BlackSite: Area 51 - Interview

We also heard the storyline is being penned by the same woman who did Gears of War. How much work has been put into the plot?

Wood:
Absolutely, Susan O'Conner. We started working on the story way back in pre-production because it's vital - a lot of times, especially in my career, the story comes late in the project; once the game's been designed you bring in a writer or you punch-up the dialogue and sort of retro-fit it into the product, and that's not really the way to create a fully-interactive experience. We got Susan involved really early and she's been really great to work with. She's been integral even in the game design; she interacts with the game designers on a regular basis and it just makes it more cohesive, so as you're playing through the game it doesn't feel like it's a tacked-on element - you're actually playing through a narrative that feels seamless.

Do you have a particular favorite piece of badass marine dialogue?

Wood:
(laughs) There are quite a few - I don't really have a favorite that jumps out at me though. There's some really good dialogue; especially the further you get through the game and things kind of ramp up in terms of intensity - there's a lot of cool stuff.