We gathered around our lead’s machine waiting to see how they looked… and they were all the same, but of nicer compression quality. Then came the day when we were supposed to get “all final” cutscenes. Q: Do you recall if there were any plans to improve on the state of the cutscenes / voice acting, or is what we see in the final product always what we were gonna get? You seem to imply they may have been placeholders, much like the menu interface which eventually ended up shipping as.Īndrew: As far as I remember, the cutscenes were there from the very start, even before the levels all connected, so we in QA assumed they were placeholders. In the end we had to focus on Drake’s more glaring technical issues and abandon any hope of improving aesthetics and balancing.
Throughout the beta, the engine kept on breaking in every conceivable way, and at least once a week we’d receive a build that was entirely unplayable.Ī lot of attention was directed toward suggesting simple solutions to improve level design and signposting and possible ways to balance the game a bit, but the further along we went, the fewer suggestions there were, as we knew they would most likely be rejected or ignored. Majority of them existed from the day I first saw Drake, and have never been addressed even after multiple escalations. Can you recall any other suggestions you provided that went un-implemented? What was your read on the attitude of the developers?Īndrew: The bugs you see in the Xbox version of the game have all been found by QA and reported to the developers numerous times. Q: In a YouTube comment of yours I read, you claim that Idol FX “would not hear of any suggestions on improving the game (aside from some REALLY random ones)” when it came to QA feedback. The development wrapped up in early October of that year.
Either way, we’ve been told to test the game as if it was a full-on Beta. Some looked almost complete, some were obviously unfinished, while others refused to load altogether. Drake was the first game I was assigned to, at which point it already had most of its levels in one state or another. I interviewed for a QA position at Majesco in May, and started a week later in early June. Q: If you don’t mind, could we first start by discussing the rumor that the game was only given six months development time as per some supposed contract with Majesco? Does any of that ring true to you, or is it just one of those completely unverifiable myths that’s popped up?Īndrew: I can only tell you what I know as a lowly tester of this beast. So, please to enjoy our first “Industry Interview” here on the Bad Game Hall of Fame! This interview should hopefully serve to dispel a couple of long-standing rumors surrounding the game, provide some interesting insights into the game’s development, and to help illuminate the role that QA is meant to play in the production cycle of a video game. And luckily for me, Andrew had the answers. Even after publishing our article attempting to examine the history and legacy of the title, I still had a number of questions about the much-maligned release. One release in particular serves as the primary focus of today’s interview: Drake of the 99 Dragons. But this interview will take us back to the beginnings of his career in games software, to help shed some light on one specific title.īetween 20, Andrew was employed as a member of Majesco’s “Quality Assurance” team, and tasked with testing a variety of titles in their prototype forms. Today, I am happy to bring to you an interview with Last Dimension‘s Andrew Bado! With over fifteen years of games industry experience, he’s had a hand in all manners of the business - between his duties as a QA tester, pixel artist, programmer, and now running his own independent development studio.