christian nutt (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} ferricide) wrote,@ 2009-07-06 11:13:00 |
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now that you're back at work and missing the long weekend
i didn't want to post this over the weekend because it seemed that online activity was really low. it's a feature interview with hiroshi matsuyama, president, cyberconnect 2.
cyberconnect2 developed, among other things, tail concerto, silent bomber, .hack, .hack//G.U., and the naruto ultimate ninja games. wait, i don't think there are "other things" since i just listed them all.
for some reason i am not fully able to explain i became really really interested in tail concerto in the lead up to its launch on the PS1 and played it immediately when it came out in japan. in fact, i bought a dual shock controller to play the game since it was the first game for the PS1 i played which supported it.
it's a really charming but questionably fun 3D platformer.
the company's next game, silent bomber, is really excellent. it's an original action title that i actually don't remember very well besides being totally addicted to it when i finally got around to playing it in 2002, i think, after i got laid off. it's one of those games i'd encourage people to go back and check out, especially if it were on PSN (it is in japan.)
of course, we all know my relationship with .hack. so i'll skip the descriptions here.
i first met matsuyama in 2002 at E3. he was there at the bandai booth to promote .hack. milky had roped me in to helping him out with appointments at that E3 for no pay (which i did anyway, to bolster my chances with EGM.) one of the meetings i ended up taking was the matsuyama/uchiyama (daisuke, bandai producer) interview. milky and i really got along with them. .hack was a month out for release in japan at that point, and when it did come out, matsuyama signed and inscribed and fedexed two copies of the game to milky -- one for me.
over the years i interviewed matsuyama a number of times. i became an obsessive .hack otaku only to become sick to death of the series in the end, despite still loving it at the same time, and totally skipping .hack//G.U. and the .hack//Roots anime series because i was burnt out. (generally as well as specifically, by that point!)
i've probably spoken to matsuyama like six times at this point. memorably rannie set up one meeting as a formal japanese lunch during TGS, on the top floor restaurant of the makuhari prince hotel. the sum total of questioners turned out to be me, milky, and vestal, and since i knew milky wouldn't use the interview, and vestal didn't have a publication, i just threw the whole thing up on gamespy. (at that point i was freelancing TGS for them.)
and look, here's my E303 interview with matsuyama. just, because. and why not: here's another gamasutra Q&A about naruto. and then one from gamesradar. google is wonderful.
anyway, since matsuyama had a talk at GDC this year i was determined to get a really meaty interview out of the guy. it's not obviously always apparent from the transcribed text, but he's really eloquent and clearly determined. he has a funny showy way of speaking and shows a lot of personality.
tgs 2005. matsuyama 2nd from left. 2nd from right, daisuke uchiyama, producer of all of his games, publisher side
anyway, i think the interview (good interpretation!) shows how strong his personality and ideals are, which is pretty cool. at this point CC2 has grown up to the point where it has 3 active teams and is producing CG anime (!!) as well as games.
anyway, that's my deal. i dunno when or where i'll talk to him again (TGS?) i wonder what's in store. .hack next gen? it would be preferable to star ocean.
i didn't want to post this over the weekend because it seemed that online activity was really low. it's a feature interview with hiroshi matsuyama, president, cyberconnect 2.
cyberconnect2 developed, among other things, tail concerto, silent bomber, .hack, .hack//G.U., and the naruto ultimate ninja games. wait, i don't think there are "other things" since i just listed them all.
for some reason i am not fully able to explain i became really really interested in tail concerto in the lead up to its launch on the PS1 and played it immediately when it came out in japan. in fact, i bought a dual shock controller to play the game since it was the first game for the PS1 i played which supported it.
it's a really charming but questionably fun 3D platformer.
the company's next game, silent bomber, is really excellent. it's an original action title that i actually don't remember very well besides being totally addicted to it when i finally got around to playing it in 2002, i think, after i got laid off. it's one of those games i'd encourage people to go back and check out, especially if it were on PSN (it is in japan.)
of course, we all know my relationship with .hack. so i'll skip the descriptions here.
i first met matsuyama in 2002 at E3. he was there at the bandai booth to promote .hack. milky had roped me in to helping him out with appointments at that E3 for no pay (which i did anyway, to bolster my chances with EGM.) one of the meetings i ended up taking was the matsuyama/uchiyama (daisuke, bandai producer) interview. milky and i really got along with them. .hack was a month out for release in japan at that point, and when it did come out, matsuyama signed and inscribed and fedexed two copies of the game to milky -- one for me.
over the years i interviewed matsuyama a number of times. i became an obsessive .hack otaku only to become sick to death of the series in the end, despite still loving it at the same time, and totally skipping .hack//G.U. and the .hack//Roots anime series because i was burnt out. (generally as well as specifically, by that point!)
i've probably spoken to matsuyama like six times at this point. memorably rannie set up one meeting as a formal japanese lunch during TGS, on the top floor restaurant of the makuhari prince hotel. the sum total of questioners turned out to be me, milky, and vestal, and since i knew milky wouldn't use the interview, and vestal didn't have a publication, i just threw the whole thing up on gamespy. (at that point i was freelancing TGS for them.)
and look, here's my E303 interview with matsuyama. just, because. and why not: here's another gamasutra Q&A about naruto. and then one from gamesradar. google is wonderful.
anyway, since matsuyama had a talk at GDC this year i was determined to get a really meaty interview out of the guy. it's not obviously always apparent from the transcribed text, but he's really eloquent and clearly determined. he has a funny showy way of speaking and shows a lot of personality.
tgs 2005. matsuyama 2nd from left. 2nd from right, daisuke uchiyama, producer of all of his games, publisher side
anyway, i think the interview (good interpretation!) shows how strong his personality and ideals are, which is pretty cool. at this point CC2 has grown up to the point where it has 3 active teams and is producing CG anime (!!) as well as games.
anyway, that's my deal. i dunno when or where i'll talk to him again (TGS?) i wonder what's in store. .hack next gen? it would be preferable to star ocean.
