Seppo Helava: Self Aware Games

Name: Seppo Helava

Company: Self Aware Games

Profession: Lead Designer

Favorite Classic Game: MechWarrior

Quote: Well, aside from the obvious appeal of running around in giant robots blowing things up, and the at-the-time state-of-the-art 3D graphics, the thing that made the game really memorable for me was final battle. Up against four Battlemasters, you were outgunned by a ridiculous degree – but if you focused your fire on the Battlemasters’ heads, you could blow off the head, disabling the mech. You could then use the giant mechs’ bodies to shield you from the other Battlemasters, and blow off their heads one-by-one. Beating four Battlemasters with a Locust was an incredibly satisfying experience.

It was one of the first instances where I felt like I’d done something in a game that I didn’t think the designers had specifically intended, and it showed the flexibility & diversity of what you could do in a videogame.

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