You've already mentioned two of mine - Miyazaki and Hashino. I also enjoyed Cory Barlog's work on God of War and Shinji Mikami with Resident Evil and Resident Evil 4.
I think it’s crazy to think Hidetaka Miyazaki borrowed Ico from a friend, left his desk job as an accountant and went on to direct some of the best games ever made IMO.
Who would I’ve been if that man didn’t say ”fuck it, I’ll make my own god damn game with dudes laughing creepy and women covering their eyes with wax”
If you are hoping for “drama” here then sorry to disappoint you. This thread is all about personal opinion, if you like his games then you like what you like.
If you are hoping for “drama” here then sorry to disappoint you. This thread is all about personal opinion, if you like his games then you like what you like.
Fumito Ueda (Ico, SOTC, The Last Guardian), Yoshiaki Koizumi (Link's Awakening, Majora's Mask, Super Mario Galaxy) and Josef Fares (Brothers : A Tale of Two Sons, A Way Out, It Takes Two) are my top favorite developers, as each designs games with unique storytelling techniques that can only be done through the medium of video games.
Koizumi especially is underrated as he isn't in the spotlight as much as the other Nintendo developers, and only started being more a public face with the Switch as he's currently the main executive in charge of overseeing their software planning and development. This man has created amazing entries in both of the most iconic franchises in gaming, arguably the best in each series. Easily one of the GOATs.
Yoshiaki Koizumi (The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, The Wind Waker, Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat, Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, Super Mario Galaxy)
Eiji Aonuma (The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Twilight Princess)
Hidemaro Fujibayashi (The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons, Oracle of Ages, Four Swords, The Minish Cap, Phantom Hourglass, Skyward Sword, Breath of the Wild)
Ryoto Kawade (Paper Mario)
Toshitaka Muramatsu (Paper Mario)
Takahiro Ogi (Paper Mario)
Hironobu Suzuki (Paper Mario)
Toru Osawa (The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time)
Yoichi Yamada (The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time)
Toshio Iwawaki (The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time)
I had the amazing privilege of being one of the 1st people in the world too see a live demo of both Bloodborne and Dark Souls 3 being physically played at a private showing. It was him and a few team members along with other journalists in the room and of course a translator. This occurred in the year 2014 and 2015. One of my best and most favorite experiences in my career. They also gave us Dark Souls 3 swag in a form of a portal charger for a phone.
I also bumped into him randomly on a bench at E3 2018, at that point he already remembered me and knew who I was.
He didn't speak a lick of English, but all I had to was say "Bloodborne" and then give 2 thumbs up and he smiled at me. Best memory.
Fuck COVID, I probably would of seen Elden Ring by now :/
Maybe I'm a dinosaur here, but I don't really follow who was a game director for product A or product B other than the few very recognizable names like Kojima, Miyazaki or Yamauchi.
Maybe I'm a dinosaur here, but I don't really follow who was a game director for product A or product B other than the few very recognizable names like Kojima, Miyazaki or Yamauchi.
From my list the only diectors i didn't knew their names (but loved their work) were the directors of The Witcher 3. Everyone else are creators which i know very well and some i consider legends.
Miyamoto. He doesn’t direct games now and only just messes shit up as a producer. He was a great director but a meh producer. I was him back in the directors chair and driving his own vision not diluting someone else’s vision.
Kojima and Ueda are up there for sure, but for some reason I really gravitate towards the stuff Suda51 and Swery65 cook up. Oh and Toshihiro Nagoshi for the Yakuza games and Toshihiro Nagoshi for Silent Hill.
Yoshiaki Koizumi and Eiji Aonuma are the architects and were heavily involved in Majora’s Mask game design and overall decisions (they spent a lot of time on it) it’s remarkable what they did. They offer a little sense of humor, show-boat, moments, stuff that makes it a great game.