There was nothing that we changed in the development of the game. When that issue did appear, we felt that it was a bit of a misunderstanding or miscommunication maybe on our part that allowed that to become a talking point. But I do think that now that the full game is almost out there and people play the full title for themselves, they will see and understand what it is all about; that there is no racial element to it at all.
Some people were saying, as the racism allegations arose, that Japan is a much more homogenous culture than the United States, which was reflected in the game. What do you think about that? Is that valid? Is that not applicable?
It is a pretty difficult question. I don't really think that it is applicable, or certainly it is not applicable in the way that you describe it. I don't think that, let's say, your average white person in America has any greater understanding of what it is like to be an African than a Japanese person does.
Certainly our understanding would be incomplete. I think anybody who hasn't been in that position also is not speaking from a perspective of complete understanding as well. So it is a very difficult situation, but I don't think that there is anything particular, because we are Japanese, that becomes a problem.
There is a weapon in the game that is certainly the most powerful weapon that you have seen in an RE game. |
You said that there is going to be a lot more weapon variations in this game. Can you tell us about any of them? We know about the handgun, shotgun, rifle, and machine gun. Is there anything else you can tell us about what we are going to see?
I can't quite tell you exactly what it is right now, but there is a weapon in the game that is certainly the most powerful weapon that you have seen in a Resident Evil game so far. So all I can say is look forward to it.
I will.
Actually, now that I think of it, the missile that destroys Raccoon City in Resident Evil 3 is probably still the most powerful.
That is pretty powerful, but not very portable. Have you guys started thinking about Resident Evil 6? The series had become stale by the time Resident Evil 4 came along, and then that game reinvigorated it. Are you worried that staleness might set in again if there is a long process between this game and the next one?
We are thinking about a possible Resident Evil 6. That is certainly in our minds. But we are just in the thinking about it stage. We are still some ways off even starting any development. I do feel that if there is a big gap between this game and the next game in the series, I don't think the game itself will become stale, but I do think that if you have too long of a gap, then you lose expectations.
If you don't have something to make up for having kept them waiting that long, then users are going to be disappointed. I think that would be the biggest fear.
Will we ever see Barry again? Is he ever going to come back?
Personally I really like Barry. I think he is a good character. So I certainly hope he does come back in some form in the future, hopefully not just as a grave stone. [Laughter.]
A lot of the emphasis in games has become cinematic and Resident Evil 5 is certainly no exception. Has that been important? Do you tend to think of the game in terms of a movie, and if so, are there movies that you have been inspired by over the years?
In terms of the series itself, of this game becoming more and more cinematic, I think that is something that is happening across games in general. It is something that is very necessary for games and something I think you will see a lot more of as time passes and the amount of money and technology being spent on games increases.
In terms of one movie that was a big inspiration when we were making this, it is hard to narrow it down to one. There have been a lot of different movies that we use as inspiration or reference for different parts of the games. If you were to look at the image of the scenery of the game, then obviously something like Black Hawk Down has been a big reference for us.
But then if you were to look at different parts where you are being attacked by lots of different enemies, there are a number of different horror movies. One is Squirm. It is a movie where worms kind of attack people. You can see how it is an inspiration for different imagery that you see in the game. Also, I love Jaws. Jaws is a great movie and has been a big inspiration. And The Shining; things like that.
Have you started to think about downloadable content at all for either console version?
Yes. We have started to think about that. We think it would be nice to do something. We are not sure what yet.
Where do you see the Resident Evil series in five years? Do you think it will still be around? Will it be in a different form than it is now, or will it be fairly similar?
Five years down the road I think there is a pretty good chance that we will be on a new generation of hardware, so I am sure that will have an effect.
We are now in the fifth game in this series, not including various spin-offs. Is there going to be any sort of effort in the beginning of this game to bring newcomers up to speed with the story -- with cut scenes or some other backstory device?
We haven't gone out of our way to make anything in particular like that. I think that the story is one that, even if you have never played any of the Resident Evil games before, it will still be something that is easy to understand and enjoyable if you don't have the history of the characters. You will still enjoy it.
For users who do want to know more about the stories in the previous games, I would suggest that they dust off their GameCubes and PS2s and take a look at some of the previous games in the series, because they are so fun.
Have you been watching the Resident Evil movies at all? Do you like those? What is your general feeling about the films?
Yes. I have seen all of them. I think they are all great movies and are a lot of fun. I do think that the stories in the movies and the stories in the games are quite different. They are not linked at all. I am happy for the movies to be the movies and for the games to be the games.
In your free time, do you play games at all? If so, what games and what platforms do you find time for?
I do play a lot of games in my free time as well. Recently I have probably been playing a lot of Little Big Planet. I play a lot of different things on the 360 as well. I am still playing Call of Duty 4 even now.
Do you have any plans to play Street Fighter IV?
I play all the Capcom games at work. [Laughter.]
