A while backI asked some of you guys to come up with questionsfor me to ask Capcom about their remake ofSuper Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix. It took a while, but I just received the questions back, only now they’re accompanied by answers from Capcom’s Robert Hamiter, a producer on the title — anda person who has never before been interviewed by Nick Chester.
Hit the jump for the interview and a glimpse behind the scenes of the only XBLA title I’ve played this month lacking our mascot as a playable character.
Nex:With the release ofSPF2THDRon XBLA and PSN, many Wii owners have been openly weeping, gnashing their teeth and pulling out clumps of hair. Why release the title on two downloadable services and not the third?
Robert Hamiter:It’s something that we’re still considering.
N:Is there any planned downloadable content forSPF2THDR? New characters, gameplay modes, anything?RH:Not right now.
N:Does the constant barrage of forum trolls and the like putting down your efforts ever get to you? Have you ever woken up and thought: “I’ll show them, I’m pulling the plug on this project”?RH:Actually, I’ve mostly gotten positive feedback, so no, I guess I don’t dwell on the negative comments too much. As a consumer it’s hard to understand all the hard work and what really goes into making a game happen, so I can’t always blame them for being harshly critical because they don’t have insight into what’s going on behind the scenes.N:Obviously people love the new HD-graphics, but many are upset by the decision to not redraw the character sprites in the same way they did forSuper Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix. Can you shed some light on why that choice was made?
RH:It really came down to time and budget. ForPuzzle Fighter, the focus of the action is really on the gems and what’s happening in your playing field, so we chose to concentrate on that core of the game. For a game likeStreet Fighter, of course it is all about the players and their fighting movements so that is much more essential to focus on.N:During the creation of the title did you have to change any of the mechanics of the game, or was it just a straight foward graphical overhaul?
RH:We didn’t want to fix what wasn’t broken. The gameplay itself did not need to be updated. Though we did add the X’ mode for a more rebalanced option, the mechanics of the gameplay itself didn’t change.
N:What do you think of the Achievement system and how do you decide on what makes a worthy achievement in a title like this?RH:Our achievements are really fun and reflects the light, fun nature of this title. For example, “Chain, chain, chain” or “Chain of jewels” are a play on famous song lyrics and reflects how we had fun coming up with the various achievements.
I want to thank Robert for taking time out of his busy day to answer these questions for us, the community for coming up with a good deal of these questions, and my hands for typing them.
