Heroes + Villains: Joshua Ortega, Dialogue Dealer

Crispy's column about the intersection of comics and videogames chats up the guy responsible for telling Marcus Fenix what to say.
11/6/2008 7:15 PM | 0 Comments | Page 3 of 4

Ortega: Not really, because the non-lethal piece was more of a warning about "non-lethal" weapons than it was a celebration of them. I think lethal weapons can be ultimately less freaky than non-lethal weapons, depending on the context [in which] they're used. They're made to kill ... for one purpose only. They're very straightforward. There's also a certain nobility in intimate violence -- as portrayed in Gears or Death Dealer -- when you have to get your hands dirty rather than just, say, turning "off" a crowd with microwave or ultrasound weapons. The less intimate the violence, the easier it is to use. That's not to say that true non-lethal weapons don't have their place in the world -- they do -- it's just that not all "non-lethal" weapons are actually non-lethal.

Crispy Gamer: Why do you think Frank Frazetta's work is so compelling? These pieces were often created with no apparent context, yet have captured the imaginations of people for decades. Do you feel pressure in trying to create some connectivity between these works?

Ortega: There is some pressure in that everyone creates their own story when they see a Frazetta painting. At the same time, it's a lot of fun to tell your version of a Frazetta painting, and since [artists Nat Jones, Jay Fotos and I] are working so close with Frank and his family, it's nice to know that we're telling stories that he approves of. I'd say that his vision is completely unique, and no one can really do what Frazetta does.

Crispy Gamer: How would you approach a Death Dealer [Editor's note: a Frank Frazetta character] game? Because he was created so long ago, uninitiated gamers might think he's the kind of character that comes a dime a dozen in the videogame space. How would you make gameplay elements surrounding this character stand out from, say, Kratos?

Ortega: I'm shocked no one has done a Death Dealer game yet ... sheesh, talk about a perfect IP! And we now actually have the technology to make an animated Frazetta painting, to make a Frazetta world in the videogame space, and I think that's one thing that would set the game apart from the rest. If you do the horse right -- get the gameplay solid, with getting on and off the horse, fighting while on the horse, etc. -- I think it could make for some pretty rockin' gameplay. Plus, the character now has an official story because of the "Shadows of Mirhan" comic, so it'd likely have a solid plot to it, as well.

Developers out there, take note: I want to play a Death Dealer game. Make it happen!

Crispy Gamer: You've written in lots of different forms: comics, novels, games. For games, it seems like you have to surrender control and realize that you won't be the final arbiter of the end result. Do you get a different reward from working collaboratively?