Nintendo reveals Sushi Striker’s drastically different origins and original concepts
Posted on 6 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News, Switch | 0 comments
Just prior to the launch of Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido, Japanese magazine Famitsu spoke with a couple of the game’s developers. Producer Hitoshi Yamagami and director Kaori Ando were both brought in for the discussion. Yamagami previously worked on the likes of Dr. Mario, Panel de Pon (referenced in the interview), and Fire Emblem while Ando has been involved with Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE (also brought up in the interview).
The talk was very interesting, as we’re able to learn how Nintendo came up with the concept for Sushi Striker and how the project turned out the way it did in the end. The original plan was for something quite different, and various genres were considered.
Fire Emblem devs on how the “Battle of Revolution” April Fools’ Day joke came to be
Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 9 Comments
Earlier this week, we made note of an interview Nintendo Dream conducted this summer with the developers of Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia. In the same interview, Nintendo and Intelligent Systems talked about the “Battle of Revolution” April Fools’ Day joke that took place earlier this year.
It was kind of surprising to see Nintendo go all out with fabricating a game like that. A site was set up, and various images and details were created just for the joke. Basically, Battle of Revolution was imagined as a NES-style game set in the late Edo period of Japan.
Nintendo’s Hitoshi Yamagami and Kenta Nakanishi as well as Intelligent Systems’ Toshiyuki Kusakihara and Masahiro Higuchi discussed Battle of Revolution and how it came to be. It’s an interesting read, with the excerpt posted below. You can also read the full interview on Kantopia.
Fire Emblem Echoes devs – realistic proportions will carry over into the Switch game, why Alm is left-handed, more
Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News, Switch | 27 Comments
The July 2017 issue of Nintendo Dream had a massive interview about Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia. Producer Hitoshi Yamagami (Nintendo), director Kenta Nakanishi (Nintendo), director Toshiyuki Kusakihara (Intelligent Systems), and producer Masahiro Higuchi (Intelligent Systems) participated in the discussion.
Among the topics discussed were the use of realistic proportions (which will be carried over into the upcoming Switch title), why Alm is left-handed, and a whole lot more. We’ve picked out some of the notable excerpts below. You can read the full interview on Kantopia.
Switch will allow for “a completely different Fire Emblem,” will breathe life into characters “like never before”
Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News, Switch | 72 Comments
Tying in with the launch of Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, French site Jeuxvideo spoke with three of the game’s developers. They are as follows:
– Masahiro Higuchi (Intelligent Systems), producer on Fire Emblem Echoes, Heroes and Fates
– Hitoshi Yamagami (Nintendo), producer on Fire Emblem Echoes, Fates and Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE
– Kenta Nakanishi (Nintendo), director on Fire Emblem Echoes
One portion of the interview touched on how Fire Emblem never ended up on Wii U, and the series has had a focus on 3DS over the past few years. Yamagami explained that the series has a “long history of home console games,” and it’s not primarily considered a handheld franchise. Nakanishi chimed in by saying Fire Emblem Switch will allow for something “completely different” while “breathing life into our characters like never before.”
Here’s the full excerpt:
More: Fire Emblem, Hitoshi Yamagami, interview, Kenta Nakanishi, top
Series producer talks about the cancelled Fire Emblem real-time strategy game for Wii
Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii | 30 Comments
Awhile back, we heard about an unreleased Fire Emblem game for Wii. Fire Emblem series veteran Toru Narihiro noted how “you would take a large group of people with you much like Pikmin” – in other words, it sounded a heck of a lot like a real-time strategy game.
Nintendo series producer Hitoshi Yamagami elaborated on the cancelled project with Dengeki Nintendo this month. It was planned following the completion of Radiant Dawn, but never saw the day of light.
Yamagami said the following about the game, as translated by Kantopia:
“It had me as the producer, and Mr. Kusakihara as the director. It was going to be a real time strategy Fire Emblem game with all sorts of interesting departures from the norm. But, as we approached a finished product, the incredibly picky Mr. Kusahara was not content with it as it didn’t fit the image he had in mind when he played it. While it was incredibly amusing watching him try the product, I don’t think I could’ve reached such a decision so quickly based on that alone. It did show just how passionate he was about the real time system though, but, in my experience, Fire Emblem was always about minimizing casualties as much as possible and thinking about things carefully by the turn. To put together a real time experience in a short time without these considerations and make a judgement based on that was a little premature in my opinion. So, in the end, development froze.”
More: Fire Emblem, Hitoshi Yamagami, interview
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE devs on adapting for the west, Atlus localization, Japanese-only voices
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 52 Comments
Before Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE landed in the states, GameSpot caught up with Atlus producer Shinjiro Takata and Nintendo designer Hitoshi Yamagami. The two talked about topics such as localization – including Atlus handling the game and keeping the voices in Japanese – as well as what made Nintendo and Wii U a good fit for the project.
Head past the break for some of Takata and Yamagami’s responses. GameSpot’s full interview can be read here.
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE devs on the game’s origins, pop idol focus, Fire Emblem Mirages, battles
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 15 Comments
Siliconera recently had the chance to interview Atlus producer Shinjiro Takada and Nintendo producer Hitoshi Yamagami about Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE. The two sides spoke about topics including the game’s origins, pop idol focus, Fire Emblem characters as Mirages, and battles.
You can find these interview excerpts after the break. For the full interview, head on over to Siliconera.
Fire Emblem devs on bringing the series’ west, introducing optional permadeath, Fates’ two versions
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 40 Comments
Last month, Game Informer published an overview of sorts for the Fire Emblem series. The magazine looked back at the franchise’s early days leading up to Fire Emblem Fates. There are some interesting developer comments as well.
Fire Emblem wasn’t introduced overseas until the GBA era. It was actually Nintendo producer Hitoshi Yamagami who had the idea of bringing it west, and he approached developer Intelligent Systems about his plan.
Yamagami said:
“Intelligent Systems was worried at first about whether it’d sell or not, but given the series’ support in Japan, I felt sure that audiences elsewhere would connect with it as well, and that’s how development began.”
Genei Ibun Roku #FE devs on reproducing Shibuya, game structure, scrapped battle intro idea
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 14 Comments
Several developers behind Genei Ibun Roku #FE were interviewed in Nintendo Dream’s February issue. Surprisingly, the March edition has another interview with the team as well. The lengthy lineup of staff who participated include producer Hitoshi Yamagami (Nintendo), director Kaori Ando (Nintendo), producer Shinjiro Takata (Atlus), director Eiji Ishida (Atlus), chief director Wataru Hirata (Atlus), art director Fumitaka Yano (Atlus).
Nintendo Dream’s latest feature isn’t quite as interesting as last month’s where we learned that Genei Ibun Roku #FE was originally planned for 3DS and considered a wide array of genres. But there are still quite a few juicy tidbits. After the break, you can see what the developers had to say about reproducing Shibuya, the game structure, and an idea for battle intros that was scrapped.
Genei Ibun Roku #FE devs on how the setting and Fire Emblem characters were chosen
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 19 Comments
Last week, we posted some translated excerpts from Nintendo Dream’s Genei Ibun Roku #FE interview. It’s a very interesting read since it gives you more of a clear picture about the project’s origins and how the game eventually turned into an RPG. If you missed it, be sure to check it out here.
We have a few final excerpts from Nintendo Dream’s piece today. Primarily, today’s topics include an in-depth explanation as to how the setting was decided upon, and how the team determined which characters from Fire Emblem to include.
Head past the break for the translation. The comments are from the interview with producer Hitoshi Yamagami (Nintendo), director Kaori Ando (Nintendo), producer Shinjiro Takata (Atlus), director Eiji Ishida (Atlus), chief director Wataru Hirata (Atlus), and art director Fumitaka Yano (Atlus).
