http://shmuplations.com/famicomhistory/
(direct video link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFgp_eykD4E)
This documentary about the history of the Famicom, released in 2003, features interviews with several key developers and industry figures from the era, including Hideo Kojima, Keiji Inafune, Koichi Nakamura, Toshihir...
I was hoping to get a few Christmas-week updates in at the last minute here, but work/family/holiday busyness has conspired to thwart that endeavor. As such, aside from the Puzzle Creators interview that was posted earlier this month, I'm going to take December off and extend the voting period this cycle through March.
You won't be charged anything for this month, of course (one of the advantages of having a per creation patreon campaign), and I'll have some great stuff to share right ...
http://shmuplations.com/puzzlegamecreators/
Originally published in Game Hihyou magazine, this feature saw several key puzzle game creators reflecting on the essence of puzzle video game design and sharing the origin stories of several of the most fondly-remembered puzzles games of the late ’80s and ’90s, from arcade classics like Puyo Puyo, Puzzle Bobble, Columns and Magical Drop to the console-exc...
Greetings to all patrons new and old. It's time again to offer suggestions and feedback re: what you'd like to see translated in the next few months. I'll still be referring to the previous voting posts, but it's never a bad idea to post again what you'd like to see translated. Also, if multiple people suggest the same interview, it's more likely to get translated, so feel free to second other people's suggestions. And as always, don't hesitate to ask questions about the interviews if y...
2020-12-06 03:34:52 +0000 UTC View Post
http://shmuplations.com/skiesofarcadia/
This massive selection of Skies of Arcadia interviews chronicles the development of the game from 1999 through 2000. After the two Famitsu Dreamcast interviews with Producer Rieko Kodama and Director/Planner Shuntaro Tanaka, I’ve arranged the remaining Dreamcast Magazine interviews in chronological order. Gameplay, characters, inspiration, worldbuilding, and more ar...
http://shmuplations.com/wonderprojectj2/
These two Dengeki SFC interviews cover the making of Wonder Project J2, the sequel to Almanac/Givro & Enix’s hit “communication adventure” game and one of only two Enix-published games published for the Nintendo 64. Producer Hiroki Fujimoto and director/writer Takashi Yoneda discuss the trials of making the game for the then-unreleased Nintendo 64, their e...
http://shmuplations.com/yasunorimitsuda2/
In this candid Yasunori Mitsuda interview from 2000, the lauded composer talks about his early days before joining Square, the pressure of Chrono Trigger, his favorite compositions, the influence of Russian trad music, and more. Featured in Nice Games magazine, it makes an excellent companion piece to his game hihyou magazine interview of three years later.
2020-11-26 01:57:39 +0000 UTC
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http://shmuplations.com/steelbattalion/
Taken from the October 2002 issue of Famitsu Xbox, this interview covers the making of Capcom and Nude Maker’s uncompromising military vehicle simulator Steel Batallion, released exclusively for the original Xbox and famously designed in tandem with a multi-piece, 44-input cockpit-style control panel.
In addition to comments from director Hifumi Kono and mech...
http://shmuplations.com/adkninjas/
In this collection of brief interviews, several members of the SNK-affiliated developer ADK (formerly Alpha Denshi) discuss the origins of the company and some of their most memorable Neo Geo works, including the fighting game World Heroes, the hardcore action-platformer Magician Lord and the first-person fantasy combat game Crossed Swords, with sp...
http://shmuplations.com/kojima/
In this 1999 interview, the now-legendary game director Hideo Kojima offers some broad insight into the circumstances behind his biggest creations, from the original stealth-action game Metal Gear to the adventure games Snatcher and Policenauts, coming full circle with the 3D “tactical espionage action” game Metal Gear Solid, as well as his affections for cinema and how they co-e...
http://shmuplations.com/dariusgaiden/
In this interview, originally published in Gamest mook vol.6, several members of Taito’s arcade development team discuss the making of Darius Gaiden, the third arcade entry in Taito’s venerable horizontal STG series.
Alongside in-depth questions about the game’s structure and scoring tricks, the developers elaborate on the circumstances behind the “gaiden...
http://shmuplations.com/arcadiavideo/
This massive, comprehensive Skies of Arcadia developer interview from 2019 was originally featured as a part of IGN Japan’s “Motto Kikasete!” series, hosted by MC Aoi Tatsuse. Featuring producer Rieko Kodama (who had just received ...
http://shmuplations.com/bloodyroar3/
This interview with Hudson director Kenji Fukuya covers the making of the 2000 arcade & PlayStation 2 game Bloody Roar 3, the critical and commercial apex of Hudson & Raizing’s flashy and outlandish series of 3D fighting games centered around the unique gimmick of “beastorization”, with a particular focus on the developers’ efforts to refine the series’ un...
http://shmuplations.com/ffv/
In this interview, several key members of Square’s Final Fantasy V development team, including director Hironobu Sakaguchi, composer Nobuo Uematsu and then-fledgling designer Tetsuya Nomura, discuss their ambitions for the game, the challenges faced during production, some of the ideas that ultimately went unused and their desires to differentiate from and improve upon FFIV.
http://shmuplations.com/iidakazutoshi/
Conducted prior to the release of the surreal caveman-themed sandbox Tail of the Sun, this interview with creator Kazutoshi Iida covers the motivations behind his previous game, the “undersea exploration game” Aquanaut’s Holiday, and Iida’s desires to rail against the perceived codification and homogenization by players, developers and even his own employer Artd...
Greetings to all patrons new and old. It's time again to offer suggestions and feedback re: what you'd like to see translated in the next few months. I'll still be referring to the previous voting posts, but it's never a bad idea to post again what you'd like to see translated. Also, if multiple people suggest the same interview, it's more likely to get translated, so feel free to second other people's suggestions. And as always, don't hesitate to ask questions about the interviews if y...
2020-09-06 03:39:33 +0000 UTC View Post
http://shmuplations.com/shiningforceii/
These four interviews chronicle the development and promotion of the Mega Drive strategy-RPG Shining Force 2, the hotly-anticipated sequel to the critically-acclaimed Shining Force and the third home title for Sonic! Software Planning (now known as Camelot), whose Shining series had rapidly grown to cover both console and handheld entries, one of which is also address...
http://shmuplations.com/starocean4/
Taken from the Official Guide Book, this lengthy interview covers the making of Star Ocean 4, the first high-definition entry in tri-Ace’s long-running sci-fi RPG series. Several key members of the development team discuss their goals, their self-described status as “overachievers” and how those inclinations influenced all facets of the game, ...
2020-08-20 21:06:29 +0000 UTC View Post
http://shmuplations.com/papermario/
In this interview, developers from Nintendo and Intelligent Systems discuss the making of the original Paper Mario, a late Nintendo 64 title that charmed fans with its unique 2D/3D papercraft aesthetic, inventive action-tinged battle system and offbeat take on the Mario universe.
http://shmuplations.com/klonoa/
In these two interviews + developer team commentary, several of Namco’s developers discuss the conception and making of the beloved 1997 PlayStation action game Klonoa: Door to Phantomile, a game whose snappy and approachable controls, charming universe, expertly-crafted 2-on-3D visuals and unexpected mid-game tonal shift helped cultivate a loyal fanbase and...
http://shmuplations.com/fftmusic/
In the original Japanese version of Final Fantasy Tactics, a hidden sound test menu can be accessed by entering “BGMききたい” as Ramza’s name. Sadly this was cut for the non-Japanese releases. It’s really too bad, as it contained unused music by Sakimoto/Iwata as well as several unique compositions for the sound novels (also cut) by otherwise u...
http://shmuplations.com/guiltygear/
These two interviews cover the development of the original Guilty Gear, an idiosyncratic and extremely ambitious 2D fighting game released exclusively for the PlayStation by Ark System Works, a veteran studio that heretofore worked primarily and almost solely on un-credited work-for-hire projects.
Developed by a small handful of newcomers dubbed ...
2020-07-22 12:05:30 +0000 UTC View Post
http://shmuplations.com/lunar/
This collection of interviews from BEEP Mega Drive magazine chronicles the development and release of Lunar: The Silver Star, the beloved 1992 RPG published by Game Arts and developed by the now-defunct Studio Alex, a team formed by ex-members of Nihon Falcom and Xtalsoft.
Lunar was conceived and crafted in tandem with the then-burgeoning CD-ROM forma...
http://shmuplations.com/gameandwatch/
In this essay from the book Gunpei Yokoi’s Game Museum, the late toy and game designer Gunpei Yokoi recounts the creation and success of the Game & Watch, Nintendo’s handheld LCD game line that saw almost 60 variants across eleven years and sold well over 40 million overall units worldwide.
While the technology and sensibility of the Game & Watch has be...
http://shmuplations.com/gigawing/
These two Giga Wing interviews, covering both the original game and its sequel, were originally featured in Gamest and Arcadia magazines. The GW2 interview covers familiar territory with regard to character and game design topics, while the GW1 interview with producer Noritaka Funamizu explains more of the working relationship between Capcom and Takumi. This “team-up” was nov...
http://shmuplations.com/quinty/
This 2014 interview, held to commemorate the game’s first-ever reissue, saw Game Freak’s Ken Sugimori and Junichi Masuda reminiscing about the making of their first game, the panel-flipping, arcade-style Famicom action game, Quinty (released overseas as Mendel Palace).
Of particular focus is Quinty’s roots as a genuine indie game, developed by a loose affiliation of unli...
http://shmuplations.com/dinocrisis/
This fascinating pre-release interview with Dino Crisis director and producer Shinji Mikami was originally featured in the 5/99 edition of The Playstation magazine. While many pre-release interviews are essentially little more than promotional fluff, this one sees Mikami expounding on his ideas about horror game design, difficulty, and how to engage players on a deeper level ...
Greetings to all patrons new and old. It's time again to offer suggestions and feedback re: what you'd like to see translated in the next few months. I'll still be referring to the previous voting posts, but it's never a bad idea to post again what you'd like to see translated. Also, if multiple people suggest the same interview, it's more likely to get translated, so feel free to second other people's suggestions. And as always, don't hesitate to ask questions about the interviews if y...
2020-06-09 23:30:37 +0000 UTC View Post
http://shmuplations.com/harumifujita/
This composer interview with Harumi Fujita from 2011 first appeared in issue #2 of STG Gameside. Although the games she made at SNK were not commercially succesful, Fujita’s music at Capcom helped define the company’s sound during it’s first golden age in the mid to late 1980s. In the next decade, she juggled being a mother and working freelance on a number of games...
http://shmuplations.com/legendofmana/
This lengthy Legend of Mana interview with both the story and battle teams was originally published in the official Ultimania guide. As expected of an entry in the exhaustive Ultimania series, it covers all aspects of the development, including the art design, music, battle systems, and the unique omnibus story approach taken by the writers. There’s also a nice vibe of ...