This short interview with Demon’s Crest creators Tokuro Fujiwara and Masahiko Kurokawa first appeared in the November 1994 edition of Famicon Tsuushin. It mainly covers the creation of the Red Arremer character and the challenges of trying to hybridize action and adventure gameplay. Fujiwara’s remarks about new possibilities for the action genre foreshadow his subsequent move to Whoopee Camp and the development of Tomba series.
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Deathsmiles – 2008 Superplayer Interview
In this short interview originally featured in Arcadia (part of a series of superplayer interviews), Clover-TAC talks about his experience playing Deathsmiles and his philosophy of scoring generally. A supremely talented player, Clover-TAC would later pivot to development and create Crimzon Clover. This interview is part of a “superplayer series” on shmuplations focusing on the unsung feats of arcade scoreplayers.
Data East – 2004 Developer Interview
In this roundtable interview, originally published in Arcade Gamer in 2004, the mysterious “D”, “E”, “C” & “O” share their insight on the inner workings of Data East, a company that intrigued and confounded audiences with a near-constant barrage of original and very peculiar arcade games from the late ’70s until formally dissolving in the early ’00s. They offer plenty of gossip, and more than a few Wikipedia corrections, about some of DECO’s most memorable titles.
Data East – 2002 Round Table Interview
In this round table interview first published in the 2002 book Chou Arcade, three developers (and one PR rep) share their memories of arcade development at Data East in the late 80s and early 90s. Unfortunately, they opted for anonymity and only their initials are given here. It’s a bit of a whirlwind tour through the latter days of Data East, but Karnov and Atomic Runner Chelnov get some special attention.
Darkstalkers’ Revenge – 1995 Developer Interview
In this 1995 interview, the developers of Night Warriors: Darkstalkers’ Revenge (sometimes called Darkstalkers 2) discuss changes between the games, content that was cut, and the challenges of FTG character design and balancing. There is a focus on the new characters Donovan and Lei-Lei. This interview was found at the GSLA (though its original source is probably Gamest).
Darkstalkers – 1994 Developer Interview
This Darkstalkers interview with planner Junichi Ohno and Capcom producer Noritaka Funamizu was originally featured in Gamest magazine in 1994. While not especially long, it goes into some nice detail about the new game mechanics, the unusual characters, and the developers’ efforts to differentiate themselves from Street Fighter II. I’ve also added a selection of concept art (from the All About Vampire mooks) which I don’t believe have been shared online yet!
Darius Gaiden – 1994 Developer Interview
In this interview, originally published in Gamest mook vol.6, Taito’s arcade development team discusses the making of Darius Gaiden, the third arcade entry in the venerable Darius series. Alongside in-depth questions about the game’s structure and scoring tricks, the team elaborates on the “gaiden” designation, the connections to prior entries, and their efforts to fully utilize the power of the F3 arcade board.
Darius I&II – 1986/89 Developer Interviews
These two interviews from Gamest cover the development of Darius and its hotly-anticipated sequel, Darius II. The developers outline their ambitions to wow players with a combination of indomitable audiovisual finesse and hordes of unique, show-stopping bosses, many of which weren’t able to be realized in the original game. I’ve also translated the first chapter of the “Darius Story” comic mentioned here, which ran in the April 1986 issue of Gamest.
The Making of Darius – 1987 Developer Interview
This Darius feature originally appeared in the April 1987 edition of BEEP! magazine. While I usually stick to “pure” interviews for shmuplations, the content of this one merited translating the whole thing. The focuse is on the hardware, and while not containing any particular revelations or secrets, it does a nice job of showing how Darius was made and some of the alternate ideas Taito considered for its new “3-screen” hardware.
Dame KK – 2008 Superplayer Interview
This short but sweet interview with STG superplayer Dame KK, originally featured in Arcadia magazine, covers his experience at the Japanese STG event Wasshoi (now in Europe) where he performed a live run of Deathsmiles for the audience. Although there is no specific strategic discussions, he ably conveys his passion for STG and scoring.