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Mommy's Best Games' Nathan Fouts

Weapon of Choice dev talks Grapple Buggy, Shoot 1UP and Xbox Indie Games.

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Interview by Dan Whitehead Contributor
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EurogamerYour games seem very focused on the single-player experience, but Shoot 1UP has local co-op. Manic shooters would be killed by online lag, but are you interested in exploring the potential of online play at all?
Nathan Fouts

Well, bringing two-player coop to Shoot 1UP has been really educational and exciting, as I do like playing shmups with friends. I've actually been kicking around some ideas with friends, to come up with an interesting twist for traditional shmups that would be fun online.

EurogamerYou seem very interested in taking the accepted mechanisms of classic arcade games - particularly extra lives - and turning them into new gameplay concepts. What can you tell us about your approach to game design, and how it ties in with the games you like to play. Is it a question of, "If nobody else is going to explore these areas, I'll do it myself?"
Nathan Fouts

It definitely comes in brief, exciting collisions of inspiration and innovation. Getting excited about an idea or general area to explore, and then actually finding something on which to innovate is exhilarating.

I grew up playing 8- and 16-bit games, and loving 2D gameplay and art. I want to continue to create 2D games, as I think there's an unending number of interesting things to be created, as with any artform.

EurogamerWeapon of Choice received a lot of attention - have you been inundated with offers from developers looking to poach your talents? And do you see Indie Games as an end in itself, building Mommy's Best Games into a viable standalone business, or does it work best as a showcase to the industry at large?
Nathan Fouts

Mmmm... breakfast. Nothing warms my cockles more than a bowl of tasty, poached talents.

I left Insomniac Games to work on my own. There's definitely a fat-laden comfort of being wrapped up inside a big studio, but working on your own games, should you be so inclined, is hard to beat.

Where shmups are concerned, no boss can be too big.

We continue to get a good number of people wanting help with their projects but also looking for work. We definitely have not made a ton of money yet, but I am always on the lookout for developers interested in collaboration in bizarre future projects.

EurogamerWhat do you make of the competition on Indie Games? Have any titles jumped out at you as examples of the channel's potential?
Nathan Fouts

I've seen a good number of enjoyable games available in the past months. Some recent ones include Arkedo Series (Jump, Swap, Pixel), Leave Home, Square Off, Dark, and Ninja Bros. Try them out!

EurogamerAnd, following on from that, what are the big commercial games that you've enjoyed most this year?
Nathan Fouts

I've enjoyed plentiful rashers of gameplay from New Super Mario Bros, A Boy and his Blob, and Raiden Fighters Aces. Still need to get Muramasa, at least for the art!

EurogamerFinal obligatory question: do you have anything planned after Shoot 1UP? Any more brilliant ideas percolating upstairs?
Nathan Fouts

There is a coffee filter's worth of uvula-tickling stuff bubbling around, that's for certain! I've always got a kettle full of design ideas cooking, but I like to let them simmer for a while, and possibly age, before I try them out. There could definitely be some more shmup action if this goes as well as I plan.

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