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...
2021-01-21 08:54:41 +0000 UTC
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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...
2020-12-29 02:52:11 +0000 UTC
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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 ’...
2020-12-10 13:41:03 +0000 UTC
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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 ...
2020-12-06 03:34:52 +0000 UTC
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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...
2020-12-01 03:34:26 +0000 UTC
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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...
2020-11-26 01:58:45 +0000 UTC
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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, ...
2020-11-26 01:57:39 +0000 UTC
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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-...
2020-11-12 12:13:29 +0000 UTC
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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...
2020-10-30 13:49:13 +0000 UTC
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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...
2020-10-28 22:25:11 +0000 UTC
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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’...
2020-10-15 12:04:37 +0000 UTC
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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...
2020-10-05 13:55:58 +0000 UTC
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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 ...
2020-09-29 11:00:43 +0000 UTC
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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...
2020-09-23 11:31:08 +0000 UTC
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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...
2020-09-10 12:04:59 +0000 UTC
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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 ...
2020-09-06 03:39:33 +0000 UTC
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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...
2020-08-27 21:54:47 +0000 UTC
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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...
2020-08-20 21:06:29 +0000 UTC
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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...
2020-08-20 11:17:53 +0000 UTC
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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...
2020-08-11 13:26:30 +0000 UTC
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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...
2020-07-28 13:44:23 +0000 UTC
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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 ...
2020-07-22 12:05:30 +0000 UTC
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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...
2020-07-16 12:35:21 +0000 UTC
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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...
2020-07-09 13:52:13 +0000 UTC
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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...
2020-06-30 11:51:38 +0000 UTC
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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...
2020-06-25 23:45:37 +0000 UTC
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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...
2020-06-23 13:35:13 +0000 UTC
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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 ...
2020-06-09 23:30:37 +0000 UTC
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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...
2020-05-29 14:14:42 +0000 UTC
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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...
2020-05-26 13:55:54 +0000 UTC
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