Carmageddon: Death Incarnate Interview

Before the Burnout, the Need for Speed and the PGR series started ruling the racing roster (alliterations ftw!), there was a racing game that not only allowed players to, umm, race but also encouraged them to annihilate opponents while mowing down everything in their path, animals and the elderly included. That’s right, people; I’m talking about Carmageddon, which is all set to return in an all-new next-gen avatar courtesy of French developer Gregorian Works (who?)

Joining us for an exclusive interview today is studio CEO Julian Lirpa, who gives us the lowdown on the much-awaited sequel (that many thought would never happen!) as well as a sneak peek of a world exclusive screenshot.

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Why resurrect such an old franchise instead of going ahead with an original IP?

We at Gregorian Works are big fans of racers but we feel they’ve become way too mellow in recent times. I mean, what’s the use of driving a car at over 200 miles an hour if you can’t run stuff over and watch it bleed? We always knew we were going to make a racing game but we wanted it to be violent as hell so during one of our creative meetings Mathieu Luf (cofounder of Gregorian) suggested we go with the Carmageddon name instead of wasting time coming up with a brand new IP. And after that, things just kind of fell into place.

So what can we expect with Death Incarnate?

I’m sorry, I can’t disclose a lot as of now but I can tell you that we will be making the game using the Unreal 3 engine and running people over will never be the same after Death Incarnate.

What kind of car-nage (har har) are we talking about exactly?

Remember how pedestrians literally burst into a fountain of blood as you collided with them in olden Carmageddon games? Well in this game, they won’t die that easily. Depending on which side and the amount of force you hit them with, they may lose appendages, break bones (in a very Fight Club-esque slo-mo Xray vision way) and yes, you’ll even be able to drag them for miles using your car’s grapple mechanic during which their skin will peel off in real time as a result of the friction!

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Ouch. That sounds painful. Aren’t you worried about the game’s rating or incurring the wrath of lawyers/parents/politicians?

We’re bringing Carmageddon back all right; this isn’t some Crazy Frog racer so there’s gonna be gore and there’s gonna be tons of it. We have to say true to the whole Carmegeddon legacy even if it means getting an AO rating.

So besides all the bone-breaking and skin-peeling, what else can we look forward to in this game?

Well there will be a bunch of different game modes (that can be played both offline and online) like Capture the Flag, Race Against the Clock, and others I cannot disclose at the moment. Oh, but I can tell you this: one mode (currently a team favorite by the way) involves transporting a scantily clad maiden in distress from one part of the city to another while being chased by [pauses]… let’s just put it as ’enemies’ for now.

Niiiice! Speaking of the city, will it be a big seamless one like Paradise City (Burnout Paradise) or will it be something a bit more linear?

It’s gonna be bigger, better and badder than anything anyone’s seen till date. What we have planned for Death Incarnate will make Paradise City seem like a romp in the park. Add to that twelve (yes, you heard right… TWELVE!) MP modes and you’ll begin to understand the magnitude of Death Incarnate. People are going to have a blast playing this game.

I’m sure they will. What platforms can we expect this game on?

Carmageddon: Death Incarnate will release on the PS3, Xbox360, and PSP in April 2010.