IGN 与 Team Ninja 早矢仕洋介访谈

Schelfaniel

Ninja Gaiden III: A Cut Above the Rest
IGN sits down with Team Ninja studio head Yosuke Hayashi.

In June 2008, famed Ninja Gaiden developer and Team Ninja studio head, Tomonobu Itagaki, resigned from his position. He has since formed his own company, Valhalla Games, and plans to release his new game, Devil's Third, under THQ. Tasked with replacing him was Yosuke Hayashi, who gained notoriety after directing the Ninja Gaiden Sigma series on PlayStation 3, Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword on Nintendo DS, and Metroid: Other M on Wii.

Yosuke's two upcoming projects include Ninja Gaiden III for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and Dead or Alive: Dimensions for 3DS. IGN recently sat down with Yosuke to get the latest on those titles, what he thinks about Japanese game development, and if his studio will ever work with Nintendo again.

Schelfaniel

IGN: Has Tomonobu Itagaki's departure from Team Ninja had any effect on the focus of the development on Ninja Gaiden III and the Dead or Alive properties?

Yosuke: Since his departure, the team really hasn't changed at Tecmo. So, we are still the same team and have the same vision. When you play Dead or Alive: Dimensions and Ninja Gaiden III, you'll have a better idea of what the current team's vision is. I can tell you the soul of the two series is still in there.

IGN: For Ninja Gaiden II, it seems when the series came to Xbox 360 the focus was on full dismemberment and as much blood as possible. What will be the big gameplay innovation for the third title?

Yosuke: Ninja Gaiden I was all about cutting people and in Ninja Gaiden II it was about dismembering enemies. In Ninja Gaiden III, you're going to experience something new regarding the feeling of cutting people. This is going to be new because you'll actually feel how it is to cut through someone; you'll feel the bones breaking. We're going to focus on the feeling of cutting someone more than dismembering them.



You'll actually feel how it is to cut through someone; you'll feel their bones breaking.IGN: When you say you'll "feel" it, do you mean there will be something with force-feedback or re**tance when cutting someone?

Yosuke: Yes, you'll have to press buttons, things like that, to have your katana go through the bodies. There will be force-feedback also to reinforce the idea. There will be work to cutting somebody. The intention for this title is to focus on the feeling of cutting someone instead of just going through entire armies of bad guys.

IGN: The series has been known for its strong difficulty. Can we expect Ninja Gaiden III to be just as hard?

Yosuke: We are trying to design the game so that anyone can take it on and experience the action. You can expect it to be less demanding than Ninja Gaiden II, it won't be as hard as that. It might taste a bit different, but it will still stay Ninja Gaiden, and we don't think the difficulty is a big issue.

IGN: What can you tell us about Ninja Gaiden III's story? Is it a reboot of the series?

Yosuke: The story will take place right after Ninja Gaiden II. It's going focus more on Ryu Hayabusa's history and background. It's going to focus on all aspects of his ninja lifestyle and his dark side. We're looking at Ryu as a human being and not a generic ninja character.

IGN: You say this game will look at Ryu's history, does this me we'll see more interactions from characters from the Dead or Alive series?

Yosuke: This time we really want to focus on Ryu himself. There won't be any playable characters apart from him. There won't be characters from Dead or Alive.

IGN: In the first two Ninja Gaiden titles, there was a lot of focus on leveling up and improving your weapons. Since the gameplay is being changed a bit for the third game, will players have to do something different?

Yosuke: We consider Ninja Gaiden I and Ninja Gaiden II's design to be old. We are trying something new for the gameplay and starting over from scratch. That kind of design is old so we're going to change things.

IGN: The main complaint we hear from people for the past games was that the camera; it moves so fast and can't keep up with the action. Are you addressing this for Ninja Gaiden III?

Yosuke: We are aware the camera was a bit dodgy in the past games. We're currently addressing this issue so the camera moves smoothly. But, we don't want to use the camera as a tool to see afar. We still want to have the same camera angle and we're working on the issue.

When will we get to see Ninja Gaiden III?

Yosuke: We'll have a press demo available only at E3. We'll keep you updated after that when players will be able to see the game.

IGN: When you revealed Ninja Gaiden III last year, you published this teaser image (below) and later said it contained hints about the game. Can you explain what this image means?

Yosuke: Ryu is unmasking himself, and it's a way of attracting people to his world. We are trying to have people enter the real Ryu Hayabusa. The amount of blood doesn't revolve around the idea of killing people, either; it could also be Ryu's blood. We're focusing not only on cutting people but also Ryu himself.

Schelfaniel

IGN: During this past Tokyo Game Show, then Capcom head Keiji Inafune was very critical of Japanese game development, saying none of the games looked good and that the country is five years behind everyone else. Do you agree with his comments?

Yosuke: I do agree. Japanese game companies have a long history, so it's really difficult for them to adjust. It takes time, and as you know, Japanese culture is really conservative, and some developers have difficulty adjusting to the current gaming trends. We all know that. We are still now working on ways to improve and that the teams are aware of the trends and how gameplay evolves over time. When you see Ninja Gaiden III, you'll have a better idea what I mean by that.

IGN: There's a big push to make games more casual and less difficult it seems. Nintendo is allowing players to turn on the CPU and play the game for them if it gets too hard. In general, do you think players still want difficult games?

Yosuke: The current trends, as you said, with Nintendo being more casual and have easier games to play, this is something that has been added to the hardcore player base. In the past, gaming was all about hardcore gamers that wanted special games for their needs. Now with the current trends, we have more casual gaming. It's just that the market has grown into this situation. We are still aware that hardcore gamers love Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive and we're taking that into account.

With Kinect and Move, I am more of a hardcore gamer, so I like to press buttons and have a controller when I play.IGN: What are your thoughts on Move and Kinect? Do those interest you at all?

Yosuke: With Kinect and Move, I am more of a hardcore gamer, so I like to press buttons and have a controller when I play. Maybe we will be exploring these opportunities, but currently we don't have any details.

IGN: For Dead or Alive: Dimensions, the series in the past used to be about mastering the counter techniques. Is that still the focus with this game or is it evolving?

Yosuke: Dimensions is about the whole series, it will be like Dead or Alive 1, 2, 3, and 4 all together. With regards to gameplay, it has evolved to the current gaming trends. Maybe you'll see more casual aspects, but the core of the game is still there. It's still about counter moves and trying to make up strategies. It's not about remembering your combos or what you have to do next.

We've implemented a slightly casual approach to the title with the touch screen. You'll have a moves list that appears on the bottom screen. You'll be able to press any moves that you want to. It'll be a bit more causal, but you can also play it the old-school way, too.

IGN: Will we see any new characters introduced in Dead or Alive: Dimensions?

Yosuke: We can say there will be new characters to the series, but you will also find all the final bosses from Dead or Alive 1 through 4. They'll all be accessible to play.

IGN: In Dead or Alive Dimensions you revealed a Metroid-themed level with Samus. How did this idea come about and why isn't she a playable character?

Yosuke: Samus is not a Team Ninja character. That level is the extent of this collaboration. You'll find out when you play the game why this event takes place and what it's about. But for this title right now she's not a playable character.

IGN: it's great to have a game like Dead or Alive on the 3DS system because you don't get a lot of great fighting games on handhelds. Are there any plans to bring the series to Xbox 360 and PS3 in the future?

Yosuke: It's been awhile since the last Dead or Alive game, so we've been waiting for the right platform to put out a new game. We felt the 3DS was the right platform to do a new game. Also, we don't think this generation will end anytime soon, so you can still think about that. [laughs]

IGN: Metroid: Other M has been out for a few months now. How do you feel about the game's reception from fans and the media? Do you see Team Ninja working with Nintendo again in the future on another Metroid title?

Yosuke: We teamed up with Nintendo to put out a good game on the Wii. We wanted to make a 3D game that would suit fans of the old Metroid games and adapt to their standards. We did what was possible and were pleased with the result.

We're currently not developing projects with Nintendo outside of Dead or Alive: Dimensions, but it may be the case in the future we'll team up again.

Schelfaniel

2008年6月，《忍者龙剑传》开发者、Team Ninja 领导人—板垣伴信，离开了脱裤魔 创办了自己的公司—Valhalla Games并在THQ旗下研发自己的新游戏—Devil's Third。  而取代酸爷位置的则是在监督了PS3上Ninja Gaiden Sigma系列、DS上Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword和Wii上的Metroid: Other M 而“臭名昭著”的早矢仕洋介。

小弟现在着手的2个项目是对应X360&PS3的《忍者龙剑传3》和对应3DS的《死或生：多重维度》。IGN就最近期间与小弟进行了一次关于这些作品的深入了解和关于小弟对于日本游戏发展的观点、还是否会再次与任天堂合作的问题。

IGN：请问板垣伴信的离开对于现今的Team Ninja着手的 NG3和DOA有什么影响没？

小弟：虽然他离开了，但我们在Tecmo里没有什么改变，所以我们仍是我们，同样的小组 同样的理念。当你玩《死或生：多重维度》和《忍者龙剑传3》的时候，你就会明白当前我们小组的理念是什么了。我可以负责任的告诉你这两个系列的灵魂仍然在这里。

IGN：对于NG2，重点是放在肢解和血腥上，那NG3的重点会有着什么重大的革新么？

小弟：NG1是全砍人而NG2是肢解敌人。在NG3中，你将体验到一些新的关于砍人的感觉！这将是很新颖的，因为你将切实感受到是怎样 砍 穿（cut through） 人的。 你会感觉到骨头的断裂。我们将重点放在砍人的感觉而不再是肢解他们。

IGN：你说的“感觉”是当你砍人的时候会有着某种力的反馈（force-feedback）或抵抗阻力什么的么？

小弟：嗯 是的，你需要按键 就像使你的武士刀穿过敌人的身体时，有着某种阻力在那里使你有着更想使你手上的刀穿过的想法。这代的意图是砍人的感觉而不再是简单的突出敌人的重重包围。

IGN：这个系列闻名于它超高的难度，NG3会保持一贯的难度么？

小弟：我们努力设计的是能让任何人都能接受和体验的，你可以期待它不像NG2那么吃力，不会像NG2那么难，或许会有着一些的不同，但它仍是Ninja Gaiden, 而且我们不认为难度是个大问题的说。

IGN：你能告诉我们一些关于NG3的故事背景的么? 是这个系列的重启么？

小弟：故事将刚是NG2结束之后，将着重于描写龙的故事和背景。重点放在他忍者生活方式的各方面和他黑暗的一面！龙将是更人性化的而不光是忍者的角色。

IGN：你说游戏将着重放在龙的身上，这是否意味着除了龙哥可以玩，死或生系列的妹子都没了么？是这样吗？求你告诉我不是 ！Oh shit！

小弟：这次我们真的是想着重描写龙 没的妹子的 真没的。。。

IGN: 在前两代的NG中，有着多武器的升级系统，但随着3代的游戏操作(着重于砍的感觉)的改变，玩家是否也需要做些什么?

小弟：我们觉得NG1和NG2的设计已陈旧了，我们在试着做些新的东西融入游戏 是重头做起，以前的设计都旧了 SO 我们打算改变些。

IGN：在过去我们听到玩家抱怨最主要的就是视角问题了，视角移动的太快 不能跟动作协调，你们在NG3中对这问题将会？

小弟：我们也意识到在以前游戏中的视角问题有点不靠谱，我们正针对这问题是视角的移动更顺畅，但是我们不想将视角作为工具去望远。我们仍将用同样的视角而且我们正在这个问题上做出努力。

IGN：什么时候我们将见着NG3？

小弟：在E3的时候将有demo放出。那之后将会陆续有更多的情报放出制作大家玩上游戏！

IGN：当你在去年TGS发表NG3的时候 你们贴出了一张概念图（如下）并说到这张图暗示着游戏的发展，现在能为我们解释一下吗？

小弟：图中龙正要解下他的面纱！这也是一种方式吸引大家到龙的世界中去，我们做的是让玩家能更好的融入到真正的龙，脸上的血团不代表着杀人的血，也可能是龙他自己的，我们做的是不仅砍别人也可能是龙自己。

Schelfaniel

IGN：在去年的TGS上，Capcom的领导—稻船敬二批判了日本游戏发展，说没有任何游戏能入眼和日本游戏发展落后全球5年，你同意他的这个观点么？

小弟：我确实同意！（= =||）日本游戏公司有这悠久的历史，SO 真的很难让他们去适应，需要时间，正如你所知的，日本文化真的很保守（conservative），有些游戏开发者很难融入现今的游戏大潮之中！我们都知道那，我们现在仍在提高的道路上工作着，开发小组们也意识到这个大潮趋势和游戏随着时代的演变。当你们见到NG3的时候，你就更清楚我现在所说的了。

IGN：现今的游戏有种趋向去制作更休闲（casual：非正式的），看上去不那么难的。任天堂让玩家玩他们更高配的游戏是否太难了,一般来说你认为玩家会继续玩有难度的游戏么？

小弟：就现在游戏产业来看，正如你所说的，任天堂拥有更多休闲简单的游戏让玩家去玩，这是鉴于拥有核心玩家的基础上的，在过去，游戏就是核心玩家需要的，现在呢，我们有更多休闲的游戏，这只是市场增长的需要，我们还意识到核心玩家喜欢 NG系列和 DOA系列，这也是为什么我们现在要做的。

IGN：关于MOVE与KINECT你有什么看法，你有兴趣吗？

小弟：我是个核心玩家，当我玩的时候我更喜欢用手柄的说，也许我会找机会尝试一下的，但现在还不能说什么。

IGN：对于DOA:Dimensions ，以前的系列是关于掌握反击技巧，在最新作里是不是还是保持这一特色或是有所变化？

小弟：多重维度是关于整个系列的，将会跟DOA1 2 3和4他们一样，在游戏操作方面有着一定程度的改变去融入现今的游戏潮流。也许你会看到更多休闲（非正式）的方面，但游戏的中心还在那里。仍是反击动作和构思策略，不是记住连招或是下一步该做什么。

我们实施了一个小的休闲（非正式）的分支在游戏里，有许多动作列表出现在下面的屏幕中，你能够按任何你想要的动作，玩起来可能会有些简单，但你也可以按以前的方式来玩。

IGN：在DOA:Dimensions会有新的角色出现么？

小弟：嗯 会有的，而且你还能发现最终BOSS来自于DOA1-4，都是可玩角色。

IGN：DOA:Dimensions加入银河战士里的Samus，为什么有这个想法但却不能玩这个角色？

小弟：Samus不是Team Ninja旗下的角色。而那关中合作通敌的部分。当牛玩游戏的是介绍为什么这个故事的发生和怎么回事。所以这代中是不可玩角色。

IGN：很高兴能有DOA在3DS上出现，在以后你有计划将这个系列带到X360与PS3上么？

小弟：自从上一代DOA，已有很长一段时间了，我们一直在等着把新游戏摆上一个适合的平台，我们觉得3DS是一个很好的平台去做新游戏，而且我觉得这个系列任何时候都不会终结的，SO 你可以仍然那么想。[笑]

IGN：Metroid: Other M 已经推出几个月的说了，你觉得玩家与媒体对游戏的反响怎么样？Team Ninja小组以后是否还会与任天堂合作新的Metroid系列？

小弟：我们与任天堂合作做打造一款Wii上的好游戏。我们想去制作款3D游戏，适合老Metroid fans的迎合他们标准的。我们做了我们能做的，对结果还是满意的。

现在除了DOA:Dimensions外并没有其他合作项目，但以后我们可能会再次合作的。

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