Tetsuya Mizuguchi
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Tetsuya Mizuguchi talks about non-existing girls and alcohol
You should know that Tetsuya Mizuguchi is a gaming god to me. Lumines is still one of the best games on the system by far, and Mizuguchi's puzzling sequel has me more than a little excited. CVG recently had an intimate discussion with the gaming master, and he had some really crazy, possibly drug-induced things to say:CVG: Can you tell us a bit about the title song in Lumines 2, 'Heavenly Star'?Mizuguchi: So the girl in the video, she is 17 years-old. She doesn't exist in this world; she's a future girl. She was born in outer space and she's never touched on this planet yet. This is kind of the big love song for the Earth; she's always dreaming of what kind of place Earth is.Uh... Okay... Maybe the guy had a bit too much to drink before the interview:CVG: How important is synesthesia - integrating music and visuals - in Lumines? More or less important than in Rez or Every Extend Extra?Mizuguchi: Rez is kind of tequila; a very strong shot, but Lumines is like a Sauvignon Blanc; a wine you can drink at Sunday lunch.Yep. The secret to Mizuguchi's success has to be some kind of chemical influence. Maybe you too can become a successful game designer with the right... materials...
Lumines to hit it October
Those of you hoping to see Lumines Live and Dig Dug hit on the same day (it could happen, right?) are about to be sorely disappointed. In a recent interview, Lumines creator, Tetsuya Mizuguchi, was asked when Lumines Live will release on XBLA. His answer: "Next month. The middle of next month. I think so." Not exactly the hard confirmation many of us were hoping for, but at least you don't have to stay up late checking Marketplace for Lumines tonight. Of course, we can't stop you from waiting up for Dig Dug.
Metareview - Ninety-Nine Nights
Born of a union between Kingdom Under Fire developer Phantagram and Tetsuya Mizuguchi's Q Entertainment, Ninety-Nine Nights promised to combine the grand scale of Dynasty Warriors with dramatic storytelling and strategic gameplay. Despite its impressive pedigree, however, N3 appears to have delivered only an average button mash experience with a next-gen coat of paint. Perhaps the game's lofty ambitions will be better served in a sequel. TeamXbox (67/100) enjoyed the battle effects and character animations, but it didn't hold the reviewer's attention: "Once the 'wow' factor wears off (the number of enemies per frame is crazy at times), Ninety-Nine Nights starts to get pretty mundane...it was more of the same, over and over again. It feels like more could have been done without losing the button mashing appeal." GameSpot (59/100) feels the mindless action orientation only wears thinner as N3 progresses: "None of the seven playable characters have particularly compelling stories to tell, and the game's annoying English voice acting doesn't do a good job of conveying what little story there is." IGN (56/100) notes a critical flaw in one of the game's only redeeming features: "N3 has a tendency to skip straight to a cutscene once you complete an objective, even if you just killed a rather large enemy that dropped something you might want. Too bad for you. If you didn't scoop it up in the half of a second you had after defeating the enemy, then you're out of luck."
NNN demo dons armor, attacks XBLM
The combined superpowers of Lumines' Q Entertainment and Kingdom Under Fire's Phantagram weren't enough to save the Microsoft-published Ninety-Nine Nights from a middling reception in Japan, the title's target audience. So, instead of taking their word for it, hit the Xbox Live Marketplace and download the all region, 587MB demo for yourself, no matter what country you're in (that means you too, Ludwig).Of interest, this is the second demo that Microsoft has released on the day whose name shall not be spoken (pssst, that's Friday). The rationale was that if something goes wrong (we're looking at you Kong demo), there wouldn't be any Xbox Live minions on hand to yank the demo. So make sure you don't break anything while they're gone, k?
N3 demo is up, sample the mediocrity
Already victim to unimpressive reviews and sales in its homeland, Ninety-Nine Nights is about to hit American shores. Soon we will finally have a mindless slasher to compare with Dynasty Warriors 5 -- and Kurosawa fans may shudder when they learn that the game's "story" was inspired by Rashomon. But why wait for the full release when there's a demo up right now? Go forth loyal X360F readers and partake of this demo (available in all regions). Upon its completion return here and tell us what you think. Was it mindless fun, or just mindless?[Thanks, Julian Weisser]
Lumines creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi: HD is very important to gaming
Finally, someone who gets it. While some (Nintendo) seem to believe HD comes at the expense of gameplay, Tetsuya Mizuguchi believes that the increased resolution can give games even more emotional impact. He remarks on a feeling that many of us have had, when watching a movie we've seen over and over, watching it again in HD can give an entirely new feeling. Sure playing Mike Tyson's Punch-Out on NES was (and is) fun, but this is 2006. High definition allows you to appreciate lumping up opponents faces in Fight Night Round 3 in ways the SNES never could. Even simple games like Geometry Wars are even more inpressive on HDTVs, there's nothing like having millions of multicolored geometrical shapes chasing you on an enormous screen with no blurring whatsoever. In the interview with Games Industry Mizuguchi goes on to add that he thinks other elements like 5.1 surround sound and particularly online connectivity combine with high-def as a new frontier for gaming.This is the man who created such classics as Sega Rally, Lumines, Rez, Manx TT and others. He understands the importance of good gameplay, but instead of shrugging off HD as a niche product with little value, he's willing to acknowledge the possibilities and look for ways to enhance gamers experience, rather than limit it.
Lumines II to use licensed video bait
The latest issue of Game Informer (trust us, or buy/borrow/steal a copy) reports that Lumines II is almost identical to its acclaimed predecessor. The draw will be new unlockable skins, which, this time around, include licensed music videos from artists including Black Eyed Peas, Fatboy Slim, Hoobastank, and Missy Elliot. It's a risky deviation from the standard set in the original, as much of the sequel's soundtrack contains songs that were played out many seasons ago. Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl" ... ? No thank you.With all the technical intricacies of the PSP, one wonders why Lumines II isn't being sold, at least in addition to a full-fledged UMD release, as a downloadable utility (for Lumines), which in turn would give us access to an online store where we could purchase additional skins that include music videos -- or better, bundles that include multiple skins that need to be unlocked through gameplay. But this sounds eerily similar to another future puzzler we've heard of ... Lumines Live, anyone?Buena Vista Game is pimping the Lumines franchise for all it's worth. Go 'head -- that's the business. It's just a shame that there's not more of a collective effort to exploit the potential of the PSP. Instead, we've got a near-identical sequel being hustled to us on UMD for $40. ... Okay, we're stepping down from the podium now ... here are the soundtrack details you're looking for ...
Joystiq interviews Tetsuya Mizuguchi of Q Entertainment
In our final interview from the Develop Conference, Jen and I had a quick chat with Tetsuya Mizuguchi from Q Entertainment (and Rez fame) about the problems western developers face in trying to tackle the Japanese market, Rez 2 (he regrets never making it) and the issue of games that are critically successful, but don't sell so well (Rez again).Earlier on in your career you worked on titles like Sega Rally, Channel 5 and Rez. These are all very different genres and styles of game. What's inspired you to create such varied styles in your games?I don't care about the genre. Somebody once told me that I'm "hopping genres", but I've never really cared about genres. I always think about the human being, the wants that I think people have. Their basic instinct. So my games speak a universal language, so everybody can feel what is fun.
Lumines II to feature "pretty famous artists" [Update 1]
The original Lumines combined block-dropping puzzle fun with psychadelic images and cool grooves. It was a mesmerizing experience that placed it as one of the top 10 games to play when you're stoned. Even without the influence of illegal drugs, many could appreciate Lumines and its excellent soundtrack. Although the original's song list was excellent, it didn't really have too many high-profile artists, except for Mondo Grosso, the artist behind the addictive "Shinin"'.Speaking at the Develop conference in Europe, Tetsuya Mitzuguchi revealed that the PSP-bound Lumines sequel will feature some "pretty famous artists". Who could these artists be? I'll guess that they'll be Japanese. Maybe we'll see some Orange Range or nobodyknows+ like in a certain DS music game? Personally, I'd kill for some UVERworld. While we won't know for a few weeks, it sure is fun to make a few guesses. Read the full story on GamesIndustry.biz for more details on Mizuguchi's other projects.[Update 1: According to Siliconera, BoA and Mondo Grosso are confirmed for Lumines II. That, to me, is hot.]
More musical Mizuguchi mayhem materializes
Oh, death by alliteration can be most painful indeed. And yet, it's a risk worth taking when it comes to revealing new PSP and DS games from Tetsuya Mizuguchi, the creative, possibly insane game designer behind Space Channel 5 (and it's swinging sequel), Rez, Sega Rally and of course, the criminally addictive Lumines. Featuring heavy musical components that can often be influenced by the player, his recent titles have demonstrated a knack for style and an unusual ability to impart something vaguely resembling inspiration. If you've played through Space Channel 5, you'll know exactly what we mean.Thankfully abandoning orcs and dynastic warriors for greener and more familiar portable pastures, Mizuguchi is now acting as executive producer on Gunpey-R, short for Gunpey Reverse. Based on an older Wonderswan game, Gunpey-R sees the player -- wait for it -- moving square panels up and down in an effort to create lines running from right to left. Success leads to panels vanishing as ooposed to killing you violently when they claw their way to the top of the screen. The PSP version will feature interactive "skins" (in the same vein as Lumines), whereas the DS version will play different sounds as each panel is cleared.Namco Bandai is taking care of publishing duties in Japan, with American and European releases still unaccounted for. Given the success of Q Entertainment's previous games, it shouldn't take too long before everyone is pulled back into a mesmerizing music-and-rhythm marathon. With such a widespread appeal, music is most certainly a sound route to the home of that elusive casual gamer. See also: Lumines Live to hit Xbox Live Arcade Lumines Plus to drop on PS2 Joystiq's top 10 hidden gems of this generation
Ninety-Nine Nights to require Hard Drive? [update 2]
The wisdom of releasing two Xbox 360 SKUs -- one with a hard drive and one without -- will be debated for years to come. Adding fuel to that constant flame will be things like this: highly anticipated games that require the Hard Drive. The Canadian Xbox.com page for Ninety-Nine Nights lists the Q Entertainment/Phantagram brawler as "Hard Drive Required." There's a couple potential explanations: It's the first one; see Update 2 below: Some overzealous, click-happy Xbox.com worker bee got caught up in the moment and clicked one too many boxes. Oopsie. The game actually does require a hard drive! The HDD-less Core system isn't even available in Japan so this requirement wouldn't have proven to be a burden for that audience ... that and the fact that not many folks are picking up 360s over there. Seeing as how Microsoft obviously has a "Hard Drive Required" tag, we can logically deduce that some games are going to, in fact, require a hard drive. Problem is, why NNN? When the expansive Oblivion managed to get the deed done Core-style, why couldn't they?We imagine Microsoft is reasonably sure that even those who did get stuck with a Core system due to holiday shortages have since outfitted it with the optional hard drive. But what about the gamers rocking 360s sans HDDs. Tough luck then?[Via Gamer Andy][Update 1: The US Xbox.com page lists the vague requirement of "Storage Device" while the Canadian Xbox.com page still lists "Hard Drive Required."][Update 2: Microsoft blogger Cesar Menendez over at Gamerscore checked in with the Xbox.com production team and reports back, "It's true, you'll be able to play this game and hack down hordes of enemies, with or without a hard drive. As for the confusion: I checked with the Xbox.com production team on this one, and the site was listed with "hard drive required" incorrectly - now it's fixed." He's right, it's all better. Looks like potential explanation number one was the winner! Congratulations!]
99 Nights, 1 hard drive
If you don't have an HDD and you were looking forward to Ninety-Nine Nights, you'd better start saving. QJ reports that Ninety-Nine Nights, releasing this August in the US, will require a hard drive to play. At least that's the story according to Xbox.com. Personally, I find this a little suspect. Surely something like this would have been covered when the game released in Japan. Assuming it's true, without an HDD it's going to cost you at least $160 to play this. Ouch. Of course, you could just skip Ninety-Nine Nights entirely, because it's not supposed to be very good anyway. See an image of the Xbox.com product info after the break. [Via QJ]
Lumines versus will cost you [update 1]
Many people have already been stunned by Lumines Live's $15 price tag. If you've already been stunned, then there's no telling what this news will do to you. X360F and I take no responsibility for any mental or physical pain and anguish as a result. Here goes: if you want to play Lumines on Live, you'll have to buy another pack that unlocks the feature. Probably, anyway. Lumines creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi hinted that maybe you won't have to pay for what should be a standard feature: "At least that's the way we have it planned right now...We're still trying to determine if we'll package versus in the base package." Like a sucker, I'll probably pay for it. Will you? [Via Xboxic] Update 1: An official response from Microsoft has confirmed that online play will be included at no extra cost. See this follow-up for the full story.
Next-gen Rez sequel in the cards? [update 2]
In an interview with Eurogamer, Tetsuya Mizuguchi (Meteos, Lumines, Space Channel 5) spoke briefly on the possibilities of a sequel to Rez, the trippy Dreamcast game that attemped a form of synaesthesia with its design. In discussing next-generation possibilities, Mizuguchi noted that he was looking to make "a Rez kind of experience." When further pressed on the matter, Mizuguchi asserted that, if SEGA were to approach him to make a Rez sequel, he is "currently seriously considering it. It's always there. I'm always thinking about it."If the sequel were to be made, on what console? Let's examine the possibilities:
Xbox 360 impressions: Ninety-Nine Nights (N3)
How disappointing. Since Tetsuya Mizuguchi has been responsible for so many great games, including Sega Rally, Space Channel 5 and Lumines, we've decided to forgive him for his involvement in the Phantagram developed Ninety-Nine Nights. It's not that the game is incredibly bad, only that it's overly chaotic and suffers from an awkward camera system. Taking control of the outrageously bossy Inphyy, it didn't take long before we charged right into the midst of a horde of trolls, swinging our sword wildly in the hopes of killing everything in our path. There's really very little skill required to succeed, and even the most basic of combos is effective at taking out the fairly inept enemies. Though the game boasts some beautiful graphics and an insane number of on-screen characters, it requires almost no mental input whatsoever--it's like your brain goes into a button mashing autopilot, taking care to press Y every now and then to unleash a slightly different looking move. We don't need to tell you that this game plays similarly to Dynasty Warriors, but we do need to mention that the game quickly starts feeling repetitive and even a little boring. The camera does a terrible job of keeping up with the action and, given the number of times we had to correct the angle in order to find Inphyy in the mass of polygons, I have a feeling that it simply gives up at some point. We did too.
Lumines Live to hit Xbox Live Arcade
Peter Moore just announced that Tetsuya Mizuguchi's formerly PS(P and 2)-exclusive title, Lumines, is heading to Xbox Live Arcade in the form of Lumines Live. What's new? The music-heavy title will feature Warner Music Group's content integrated into the game. Their example showed a Madonna video playing behind the game. Sony got to borrow some XBL action, all Microsoft's doing is playing catch-up.
Rumor: Yuji Naka set to leave Sega
Yuji Naka, the original programmer behind Sonic the Hedgehog and arguably the most influential man at Sega (next to Yu Suzuki, of course), is rumored to be leaving Sega.Citing sources "close to Sega," Next Generation claims that the influential leader "is planning to set up his own studio." If true, this action would mirror those of other game industry greats such as Tetsuya Mizuguchi (who founded Q Entertainment) and Hironobu Sakaguchi (who started Mistwalker).Unfortunately, this kind of rumor is difficult to confirm as you don't know for sure whether someone's leaving a developer until he's actually gone. With all the organizational changes at the company, however (especially since Sammy bought Sega), such a move wouldn't be too surprising. We just hope the next-gen sequels to Sonic are in good hands.See also: Next-gen Sonic to be "re-invented" for PS3 and Xbox 360 Rumor: Sonic coming to Revolution DS: Sakaguchi & Co. working on new RPG Lumines sales top gold status
Ninety-Nine Nights demo March 1st... in Japan
Microsoft Japan announced last week they would be distributing demos of Tetsuya Mizuguchi's anticipated Ninety-Nine Nights with 50,000 demo discs and over the Xbox Live Marketplace. Unfortunately, this will be for Japan only. Fortunately, we know how to circumvent the region lockout to download demos for foreign countries! The title is set for an April 20th release in Japan, so the demo should be available around then as well. [Via Joystiq]
