Category: Uncategorized

Ghouls ‘n Ghosts – 1988 Developer Interview

In this interview, conducted at the 1988 AM Show arcade trade event, Makaimura / Ghosts’n Goblins creator Tokuro Fujiwara and greenhorn Hiroshi Yamamoto discuss the making of Daimakaimura / Ghouls’n Ghosts, the impending sequel to Capcom’s 1985 smash hit arcade game, and how both an influx of new blood and new arcade hardware allowed the team to more fully realize the concepts established in the original game.

Crimzon Clover – 2011 Composer Interview

This very short Crimzon Clover interview with composer potechi was originally featured in volume 3 of the always excellent publication STG Gameside. I mainly translated it as a little nod to the newly released Crimzon Clover DLC which just came out (that I translated the voluminous superplay interviews for, actually).

Cosmic Fantasy – 1992 Developer Interview

Cosmic Fantasy is a relatively unknown series of four RPGs by Telnet released for the PC Engine. Kazuhiro Ochi is an animator who tried his hand at game design, though he never made anything past the Cosmic Fantasy series. This short interview covers how Ochi came to Telenet, his design process for Cosmic Fantasy, and some of his thoughts on gaming generally.

Contra: Hard Corps – 1994 Developer Commentary

This commentary from Contra: Hard Corps development leader Oh!Aji (a play on the japanese word oyaji, old man, and aji, flavor) was featured in the October 1994 edition of BEEP! Magazine, just after the game had been released in Japan. Here, Oh!Aji shares some interesting anecdotes from the development and a stage-by-stage narration of this Genesis classic.

Compile STG – 1993 Developer Interview

This 1993 Compile interview (actually a compilation of two interviews) with President Masamitsu Niitani covers the beginning of Compile’s history and their stance on STG generally. Some particularly critical words are to be found towards the end, and the talk of sequels to Super Aleste and Robo Aleste make you wonder what might have been. These interviews were found at the GSLA, a Japanese website that archives developer interviews from older print sources.

Compile STG – Musha Aleste and Spriggan Interviews

This interview with the MUSHA and Spriggan development teams at Compile is a rare look at two classic games. To my knowledge, it’s the only interview available with these teams. This first appeared in the Naxat STG Collection OST liner notes, so the focus is largely on music, but other aspects of the development are also touched on.

Clockwork Knight – 1995 Developer Interview

Clockwork Knight – 1995 Developer Interview This small, fun interview with Noriyoshi Ohba, the producer of Clockwork Knight, was originally featured in Sega Saturn Magazine (the successor to the famous BEEP! and BEEP! Megadrive publications). The interview actually takes place just before the release of Clockwork Knight 2. In a goofy twist, the magazine editor… Continue reading Clockwork Knight – 1995 Developer Interview

Chunsoft 30th Anniversary – 2014 Developer Interview

Chunsoft founder Kouichi Nakamura reflects on thirty years of game development in the first part of a lengthy interview with Famitsu, conducted in commemoration of Chunsoft’s 30th anniversary. Nakamura offers plenty of insight into Chunsoft’s varied catalog, from mainstream hits like Dragon Quest and the Mystery Dungeon series to their early forays into self-publishing and Nakamura’s own history as a prodigious hobbyist developer. Stay tuned for part II!

Chrono Trigger – 1994/95 Developer Interviews

These Chrono Trigger interviews were found at the GSLA. The first interview, from 1994, comes before Chrono Trigger was released and contains an interesting description of a more free-form event system that was never fully implemented, as well as an account of working together with legendary Enix developer Yuji Horii. The 1995 interview goes over the graphics, memory limitations, and development process at Square generally.