Testing the Reset Generation
Lead tester Henry 'Big Hen Saulnier shares his insights on RG's gameplay.
Reset Generation features a fairly sophisticated Rankings System -- princess rescues, wins vs. losses, time played, and other stats are analyzed to determine the "End Boss," the greatest Reset Generation player in the world.
During the course of Reset Generation's development, the End Boss was Henry "Big Hen" Saulnier, our lead tester from Babel Media, Inc. (an independent quality evaluation firm). We were fortunate enough to get to sit down with the Big Hen and listen for secrets escaping the jaws of the End Boss ...
Scott Foe: So, I think the ranking system must be broken: There's no way you're better than me. Are you sure you tested it thoroughly?
Big Hen: Definitely! Just because you can beat me in the game doesn't mean you are going to be a higher rank. There are many elements to a player's online rank and you also have to keep in mind that I don't only play against you. Another notable aspect to the ranking system is that the higher the rank of the player you beat, the more points you get towards your rank. So why don't you play against some other good players to raise your rank ... that is, if you can handle it.
Scott Foe: Assuming the Rankings System is not broken and that the highest level I ever achieved was "Boss," what are some secrets you can share about general Reset Generation play strategy (so I can beat you)?
Big Hen: Be a dirty rat! This game can be won by pure cheese if you know your hero well. Good item and power combinations can make for some pretty frustrating situations for you enemy. Be imaginative and experiment! Don't give your enemy any slack, keep them busy and running around like a zombie chicken with its head cut off!
Scott Foe: Speaking more specifically, each of the ten Reset Generation characters has their own devastating Super Power. What are some of the character-specific strategies that you can let us in on?
Big Hen: Well there are several "types" of hero powers that the Heroes possess. There are movement powers, nuking powers and block making powers. Usually the best use for movement powers would be to use them to escape with an enemy's princess to a safe part of the map or to a useful item. As far as the nuking powers go, use them as much as possible on your enemy because the earlier you get his health down the more careful you enemy must be. Like the nuking powers, the block making powers should also be used as much as possible. Most of the time I will use a block making power to break and enemy combo, if it is possible.
Scott Foe: There are ten legendary heroes playable in Reset Generation: Which character is you favorite and why?
Big Hen: My favorite hero is the Sci-Fi Knight by far! Although this hero might not seem to have the most powerful super power, the uses for it are endless. The "Sci-Fi Mind Trick," which allows you to mind control your enemy, can be used in so many ways. Some of my favorite uses of this power are moving characters to the middle of nowhere by using a teleport or a spring, or my favorite is to aid an enemies in killing another player because you still get rank points if you come in 2nd.
Scott Foe: Is there any Reset Generation character which you hate to find yourself matched against? Why the fear?
Big Hen: The Plumber. He is a beast! His super power -- to pick up items from across the map -- is insanely useful and dirty. An enemy Plumber can instantly take you out if he grabs your princess and uses his "Ladies Man" to grab a teleport back to his base. Also any round he has full power, he can throw a grenade at you or paint over your blocks with a Paint Brush. Painting my combos is so annoying!
Scott Foe: Reset Generation is incredibly experience-rich, and I know it's going to be hard to pick just one element, but if you had to try, what's your favorite thing about Reset Generation?
Big Hen: The online multiplayer. This game is designed to be a great online multiplayer game. A person can play an intense, fun filled deathmatch while on a smoke break or on the bus to school or work. The way that I see it is that the Single Player story mode is just to teach and prepare a player for the online play.
Scott Foe: Reset Generation is going to be launched just a few weeks from now -- what's your advice to new players who are just starting out?
Big Hen: Play the Story Mode before you try online. Learn heroes, items, and movement speeds! Remember that building combos and expanding you map coverage will increase you movement, and that when moving over enemies blocks or no blocks, you are super slow. But -- and this is a big but -- remember that building tons of combo blocks might not always be the best strategy, because as you build combos your enemy gains energy for their power meter, so you will find them using their power against you more often the more frequently you build combos.
Thanks End Boss Big Hen! And a word to our community: Please do play like Big Hen, but, for the love of gaming, please don't take smoke breaks!
--Scott Foe
