Shadow_Link
06-23-2002, 10:25 PM
Before and during the E3 show in Los Angeles, I was literally dead busy. Why was I so busy? Well in one word, I would have to say F-Zero. I guess that by the time you get this issue, screenshots and videos of the game will have already appeared on the internet. I have to confess that making the E3 video sequence was quite a challenge. I can't tell you in detail how many people worked on it or how we did it, but what I can tell you is that we did it in under a month. I have to thank my staff for that. It may appear selfish from my point of view, but I have to tell you that it was quite a job and it's a great result we got. This month, I would like to tell you about the performance of Amusement Vision during E3 and my general feelings about the show this year.
However, first, at E3 I was told by many people that the F-Zero demo looked cool and impressive. It was held entirely on an NR-Disk (GameCube's 8cm DCD), running in realtime on a GameCube at 60fps. All the effects were in realtime, as well as the filtering, everything and yes, in 60fps. It is not a CG film. It was like a standard in-game visual.
To be honest I would feel very sad if people thought this was a CG film. I mean we really did a hell of a lot of work on this demo. I really stressed the fact that I wanted the demo running at 60fps, with smooth animation and high-speed action. I will pay even more attention to keep it that way in the final playable version. Right now, we are hard at work on that game at Amusement Vision.
We are also working on another title that we demonstrated at E3: Super Monkey Ball 2. We were very happy to make it possible for E3. Why's that? Well, because people really enjoyed playing it. We added some new minigames as well as improving some of the old ones. It is becoming quite a cool title and I feel really relieved.
The improvement in the graphics is the other great point of this sequel. But at Amusement Vision, we are quite fast. I mean we released Super Monkey Ball and Virtua Striker 3, both on GameCube, and now we are working on F-Zero. This is quite a pace, believe me. So, okay, the improvement in graphics would appear logical with such an experience on GameCube, but I think that this title was one rank above others on the same pltform during E3 in this particular point.
Well, what about the other titles? Let's start with GameCube. If we had to apply one description, one catch phrase. It would be, "The Empire Strikes Back." First, there are plenty of titles this time. Metroid Prime and Star Fox Adventures are very impressive but at last Mario and Zelda were here and they were quite an experience with very rich and enjoyable content. Capcom and EA also had many A-class titles in playable versions for the show. These titles had a very solid impact, leaving users with the impression that they would soon be able to play the games on their GameCube.
Then Xbox, I would say... hard to describe... well, thinking hard I would say... no... well, it is hard to... I can't find a catchphrase. Well, this feeling is certainly the best way to describe the current situation for Xbox. It is not because it was lacking any impact during the show, not at all. Characters and action games, etc... there were a lot of games with quite an impressive technical achievement. The will to make a successful online move was very strong on Xbox, maybe the strongest in the whole exhibition. Howeveer, there was nothing with a sufficient impact. It is a platform without enough original content. So, in contrast to Nintendo, it is still a new challenger in the industry. As a challenger, the console needs more impact. Perhaps, I expect too much from Xbox.
Anyway, I felt it was a dynamic platform, and users were enjoying the titles. Yes, it was a very joyful booth and it had sufficient content to reassure users that the system is on the market to last. It just needs the impressive element ot overcome the apparent lack of impact. I hope it will get it next year.
Now, PS2. It may sound excessive, but I would user the word 'stability'. Strange? Traditionally, Sony has the image of being a trendsetter, or a challenger. But despite these images, I choose the word 'stability'. The reasons are found in its E3 line-up. There are potential million-seller titles in the line-up and this is certainly what Xbox does not have yet. PS2 also has network-compatibile projects in relation to the recently announced broadband unit compatible content. You have Final Fantasy XI but it doesn't have the impact of its predecessor. With the PS2 titles you have this feeling of, "Look at this one and, oh, this one too," but they are all from already visited patteners, nothing revolutionary.
In a sense, this is a very good marketing strategy (doing what sells) since users feel confident in their purchases, but you could expect this from Nintendo for instance. However, according to the image I have about Sony, I wish it would take more risks in delivering more original content. As the time passes I have the feeling that all the images and impressions are getting the same. In that sense, I chose 'stability' to qualifty Sony's E3. Well the fact that it also possesses around 70 percent of the world's console market is another reason.
Well that was my impressions of this year's E3. Well, in such a situation how is F-Zero going to evolve? What kind of answers are we going to deliver towards Xbox and PS2? I wish you could follow that from your perspective. This is not the dream we wished. Mine is still far from reality. My journey as creator is still very long. I hope to be able to give you the result of my work at next year's E3. Finally, I would like to thank all the people who have given their support. I'm so happy"
Well, all in real-time, at 60 fps, done in under a month. Pretty cool :D.
movie 1 (http://cubemovies.ign.com/cube/video/fzeroguzzza1.mov) movie 2 (http://cubemovies.ign.com/cube/video/fzeroguzzza2.mov) movie 3 (http://cubemovies.ign.com/cube/video/fzeroguzzza3.mov)
However, first, at E3 I was told by many people that the F-Zero demo looked cool and impressive. It was held entirely on an NR-Disk (GameCube's 8cm DCD), running in realtime on a GameCube at 60fps. All the effects were in realtime, as well as the filtering, everything and yes, in 60fps. It is not a CG film. It was like a standard in-game visual.
To be honest I would feel very sad if people thought this was a CG film. I mean we really did a hell of a lot of work on this demo. I really stressed the fact that I wanted the demo running at 60fps, with smooth animation and high-speed action. I will pay even more attention to keep it that way in the final playable version. Right now, we are hard at work on that game at Amusement Vision.
We are also working on another title that we demonstrated at E3: Super Monkey Ball 2. We were very happy to make it possible for E3. Why's that? Well, because people really enjoyed playing it. We added some new minigames as well as improving some of the old ones. It is becoming quite a cool title and I feel really relieved.
The improvement in the graphics is the other great point of this sequel. But at Amusement Vision, we are quite fast. I mean we released Super Monkey Ball and Virtua Striker 3, both on GameCube, and now we are working on F-Zero. This is quite a pace, believe me. So, okay, the improvement in graphics would appear logical with such an experience on GameCube, but I think that this title was one rank above others on the same pltform during E3 in this particular point.
Well, what about the other titles? Let's start with GameCube. If we had to apply one description, one catch phrase. It would be, "The Empire Strikes Back." First, there are plenty of titles this time. Metroid Prime and Star Fox Adventures are very impressive but at last Mario and Zelda were here and they were quite an experience with very rich and enjoyable content. Capcom and EA also had many A-class titles in playable versions for the show. These titles had a very solid impact, leaving users with the impression that they would soon be able to play the games on their GameCube.
Then Xbox, I would say... hard to describe... well, thinking hard I would say... no... well, it is hard to... I can't find a catchphrase. Well, this feeling is certainly the best way to describe the current situation for Xbox. It is not because it was lacking any impact during the show, not at all. Characters and action games, etc... there were a lot of games with quite an impressive technical achievement. The will to make a successful online move was very strong on Xbox, maybe the strongest in the whole exhibition. Howeveer, there was nothing with a sufficient impact. It is a platform without enough original content. So, in contrast to Nintendo, it is still a new challenger in the industry. As a challenger, the console needs more impact. Perhaps, I expect too much from Xbox.
Anyway, I felt it was a dynamic platform, and users were enjoying the titles. Yes, it was a very joyful booth and it had sufficient content to reassure users that the system is on the market to last. It just needs the impressive element ot overcome the apparent lack of impact. I hope it will get it next year.
Now, PS2. It may sound excessive, but I would user the word 'stability'. Strange? Traditionally, Sony has the image of being a trendsetter, or a challenger. But despite these images, I choose the word 'stability'. The reasons are found in its E3 line-up. There are potential million-seller titles in the line-up and this is certainly what Xbox does not have yet. PS2 also has network-compatibile projects in relation to the recently announced broadband unit compatible content. You have Final Fantasy XI but it doesn't have the impact of its predecessor. With the PS2 titles you have this feeling of, "Look at this one and, oh, this one too," but they are all from already visited patteners, nothing revolutionary.
In a sense, this is a very good marketing strategy (doing what sells) since users feel confident in their purchases, but you could expect this from Nintendo for instance. However, according to the image I have about Sony, I wish it would take more risks in delivering more original content. As the time passes I have the feeling that all the images and impressions are getting the same. In that sense, I chose 'stability' to qualifty Sony's E3. Well the fact that it also possesses around 70 percent of the world's console market is another reason.
Well that was my impressions of this year's E3. Well, in such a situation how is F-Zero going to evolve? What kind of answers are we going to deliver towards Xbox and PS2? I wish you could follow that from your perspective. This is not the dream we wished. Mine is still far from reality. My journey as creator is still very long. I hope to be able to give you the result of my work at next year's E3. Finally, I would like to thank all the people who have given their support. I'm so happy"
Well, all in real-time, at 60 fps, done in under a month. Pretty cool :D.
movie 1 (http://cubemovies.ign.com/cube/video/fzeroguzzza1.mov) movie 2 (http://cubemovies.ign.com/cube/video/fzeroguzzza2.mov) movie 3 (http://cubemovies.ign.com/cube/video/fzeroguzzza3.mov)