SEGA Unleashed Interviews
We interview four of SEGA's hottest developers to see what SEGA has in-store for us for the future.
June 8, 2001
E3 isn't always about playing the excess amount of games on every platform and for the editorial staff of IGN, many of us didn't even get a chance to get our hands on some titles we were looking forward to seeing at E3 2001. Such was the case for your lonely IGNDC editor; rather than playing as many games as I could, I tried a different approach this year. I went out and tried to meet as many influential video game developers as possible, especially at SEGA and for the most part, I was pretty successful. There's nothing quite more exciting than exchanging business cards with the likes of Yuji Naka. What follows below are exclusive interviews with four members from SEGA's hottest teams: Sonic Team, Smilebit, Amusement Vision, and Hitmaker. Although I wish I had more time and better accessibility to other SEGA developers (like Yu Suzuki), the following four are all working on some very exciting projects that will ensure SEGA's placement in the upper echelon of video game developers for years to come:
Smilebit
Smilebit has made a name for itself in the past couple of years. While Jet Grind Radio didn't do too hot in terms of sale numbers, it garnered much respect from the video game editorial circle. Now, with GUNVALKRYIE, Jet Set Radio Future, and the new Panzer Dragoon game on Xbox, people are taking the company with a happy name a little more seriously. We spoke Takayuki Kawagoe, Director of Smilebit, about Smilebit's Xbox titles and, more importantly, when we would see Panzer Dragoon:
IGNDC: Jet Set Radio Future looks fantastic on the Xbox. With Microsoft's new announcement of the Broadband gaming, does Smilebit have plans to incorporate an online mode for JSRF?
Takayuki Kawagoe: For now, we're still finding out what's possible for an online feature. We're going to try online play for Jet Set Radio Future, but I can't talk about the details of the online play. We also have an online plan for GUNVALKRYIE, but again, it's too early to talk about it.
IGNDC: We've noticed that both your newest titles will be appearing only on the Xbox. Is there any particular reason why you chose Xbox over both PS2 and GameCube?
TK: Well originally, we decided to release the titles on the PS2 at first, but then came the Xbox right after the PS2. There's no real reason why, but you can see for yourself how good it looks on the Xbox.
IGNDC: Both titles, GUNVALKRYIE and Jet Set Radio Future, will be definitely be out on schedule?
TK: Yes, GUNVALKRYIE is an Xbox launch title, while Jet Set Radio Future will be released a few weeks after the Xbox launch.
IGNDC: So, how is Panzer Dragoon coming along?
TK: (laughs) Just wait for TGS 2001 this fall, and you'll see something really special.
IGNDC: Are many of the developers from the original Panzer Dragoon working on the new one?
TK: Actually, the director and many members of the Jet Set Radio Future team used to work on the original Panzer game [Team Andromeda]. So yes, there are a few original members of the old team and you can be sure that the newest Panzer Dragoon will be the best one yet.
Amusement Vision
Responsible for the phenomenal arcade game Planet Harriers and the delightful Monkey Ball, Amusement Vision is probably most famous for the SEGA flagship racing game, Daytona. Although Amusement Vision is introducing ports of Monkey Ball and Virtua Striker 3 on the GameCube, Toshihiro Nagoshi, head of Amusement Vision, has bigger plans, both for the console and arcade.
IGNDC: We've played Planet Harriers in the arcade and it's a wonderful game. We've heard rumors that the game will appear on a home console like the GameCube.
Toshihiro Nagoshi: Well, that has yet to be decided but I'd like to. As far as an appearance on the GameCube, those are still just rumors.
IGNDC: How has the Planet Harriers been received in Japan?
TN: Many players in Japan say the game is too difficult and that's another reason why I'm not sure if the game will appear on a next generation console. IGNDC: So far, Super Monkey Ball and Virtua Striker 3 ver. 2002 have been announced only for GameCube? Is there any particular reason why you chose the GameCube over the PS2 and Xbox?
TN: From the developer's side, every hardware piece is very different even though we use them to program similar video games. Last autumn, everyone was talking about "what hardware is better to develop for" but in my point of view, GameCube seemed the most fun and interesting to develop games for. Additionally, from my point of view I think the GameCube hardware will allow us to easily port our arcade titles to the home console.
IGNDC: How difficult was the port Has it been an easy port from the NAOMI 2 Virtua Striker 3 to the GameCube?
TN: It took a month to complete the port. From that you can see that the GameCube is quite powerful. And of course, our team is quite good (laughs).
IGNDC: We're a big fan of all of Amusement Vision's arcade titles and we're wondering what's next AV's arcade development?
TN: In the past, we've been successful in driving, shooting, and action arcade games. But rather than going back to these arcade genres, I want to try something really different. I can't reveal anything specific but I want to definitely try something that hasn't been done before for Amusement Vision's next arcade game.
IGNDC: Daytona USA 2001 was the first home specific console made by Amusement Vision. Any plans to see another original Daytona title for another console?
TN: You can expect something in that direction (smiles).
Sonic Team
Yuji Naka: I think the potential is much, much higher. But just the fact that we have 270,000 users, I think it's a very big accomplishment.
IGNDC: This may be somewhat of a blunt question, but why did you choose to develop on the GameCube rather than the Xbox, especially since Microsoft has announced its Broadband online gaming strategy? It would seem that the Xbox would be more suited for the online plans of Phantasy Star Online rather than GameCube.
YN: I have the position that the Broadband days are coming, but they are not here yet. We still think 56k is a critically important technology for today.
IGNDC: After Sonic Adventure 2 and PSO Ver.2, do you have plans for another Dreamcast title?
YN: Well, we're still finishing up Sonic Adventure 2 and PSO Version 2, so when Sonic Team releases those titles, that'll give me some time to think about what we're going to do next. It's so busy right now, especially with all the work on the GameCube and Game Boy Advance; I really need some quiet to think about things and I also need to give my stuff a little break as well.
IGNDC: We're all very sad that the Dreamcast will be gone, so SEGA fans are wondering what system to buy next. What system would you recommend buying for those diehard SEGA fans?
YN: Well, I can't make a huge generalization for all SEGA fans, but maybe if you're a Sonic Team fan, my recommendation is to buy a GameCube. That's a very difficult, but good question.
Hitmaker
IGNDC: We know Hitmaker is responsible for a number of excellent titles, and it helps that Hitmaker's team is divided into different project leaders. What is the current project you're working on?
Hisao Oguchi: Well, I'm working on sort of a personal project, along the lines of the Derby Owners Club series but on a much bigger scale. I'm planning on having network capabilities across all platforms. Basically, a persistent online world sort of like Ultima Online where each player has their own account, each player would raise their horses online, and there would be continuous races online. There would be a 24-hour racing program within this world where players could enter their horses and actually race in real-time where you would fully control your horse. You can whip them to go faster, pull back on the reins to slow down a bit; you would have complete control of your horse during these races.
IGNDC: How is development of Virtual On Force proceeding and will we see a console version of the game?
HO: We're actually finishing up the project and we haven't thought about a console version of the game as of yet.
IGNDC: We're very excited about Tennis 2K2, but we're surprised that it wasn't playable at E3. How far along is the game?
HO: Well, the arcade version of the game is 70%, the Dreamcast version is about 60%.
IGNDC: What new changes will be seen with Tennis 2K2?
HO: The Williams sisters are in the game, and you can now have mixed doubles (male and female players on the same team), but other than that there's not a whole lot changed from the gameplay. Of course, we're going to fine-tune the control and tweak a few gameplay mechanics, but nothing drastic since we think the original Virtual Tennis was quite solid.
IGNDC: Will there be online play with Tennis 2K2?
HO: Well, that's still a secret but we're experimenting with it right now. Unlike first person shooters, where you can repeatedly shoot an enemy a number of times to damage the enemy, with a game like Virtua Tennis, where every hit is critical, lag can really hamper a kinetic game like Tennis 2K2. It may be difficult to make a game like Tennis 2K2 work smoothly over the Internet. In Japan, it's much easier since we have the matching service where players directly dial-up each other. Still, we possess a lot of network know-how and we're going to do our best to make Tennis 2K2 playable over the Internet via 56k modem for the
US.
IGNDC: We're also big fans of the Crazy Taxi series though we were a little sad to hear that the multiplayer mode (both online and offline) wouldn't make it into Crazy Taxi 2. Will there be an online multiplayer mode Crazy Taxi Next for the Xbox?
HO: With the Xbox, it give us [Hitmaker] a whole lot of options to play with. The problem with doing online play for a game like Crazy Taxi, the cities are so large, the chances of players meeting at any given time are very rare. Within the game's parameters, it's pretty hard to
make it fun with online play in the first place.
IGNDC: Ahhh, not a bad idea... so long as they don't go to the same hotel.
HO: Well, of course since we have different customers during the day and night, there would be new locations only available at night. As we all know, taxi drivers don't only work during the day.
IGNDC: Can we expect a lot of Hitmaker's games on the Xbox?
HO: As of right now, the only platforms for development are on the Xbox. Sorry, I can't comment if we'll be developing on other platforms.
IGNDC: No problem. Now, Crazy Taxi was based in San Francisco. Crazy Taxi 2 is based in New York. Since it seems you like to place each Crazy Taxi game in greater crowded cities, will Crazy Taxi Next take place in Tokyo (smiles)?
HO: (laughs) No, no... we want to keep the setting in America.
IGNDC: IGNDC: Have you decided what city Crazy Taxi Next will take place in?
HO: Hmmm... let's decide right now.
IGNDC: What?!?
HO: Really, where do you suggest Crazy Taxi Next should take place in?
IGNDC: Um, let's see. Seattle, Dallas Atlanta, Las Vegas, maybe Chicago...
HO: It's too cold in Chicago (smiles). Atlanta would be interesting... and maybe Seattle. We'll think about those two for now and maybe we'll look for a few more.
--Anthony Chau, IGNDC
With numerous titles to their credit, Sonic Team hardly needs any introduction. We've spoken to Mr. Sonic himself, Yuji Naka, numerous times in the past but Mr. Naka is never one for a loss of words as we talked about the success of Phantasy Star Online and his plans for the future.
IGNDC: Are you satisfied with the number of users playing Phantasy Star Online right now? Was 270,000 plus players the target goal, or was it above or below that number?
While many often quote the established names of designers Yu Suzuki and Yuji Naka, one of SEGA's hottest studios has to be Hitmaker. Developers of Crazy Taxi, Virtua Tennis, Virtual On, and many other hot SEGA titles, there couldn't be a better name for the company. We spoke with Hitmaker's CEO, Hisao Oguchi, who was probably the coolest cat at SEGA's booth. He spoke with a lot of enthusiasm, offered us drinks so he wouldn't have to drink alone, and let us choose the next Crazy Taxi location!
With Crazy Taxi Next, what I would like to do is to add new features that aren't in Crazy Taxi and Crazy Taxi 2... essentially make a totally new Crazy Taxi game. Of course, Crazy Taxi Next will have huge graphical improvements, but the biggest changes would be in the gameplay. For example, stages that change with time so you would have night-time driving sequences. With this in mind, there would be different customers that you would pick up at night compared to those you would pick up during the day. Using this example, you could pick up a couple at night and drive them to a hotel (laughs).
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