Japanese Developers Discuss X360
A couple of days before launch, the big names share their thoughts.
by IGN Staff
December 7, 2005 - Xbox 360 is all set for Japanese release on 12/10, and in anticipation of that, Japan's biggest magazines have issued special issues devoted specifically to the Xbox 360. Joining the monthly Famitsu Xbox 360 for one time installments are Dengeki Xbox 360 from the Dengeki group, and Xbox 360ism from the publishers of Dorimaga.
The Xbox 360ism publication is, in particular, full of quality 360 coverage (not surprisingly, as the main Dorimaga is one of our favorite publications), including a DVD with high definition videos of the 360's top upcoming games. But those who prefer to read (and can handle the kanji) will find a lengthy feature in which the producers of the 360's top Japanese titles share their thoughts on the system. The developer commentary section includes comments from a few otherwise silent creators and some new revelations, so let's take a quick look at what everyone has to say.
Leading off the pack is ultra cool Yoichi Okamoto, head of Game Republic. His company's first Xbox 360 title, Every Party, is launching with the system on 12/10. Game Republic is also in development with a second X360 title, and Okamoto reveals that this game was originally being prepared for release near the system's launch, but it suffered a delay -- it's not too bad a delay, though, he points out. Unlike Every Party, which was made specifically for the Japanese market, Okamoto states that the second title is being developed with a world wide audience in mind.
Q Entertainment's equally ultra cool Tetsuya Mizuguchi has his say as well. Commenting on the initial development of Ninety-Nine Nights, set for Japanese Xbox 360 release next Spring, he states that Microsoft's Japanese Xbox manager Yoshihiro Maruyama originally asked his team if they had any ideas for new games, and they responded with two games, one of which became N3. Mizuguchi states with a smile that, as an entertainment creator, he'd prefer for separate formats to be a thing of the past, and he believes that in the future this will happen.
Red Entertainment's Hiroi Ouji, producer of the Sakura Taisen and Tengai Makyo series, seems to have a preference for Microsoft's new console. Ouji expressed his belief that only the most wealthy developers will be able to make games for the PS3, while Xbox 360 is more developer friendly and requires comparatively less investment.
Which brings us to Tomonobu Itagaki, whose Team Ninja is working around the clock to get Dead or Alive 4 out, complete with Xbox Live play. Asked why he normally works with the Xbox brand, Itagaki makes an analogy to cars, stating that he doesn't want to ride a slow car or a car that's hard to handle. Development times went from six months, when he was first starting out ten years ago, to thirteen months now, making a speedy and easy to handle machine a requirement.
Capcom's Keiji Inafune is next up to bat, and he first comments that he's taken notice of Microsoft's great development support since the time of Genma Onimusha. Dead Rising will be released to Japan some time after Summer of 2006, with the development staff working hard to make it come out as soon as possible. It could be released earlier, he states, but Capcom wants to fully utilize the X360's hardware specs, rather than rushing. As for Resident Evil 5, he states that Capcom hopes to develope the Resident Evil series as multiplatform, and would thus like to have both versions of part 5 arrive simultaneously -- although he can't comment on specifics because he doesn't even know final details on the PS3's launch. RE5 will have Online elements, he adds, without getting into details.
