Moving on to gameplay, Foe notes the title has an astounding amount of content. "We wanted to pay homage not just to characters, but to gameplay mechanics, and that's a real challenge."
"How do you make a game about games? Blocks, bombs, characters, rescuing princesses," it was a challenge, but one that Foe jokes he was happy to share with Red Lynx, the Finland-based developer of Reset Generation.
The game they developed is, in fact, cross-platform for the PC and the Nokia N-Gage platform. "You can play on the go, or in your home," explains Foe.
The game has a story mode, and each of the 10 characters is a part of that story. The gameplay itself is simple. Every player is a hero, every player has a princess. Players lay down blocks from a birds'-eye view, trying to rescue opposing players' princesses, while protecting their own princess from their opponents - "an homage to classical gameplay mechanics."
He demonstrates how a level works in the campaign mode, and the audiences laughs at the appropriate, amusing voice acting. "Where this game really shines is online. Four-player, multiplayer, and it is frantic, and it is fun."
There are global rankings to show the top 10 players in the world, a friends list, and then a list of people who are simply near your location. Foe mentions "N-Gage Points" and says they're like Xbox Live points.
For a spontaneous demonstration, two of the developers whip out their cell phones while a third uses a laptop hooked up to a projector. They proceed to smoothly join a game and start battling each other as the audience watches the screen.
Foe details the community features for the game, which is slated for a Summer 2008 release. Then the press is invited to get their hands on Reset Generation. Some play, some watch. They switch places and trade positive impressions.
Throughout, Foe stands ever ready to point out some detail, to answer any question or to quickly demonstrate a feature. At the end of the night, and after the development cycle has finished, the creator of Reset Generation still enjoys playing his game.
8 Bit Weapon gives a rousing performance from the game's soundtrack. And then the party is over. The clean-up crew gets to work, while a handful of journalists and developers stand around discussing what they've just witnessed, and what it means.
"It's definitely a triumph," says Scott Foe as his interviews wind down for the night and he's ready to cross the street to a club where a chilled bottle of champagne is waiting to be opened in celebration. "We've definitely planted the flag."
