Toshihiro Nagoshi: Kikizo Interview 2005

Sega's top development executive talks about PS3, Xbox 360, Revolution, arcades, Ryu ga Gotoku, Monkey Ball DS and loads more.

Page: 1  2  3  4 

It's been a while since our last chat with Toshihiro Nagoshi, but since then, the charismatic creator of some of Sega's most loved franchises has seen his responsibilities increase, overseeing the bulk of the company's entire creative output while retaining his own projects inside the team that comprises the Amusement Vision and Smilebit development studios.

His latest project, Ryu ga Gotoko, is a far cry from perhaps his most celebrated success, Super Monkey Ball. A Japanese Yakuza storyline in a gritty Tokyo world is the backdrop for a mix of exploration and fighting action, and Nago-san, as he's known by his peers, wastes no time in filling Kikizo in on all the details (and you can get more from the behind-the-scenes video feature included among the videos below).

But that's not all. The esteemed and funked-up developer also discusses the upcoming Super Monkey Ball DS, as well as a whole range of other topics including his feedback on next-generation game platforms.

Enjoy this latest Kikizo interview and stay tuned for loads more on the Sega front in the coming weeks and beyond...

Kikizo: Critically, the scores for SpikeOut: Battle Street seemed to vary wildly, but it does have its fans. Can we expect a continuation of the series for the fans or would you rather concentrate on giving them something new?

Nagoshi: It seems like the area of the game consumers enjoy the most is the multiplayer and network play. Since that's the main purpose of the game, we're happy with that response. The scenarios and single-player game don't seem to be considered as well. We've got some ideas floating around, but we're not really sure what the response would be like...

Toshihiro Nagoshi - Global Entertainment R&D, SEGA JAPAN

Kikizo: You got your start at Sega working on arcade games. Lately in Japan we've seen massive, multiplayer networked games with large custom cabinets such as Key of Avalon and Quest of D. Why do you think these machines have gained such popularity?

Nagoshi: Well, we really haven't been doing so much for arcades lately, and I'm not involved in any arcade projects at the moment. But still, you can see that these games are popular right now. Networking and card features are currently the "in" thing. It's hard to really say why they are doing so well now... Part of their popularity is probably due to being there at the right time.

PlayStation 3 - "remains pretty enigmatic to us"

I think it has to do with the current popularity of CCGs in Japan, as well. You know, stuff like Magic: The Gathering. There weren't many of those games in Japan before. The thing is, once you play it and you like it, you're hooked. You want more and more cards! Arcades really shouldn't be banking heavily on such machines, though. It's like having too many driving games: They're big and expensive to buy and maintain. I think their popularity is at a peak right now.

Kikizo: Can we expect a shift to more Lindbergh development and development on new hardware based on the next generation of console hardware pretty soon?

SpikeOut for Xbox - mixed feedback

Nagoshi: Since I'm not really focusing on arcades at the moment, it's hard for me to say much of anything about the new hardware. But I think it'll be pretty good.

Page: 1  2  3  4 

NEXT PAGE >>