Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth Q&A

With the recent worldwide geek-out concerning the upcoming Lego Marvel Super Heroes video game, you may have overlooked the release of another notable title for True Believers. Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth puts gamers in the roles of their favorite comic book crime fighters, and, while it originally launched as an Xbox 360 exclusive, it made its jump to the Wii U over the holiday season.

Recently producer Pierre Leroux and art director Dan Vargas of Ubisoft Quebec took some time to talk about the latter iteration of the project and the excitement of developing for a new console. Oh, and Skrulls. And also poutine.

GeekDad: Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth arrived late last October as a Kinect-powered fighter on the Xbox 360. How does the Wii U version differ?

Vargas: The biggest difference is really the controller. Nintendo brought something entirely new and innovative to the gaming world with the Wii U Gamepad. Therefore the Wii U version does not necessarily require body motion control to play as the GamePad offers different features for us to explore. You’ll be able to perform actions wielding the Nunchucks or playing with your hands directly on the GamePad touch-screen.

GeekDad: What was it like developing forNintendo’s newest console practically at its inception? What were the unique challenges associated with releasing a launch window game for such a unique system?

Vargas: It is always an exciting challenge to work on brand new hardware as it always offers new gameplay opportunities. But with that, all of the development tools you are working with are also new – the interface, the tools, everything is new, so in a way the entire game experience has to be constructed from a lot of unknowns.

Leroux: In addition to this we had to make the game equally fun and balanced for the two interfaces present on the Wii U (Remote/Nunchuck and Gamepad). Playtest sessions helped a lot in achieving this, as well as discovering best practices that are unique to the Wii U. For instance if you choose to play on the GamePad which has its own screen, we learned it may be confusing if the game duplicates the view on the TV. But at the same time some players were excited about “spectator” features. We therefore decided to offer the option, but it needs to be turned on with the Wii Remote.

GeekDad: Ubisoft has really thrown its weight behind the Wii U launch. We got ZombiU from Ubisoft Montpellier and Assassin’s Creed III from Ubisoft Montreal not to mention new titles in the Rabbids and Just Dance series. To what extent do you think the Wii U will shape the next generation of console gaming?

Leroux: Actually the Wii U version of Assassin’s Creed III was done in Québec City, as well as Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth. To answer your question, there are many ways in which the Wii U is different from its competitors. It offers a revolutionary new controller and it still includes motion gaming capabilities while being the most powerful console on the market. It is a console that is oriented towards fun social experiences, no matter what “social” means to you. While the very first generation of games have been very well developed, the revolution is definitely ahead of us. I remember how curious people were about the iPad when it was released. Now everyone is ecstatic about it. Like the iPad, the Wii U breaks rules and standards. The major breakthroughs inspired by its numerous user interface features are yet to come. Retrospectively, look at Just Dance, it was first released in 2009, 3 years after the Wii. And no one can deny it was a revolution in our living rooms! Same thing for the Wii U, every year you’ll see brand new game experiences thanks to new usage of its hardware and software. Next year maybe it will be NFC coupled with the screen and your own phone? Or maybe it will be the GamePad’s second screen coupled with its cameras and your own TV? The future will tell…

GeekDad: Let’s talk inspiration. Battle for Earth seems to eschew much of the popular Avengers movie fiction in favor of a plot more centered on 2008’s Secret Invasion arc. Are there a lot of comic book readers on the dev team?

Vargas: Yes, we definitely focused more on the comic book series with a few tips of the hat to the movie! We started with a handful of comic book collectors and readers… and I think we may have even converted a few new ones.

GeekDad: Wait, you guys aren’t secretly hiding any Skrulls up there at Ubisoft Quebec, are you?

Vargas: I always suspected my producer is a Skrull. But I’m no Reed Richards or Hank Pym… so I guess I will never know!

Leroux: That would explain my weird chin. And would reveal how much Skrulls love poutine. But even if I was a Skrull under cover, I would not know it anyway.

GeekDad: What about inspiration for the core gameplay? Did classic titles like the Marvel vs. Capcom series play a part in the super hero combat concept?

Vargas: In terms of the core gameplay, we focus on your body as the controller and literally acting out the heroic moves which is considerably different than a controller-based game. However, we were definitely inspired by some of the animations from this and a few other fighting games.

GeekDad: Who are our playable characters? Anyone outside of traditional Avengers canon?

Vargas: Oh, yes, we have characters representing the X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Spider-Man’s world… and even Doc Strange! No characters in the Marvel Universe were off limits!

GeekDad: The Wii U offers a lot of native controller options, from the new GamePad to the Wii Remote and Nunchuk and even the new Classic Controller Pro. What’s the best way to take control of the Avengers?

Vargas: Depends on what you are in the mood for. If you want to work your arms out a little bit, the Nunchuk is for you… if you want to focus more on gameplay while bashing Skrulls, then the GamePad is your controller! The controllers are equally balanced so if you are playing in a versus battle then whichever method you choose you can still be the winner.

GeekDad: What kinds of game modes does the Wii U version feature?

Leroux: You can play the campaign mode that follows the Secret Invasion storyline. You can play it Arcade as well (very challenging, my favorite!), and both modes are available in solo or co-op. You can play versus with friends and family in a symmetric way (two Remotes/Nunchuks) or asymmetrically (one player on TV, one player on Gamepad). There is also a tournament mode, and a challenge mode to help you develop your fighting skills. There are many, many ways to play.

GeekDad: Lastly, what else is the team working on? What other stellar titles can we expect to play from Ubisoft Quebec in the near future?

Vargas: We have a lot of cool projects on the go right now, most of them are über top secret. But I can tell you that among the other projects, we are currently working on the downloadable content for Assassin’s Creed III. This is only the tip of the iceberg, but I can tell you it will be a busy year for Quebec City in 2013!