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Talking Game Design with Fukio “MTJ” Mitsuji

Talking Game Design with Fukio “MTJ” Mitsuji

http://shmuplations.com/mtjdesign/

This 1989 feature, originally published in Gamest magazine, captures a discussion between some of Japan’s most accomplished arcade game designers, led by fellow Taito developer and regular Gamest contributor Fukio “MTJ” Mits...

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Pokémon – 2000 Developer Interview

Pokémon – 2000 Developer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/pokemon/

In this 2000 interview, Pokemon veteran and art director Ken Sugimori outlines the genesis of Game Freak’s perennially popular monster-collecting franchise, the struggles he faced designing and rendering the early games’ extensive...

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Yasumi Matsuno Interview Round-up!

Yasumi Matsuno Interview Round-up!

Hey guys! As requested, I've got two Yasumi Matsuno interviews to share today:

Yasumi Matsuno x Hideo Kojima (1999) - http://shmuplations.com/matsunoxkojima/
Yasumi Matsuno x Shigeru Miyamoto (2003) - View Post

The History of Nintendo Game Music (1983-2001)

The History of Nintendo Game Music (1983-2001)

http://shmuplations.com/nintendogamemusic/

Veteran Nintendo composers Koji Kondo and Kazumi Totaka expound upon the ever-changing world of video game audio in this interview published on Nintendo’s Japanese “Nintendo Online Monthly” website in 2001. A...

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Akira Yasuda – 2003 Developer Interview (Part II)

Akira Yasuda – 2003 Developer Interview (Part II)

http://shmuplations.com/akirayasuda/

Here is the long-awaited conclusion to the Akira Yasuda interview from a couple months back!  Akiman discusses his frustrations with managing new talent at Capcom post-SFII, his work on Turn A Gundam, and the unfortunate ...

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Data East – 2004 Developer Interview

Data East – 2004 Developer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/deco/

In this roundtable interview, originally published in 2004, the mysterious “D”, “E”, “C” & “O” share their insight on the inner workings of Data East a.k.a. DECO, a company that intrigued and confounded audiences with a ...

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Seiken Densetsu 3 – 1995 Developer Interview

Seiken Densetsu 3 – 1995 Developer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/seikendensetsu3/

This 1995 interview covers the development of the Square action-RPG Seiken Densetsu 3, the sequel to the beloved Secret of Mana and a game that was famously denied--and has still yet to receive--an official overseas re...

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Women and the Famicom – 1991 Special Interview

 Women and the Famicom – 1991 Special Interview

http://shmuplations.com/womenandthefamicom/

In this breezy discussion, first published by Famitsu in 1991, three Japanese women (ostensibly readers of Famicom Tsuushin chosen at random) discuss their introduction to video games, their tastes and preference...

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Castlevania – Developer Commentary

Castlevania – Developer Commentary

http://shmuplations.com/castlevania/

The development of the three Famicom Castlevania games has long been shrouded in mystery. Recently, a developer who was mentored by Castlevania director/creator...

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Darius I&II – 1986/89 Developer Interviews

Darius I&II – 1986/89 Developer Interviews

http://shmuplations.com/dariusii/

These two interviews cover the development of Taito’s high-spec ultra-wide shooting game, Darius, and its hotly-anticipated sequel, Darius II. In both interviews, the developers outline their ambitions to wow players with a combin...

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Super Smash Bros. – 1999 Developer Interview

Super Smash Bros. – 1999 Developer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/smashbros/

In this interview with the short-lived Nice Games magazine, Kirby series creator Masahiro Sakurai discusses the inspiration behind the newly-released Nintendo 64 4-player fighting game, Super Smash Bros, and the challenges that fa...

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Akira Yasuda – 2003 Developer Interview

Akira Yasuda – 2003 Developer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/akirayasuda/

In the first half of this lengthy 2003 interview, legendary designer and illustrator Akira “Akiman” Yasuda looks back at his origins as an artist and the early titles to which he lent his talents as a Capcom employee, ...

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April/May/June Voting!

Greetings to all patrons new and old. It's time again to offer suggestions and feedback re: what you'd like to see translated in the next few months. I'll still be referring to the previous voting posts, but it's never a bad idea to post again what you'd like to see translated.  Also, if multiple people suggest the same interview, it's more...

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Treasure and the Megadrive – Developer Interviews

Treasure and the Megadrive – Developer Interviews

http://shmuplations.com/treasureroundup/

This assortment of interviews shows the newly-formed studio Treasure promoting their earliest Mega Drive games: the critically-acclaimed run-and-gun action game Gunstar Heroes, the cult classic platformer Dynamite Head...

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Final Fantasy VIII – 1998 Developer Interviews

 Final Fantasy VIII – 1998 Developer Interviews

http://shmuplations.com/ff8/

How does one follow up a zillion-selling, standard-setting smash hit? Square’s Final Fantasy team leads discussed that and much more with Famitsu as part of the press tour for Final Fantasy VIII, the second 3D Final Fantasy title and one th...

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Aria of Sorrow – 2003 Developer Interview

Aria of Sorrow – 2003 Developer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/ariaofsorrow/

These two interviews cover the conception and development of Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, the third and final Castlevania game developed for Game Boy Advance and the second of six handheld titles helmed by former franchise s...

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A Visit to Konami (1987)

A Visit to Konami (1987)

http://shmuplations.com/konamivisit/

In the late 1980s, BEEP! magazine ran a series of special features on major developers (Namco, Sega, Konami) and their workspaces. They make for a great “time-capsule” read, and also include some rare (and low-res, unfortu...

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Shin Megami Tensei – 1992 Developer Interviews

Shin Megami Tensei – 1992 Developer Interviews

http://shmuplations.com/smt/

These three short interviews cover the conception, development and post-release thoughts of several of the key members behind the original Super Famicom version of Shin Megami Tensei, the cataclysmic demon-negotiation RPG that would amass a h...

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Tetris – 1993 Developer Interview

Tetris – 1993 Developer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/tetris/

Although the history of the Tetris development is fairly well-known now, these two interviews from 1993 and 1989 feature comments from creator Alexey Patjinov on a range of subjects, including his thoughts on other puzzle games, future ...

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Shining Force – 1992 Developer Interviews

Shining Force – 1992 Developer Interviews

http://shmuplations.com/shiningforce/

In these two interviews, several members of Sonic! Software Planning (now Camelot Software) and Climax Studios, led by producer, game designer, president and self-confessed jock Hiroyuki Takahashi, discuss the making of the ...

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Dragon Quest IV – 1989 Developer Interview

Dragon Quest IV – 1989 Developer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/dqivroundtable/

In this lengthy interview from the 11/89 issue of Famicom Tsuushin, Dragon Quest creators Yuji Horii and Koichi Nakamura talk about the challenges of making Dragon Quest IV, with a particular emphasis on the AI system. View Post

Rayforce – 2016 Developer Interview

Rayforce – 2016 Developer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/rayforce/

This lengthy and fascinating interview with key developers of Taito’s Rayforce was originally featured in the “game gene” mook. What I have presented here is actually an edited version of the longer interview, which goes on to...

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The Roots of Compile – 1998 Developer Interview

The Roots of Compile – 1998 Developer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/rootsofcompile/

This compilation of interviews from 1998’s 2018-12-31 05:25:52 +0000 UTC View Post

Dec/Jan/Feb Voting!

Greetings to all patrons new and old. It's time again to offer suggestions and feedback re: what you'd like to see translated in the next few months. I'll still be referring to the previous voting posts, but it's never a bad idea to post again what you'd like to see translated. I've got a nice big Rayforce interview coming soon, but besides that, I...

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Yasunori Mitsuda – 2003 Composer Interview

Yasunori Mitsuda – 2003 Composer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/yasunorimitsuda/

This thoughtful interview with composer Yasunori Mitsuda from 2003 was originally featured in game hihyou. Mitsuda discusses various aspects of his creative process, including his studio setup, his inspirations and favori...

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Yasuhiko Fujii - 2007 Developer Interview

Yasuhiko Fujii - 2007 Developer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/yasuhikofujii/

This interview with Super Metroid and “Kaeru no tame ni kane wa naru” programmer Yasuhiko Fujii originally appeared in game shokunin volume 1. The first part of the interview looks back at Fujii’s programming and “hac...

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Ikari Warriors, Guerilla War, and The SNK Golden Age

Ikari Warriors, Guerilla War, and The SNK Golden Age

http://shmuplations.com/snkgoldenage/

In this long and candid interview from 2001, SNK alum Koji Obata describes the company’s early-’80s struggles, their re-emergence as an arcade powerhouse, the self-proclaimed “SNK golden age” and his own role in the pro...

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Space Harrier – Developer Interview Collection

Space Harrier – Developer Interview Collection

http://shmuplations.com/spaceharrier/

In this collection of decade-spanning interviews, former and current Sega AM2 members discuss the making of Sega’s classic 3D shooting arcade game, Space Harrier. As with so many classic games of the era, many of Space Harrie...

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Splatterhouse - 1988 Developer Interview

Splatterhouse - 1988 Developer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/splatterhouse/

Happy Halloween! This fun little Splatterhouse interview from 1988 was originally featured in NG magazine (Namco’s in-house produced magazine which ran from 1983 to 1993). The core development team talks about the challenge...

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Mario Kart 64 – 1996 Developer Interview

Mario Kart 64 – 1996 Developer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/mariokart64/

In this interview taken from the official Japanese guidebook, several key members of the Mario Kart 64 team discuss their roles during development and the new challenges they faced while working with Nintendo’s then-new 3D hard...

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