Harada talks Tag 2 for Wii U, fears that the console isn’t next-gen, Smash Bros.
Tekken series producer Katsuhiro Harada has fielded three important topics concerning Wii U.
He was recently asked about the Wii U version of Tekken Tag Tournament 2, his thoughts on the console being next-gen, and Namco Bandai’s involvement with the next Smash Bros. release.
On Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Harada discussed some of ideas he’s been thinking about for the GamePad. Also mentioned was console exclusives, such as the already-revealed “Mushroom Mode”.
As for the power of Wii U, Harada said “the graphics chips seems to be pretty decent”. But he feels that people are focusing too much on specs while not considering the system’s capabilities and features. Harada personally likes the idea of being able to take a full-fledged game, put it in the GamePad screen, and continue playing it elsewhere if someone needs access to the TV.
Lastly, Smash Bros. Harada doesn’t believe that fans should be concerned about its development since Masahiro Sakurai is handling game design. Harada won’t be too involved since he’ll be occupied with the Tekken series.
Harada also has no plans to push for certain characters from series such as Tekken and SoulCalibur. He stated, “The sole decision will probably be made in a way that if more people want Tekken characters in it then Sakurai might choose to do so, if not then so be it.”
Head on below for all of Harada’s comments about Wii U.
Harada on whether or not the Wii U version of Tekken Tag Tournament 2 takes advantage of the GamePad in any interesting ways and if it will have console exclusives…
“Regarding the controller for the Wii U, obviously we do have some things planned. Some examples would be like what we did with the 3DS, where you use the touch screen for shortcuts for the commands and what not. Also perhaps being able to use the controller to view the move list and to have the character on screen to perform it so you know what kind of move it is. But most of the features we’re planning for the controller are not the main game mechanics but features that enhance gameplay or make it more convenient. As far as the console exclusives go, there are some things that I am thinking about, one of which was shown at E3 where Heihachi eats a mushroom and becomes big. Those are some of the things that we can only do because we’re collaborating with Nintendo. That’s something people seem to be excited about so I have more of those kinds of ideas planned.”
Harada on those who say that Wii U isn’t really a next-gen console…
“I’m a bit reluctant to talk about the Wii U specs, when I mentioned something earlier it got totally blown out of proportion and twisted. However while developing Tag 2, since it’s very graphic intensive because of the multiple characters on screen, there was still some power left over for graphic capabilities so the graphics chips seems to be pretty decent. But to be honest, that’s not really even relevant because people seem to be focusing too much comparing the raw specs to other hardware. You really have to be looking at the capabilities and what features it has. For example, if you’re playing Tag 2 on the Wii U at home and your parents get mad at you for taking up the TV too much, you can just take it to your bed and start playing there. Being able to take a high end game and play it in your bed is something that’s really unique so that’s the thing people are kind of missing.”
Harada on Namco Bandai being involved with the next Smash Bros. entry…
“Obviously people are saying many things since we are developing the next Smash Bros. We’re very excited that Nintendo chose us, and most they likely did because Namco Bandai has a very good track record with fighting games such as the Tekken series. We have a lot of experience and knowledge regarding this particular genre, that’s probably one of the factors in their decision. That being said, although we’ll help provide support on technology and other things involved creating the game, I’m currently very focused on the Tekken series. Some people might say online that I’m going to be involved in the development process or not but that shouldn’t really be an issue because the game design is going to be handled Masahiro Sakurai. So I don’t understand why there would be any worries there.
“I mentioned in a past interview recently that the Tekken characters are something that maybe long time fans of the Smash Bros. series don’t really expect, so maybe they won’t be in there. The feedback was very mixed, there were 2 camps, one said ‘Harada, you’re very right, we don’t need the Tekken characters in Smash Bros, good job.’ It’s nice that they agree with me but on the other hand, they themselves don’t exactly need Tekken characters in Smash Bros. so it’s kind of complex. Then there’s the other half were people saying ‘No you’re totally wrong, we want Tekken and Soul Calibur characters in the game otherwise why does it need to be developed be Namco Bandai’ so there’s really two different sides and it’s difficult to choose one. Obviously I’m not going to say to Sakurai, ‘We want Tekken characters, please put it in’ that’s not the case so people don’t have to worry about that. The sole decision will probably be made in a way that if more people want Tekken characters in it then Sakurai might choose to do so, if not then so be it.”
