Gaming Age: The previous Evil Dead titles, Evil Dead: Hail to the King and Evil Dead: Fistful of Boomstick, met with harsh criticism from the general gamer population. What was the driving force behind the decision to develop a third Evil Dead video game?
Andy Beaudoin: Simply put, THQ and we at Cranky Pants knew that the Evil Dead license had potential that had not yet been realized. We also knew that gamers wanted more than a simple horror or action game featuring Bruce Cambell as Ash. So early on, the Cranky team took a look at the license to see if we could make it something special. We played the previous games to identify where they fell short, as well as looking at the films to identify what made them such a hit with movie fans. We used this information to put together plan for an Evil Dead game that would not only make a great game, but that would capture the spirit of the films that fans were looking for. We knew it would be a challenge to overcome the history of the series, but as fans of the films ourselves we wanted to take on this challenge and deliver the game that does the films justice.

GA: One of the first things that pop into my head when I hear that a movie has been converted into a video game is that it's going to bomb. Does Evil Dead: Regeneration break the movie-based video game mold?
AB: It certainly does. Making games based on movies poses a few unique challenges. First, many film games are under a time crunch to release simultaneously with the films. This often keeps developers from having the luxury of taking a little extra time, if needed, to polish the details of the game. This wasn't an issue with Evil Dead: Regeneration, as the films upon which the game is based were released some time ago. This allowed us to take the time we needed to get things right.

Another challenge movie games face is oversight from the film studios. While film makers know their medium, they are rarely as familiar with games. This can lead to some creative conflicts between studio producers and game producers, which adds a challenge to development. With Evil Dead, we were lucky to have true allies in Bruce Campbell and Sam Raimi. While they gave us feedback on story, characters, and cinematics, they were great about leaving the gameplay in our hands. It was a very positive working relationship.

And finally, many games attempt to replicate the story lines of the films in their game. Again, while the stories work well on film, they may not provide all that's needed to create a compelling game. We resolved this issue by taking the story of Evil Dead: Regeneration in a new direction. We stayed true to the heart of the films, but created our own story that was well suited for the game we wanted to make.

GA: Is this a game everyone will enjoy or is it mostly for fans of the movies?
AB: Evil Dead: Regeneration was designed from the beginning to thrill fans of the films, but also to entertain average gamers. We see this game as a great opportunity to introduce gamers that aren't familiar with the films to the Evil Dead universe. Nothing would make us happier than to hear that folks who played the game went out and rented the films to find out more about Evil Dead.

GA: For those fans mainly interested in Bruce Campbell and his hilarious quips, what can we expect in terms of new Ash content?
AB: The game is packed with great material from Bruce. Ash's dialog was a huge focus of our development efforts, and was a key driving force in our decision to introduce a sidekick into the game. By teaming Ash up with a deadite sidekick named Sam, played by Ted Raimi, we opened up a world of dialog possibilities the previous games were unable to access. Ash and Sam aren't particularly fond of each other, so the edgy banter between the two of them permeates the game. It really works.

In addition to in-game dialog, the game contains a number of interviews with Bruce, as well as videos of Bruce's recording sessions. These videos can be unlocked by collecting pages of the Necronomicon scattered throughout the game world.

GA: For those gamers who are pickier about their choice of games or who could care less about Bruce Campbell, what does Evil Dead: Regeneration bring to the table?
AB: Evil Dead: Regeneration brings a unique blend of horror, action, and comedy to the table. Very few games attempt to combine horror and humor, as the two seem to be opposite emotions. However, as any fan of the films knows, that odd blend is what made the films such cult classics.

We've also worked a number of unique game mechanics into EDR that haven't been seen before. Because Ash is a physical guy, and because his deadite sidekick can't be killed, we have a lot of fun kicking the little guy around. Literally. Some enemies require Ash to kick Sam onto their heads to distract them or rip their heads off, some puzzled involve kicking Sam into a furnace to cause it to explode, and some require Ash to possess Sam and use him to ride a giant deadite. For anyone who's been dying to punt a half dead midget with an attitude, this is the game for you!

GA: This newest Evil Dead game is priced at around twenty bucks, quite a bit less than most of us are used to paying for a brand new game. Is this a signal that Evil Dead: Regeneration is not trying to compete with mainstream video game titles?
AB: Absolutely not. From the beginning, Evil Dead: Regeneration was designed and built to be competitive with mainstream titles. The game is priced lower than many primarily because that's the price at which the previous title sold. We wanted budget conscious fans that bought the last game to feel good about getting out there and picking this one up as well. The pricing decision is one that fans should be excited about - they're getting a great value for their money.

GA: How much of an effect has the review feedback from the first two games had on Evil Dead: Regeneration? Can we expect to see many of the issues brought up from the original games addressed in the third installment? What kinds of lessons learned did you incorporate?
AB: Well, since this game was built by a different developer with a completely different engine, we really didn't have to go back and "fix" problems from the earlier games. However, we did spend a great deal of time reading feedback from the previous games as well as playing them ourselves. For instance, the requirements to find gas to run your chainsaw in the first game was something that we thought was counter to what makes Ash fun. He's about getting out there and kicking ass. If you have to manage your gas level, it discourages you from using your saw. So we bailed on gas, and there's no ammo, instead we use different types of enemies and different combat setups to create the tactical challenges a good combat game needs. Put simply, gamers want a solid and unique game rather than a boiler plate hack and slash with Bruce Campbell's voice. With EDR they get that solid and unique game experience.

GA: Regeneration's predecessor did quite a bit better in the reviews than Hail to the King. Having played a preview build of Regeneration, I can tell that similar improvements have been made since Fistful of Boomstick. How would you characterize the major differences between Fistful of Boomstick and Regeneration?
AB: The biggest difference is that we've heavily focused on building physical and verbal humor into this game. This is more than just dialog - it's built into the combat, into enemy designs, into Ash's sidekick, and even into the game's villain. And since this Evil Dead game was given more resources for development, both financial and time, there's a depth and quality level to the game that wasn't there in the previous titles.

GA: In Regeneration, Ash is accompanied by a zombie midget. Why a zombie midget?
AB: Teaming Ash up with a deadite sidekick gave us a number of great gameplay and comedy opportunities. Because Sam's undead, Ash can use and abuse him in combat, to solve puzzles, and just for giggles. Gameplay with Sam is very physical - you can light him on fire and kick him into a room full of explosives, you can jump him into grinding gears to break machinery, etc. It's the kind of slapstick violence that filled the Evil Dead films. In addition, since Ash hates deadites, forcing him to work with one to save the world gives great comedic tension between the two. It really gives Ash's attitude and great dialog a chance to shine.

GA: What is the one thing that you like most about this particular game?
AB: Simply put, it's just fun to pick up and play. The combat is both tactically interesting and funny as hell to watch. The cutscenes do a great job of carrying forward the Evil Dead story and style. I'm really happy with how the game ended up - it's a fun game that really immerses you in Evil Dead!

We'd like to once again thank Andy Beaudoin for taking time out of his busy schedule to speak with Gaming Age. Check back soon for a review of Evil Dead: Regeneration. For now, make sure to check out our hands-on preview of the game, as well as the official Evil Dead: Regeneration website.