Patmore: We're really making fun of how ridiculous Vegas is, because when you spend enough time there, you realize that it's a crazy city. We didn't want to take ourselves too seriously. When we took a look at a lot of the things that people in Vegas take very seriously, it's actually pretty hilarious, when you see it from the outside. It's less about "party hard and be decadent;" the player himself is more of the calm, centered figure amidst the chaos that is Vegas. He's the levelheaded, rational one amidst this crazy world, rather than being the one behaving foolishly.GameSpy: Got it.
Patmore: When you look at the story, it's more of a parody of Vegas. It's a combination of "Ocean's Eleven" and "Anchorman." We've got the cool, slick vibe of "Ocean's Eleven," and the off-the-wall humor of a Will Ferrell movie. We're not trying to take ourselves too seriously here.
Andre Maguire: Vegas is definitely the star of the show.
GameSpy: It's hard not to notice that last year, the PS3 versions of Midway titles like Stranglehold and Blacksite were delayed longer than the 360 versions. Is the production cycle for both platforms on parity?
Patmore: We have the advantage, thanks to the Midway shared tech, of being able to understand and learn from the problems that other development houses had with PS3. The optimization and bug fixes on PS3 have put us ahead of the game. We've always been planning a simultaneous release on both platforms, so we've got a team exclusively devoted to PS3 working alongside the 360 team, and our goal is for both to come out at the same time.GameSpy: What sorts of plans do you have for Xbox Live integration? Are you working closely alongside Sony to incorporate Home into the PS3 version?
Patmore: We've talked to Sony a little and we've got plans to do a few things with the PS3 version, but it's still pretty fuzzy in regard to what's going to be out there. Our intention is definitely to support their programs as much as possible. As for Xbox Live, our plans are to incorporate DLC into the game; a big part of the experience is built around downloadable content. Vegas is a perfect location for that; they're constantly reinventing the city. You'll see them demolishing old casinos and rebuilding huge resorts all the time. We wanted to create that sort of dynamic feel to the environment, so when you drive around Vegas, you might see one or two vacant lots or construction sites. The idea is that you'll be able to drive up to them a few months after launch and in real time, go up to a sign, select it, a purchase prompt pops up, and once the transaction's done, that casino is there for you. We also want to incorporate leaderboards and stats, so that we can track some of the oddball but fun stuff, like dancing.
