"Prepare for a sensory delight"

As Super Stardust HD blasts onto PlayStation Network, Housemarque, the development team behind the game, reveals its thoughts on PlayStation 3.

Can you explain the concept of Super Stardust HD?

Housemarque: SSHD is a super intense twin-stick shooter which introduces new elements to the genre. Two of the main innovations are the gameplay sphere and massively destructible objects such as a large asteroid.

That asteroid can be split up into hundreds and hundreds of pieces, each with its own physics. Or the player can use a bomb and vaporise just half of the asteroid or split it up from the middle. In short; the asteroid can be destroyed pretty much any way the player chooses and has the weapons for.

What kind of modes will be featured in the game?

We have three modes, Arcade, Planet Mode and Co-Op. The modes are pretty simple: Arcade continues from planet to planet and loops from the beginning when completed; Planet Mode is just a single planet mode and when the planet is completed the game ends, which allows for quick high score posting; and Co-Op is like Arcade but with two players on the screen.

Where does the music come from?

Each of the five planets has its own original music. As the soundtrack was tailor-made for the game by game music author Ari Pulkkinen, we were able to shoot for a very specific style. We chose to have heroic space music with orchestral and electronic overtones.

What size was the development team for the game?

The average team size was around seven and the peak was ten guys.

Can you tell us more about Housemarque?

Housemarque is a 12-year-old game development company based in Helsinki, Finland. We have worked on several different platforms in the past including PC, consoles, mobile and handheld platforms, but it certainly has been most rewarding to develop for PlayStation 3. Currently, we are very excited to be working on downloadable games such as Super Stardust HD and we are looking forward to creating several exciting downloadable games for PS3 in the future!

What did PS3 allow you to do that you couldn't have done before?

We are pushing the hardware to get over 10,000 active objects with physics and collisions and over 75,000 particles simulated and drawn 60 frames per second. These kinds of numbers were a distant dream just a year or two ago.

What's your take on the Games for PlayStation Network?

As the production and distribution costs are lower for these digital markets, there is more room for innovation. I truly believe that this channel will offer many breakthrough games in the coming years.

Finally, anything you'd like to say to PS3 owners awaiting Super Stardust?

Prepare for a sensory delight.