One of the games we were really impressed with and surprised by on the floor at E3 this year was Capcom’s Final Fight: Streetwise. A single-player remake of the classic arcade, NES, and SNES brawler series, Streetwise had the updated, gritty, and adult feeling you wish could be applied to all of the action games you played as a kid. With multiple modes of play and familiar characters and weapons, the Streetwise demo was as straightforward as it was approachable: kick some ass, do it with style.

Joe Willis, a game designer at Capcom Studio 8 was nice enough to talk to us about Streetwise last week. Willis was previously at Crystal Dynamics, where worked on the original title Whiplash.

[TwistedMonkey] People have been anxiously awaiting a Final Fight remake for some time. How much influence do you think that fans have had on Streetwise?

[Joe Willis] A lot actually. Most action brawlers in recent years have catered to a younger audience (i.e. Batman & TMNT franchises to name a few…) We figured mature audiences would appreciate a good well-defined action brawler as well.

[TM] How else have you tried to cater to mature audiences?

[JW] To name a few ways: Our level of brutality while executing game-play actions is not for the faint of heart. I would not recommend a game like this for kids under the age of 18. Our dialogue contains humor & lingo clearly geared toward mature audiences, and executed in a way that doesn’t feel “forced”. Some of the situations in our game are too questionable for younger audiences. I’d tell you details, but I think it’s tacky to publicly provide spoilers in game interviews. You’ll just have to wait to see what I mean…

[TM] The original Final Fight games were inspired by B-movie brawl films. Do you think this inspiration applies to Streetwise as well?

[JW] Not this time around. B-movie brawl films don’t seem to have the entertainment value they used to. This time, we drew inspiration from many of the stylized brutal fighting films, like “Fight Club”, “Snatch”, & “Iron Monkey” to name a few. Some of these movies show the most brutal impact possible for every hit in a fight sequence. It’s an exhilarating feeling to see & experience physical strikes delivering so much pain. We wanted to capture that feeling in our game.

[TM] How did you come upon the decision to have the different styles of play in Streetwise?

[JW] You mean the “Pit-Fights” and the “One on many” fights? Well, we reached into the character’s profile & remembered how Kyle fights in these underground pit-fights to make ends meat. Why not let players experience that side of his life? We felt it was an addition to the existing game mechanics player would appreciate. Kyle is not just some “Joe Shmoe” action brawler character. He has a history, personality & a love interest, as well as relationships with the people of Metro City.

[TM] How do you think players will respond to one of their favorite multiplayer games being single player this time around?

[JW] …that depends whether or not we decide to keep the game a single player experience…

[TM] What are some things that players will see in the new Metro City that will remind them of the original Final Fights?

[JW] Besides some of the characters from the original game using original moves, we also use basic Final Fight design sensibilities, like great big arrows pointing you in the general direction of the main path & goal points. You can also grab any weapon an enemy drops in the game & use it against them!

[TM] Who is your favorite original Final Fight character?

[JW] The FF3 version of Guy. His combos & throw moves are out of sight!

[TM] What games are you playing at home right now?

[JW] Right now, Resident Evil 4 is giving me the best scare I’ve ever had since “Eternal Darkness.” After RE4, next game on my list to beat is Metal Gear Solid 3.

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