DRIV3R [Xbox]

Since entering the spotlight, Texas-native Michelle Rodriguez has proved that audiences love a tough chick with both beauty and brawn. Besides starring in hit movies The Fast and the Furious and Resident Evil, the award-winning actress has also provided voice work in best-selling video game True Crime: Streets of L.A. and the upcoming DRIV3R. We recently caught up with Rodriguez for a chat about her role in Atari's free-roam driving game, her gaming habits, and more.

Games Domain: How did you get involved in working on DRIV3R?

Michelle Rodriguez: I got into the game after they were done with all the animation -- I only did voice work. It was pretty much a last minute thing. They asked my agency if I liked video games and being that I guess I was in The Fast and Furious, they thought, "Hey, you know she's a pretty bitchy person, kinda like [my in-game character] Calita, why not throw her in this video game?" I was like, wait a minute, what video game? Because I'm a gamer, and kinda picky. [laughs] If it's not going to be a hit, I'm not going to bother.

GD: What kind of games do you play?

MR: I've moved forward from the Atari days, from the Colecovision days, to the Sega Genesis days... so I leaped from your basic Tetris, Pole Position to your fighting games like Tekken, Street Fighter, and Mortal Kombat. And now I play tactical games, which is more like Rainbow Six and Metal Gear Solid. I like those violent tactical games.

Fantasy games, like Zelda, it turns me off -- I don't like the graphics on the way to the exciting moments. It reminds me of Dungeons & Dragons, and for that, I'd just play D & D with my friends, you know?

GD: You play Dungeons & Dragons?

MR: Yeah! I've got a geeky side, honey, don't worry about it.

GD: Have you ever entered any game tournaments?

No, I'd just play with my friends, my brothers, family. It's just a hobby.

GD: What consoles do you own?

I have an Xbox and a PlayStation. I have a GameCube, but I really don't use it. Little kids games! The only real game they have is Resident Evil, so I wait till that comes out and then go get [the GameCube] out of the closet. [laughs]

GD: What did you see at E3 you liked?

MR: I checked out Syphon Filter, Mortal Kombat: Deception... my God, that game looks sick!

GD: So, how do you like DRIV3R?

MR: I like DRIV3R! The aspect that's going to be really interesting for kids, and for everybody, is the new feature-- like, we all know that Driver was the one that set the standard. That's why I signed on. Come on man, this is the father of these types of games. Like the cool rebel. From Moonlighting, the Bruce Willis type of character -- they started it.

So the facet that's going to set another standard is being able to direct your own little movies in the game -- a game within a game. Kids are going to start acquiring interest in directing and visualizing and creating their own... own chaos [laughs]. Because after a while of dying and getting killed, you know where the action sits, so to be able to place the camera in a specific spot, and shoot it yourself is an exciting new venue for kids.

GD: Do you play online at all?

MR: Yeah, I just started with Splinter Cell. Gosh, these guys, they hop on in a week, and they're so... because they spend all their waking hours of the day on the game.

GD: Would you if you had time?

MR: If I had time? Yeah, I totally would. The thing is, after a while, you're like, "OK, I have to get back to reality."

GD: So what's next? More video games?

MR: I'm going to sink my teeth into video games a lot more. Development, and all that good stuff. I think a lot of people are tapping into it, but if you're a gamer, you have a heads-up on what's going on. My goal is to develop a really good franchise.

There's a lot of things I miss... like that whole Contra / Double Dragon factor, being able to play a game with my friend, and the whole game is just us two with no splitscreen. Then mix that with the graphics we see today. It would be like Grand Theft Auto, you could interact with all sorts of humans, just walking down the street -- not everyone's your target like in a Doom first-person shooting zombie game. I'd like it if you had a big map of the city, with the three-dimension realistic graphics of today, and the Contra factor to play with your friends.

GD: What challenges are you facing?

MR: You have to know the lingo! For instance, if you want a make a movie that empowers women, you say, "I want to work on your next film that's the next Thelma and Louise with a Natural Born Killers edge. So boom, you know you have an R-rated movie, with a specific audience of rebellious kick-ass girls. So that's the lingo you have to use with these publishers, and I'm learning! I'd like to develop a video game from scratch with a publisher with me in it as a kind of target, then I have something to offer, see how everything's done, and then move on and do bigger and better things.

Our thanks to Michelle for her time.

Want more DRIV3R? Be sure to check out our In-depth preview and our huge compilation of exclusive content in the game's downloads section, which includes a "Making Of" documentary hosted by Michael Madsen, concept art, wallpapers, and gameplay footage.