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Why I'm still excited for The Evil Within!

B

Black Soma

Member
About Nakamura, Mikami says she's a potential director along with Shigenori Nishikawa (MadWorld director) and Naoki Katakai (REbirth art director).

From the same Polygon article:

Just prior to the Tokyo Game Show in September 2013, Mikami began telling the team at Tango that he had identified three team members who he thinks are capable of directing games at the company in the future. He can't say when it might happen or what those games might be, just that these three are next in line.

They are Evil Within lead game designer Shigenori Nishikawa, art director Naoki Katakai and lead concept artist Ikumi Nakamura. "Each of them has different things that stand out," Mikami says. "Nishikawa is good at managing people and taking care of team members. Katakai is great at visualizing the world he imagines. And Nakamura, I can't ever predict what she'll think of. It's so unique."

Nishikawa, who previously directed black and white action game MadWorld at Platinum Games, takes the praise modestly. "I know that I don't have any special genius creativity," he says, "but maybe Mikami thinks I do? I mean, why is he always nominating me? When I look back at my past accomplishments, I don't see it."

When Nishikawa describes his approach to development, however, it fits right in line with Mikami's comments. He talks of giving a game structure to prevent the team from constantly tearing things down and losing motivation, and customizing a game's design to team members' preferences. "Mikami probably saw me trying to make this environment where we're enjoying making games together without worrying about who's job is what and thought I looked like I could put a team together," he says.

While responsible for Evil Within's look, Katakai says his job is mostly keeping things on track, trying to find the balance so things don't end up "too 'cool,' too 'pretty,' or too 'dirty.'" He credits his design sense and ideas, as well as experience working with outside teams and team members who disagree with one another as why Mikami may have picked him.

Katakai says he also often tends to start in on an idea before getting permission, since he finds it challenging to describe his ideas before he has something to show. "It is really difficult to articulate what I feel," he says. "I'm probably only communicating 10% of what I really want to say. In terms of the production environment, it is a good environment for each of the members of the team. Especially for people in art, communication is very clear. Because if you have talent, all you have to do is get something presented on screen."

Nakamura, the first woman whom Mikami has chosen as a potential director, takes her own modest approach. "Mr. Mikami seems to think I am a strange animal," she says. "Maybe that's why he's taken interest in me? The other two above me, Mr. Katakai and Mr. Nishikawa, have their own distinct personalities. I wouldn't say I'm in the same league."

She previously worked on concept art for stylish action game Bayonetta, and says she tries to approach her work with a high-level concept behind it to avoid being labeled "just an artist." "Concept artists often get caught up in the visual quality of their work, but I think the idea at the heart of it is most important," she says, noting the importance of providing direction to the team. She also draws a comic strip called "The Real Tango" on the company's website, which refers to her as a "rookie director."

While Nishikawa, Katakai and Nakamura are on Mikami's short list, what that means in practical terms remains up in the air.

Mikami says he's not auditioning them or having them compete with one another, at least not at the moment. "I'm not particularly doing anything to select or promote them," he says. "I'm just observing everyone and trying to grow their talent naturally. And right now, I just see those three."

He also clarifies that as of late 2013 none of them have games in the works, even in the early stages of pre-production. And he can't say for certain whether one of them will direct Tango's next game — it might be one of them with him overseeing, or it might be him again.
Click to expand...
 
S

StuBurns

Banned
He needs to get the Vanquish dude who became a farmer back to direct another action game. An entire industry was trying to make third person shooters, and that dude handily outclassed everyone.
 
S

SlasherJPC

Banned
StuBurns said:
He needs to get the Vanquish dude who became a farmer back to direct another action game. An entire industry was trying to make third person shooters, and that dude handily outclassed everyone.
Click to expand...

I'm confused. Do you mean designer? Shinji Mikami was the director of Vanquish.
 
K

kodecraft

Member
Black Soma said:
About Nakamura, Mikami says she's a potential director along with Shigenori Nishikawa (MadWorld director) and Naoki Katakai (REbirth art director).

From the same Polygon article:
Click to expand...

I'm glad he took Shigenori Nishikawa with him, he did well with Mad World.

He should just have the whole Vanquish team with him for this The Evil Within.
 
rapid32.5

rapid32.5

Member
Will buy this game day one which I don't do nowdays to support horror genre and future Mikami's developmental ideas.
 
K

Kodiak

Not an asshole.
It doesn't seem like there are any new ideas going on here.

The reason RE4 was so awesome was they rethought how the game controlled. They need to go back and rethink things again and add new details to the movement and interactions with the environment. This just seems like another rehash of RE4.
 
S

SlasherJPC

Banned
Kodiak said:
It doesn't seem like there are any new ideas going on here.

The reason RE4 was so awesome was they rethought how the game controlled. They need to go back and rethink things again and add new details to the movement and interactions with the environment. This just seems like another rehash of RE4.
Click to expand...

I just think at this point ande there is too little to really know. I mean correct me if I'm wrong, but when people first saw RE4 wasn't there concern it wouldn't be that great? Like at the very first screenshots, etc. Then later when video, and previews started coming out it started gaining huge hype?
 
D

Dusk Golem

A 21st Century Rockefeller
I think both something good and bad here about this game is that they've shown off very little of the game. We're three months away from release, and no one outside of the development team has actually gotten to play the game, they have shown very little, though the impressions are negative mainly as apparently what they showed at PAX East wasn't very impressive.

I'm of course looking forward to it, to be seen how it all fares in the end, but I have my sneaking suspicions it;ll be better than a lot of people think it'll be. But if that means just okay to good or amazing is another topic entirely.
 
S

SlasherJPC

Banned
Dusk Golem said:
I think both something good and bad here about this game is that they've shown off very little of the game. We're three months away from release, and no one outside of the development team has actually gotten to play the game, they have shown very little, though the impressions are negative mainly as apparently what they showed at PAX East wasn't very impressive.

I'm of course looking forward to it, to be seen how it all fares in the end, but I have my sneaking suspicions it;ll be better than a lot of people think it'll be. But if that means just okay to good or amazing is another topic entirely.
Click to expand...

Interesting you brings this up because someone on my twitter feed just mentioned to me that the press got a 2 hours hands on today with embargo dropping May 27th. Not sure if it's true but just passing it along.
 
-MD-

-MD-

Member
SlasherJPC said:
Interesting you brings this up because someone on my twitter feed just mentioned to me that the press got a 2 hours hands on today with embargo dropping May 27th. Not sure if it's true but just passing it along.
Click to expand...

Hope that's true.
 
J

JoeFenix

Member
Still Day 1 because Mikami but I'm not entirely confident in the direction the game seems to be taking.

Hopefully he doesn't blow it!
 
M

monocle_wearing_hyrax

Neo Member
I see that some people are confused about which games were directed by Mikami. Here is an edited list from Wikipedia.

The Evil Within/ 2014/ Director
Vanquish/ 2010/ Director
God Hand/ 2006/ Director
Resident Evil 4/ 2005/ Director
P.N.03/ 2003/ Director
Resident Evil (remake)/ 2002/ Director
Dino Crisis/ 1999/ Director/Producer
Resident Evil/ 1996/ Director/Producer

Now it seems he directed the following games but the term director wasn't used.

Goof Troop/ 1994/ Game designer
Aladdin (SNES)/ 1993/ Planner
Super Lap (unreleased)/ 1992/ Planner
Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (Game Boy)/ 1991/ Planner
Capcom Quiz: Hatena? no Daibōken (Game Boy)/ 1990/ Planner
 
G

grandwizard

Member
I am excited for it but I know its going to be another action game with horror themes. And I have no problem with that. People expecting a true survival horror game will probably be disappointed though.
 
ZehDon

ZehDon

Member
To me, it so far looks like a decent 7/10 game, and I look forward to buying it. Unless the word of mouth post-launch is "It gave me anal cancer", I'm happy to take a trip.
 
T

The_Monk

Member
Nice thread, something expected from fellow GAFfer Slasher. :)

I'm also excited for this game and my only reason for not picking this up on Day one might be the same as for why I didn't with some recent games: budgeting. Other than that, I'm curious to try this game too!
 
Melchiah

Melchiah

Member
SlasherJPC said:
Resident Evil - Director/Producer
Resident Evil 2 - Producer
Resident Evil 3 - Producer
Resident Evil CV - Producer
REmake - Director
Resident Evil 4 - Director
Devil May Cry - Executive producer
Dino Crisis - Director/Producer
Vanquish - Director
God Hand - Director
Click to expand...

He was also the executive producer in the awful Dino Crisis 3, which is often forgotten.

I'm personally waiting for reviews before barging in, as the guy hasn't made a game I'd have loved since RE 1-CV. That's 14 years since the last one. RE4 was ok, but it moved the series into a wrong direction from my point of view, and it's been 9 years since that game was released.
 
D

Dusk Golem

A 21st Century Rockefeller
Melchiah said:
He was also the executive producer in the awful Dino Crisis 3, which is often forgotten.
Click to expand...

A word to the wise, Executive Producer in game development literally doesn't mean anything. Basically what it means is you were maybe asked about one or two things about the project, but had no direct involvement. It means the product wouldn't be possible without this person, though you weren't involved in the project itself. As such, of course Mikami has this role as he directed the first Dino Crisis.
 
S

SlasherJPC

Banned
Dusk Golem said:
A word to the wise, Executive Producer in game development literally doesn't mean anything. Basically what it means is you were maybe asked about one or two things about the project, but had no direct involvement. It means the product wouldn't be possible without this person, though you weren't involved in the project itself. As such, of course Mikami has this role as he directed the first Dino Crisis.
Click to expand...

Yeah very true! The ones to note specifically are his director titles and he has a great track record I won't lie. Doesn't mean it's a guaruntee for his next game, but shouldn't be overlooked either. :D
 
N

News Bot

Banned
Err... "Producer" means he wasn't involved in active development of those games. He just assigned the directors and balanced the budget. Nothing creative.
 
U

UrbanRats

Member
^^^ I think Resident Evil 4 is one of the best games ever made, not only of its gen.


I'm only giving this game attention because of Mikami's pedigree, but to be honest 90% of the media i've seen has been underwhelming under various aspects, more and less superficial.
 
K

kodecraft

Member
News Bot said:
Err... "Producer" means he wasn't involved in active development of those games. He just assigned the directors and balanced the budget. Nothing creative.
Click to expand...

Yep. just like people keep attaching him as a designer on the awful Shadows of the Damned, he was "creative producer" on that title.
 
L

Lernaean

Banned
I'm always excited about this game.
And a bit scared too, Hope that demo a while back was just a bad build because i remember those who played it weren't really excited.
Mikami has never disappointed me yet, so we'll see.
 
C

ChapaNDJ

Banned
Gotta admit, i was excited as first, but seeing it now, this just looks like an expansion of RE4.
I'm not saying RE4 is a bad game, on the contrary, i love it, but i'd like to see something different.
 
V

Violence Jack

Member
I've been excited about this game since it was announced, and it hasn't faded away at all despite the moaning I heard about it from IGN at PAX East.
 
S

soultron

Banned
brandonh83 said:
I'm still excited for it because I haven't been introduced to any reasons as to why I shouldn't be.
Click to expand...
Yeah, same here. I didn't know people were starting to turn away from it. I'm getting it either way. Horror game pickings are still pretty slim these days, in my opinion.
 
Melchiah

Melchiah

Member
Dusk Golem said:
A word to the wise, Executive Producer in game development literally doesn't mean anything. Basically what it means is you were maybe asked about one or two things about the project, but had no direct involvement. It means the product wouldn't be possible without this person, though you weren't involved in the project itself. As such, of course Mikami has this role as he directed the first Dino Crisis.
Click to expand...

brandonh83 said:
Right, kind of like how Steven Spielberg is the executive producer of Transformers 1, 2, 3, and 4.
Click to expand...

So, I take it that this in the OP means nothing as well, or does that just apply to bad games? ;)
SlasherJPC said:
Resident Evil - Director/Producer
Resident Evil 2 - Producer
Resident Evil 3 - Producer
Resident Evil CV - Producer
REmake - Director
Resident Evil 4 - Director
Devil May Cry - Executive producer
Dino Crisis - Director/Producer
Vanquish - Director
God Hand - Director
Click to expand...


News Bot said:
Err... "Producer" means he wasn't involved in active development of those games. He just assigned the directors and balanced the budget. Nothing creative.
Click to expand...

Funnily enough, he was the producer in three of the four games I liked the most on his CV; RE1-CV.
 
D

DVCY201

Member
SlasherJPC said:
Interesting you brings this up because someone on my twitter feed just mentioned to me that the press got a 2 hours hands on today with embargo dropping May 27th. Not sure if it's true but just passing it along.
Click to expand...

Excellent, I look forward to reading the negative impressions! Hehe. But seriously, I actually expect this game to review poorly. I just have a feeling, no justification for it really.

I'm still excited! It's one of the few games I'll be picking up on Day 1, and I greatly look forward to playing it!
 
C

Cave Johnson

Member
Shinji Mikami said:
“Not much has changed when it comes to instilling terror in the player. But people have got used to the tropes of horror and they know what’s coming next, so in that sense it is harder to make them afraid.”

“The scariest parts will be when you encounter enemies that cannot be killed with a gun. Even if you shoot them they won’t die, so you’ll have to run or use a trap to beat them. That should be fun – and also scary.”
Click to expand...

This is it. If anything, it's a step up design wise with the burning-disposal system from the remake. I like it. Raw, new, and actually quite innovative and encourage sandbox-style gameplay.
 
D

Dusk Golem

A 21st Century Rockefeller
Melchiah said:
So, I take it that this in the OP means nothing as well, or does that just apply to bad games? ;)





Funnily enough, he was the producer in three of the four games I liked the most on his CV; RE1-CV.
Click to expand...

It applies to all games. Mikami had nothing to do with Devil May Cry outside of the fact it started as Resident Evil 4.

And it's not just Mikami, any Executive Producer position basically means credited for helping the project happen, either by being the person who made the series, the person who funded the project, or the person consulted for reference on the series, but not actually being part of the project. This isn't me going, "Dur-hur, he was EP of Dino Crisis 3, didn't do nothing and it's not his fault," I am literally stating something that is true of all cases of EP in games.

An executive producer (EP) enables the making of a commercial entertainment product. He or she may be concerned with management accounting and/or with associated legal issues (like copyrights or royalties).An EP generally contributes to the film's budget and may or may not work on set.
Click to expand...

In games, EP basically amounts to either being the series creator, somebody who helps fund the game, or a creative consultant asked questions but not actually part of the project.

Similarly, the only Resident Evil games he was directly a part of were Resident Evil 1, REmake, and Resident Evil 4. The other games in the series he wasn't nearly as involved in their development, and some he wasn't involved in at all. If the only credit he gets on a RE game is as Executive Producer, that's simply because he's the series creator and may have given a few tips to the people working on the project before they got started or in development.
 
T

TheSpaceBetween

Member
Interesting... Tango was founded in March 2010 but Vanquish didn't release until October 2010... Was the game finished but held back since Bayonetta was recently released or did he finish directing the game outside of Platinum?
 
S

SlasherJPC

Banned
TheSpaceBetween said:
Interesting... Tango was founded in March 2010 but Vanquish didn't release until October 2010... Was the game finished but held back since Bayonetta was recently released or did he finish directing the game outside of Platinum?
Click to expand...

Hmmm that is intersting. My guess is he just barely got the company started. Finished Vanquish and then jumped right into Tango.
 
Melchiah

Melchiah

Member
Dusk Golem said:
It applies to all games. Mikami had nothing to do with Devil May Cry outside of the fact it started as Resident Evil 4.

And it's not just Mikami, any Executive Producer position basically means credited for helping the project happen, either by being the person who made the series, the person who funded the project, or the person consulted for reference on the series, but not actually being part of the project. This isn't me going, "Dur-hur, he was EP of Dino Crisis 3, didn't do nothing and it's not his fault," I am literally stating something that is true of all cases of EP in games.



In games, EP basically amounts to either being the series creator, somebody who helps fund the game, or a creative consultant asked questions but not actually part of the project.

Similarly, the only Resident Evil games he was directly a part of were Resident Evil 1, REmake, and Resident Evil 4. The other games in the series he wasn't nearly as involved in their development, and some he wasn't involved in at all. If the only credit he gets on a RE game is as Executive Producer, that's simply because he's the series creator and may have given a few tips to the people working on the project before they got started or in development.
Click to expand...

Good to know. The bolded in particular was news to me. It's kinda interesting in retrospect, that my all-time favorite RE game, the second one, was something he wasn't directly involved in.
 
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