Talk To Me | Makin Games

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With EGX Rezzed currently ongoing, we thought we'd sit down for a chinwag with one of our favourite devs from last year's show, Nic Makin. Our topics this week include upcoming beat-'em-up Raging Justice, Street Fighter 2, VR and the getting shipwrecked with the Dreamcast!

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​By
Rob
Holt

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@acousticmagic

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Can you tell us a bit about Raging Justice?
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Raging Justice is a modern take on the classic, side scrolling beat 'em up. You play as maverick cops, Nikki Rage and Rick Justice, fighting their way through the city to bring a mysterious crime lord to justice. Raging Justice is a homage to the classic brawlers from the hey-day of arcade games, but with a twist. Not only do you get unique weapons, bosses etc. (where else do you get to literally ‘mow’ down your enemies on a lawnmower?!), you also get a new dimension to the gameplay. Will you play as good cop arresting the thugs, or bad cop pummelling them to the ground.  The path you choose has consequences and leads to alternate endings.

What inspired you and your team during the development stage?
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Raging Justice came about from a shared passion for the good old 2D brawler, we felt as a genre it'd fallen out of favour, so we wanted to bring it back! As a result, our inspiration was first and foremost the greats from yesteryear; Vendetta, Final Fight, Streets of Rage 2, and Double Dragon. Not only that, we've taken direct inspiration from modern games such as God of War, Bayonetta, and Sleeping Dogs.

Can you tell us about your team at Makin Games?
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Makin Games is a micro company based in the Midlands, just Anna (my wife) and myself (Nic). Anna looks after the business and promotion side, allowing me to focus on development. My previous experience includes a 10 year stretch at Rare, then periods with Sony and Codemasters.
We are collaborating with a couple of guys I worked with at Rare, to make Makin Games' first title, Raging Justice. Jay Howse is our art guy, everything from; the level backdrops, to the characters, and every weapon, has been designed and built by Jay. For audio, we're working with Steve Burke, an amazing composer and sound designer, who helps bring the game out of the screen and into the room.

"we definitely think that it's important to look to a niche you feel passionately about when developing an independent game..."

How difficult is it for indie developers in this current market? Can you take artistic risks and still make a profit?
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As Raging Justice is due to be released I can't comment on profit, but we definitely think that it's important to look to a niche you feel passionately about when developing an independent game;  find something you can do well, something under represented, and give it your all.

What advice would you give to someone looking to work in the video gaming industry?

The gaming industry is a very tough nut to crack, but it’s worth it. My advice would be to work hard, be persistent, and make sure you finish what you start.

Where do you think the industry is heading - is VR the future in your opinion?
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VR is one future, I doubt it'll be mine (I've experienced motion sickness every time I've tried it!). I expect VR to be more of an experience, a ride, rather than mainstream gaming. At the moment VR is expensive and doesn't work 100% of the time. I'd expect it to become a good sized niche like motion controlled gaming now is.

What game(s) have had the biggest effect on your life, and why?
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Oh, tough one, probably Street Fighter 2. I fell in love with this game back in the arcades and played it on (almost) every possible console since. The characters, the balancing, the competitiveness, it's such a great game.

What does the future hold for Raging Justice and Makin Games?

Right now Raging Justice is everything, we're pushing to complete it, release it, port it, and update it with anything that didn’t make launch. With our first update we intend to add online multiplayer to Raging Justice, but I've also a list of alternate modes and tweaks that I may add too :) The list goes on and on!

If you were on a desert island (it has power) and could only take one console, what would you take, and why?
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Console... probably the Dreamcast, as a stand-alone machine it had so many awesome Sega games on it!

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Thanks to Nic for talking to us - for all things Rezzed and Raging Justice, keep your eyes on PTC.