Lots of news is pouring out after the announcement of Sega’s acquisition of Nintendo, but this may be one of the most interesting bits. Of course we all expected Sega to utilize some of Nintendo’s franchises, but was anyone really expecting a new Urban Champion right away? However, if you read on, you will see why it might just make the most sense anything has ever made.
I got a chance to speak with a mysterious and unnamed representative from Sega about this classic revival, and why Urban Champion X: The Revenge is perfect for the modern gaming market. Here is an excerpt from that conversation:
Andrew N: Urban Champion seems like a bit of a strange choice for a franchise revival. What made Sega bring back this property?
Sega: Well, I’m going to be honest with you. When we were first in talks over this acquisition, it was my job to look long and hard at Nintendo’s various IPs and determine which of them we could capitalize on in the current gaming market. And I came to what I am sure you will agree is the obvious conclusion, which is that Nintendo just doesn’t have that many IPs that are relevant anymore. I couldn’t justify the risks involved in putting money into withering franchises like Mario, Kirby or Zelda, so I had to look elsewhere. That’s when Urban Champion jumped out at me.
The original Urban Champion, ignored by Nintendo for all of these years.Andrew N: What made Urban Champion stand out?
Sega: Well you have Nintendo who is this, you know, family-friendly company, and all of their games are basically built for kids, which just isn’t going to cut it anymore. But here they are sitting on this hardcore street brawler? So I thought... isn’t there some potential here? Of course, the original game was a bit too childish, so we’re going to spice it up a bit. Add some real grit. Give it a makeover that will make it work for our audience.
Andrew N: Will it be an M-rated game then?
Sega: Oh for certain! We’re trying to do some very creative things with this property. For example, we’re going to have a very dynamic scoring system where the more that you can brutalize an opponent before killing them, the higher your score. You could just pulverize your opponent’s face into a bloody pulp with your fists, but that won’t net you much. If you want to top the leaderboards and impress your friends, you might instead decide to smash your opponent’s face through a van window, take a piece of the broken glass and slit their throat, kick them into a garbage can, light it on fire, and urinate on their dying body.
Andrew N: Sounds pretty insane. Are there any elements from the original game intact?
Sega: Um... you can still fall into the sewers, I think. I could be wrong on that, I’ll have to check with the developers. Maybe it’s just a sewer stage I’m thinking of. Gamers love sewer stages, right?
Andrew N: Sure. So, rumour has it that this is actually going to be an FMV game. Is that correct?
Sega: Yeah. We wanted the most realistic graphics possible for the total immersion factor, and when it came down to it, the only way to guarantee the realism was to get live actors. Sega does, of course, have a lot of experience with FMV. I’m sure that you have heard of two of our classics, Sewer Shark and Night Trap? Of course, when you are doing FMV, you want to have an amazing story as well. I can’t give out too many details on that yet, but I can tell you that it involves one man’s revenge against the ones who murdered someone he loved. And we are excited about the cast of A-list actors that we have lined up for Urban Champion X: The Revenge, which includes, among others, the legendary Dolph Lundgren.
Andrew N: Who?
Sega: You’re joking, right?
The in-game graphics for Urban Champion X: The Revenge are sick!!!Andrew N: Oh... yeah, I guess I am joking. Anything else that you want to add?
Sega: To all of the fans out there who wanted Nintendo franchises to grow up with them, now is your time! We’re going to make it happen! We hope to have Urban Champion X: The Revenge out by this summer, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg!
…
Well, actually, don’t expect too much more. Most Nintendo IPs will probably be canned.
Urban Champion X: The Revenge sounds pretty amazing, doesn’t it? It looks like Sega is doing great things with Nintendo! Stayed tuned to Segative World for all of your Urban Champion X: The Revenge news!
URL to share (right click and copy)