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![Rang: [?]](https://2img.net/h/oi35.tinypic.com/28mo4js.png "Rang: [?]")
von Im nordamerikanischen Nintendo Channel (Wii) läuft seit dieser Woche ein neues Video zur „Pokémon Platinum Version“, welche dort am 22. März auf den Markt kommt.Das Video findet ihr hier
Das Video ist dort aber leider nur in einer recht schlechten Qualität verfügbar.
Außerdem haben Junichi Masuda und Takeshi Kawachimaru von Game Freak gegenüber „Nintendo Power“ und „IGN“ ein Interview gegeben. Dies hatte Junichi Masuda bereits im Vorfeld in seinem Blog HIDDEN POWER of Masuda – Director’s Columns angekündigt.
→ Zum IGN-Interview (nur in Englisch verfügbar aber wir versuchen es heute noch zu übersetzten)
IGN: What was the inspiration for the new concepts in Pokemon Platinum? Do you think the process for coming up with new concepts has changed since the first Pokemon games were developed?
Junichi Masuda: We created Platinum with a new method of determining the game's direction that was based on the image of one Pokemon - Giratina. When I imagined Giratina, the idea of a "reversed world" came to my mind. I thought of concepts such as "E=mc2" and matter and antimatter. There is no top or bottom, no left or right. We increased the number of developers for Diamond and Pearl, so we wanted to clarify the game concepts for the team before we started the project Its better to hammer out the overall vision of the game first, and then all the team members will work towards that vision by throwing out ideas. The concept of "ultimate" was what we started out with for this title.
IGN: Did you ever think that Pokemon would be as popular as it is when you worked on the first Pokemon games more than a decade ago?
Masuda: I didn't. I think the first Pokemon games sold in a unique way. Sales didn't soar right after launch but gradually rose over time. A year later, a quite a few of copies had sold. It's like how your kids grow - you don't realize how much they've grown as it's happening. It turns out the games had sold really well once we realized it. I never imagined Pokemon would be so popular. I thank other Pokemon brand pillars like the Trading Card Game and the animated TV series and movies because they drove the game sales (laughs).
IGN: If you could attribute the strength of Pokemon to one single philosophy, what would it be?
Masuda: The philosophy of play. Pokemon games are packed with active elements because to "play" is the foundation of the games. Imagine if you caught a Pokemon immediately when you throw a Pok? Ball. That would be no fun - you want the excitement of seeing the ball rolling, shaking etc. You can catch Pokemon more easily when you attack them and lower their HP. It's like fishing in our world - you can fish for Pokemon more easily when they are weak. If you like fishing (in our world), you may make a record of your catch as a keepsake. It's the same principle in Pokemon. Pokemon games are designed to register Pokemon data in the Pok?dex and you can look back on it later. Also, we want to incorporate basic play concepts that inspire us, like in Rock-Paper-Scissors. The big picture concept of a game is very important, but we don't want to forget the simple enjoyment of a
IGN: Pokemon was originally created for handheld systems. Why do you think Pokemon works so well on handheld systems, like Nintendo DS?
Masuda: The original concept of Pokemon was to trade different characters, and I think handheld systems create the best setting to trade Pokemon with your friends - whenever you want, wherever you are.
Takeshi Kawachimaru: I think Pokemon has many features that make players feel their Pokemon are their own. Handheld systems have a similar concept; a home video game console is your family's, but the handheld is exclusively yours. So, I think a handheld system is a medium that gives you a strong sense of ownership since you always carry it with you. That's why handheld systems work so well with Pokemon games.
Masuda: Pokemon games are RPGs, and the best kind of system for RPGs is something that you can feel close to. When you play Pokemon games, you're a hero. When you battle, you feel like you're a Pokemon trainer. The handheld systems match that philosophy.
IGN: With the advancement over the years from Game Boy to Game Boy Advance to DS, have there been any challenges in developing the Pokemon games for each new Nintendo handheld system?
Masuda: What's most challenging is that game-making gets more complicated as the number of colors and resolution improves. You could draw your own pictures when developing for GameBoy but not with DS (as the technology is more sophisticated). The possibilities to add certain functions and newness vary with the hardware. As much fun as it is to make a game, we also need to conduct extensive research and constantly experiment in order to keep our fans happy. It's difficult when you need to eliminate one function for another, or you find you're understaffed to develop a function. It's also challenging when we try to create a large image of a Pokemon and have to create countless dots (for pixilated game sprites). The more aspects there are to a game, the more decisions we have to make. It's especially the case on the DS because of its dual screens - it felt as though the workload doubled to take full advantage of the dual screen feature. It was also an interesting challenge to figure out the best ways to utilize the touch screen functions. There are predominantly more decisions to make now; for instance, the land is 3-D in Diamond and Pearl, which looks different than the previous games. We purposely used still images for inside houses. We needed to figure out which type of visual to use for each location. The number of decisions like this has drastically increased.
Technically, up to 16 players can interact in the Underground, etc., but it would take up too much memory, so we limit it to 8 or 10 people in order to run the program smoothly. I always think about what everyone's expectations will be. The DS definitely made it a lot more challenging with its many new features such as the touch screen, the dual screens, Wi-Fi, and 3-D capabilities.
Kawachimaru: You have more things to do. It's the same as Masuda said, we like to pioneer new ideas, and we like to maximize the new functions as much as possible.
Masuda: We were one of the first Nintendo DS developers to create a concept like the Union Room, where multiple players could connect at once.
Kawachimaru: With the DS, people could interact with each other online using the medium of GTS for the first time. There had been titles that allowed you to be on the internet in real time. GTS was the first time Pokemon enabled people to connect whenever you wanted to and with anyone in the world.
IGN: What is involved in directing Pokemon games today? What is a typical day working at Game Freak like?
Kawachimaru: I wish for Platinum to sell well all over the world (laughs). I oversee the localization of the game since many issues can arise. I always wish for a Pokemon game to be fun for Pokemon fans around the world.
Masuda: Aside from directing games, I'm involved in the company management. My job includes being a part of creating new game scenarios and concepts, so I think about different ideas - what the new region is like in the next installment, what will the Elite Four be like, new features in Pokemon battles, how evil a new villain can be, etc. Most of the time I'm at my desk, a team member may come to me and I'll make a decision. I communicate with my team members to check project status. When I come up with an interesting idea, I'll jot it down. My ideas come up outside of the office rather than inside, and the source of my ideas is also from the outside world rather than from the internet. For me, it's just easier to think when I'm outdoors. I often take a look at what other people are doing and think what I would do if I were him or her. For example, (looking at a soda can in front of him) how would I design this? Or, I'll look at the construction of the bridge or something and I'll think, how would I draw this?
IGN: What qualities do you think continue to make Pokemon games successful after more than a decade?
Kawachimaru: Many games may be similar to Pokemon, but there's something unique about a Pokemon game that makes it clear it's a Pokemon game. I don't think there's another game that could replace Pokemon.
Masuda: The games are quite deep because we're very dedicated in developing them, You can look at the games in many different ways. All the elements (Pok?dex descriptions, Pokemon types, etc,) continue to be interesting and fun. Perhaps the ability to battle and trade with the next version that comes out also makes Pokemon games so appealing. They are all connected - you can bring your Pokemon from Diamond and Pearl to Platinum, you can use the DS dual slot to insert the Game Boy Advance Pokemon games. I think that type of connectivity makes Pokemon very appealing
IGN: What was your first experience with Pokemon?
Masuda: I developed "Sound Driver," a program to play the audio in the games. I also oversaw all the sound effects, including the Pokemon voices. I started to program the game itself shortly afterwards. I first heard of the Pokemon concept from (Pokemon creator Satoshi) Tajiri, when he asked "what if you could exchange creatures?" It sounded quite exciting. The idea of "trading" was intriguing. Back in the day, we only had games where you could battle against each other. The idea of transferring a creature across a link cable (which is how we traded at the time) was exciting. It's actually shown in the game as well.
Kawachimaru: I bought Pokemon Green as a gamer. That was the beginning of it.
IGN: We have seen so many Pokemon over the years since the first Pokemon games. Do you have a favorite Pokemon? Do you like tough Pokemon, cute Pokemon? What qualities make you like a Pokemon?
Masuda: I like Pichu. Ken Sugimori came up with the character when we were trying to figure out who would be the "next" Pikachu. I like characters that are well thought out.
Kawachimaru: I like Bulbasaur. I chose it as my starter when I played Pokemon Green (before I started to work for GAME FREAK) and it was love at first sight. It's just like with dogs - I like Corgis because of their stubby legs, and Bulbasaur has similar features.
IGN: We hear Game Freak has new offices. How do you like the new location?
Masuda: It was all designed with my arbitrary and biased view, so you've got to like it.
Kawachimaru: Ok, then I think it's fantastic. (laughs)
Masuda: As Pokemon has grown so big, I really wanted to put a globe at the entrance to the office so we keep in mind the people all over the world who play the games. The globe is constantly spinning. We have a policy not to use Pokemon for inspiration when we create new Pokemon. We always think of something new, which is why I don't place any Pokemon plush toys around the office (other than at my desk). The concept is to create something out of nothing, going from 0 to 1, from empty space to the big-bang. Because outer space is infinite, we associate each room in the office with a planet and give it a theme. For instance, Mars represents battle, and Venus symbolizes peace. We have many plants to create the sense of the Earth. The Sun represents power and Jupiter is the recreation area. I set the theme for each room and stuck with it almost completely. I also went out on my own to buy the sword in the Mars room.
Kawachimaru: I suppose everyone wants to use different types of rooms.
Masuda: I like the Venus room most. I think it suits me (kidding). We spent a lot of time and effort in designing that room. I came to the office by myself the day before we moved here to line up plush toys in the Venus room. I think it's important to identify what we like and what we don't, so it's good to have a conference room that goes against your tastes. Having instinct and a clear opinion is absolutely needed in game making too. 'Maybe' is not good enough. I want everyone in the office to have a strong opinion on each room, which is why I decorated them in such diverse ways.
game like Rock-Paper-Scissors.
Das Video ist dort aber leider nur in einer recht schlechten Qualität verfügbar.
Außerdem haben Junichi Masuda und Takeshi Kawachimaru von Game Freak gegenüber „Nintendo Power“ und „IGN“ ein Interview gegeben. Dies hatte Junichi Masuda bereits im Vorfeld in seinem Blog HIDDEN POWER of Masuda – Director’s Columns angekündigt.
→ Zum IGN-Interview (nur in Englisch verfügbar aber wir versuchen es heute noch zu übersetzten)
IGN: What was the inspiration for the new concepts in Pokemon Platinum? Do you think the process for coming up with new concepts has changed since the first Pokemon games were developed?
Junichi Masuda: We created Platinum with a new method of determining the game's direction that was based on the image of one Pokemon - Giratina. When I imagined Giratina, the idea of a "reversed world" came to my mind. I thought of concepts such as "E=mc2" and matter and antimatter. There is no top or bottom, no left or right. We increased the number of developers for Diamond and Pearl, so we wanted to clarify the game concepts for the team before we started the project Its better to hammer out the overall vision of the game first, and then all the team members will work towards that vision by throwing out ideas. The concept of "ultimate" was what we started out with for this title.
IGN: Did you ever think that Pokemon would be as popular as it is when you worked on the first Pokemon games more than a decade ago?
Masuda: I didn't. I think the first Pokemon games sold in a unique way. Sales didn't soar right after launch but gradually rose over time. A year later, a quite a few of copies had sold. It's like how your kids grow - you don't realize how much they've grown as it's happening. It turns out the games had sold really well once we realized it. I never imagined Pokemon would be so popular. I thank other Pokemon brand pillars like the Trading Card Game and the animated TV series and movies because they drove the game sales (laughs).
IGN: If you could attribute the strength of Pokemon to one single philosophy, what would it be?
Masuda: The philosophy of play. Pokemon games are packed with active elements because to "play" is the foundation of the games. Imagine if you caught a Pokemon immediately when you throw a Pok? Ball. That would be no fun - you want the excitement of seeing the ball rolling, shaking etc. You can catch Pokemon more easily when you attack them and lower their HP. It's like fishing in our world - you can fish for Pokemon more easily when they are weak. If you like fishing (in our world), you may make a record of your catch as a keepsake. It's the same principle in Pokemon. Pokemon games are designed to register Pokemon data in the Pok?dex and you can look back on it later. Also, we want to incorporate basic play concepts that inspire us, like in Rock-Paper-Scissors. The big picture concept of a game is very important, but we don't want to forget the simple enjoyment of a
IGN: Pokemon was originally created for handheld systems. Why do you think Pokemon works so well on handheld systems, like Nintendo DS?
Masuda: The original concept of Pokemon was to trade different characters, and I think handheld systems create the best setting to trade Pokemon with your friends - whenever you want, wherever you are.
Takeshi Kawachimaru: I think Pokemon has many features that make players feel their Pokemon are their own. Handheld systems have a similar concept; a home video game console is your family's, but the handheld is exclusively yours. So, I think a handheld system is a medium that gives you a strong sense of ownership since you always carry it with you. That's why handheld systems work so well with Pokemon games.
Masuda: Pokemon games are RPGs, and the best kind of system for RPGs is something that you can feel close to. When you play Pokemon games, you're a hero. When you battle, you feel like you're a Pokemon trainer. The handheld systems match that philosophy.
IGN: With the advancement over the years from Game Boy to Game Boy Advance to DS, have there been any challenges in developing the Pokemon games for each new Nintendo handheld system?
Masuda: What's most challenging is that game-making gets more complicated as the number of colors and resolution improves. You could draw your own pictures when developing for GameBoy but not with DS (as the technology is more sophisticated). The possibilities to add certain functions and newness vary with the hardware. As much fun as it is to make a game, we also need to conduct extensive research and constantly experiment in order to keep our fans happy. It's difficult when you need to eliminate one function for another, or you find you're understaffed to develop a function. It's also challenging when we try to create a large image of a Pokemon and have to create countless dots (for pixilated game sprites). The more aspects there are to a game, the more decisions we have to make. It's especially the case on the DS because of its dual screens - it felt as though the workload doubled to take full advantage of the dual screen feature. It was also an interesting challenge to figure out the best ways to utilize the touch screen functions. There are predominantly more decisions to make now; for instance, the land is 3-D in Diamond and Pearl, which looks different than the previous games. We purposely used still images for inside houses. We needed to figure out which type of visual to use for each location. The number of decisions like this has drastically increased.
Technically, up to 16 players can interact in the Underground, etc., but it would take up too much memory, so we limit it to 8 or 10 people in order to run the program smoothly. I always think about what everyone's expectations will be. The DS definitely made it a lot more challenging with its many new features such as the touch screen, the dual screens, Wi-Fi, and 3-D capabilities.
Kawachimaru: You have more things to do. It's the same as Masuda said, we like to pioneer new ideas, and we like to maximize the new functions as much as possible.
Masuda: We were one of the first Nintendo DS developers to create a concept like the Union Room, where multiple players could connect at once.
Kawachimaru: With the DS, people could interact with each other online using the medium of GTS for the first time. There had been titles that allowed you to be on the internet in real time. GTS was the first time Pokemon enabled people to connect whenever you wanted to and with anyone in the world.
IGN: What is involved in directing Pokemon games today? What is a typical day working at Game Freak like?
Kawachimaru: I wish for Platinum to sell well all over the world (laughs). I oversee the localization of the game since many issues can arise. I always wish for a Pokemon game to be fun for Pokemon fans around the world.
Masuda: Aside from directing games, I'm involved in the company management. My job includes being a part of creating new game scenarios and concepts, so I think about different ideas - what the new region is like in the next installment, what will the Elite Four be like, new features in Pokemon battles, how evil a new villain can be, etc. Most of the time I'm at my desk, a team member may come to me and I'll make a decision. I communicate with my team members to check project status. When I come up with an interesting idea, I'll jot it down. My ideas come up outside of the office rather than inside, and the source of my ideas is also from the outside world rather than from the internet. For me, it's just easier to think when I'm outdoors. I often take a look at what other people are doing and think what I would do if I were him or her. For example, (looking at a soda can in front of him) how would I design this? Or, I'll look at the construction of the bridge or something and I'll think, how would I draw this?
IGN: What qualities do you think continue to make Pokemon games successful after more than a decade?
Kawachimaru: Many games may be similar to Pokemon, but there's something unique about a Pokemon game that makes it clear it's a Pokemon game. I don't think there's another game that could replace Pokemon.
Masuda: The games are quite deep because we're very dedicated in developing them, You can look at the games in many different ways. All the elements (Pok?dex descriptions, Pokemon types, etc,) continue to be interesting and fun. Perhaps the ability to battle and trade with the next version that comes out also makes Pokemon games so appealing. They are all connected - you can bring your Pokemon from Diamond and Pearl to Platinum, you can use the DS dual slot to insert the Game Boy Advance Pokemon games. I think that type of connectivity makes Pokemon very appealing
IGN: What was your first experience with Pokemon?
Masuda: I developed "Sound Driver," a program to play the audio in the games. I also oversaw all the sound effects, including the Pokemon voices. I started to program the game itself shortly afterwards. I first heard of the Pokemon concept from (Pokemon creator Satoshi) Tajiri, when he asked "what if you could exchange creatures?" It sounded quite exciting. The idea of "trading" was intriguing. Back in the day, we only had games where you could battle against each other. The idea of transferring a creature across a link cable (which is how we traded at the time) was exciting. It's actually shown in the game as well.
Kawachimaru: I bought Pokemon Green as a gamer. That was the beginning of it.
IGN: We have seen so many Pokemon over the years since the first Pokemon games. Do you have a favorite Pokemon? Do you like tough Pokemon, cute Pokemon? What qualities make you like a Pokemon?
Masuda: I like Pichu. Ken Sugimori came up with the character when we were trying to figure out who would be the "next" Pikachu. I like characters that are well thought out.
Kawachimaru: I like Bulbasaur. I chose it as my starter when I played Pokemon Green (before I started to work for GAME FREAK) and it was love at first sight. It's just like with dogs - I like Corgis because of their stubby legs, and Bulbasaur has similar features.
IGN: We hear Game Freak has new offices. How do you like the new location?
Masuda: It was all designed with my arbitrary and biased view, so you've got to like it.
Kawachimaru: Ok, then I think it's fantastic. (laughs)
Masuda: As Pokemon has grown so big, I really wanted to put a globe at the entrance to the office so we keep in mind the people all over the world who play the games. The globe is constantly spinning. We have a policy not to use Pokemon for inspiration when we create new Pokemon. We always think of something new, which is why I don't place any Pokemon plush toys around the office (other than at my desk). The concept is to create something out of nothing, going from 0 to 1, from empty space to the big-bang. Because outer space is infinite, we associate each room in the office with a planet and give it a theme. For instance, Mars represents battle, and Venus symbolizes peace. We have many plants to create the sense of the Earth. The Sun represents power and Jupiter is the recreation area. I set the theme for each room and stuck with it almost completely. I also went out on my own to buy the sword in the Mars room.
Kawachimaru: I suppose everyone wants to use different types of rooms.
Masuda: I like the Venus room most. I think it suits me (kidding). We spent a lot of time and effort in designing that room. I came to the office by myself the day before we moved here to line up plush toys in the Venus room. I think it's important to identify what we like and what we don't, so it's good to have a conference room that goes against your tastes. Having instinct and a clear opinion is absolutely needed in game making too. 'Maybe' is not good enough. I want everyone in the office to have a strong opinion on each room, which is why I decorated them in such diverse ways.
game like Rock-Paper-Scissors.
