Q&A with Mizuguchi on Ninety Nine Nights -- Page 2

GP: How long have you been working on this game?

TM: Since last summer.

GP: Do you plan to have this available in time for launch?

[Mouths the real answer] ...We want to have the game out as soon as possible.

GP: It says in the video "Choose your side wisely"--what are the different sides?

TM: This is a surprise, so I can't say or else I'll ruin it. In a sense every war is same, where the question is raised "what is justice?" One side thinks they're in the right, and if you play the opposite you'll get a different impression--all based on the same facts and events.

Movies can never do that--they has to follow a straight line. The game is set from many points of views, something that only can be done in the video game medium.

GP: Is there a particular age group you're aiming for?

TM: No, I think all ages can enjoy this game.

GP: So in the story, there won't be one side that's right or wrong?

TM: I think it's something the player will decide, of what is right and wrong.

GP: Can you tell us anything about the combat? It looks very Medieval European with swords and spears for weapons.

SL: It's a fantasy setting, but not a typical Medieval fantasy--it's infused with Mizuguchi's philosophy of a fantasy world. In actual fighting they use magic, and there will be castle sieges, with castles collapsing. It's not the simple magic you'd see in most games.

TM: The effects will be fantastic ...we just need time. [laughs]

GP: When looking at the games you've made in the past, they've all been very different from the norm. By contrast, this game can be seen as more "normal"--how are you expressing your personality in this game?

TM: This is bigger than me--the game is made between the efforts between Q Entertainment and Phantagram. And it's not a music-based game. People often ask why I make the games that I do, but to me it's very natural. This game is also very natural to me, and don't really think of it as a "traditional" game.

GP: Are there any particular philosophical influences that you put into the game?

TM: I see the game as just a reflection of history. Movies usually have a single message, but this will be a new experience with multiple perspectives.

GP: We are recently starting to hear more about Korean developers, can you tell us what's going on in the Korean game development industry.

SL: In Korea, the online gaming market is huge--almost everybody plays online games. Online games are successful, but the market is saturated with similar games so it's becoming very competitive. Out of this there's a movement to find a new niche. Korean gamers typically don't play single player games, and so we want to take a new direction that will still appeal to the Korean gamers.

GP: So you felt the Xbox 360 was the best platform for this game?

SL: Xbox has a very strong Live component, and with the right marketing I think it will be very successful--success meaning selling a couple million units in Korea.

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