shmuplations

The Characters of Valkyrie Profile – Developer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/vpcharacters/

This lengthy Valkyrie Profile interview with the Tri-Ace staff appeared in the Valkyrie Profile World Guidance mook. It does co...

Game Center Operators – A 2004 Snapshot

http://shmuplations.com/gamecenters/

This interview offers a unique look at the Japanese arcade (game center) industry from the arcade operators’ perspectives. T...

Heiankyo Alien – 2002 Developer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/heiankyoalien/

Heiankyo Alien (known in the West by its Sega iteration, “Digger”) was a 1979 arcade hit in Japan, unique for having been...

Xevious – Developer Interview Collection

http://shmuplations.com/xevious/

In the West, few pepole would count Xevious as one of the seminal classics of video game history; in Japan, however, the game and its ...

House of the Dead – 1997 Developer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/houseofthedead/

This interview with the development staff of The House of the Dead was originally featured in the May 1997 edition of Sega ...

Kirby's Adventure - 1993 Developer Intervew

http://shmuplations.com/kirbysadventure/

This fun interview with the key creators of Kirby’s Adventure was found in the official Nintendo guidebook released the...

Castlevania: Rondo of Blood – Developer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/chinorondo/

This lighthearted interview and commentary with the Castlevania: Rondo of Blood development team was originally featured in the ...

Ketsui – 2002 Developer/Composer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/ketsui/

These two short interviews, with Cave devgroup leader (and Toaplan alumni) Toshiaki Tomizawa and composer Manabu Namiki, cover the gameplay...

Resident Evil 2 – 1998 Developer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/residentevil2/

In this Resident Evil 2 interview from the June 1998 issue of jp game magazine “The Playstation,” director Hideki Kami...

Zone of Enders: The 2nd Runner – 2003 Developer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/zoneofenders/

These lengthy Zone of Enders: The 2nd Runner (called Anubis in Japan) interviews were originally featured in the 1998 jp art...

Epoch and the Cassette Vision – 1997 Developer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/epoch/

This very long, in-depth interview (found at the excellent Game Odyssey jp site) covers a period of Japanese videogame history that is obs...

Athena – 1993 Developer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/athena/

This short interview from Gal’s Island 2 (a Gamest mook series from the early 90s that focused on female game characters) cover...

Capcom and the CPS-1 – Developer Interviews

http://shmuplations.com/cps1/

This Capcom arcade special begins with a 1989 developer interview centering around rising star designer Noritaka Funamizu’s latest efforts...

Toshiya Yamanka – 2013 Composer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/toshiyayamanaka/

Toshiya Yamanaka was a composer for Arsys Software and Treasure, known among FM music afficionados for his work on Star C...

Assault Suits Valken – 1993 Developer Interviews

http://shmuplations.com/assaultsuitsvalken/

This is a collection of two shorter Assault Suits Valken interviews: the first from the 10/92 issue of Hippon Super...

Panzer Dragoon Saga – 1998 Developer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/panzerdragoonsaga/

This Panzer Dragoon Saga interview originally appeared in the AZEL -Panzer Dragoon RPG- strategy guide. It features t...

Shigeru Miyamoto – Mario 20th Anniversary Interview

http://shmuplations.com/mario20th/

This charming interview was originally featured at Nintendo Online Monthly in 2005 as part of Super Mario Brother’s 20th Anniversar...

Tales Series – 2008 Developer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/talesof/

This lengthy interview with key members of the Namco Tales Studio development team first appeared in the Tales of Magazine in 2008. Overa...

Space Invaders - 30th Anniversary Developer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/spaceinvaders/

This interview with Space Invaders creator Tomohiro Nishikado and former Taito president Yoichi Wada was featured at nikke...

Shigeru Miyamoto talks Game Design

http://shmuplations.com/miyamotodesign/

This short interview from 1998 with Shigeru Miyamoto was originally featured in the excellent game criticism magazine, game...

Streets of Rage 2 - 2105 Developer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/streetsofrage2/

This interview is an in-depth look at the making of Streets of Rage 2 (Bare Knuckle II in Japan) with its designer and p...

Star Ocean series – Developer Interviews

http://shmuplations.com/starocean/

These two interviews for Star Ocean and Star Ocean: Second Story were found in their respective strategy guides. The first, fro...

Valkyrie Profile – 1998 Composer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/valkyrieprofilemusic/

This excellent interview from 1998 with composer Motoi Sakuraba and Tri-Ace sound programmer Hiroya Hatsushiba ...

Stunfest 2014 – Superplayer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/stunfest2014/

This interview with Japanese STG superplayers SOF-WTN (Dodonpachi), SPS (Ketsui), and Hattori (Ikaruga) documents their trip...

Espgaluda – Developer Interviews

http://shmuplations.com/espgaluda/

The first of these two Espgaluda interviews was found at the GSLA and sheds a little light Arika’s PS2 port. The second, longer ...

Makaimura Series – Interview Collection

http://shmuplations.com/makaimura/

These Makaimura (Ghosts and Goblins) interviews come from two separate sources: a 2005 interview for Gokumakaimura, and a 199...

Shenmue – 2000 Developer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/shenmue/

This Shenmue interview from 2000 goes over the general design process of the seminal Dreamcast game. Highlights include alternate...

Chrono Trigger - 1994/95 Developer Interviews

http://shmuplations.com/chronotrigger/

These two interviews with the Chrono Trigger development team were found at the GSLA. The first interview, from 1994, come...

Art of Fighting - 1993 Developer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/aof/

This short interview with the designer (he doesn’t give his name) of King from Art of Fighting talks mainly about the design of that char...

Game Arts x Chunsoft – 1998 Developer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/miyajixnakamura/

In this lengthy interview, the two founders of Chunsoft and Game Arts, Koichi Nakamura and Yoichi Miyaji, share th...