Over at that bastion of goodwill towards men (aka Gamasutra) a rather fascinating and fun interview with Capcom producer Hironobu Takeshita has taken place. For those of you who don't know - and I'd wager that be quite a few - Takeshita is the producer behind what is potentially the most controversial game in ages, Mega Man 9. How is that even remotely controversial you might ask? Well, as the game is essentially an 8-bit NES game being designed and sold in 2008, that meant eschewing such 'necessities' as HD graphics, surround sound, sexy violence, and of course over-abundances of cinematic film. This of course leaves the gameplay to sell itself. Controversial!
But in all seriousness, a fascinating look at how times have changed and how developers - to really peel back the layers of gamey grime (a double-entendre if I ever heard one) - must learn to re-focus their priorities on what actually makes a good game tick. A rather brilliant example is as follows in how keeping things simple help connect the player to their (supposed) focus in these days of flash and inconsequence:
"Showing us how to keep it simple opened up a new world for us. We could see how the simple characters look better, and you can just picture how they move. He really brought that to life for us. Even though the characters are simple, they still stand out. They still make an impression on you. And I think that's what was important. For the team, when they realized that, they were able to bring their sensibilities to the game. We are limited, but in that sense, it did open up the creative tunnels."
See? Completely brilliant. Oh, and the rest is a great read as well. Definitely put this on your summer reading lists if you can, and head on over to Gamesutra right now by clicking right HERE!
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