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The History of the Famicom (documentary video)

The History of the Famicom (documentary video)

http://shmuplations.com/famicomhistory/
(direct video link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFgp_eykD4E)

This documentary about the history of the Famicom, released in 2003, features interviews with several key developers...

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a quick december update

I was hoping to get a few Christmas-week updates in at the last minute here, but work/family/holiday busyness has conspired to thwart that endeavor. As such, aside from the Puzzle Creators interview that was posted earlier this month, I'm going to take December off and extend the voting period this cycle through March.

You won't be charged anything for this month, of course (one of the a...

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Puzzle Game Creators – 1998 Developer Interview

Puzzle Game Creators – 1998 Developer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/puzzlegamecreators/

Originally published in Game Hihyou magazine, this feature saw several key puzzle game creators reflecting on the essence of puzzle video game design and sharing the origin stories of several of the most fondly-remembered puzzles games of the late ’80s and ’...

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Dec/Jan/Feb voting!

Greetings to all patrons new and old. It's time again to offer suggestions and feedback re: what you'd like to see translated in the next few months. I'll still be referring to the previous voting posts, but it's never a bad idea to post again what you'd like to see translated.  Also, if multiple people suggest the same interview, it's more likely to get translated, so feel free to second ...

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Skies of Arcadia – Developer Interview Collection

Skies of Arcadia – Developer Interview Collection

http://shmuplations.com/skiesofarcadia/

This massive selection of Skies of Arcadia interviews chronicles the development of the game from 1999 through 2000. After the two Famitsu Dreamcast interviews with Producer Rieko Kodama and Director/Planner Shuntaro Tanaka, I’ve arranged the remaining Dreamcast Magaz...

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Wonder Project J2 – 1995 Developer Interview

Wonder Project J2 – 1995 Developer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/wonderprojectj2/

These two Dengeki SFC interviews cover the making of Wonder Project J2, the sequel to Almanac/Givro & Enix’s hit “communication adventure” game and one of only two Enix-published games published for the Nintendo 64. Producer Hiroki Fujimoto and director/writ...

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Yasunori Mitsuda – 2000 Developer Interview

Yasunori Mitsuda – 2000 Developer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/yasunorimitsuda2/

In this candid Yasunori Mitsuda interview from 2000, the lauded composer talks about his early days before joining Square, the pressure of Chrono Trigger, his favorite compositions, the influence of Russian trad music, and more. Featured in Nice Games magazine, ...

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Steel Battalion – 2002 Developer Interview

 Steel Battalion – 2002 Developer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/steelbattalion/

Taken from the October 2002 issue of Famitsu Xbox, this interview covers the making of Capcom and Nude Maker’s uncompromising military vehicle simulator Steel Batallion, released exclusively for the original Xbox and famously designed in tandem with a multi-piece, 44-...

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ADK Ninja Games – 1998 Developer Interview

ADK Ninja Games – 1998 Developer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/adkninjas/

In this collection of brief interviews, several members of the  SNK-affiliated developer ADK (formerly Alpha Denshi) discuss the origins  of the company and some of their most memorable Neo Geo works,  including the fighting game World Heroes, the hardcore action-p...

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Hideo Kojima – 1999 Developer Interview

Hideo Kojima – 1999 Developer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/kojima/

In this 1999 interview, the now-legendary game director Hideo Kojima offers some broad insight into the circumstances behind his biggest creations, from the original stealth-action game Metal Gear to the adventure games Snatcher and Policenauts, coming full circle with the 3D “tactic...

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Darius Gaiden – 1994 Developer Interview

Darius Gaiden – 1994 Developer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/dariusgaiden/

In this interview, originally published in Gamest mook vol.6, several members of Taito’s arcade development team discuss the making of Darius Gaiden, the third arcade entry in Taito’s venerable horizontal STG series.

Alongside in-depth questions about the game’...

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Skies of Arcadia – 2019 Developer Interview

Skies of Arcadia – 2019 Developer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/arcadiavideo/

This massive, comprehensive Skies of Arcadia developer interview  from 2019 was originally featured as a part of IGN Japan’s “Motto  Kikasete!” serie...

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Bloody Roar 3 – 2001 Developer Interview

Bloody Roar 3 – 2001 Developer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/bloodyroar3/

This interview with Hudson director Kenji Fukuya covers the making of the 2000 arcade & PlayStation 2 game Bloody Roar 3, the critical and commercial apex of Hudson & Raizing’s flashy and outlandish series of 3D fighting games centered around the unique gimmick of ...

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Final Fantasy V – 1992 Developer Interview

Final Fantasy V – 1992 Developer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/ffv/

In this interview, several key members of Square’s Final Fantasy V development team, including director Hironobu Sakaguchi, composer Nobuo Uematsu and then-fledgling designer Tetsuya Nomura, discuss their ambitions for the game, the challenges faced during production, some of the ideas tha...

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Kazutoshi Iida – 1996 Developer Interview

Kazutoshi Iida – 1996 Developer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/iidakazutoshi/

Conducted prior to the release of the surreal caveman-themed sandbox Tail of the Sun, this interview with creator Kazutoshi Iida covers the motivations behind his previous game, the “undersea exploration game” Aquanaut’s Holiday, and Iida’s desires to rail against...

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Sept/Oct/Nov voting!

Greetings to all patrons new and old. It's time again to offer suggestions and feedback re: what you'd like to see translated in the next few months. I'll still be referring to the previous voting posts, but it's never a bad idea to post again what you'd like to see translated.  Also, if multiple people suggest the same interview, it's more likely to get translated, so feel free to second ...

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Shining Force II – 1993 Developer Interviews

Shining Force II – 1993 Developer Interviews

http://shmuplations.com/shiningforceii/

These four interviews chronicle the development and promotion of the Mega Drive strategy-RPG Shining Force 2, the hotly-anticipated sequel to the critically-acclaimed Shining Force and the third home title for Sonic! Software Planning (now known as Camelot), whose Shini...

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Star Ocean: The Last Hope - 2009 Developer Interview

Star Ocean: The Last Hope - 2009 Developer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/starocean4/

Taken from the Official Guide Book, this lengthy interview covers  the making of Star Ocean 4, the first high-definition entry in tri-Ace’s  long-running sci-fi RPG series. Several key members of the development  team discuss their goals, their self-describe...

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Paper Mario – 2000 Developer Interview

Paper Mario – 2000 Developer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/papermario/

In this interview, developers from Nintendo and Intelligent Systems discuss the making of the original Paper Mario, a late Nintendo 64 title that charmed fans with its unique 2D/3D papercraft aesthetic, inventive action-tinged battle system and offbeat take on the Mario univers...

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Klonoa – 1997 Developer Interviews

Klonoa – 1997 Developer Interviews

http://shmuplations.com/klonoa/

In these two interviews + developer team commentary, several of Namco’s developers discuss the  conception and making of the beloved 1997 PlayStation action game  Klonoa: Door to Phantomile, a game whose snappy and approachable  controls, charming universe, expertly-cr...

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Final Fantasy Tactics – 1997 Composer Commentary

 Final Fantasy Tactics – 1997 Composer Commentary

http://shmuplations.com/fftmusic/

In the original Japanese version of Final Fantasy Tactics, a  hidden sound test menu can be accessed by entering “BGMききたい” as Ramza’s name.  Sadly this was cut for the non-Japanese releases. It’s really too bad,  as it contained unused music by Sakimo...

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Guilty Gear – 1998 Developer Interview

Guilty Gear – 1998 Developer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/guiltygear/

These two interviews cover the development of the original Guilty  Gear, an idiosyncratic and extremely ambitious 2D fighting game  released exclusively for the PlayStation by Ark System Works, a veteran  studio that heretofore worked primarily and almost solely ...

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Lunar: The Silver Star – 1992 Developer Interviews

Lunar: The Silver Star – 1992 Developer Interviews

http://shmuplations.com/lunar/

This collection of interviews from BEEP Mega Drive magazine  chronicles the development and release of Lunar: The Silver Star, the  beloved 1992 RPG published by Game Arts and developed by the now-defunct  Studio Alex, a team formed by ex-members of Nihon Falcom and Xt...

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Gunpei Yokoi – Inventing the Game and Watch

Gunpei Yokoi – Inventing the Game and Watch

http://shmuplations.com/gameandwatch/

In this essay from the book Gunpei Yokoi’s Game Museum, the late toy and game designer Gunpei Yokoi recounts the creation and success of the Game & Watch, Nintendo’s handheld LCD game line that saw almost 60 variants across eleven years and sold well over 40 million...

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Giga Wing - 1999/2001 Developer Interviews

Giga Wing - 1999/2001 Developer Interviews

http://shmuplations.com/gigawing/

These two Giga Wing interviews, covering both the original game and its sequel, were originally featured in Gamest and Arcadia magazines. The GW2 interview covers familiar territory with regard to character and game design topics, while the GW1 interview with producer Noritaka Funa...

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Quinty (Mendel Palace) – 2014 Developer Interview

Quinty (Mendel Palace) – 2014 Developer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/quinty/

This 2014 interview, held to commemorate the game’s first-ever reissue, saw Game Freak’s Ken Sugimori and Junichi Masuda reminiscing about the making of their first game, the panel-flipping, arcade-style Famicom action game, Quinty (released overseas as Mendel Palace).

Of pa...

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Dino Crisis – 1999 Developer Interview

 Dino Crisis – 1999 Developer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/dinocrisis/

This fascinating pre-release interview with Dino Crisis director and producer Shinji Mikami was originally featured in the 5/99 edition of The Playstation magazine. While many pre-release interviews are essentially little more than promotional fluff, this one sees Mikami expoun...

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June/July/August voting!

Greetings to all patrons new and old. It's time again to offer suggestions and feedback re: what you'd like to see translated in the next few months. I'll still be referring to the previous voting posts, but it's never a bad idea to post again what you'd like to see translated.  Also, if multiple people suggest the same interview, it's more likely to get translated, so feel free to second ...

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Harumi Fujita – 2011 Composer Interview

Harumi Fujita – 2011 Composer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/harumifujita/

This composer interview with Harumi Fujita from 2011 first appeared in issue #2 of STG Gameside. Although the games she made at SNK were not commercially succesful, Fujita’s music at Capcom helped define the company’s sound during it’s first golden age in the mid to l...

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Legend of Mana – 1999 Developer Interview

Legend of Mana – 1999 Developer Interview

http://shmuplations.com/legendofmana/

This lengthy Legend of Mana interview with both the story and battle teams was originally published in the official Ultimania guide. As expected of an entry in the exhaustive Ultimania series, it covers all aspects of the development, including the art design, music, battle...

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