, but I'd have to say that SHOOTERS have yet to really the relative envelope. I'm not talking FPS like Half Life or Perfect Dark, but stuff more in the vein of Starfox or even Contra. My favourite arcade game of all-time was a classic from Williams called Robotron (I actually have it standing in my living room right now - and it WORKS!)...it had the perfect balance of Fight-or-Flight that keeps you on a totally different mental/physical plane. You are constantly in a raw state of SURVIVAL. There were moments in Starfox 64 that touched on this sensation in 3D, but I'm hoping that future developers plan on creating some stellar shooting experiences that bring back the glory days of "twitch" gameplay.

Mike O. : Wow, surprising answer! Mixing 'shooter' with 'broken saints' has suddenly made Sin and Punishment pop into my head. Which currently released or upcoming Next Gen (((PS2/XBOX/NGC))) game(s) display a similar production and/or art style that you envision in the potential BS game?

Brooke B. : Hmm...from what little I know of the titles, I would have to say that Silicon Knights' offerings - Too Human and Eternal Darkness - would come close in terms of what I'd like to see BS become on the Cube. I also think that Silent Hill GBA is a great template to build upon.

Mike O. : My fondness for Silicon Knights is never hidden (damn, we Canadians rule!), and I agree that the SH series does share a similar dark, yet... off theme, that at least the current episodes of Broken Saints show. It is unfortunate that the GBA version of Silent Hill has the same amount of gameplay as your comic though ;). Back to the potential game, were Nintendo to have some sort of an online network announced or implemented by the time the BS game had began initial development, would you consider giving the title online features? If so, to what degree?

Brooke B. : I'm actually working on integrating online elements into the design now, so I'm open to suggestions :-) I've been cruising the BS Forums for opinions, playing a little Phantasy Star Online, and yapping with some designer/producer pals who are online pros...I think that the focus would have to be on the single player experience (it would just be too difficult to integrate multiple players and still create a disturbing atmosphere for all)...that said, I could definitely see possibilities for downloading new chapters and areas to explore, gaining clues on the website or in the game that give you expanded access. Anything that doesn't cheapen the story.

Mike O. : While PSO is one of my most favorite games, it really shows how introducing mass multiplayer can eliminate the chance for a deep story, let alone any plot. A couple of very quick questions ; FMV or In Game Cinematics?

Brooke B. : In-Game Cinematics, most definitely...I've championed them for a long time, as the transition is much less jarring for the player.

Mike O. : Amen. 2D/pixels or 3D/polygons?

Brooke B. : Depends on the game and platform! I think that GBA will offer a wonderful chance to resurrect sprites and 2D gameplay...as we've seen with titles like Guilty Gear X and the SFAlpha series, 2D art can be stunning and effective in the right context. Polygons are wonderful when a sense of visual depth is required - which is the case for 99% of games today :-) Do I think that polys and BS are a match made in heaven? Perhaps...if the polys were cell-shaded and the environments were rich enough...perhaps.

Mike O. : Cell shaded? Interesting! And GGX is a beautiful game, you'll get no argument here.

Digital or Analog? Which is better in general for gaming, and for your idea of your game?

Brooke B. : Moving forward, the benefits of analog are obvious - greater control, plain and simple. Not just for 'transportation' titles (racing, vehicular stuff, sports), but obviously for action/platform games as well. It will be a LONG time before anything matches that sensation of running Mario in a circle for the first time on the N64. Brilliant. For Broken Saints though, I think that digital control would be fine, since advancing the story would be less about precise motions and more about choices made.

Mike O. : This next one is assuming that the title will turn out to be akin to Shadow Run/Zelda/Final Fantasy.

Action or Turn/Menu based... or other?

Brooke B. : You'd know the answer to that one if you played Shadowrun ;-) I'd rather not comment on specifics of gameplay right now, as I'm crossing my fingers for some innovations to happen.

About this time, it was about time for Brooke to visit the Realm of Dreams, so he bid Mike adieu and disappeared. But don't fret! There's still more to come! Stay tuned for Part 2 of our Brooke Burgess interview...

(Interview conducted by Mike Orlando & edited by Max Lake. Questions compiled by Max Lake, Mike Sklens, Mike Orlando & Zosha Arushan. PGC highly encourages its readers to check out Broken Saints!)