Customize and Synchronize Your Game, “Lowrider” is on its way

by Louis Bedigian

A new and unique “car” game is headed to the States this November.  GameZone gets the full details straight from the Director of External Development.

The jury announced its verdict.  “Guilty!”  The disdain in the juror’s voice could be heard from a mile away.  The person on trial was not treated like an innocent man as so many criminals are.  He was found guilty the minute he walked in the door.

“I did nothing wrong!” he shouted, as if his words would prevent the punishment from occurring.  “I’m just trying to live my life like the rest of ya.”

Another juror stepped forward.  “You know the law.  You broke it.  Now go to your room!”

“But dad, I just—“

“We told you not to wear those baggy pants and you did it anyway!”

“No son of mine is going to the mall with his underwear hanging out!”

Parents.  They love you, they care for you, and then they go and ruin your social life by taking away the joy of being a teen.  If only we all were lucky enough to wear over-sized jeans before we were old enough to realize how silly they look.

Clearly some things aren’t meant to be low-riding.  Some things are, however.  Later this fall Jaleco will release a game based on the sport of lowriding.

What is lowriding?  What does it have to do with cars?  And why is it important?  David "Oz" Osborne, Director of External Development, gives us answers.  He also explains how the sport has been converted for your gaming pleasure.

First off, please introduce lowriding to our readers.  What is it and why do people do it?

David Osborne: Lowriding is a mainly American culture of car customization, utilizing the latest technology in hydraulics and suspension to allow cars to literally jump in the air, drop to the ground and sort of dance around. It's been around for more than 50 years and started with guys fixing up junk cars to impress women in northern Mexico, near the California border. Any car can become a lowrider, but traditionally they use classic cars. Over the last 20 years, it has been a more expensive pastime with dozens of car clubs and huge competitions around the country.  We've adapted this pastime into a fun, rhythm-based game with cars, just like the real life events they hold in the industry.

Now you've taken that concept and have turned it into a game.  What can gamers expect from it?

DO: The player will enter a number of events, they are all skill-based and have you executing different moves with your car with various goals in mind, like jumping the highest, or see-sawing between the front and rear of your car in the air, etc. You can jump straight into arcade mode and compete against a friend or artificial opponents, but the real meat of the game comes in a single player career mode that gives you a limited amount of money to buy your first "scrapper" and build it up into a machine to be proud of. You can paint it, upgrade the hydraulics, batteries, tires, etc. It's really quite deep. You travel around the west coast of America entering shows and gaining prestige to facilitate more upgrades.

From the hip-hop to the IHOP to the front hop, yo.

What will the controls be like?  How will players compete?

DO: The controls are really quite simple, but you can do a lot with them; you can manipulate each wheel, or the sides, front and rear of the vehicle at the touch of a button. As we ask a lot of the players during gameplay, we didn't want them to be bogged down with an intricate control scheme.

Is any driving or racing involved in this game?

DO: No, not really, you can drive along a strip, "dip'n" to the crowds, but you don't actually drive or race as such. The game's centered around the Lowrider shows that take place around the country, like the Super Show that Jaleco Entertainment just sponsored in Las Vegas last month. It was totally cool and hundreds of lowriding fans lines up in the booth all day to play the demo.

How many cars were produced for Lowrider?  Are any of them based on real-world models?

DO: There are 18 cars in total from old coupes to modern pick-ups. Obviously, you can customize them how you want so the possibilities are significant. Like so many other games these days, the cars are generic, not licensed, so they are going for a general style of car, not specific ones.

What era do the cars reflect?  Screenshots indicate some nice-looking classic cars.  Is that the style the game is going for?

DO: Lowrider reflects cars from the 60s right up to present day.

These cars are tight.

Are the cars upgradeable?

DO: Oh yes, if you want a list, you can change hydraulics, batteries, engines, rims, tilt-able hoods and trunks, fenders, skirts, roofs, trims, suspension, the paint, the emblems, even antennas! You can also create your own murals in a paint package and put them on your car. You can draw your name on the hood if you want.

Lowrider was released in Japan last year.  Is additional content being added to the game for release in North America?

DO: Yes, we've changed the in-game video that used to all be pre-rendered and computer-generated to real-life footage, and obviously, we've enlisted the help of emerging hip-hop phenom Lil' Jon and the East Side Boyz with their crunk hit "Get Low," which is set to the videos.

How big is lowriding in the States compared to the rest of the world?

DO: America is lowriding's home and it's undoubtedly biggest here, but it does appear to have a following around the world. Our Japanese office came up with the game concept and it came out there first, so there's obviously an interest elsewhere, including Japan. We're also considering publishing Lowrider in Europe where there are car clubs dedicated to this growing sport.

This appears to be an unloading situation.

Do you think that your game could broaden the appeal of lowriding and increase its popularity, similar to the way Tony Hawk helped boost skateboarding?

DO: Let's hope so, I'm actually British and didn't know too much about lowriding going into this project, but I love the game and certainly wouldn't say no to a real one. I think it definitely will educate gamers who aren't familiar with the sport.

Tell us about Jaleco's relationship with Lowrider Magazine.

DO: Jaleco Entertainment has licensed the magazine's name for the title, and have developed a co-marketing initiative, including web site and advertising arrangements. It means a great deal to us that such a prestigious publication in this industry would get on board with us for this game. The folks at Lowrider Magazine have been playing the Japanese version since it came out and have been eagerly awaiting the North American one, set to ship to stores November 20. Your readers can check out www.jaleco.com/lowrider for all the latest information as we near ship time.

Thank you for your time.