Kikizo: What is your impression of VF5′s initial sales on PS3 in Japan?

Tohru Murayama: Of course the more the title sells, the happierwe feel, but we do not think we would ever be satisfied whatever salesfigures we get. I believe PS3 will spread further in the future, so wewould like our title to sell for a longer time.

Kikizo: Are 3D fighting games for home console becoming less popular in Japan?

Murayama: Certainly we have the impression that the number of 3D fighting games is on the decrease, but gamers who love fighters still play suchtitles, as the probably always will. So, because of this we do notthink the genre is becoming less popular.

Kikizo:Talking generally about the Virtua Fighter 5 original game, what wasyour estimated team size and cost of developing Virtua Fighter 5?

Makoto Osaki: Unfortunately, we cannot give a detailed answer about the size of the development team, but it is not far removed from the number of people displayed on the staff credits at the end of VF5 arcade version.

Kikizo: Is it important to get input from martial artists when choosing new moves for a new VF?

Osaki: Well, we do try to adopt as many moves as possible, aslong as they express unique fighting styles. But we have to think aboutthe game balance and reflect what is appropriate for the actual game.

Kikizo: Did you hold back any major ideas from VF4 Final Tuned, to save for VF5?

Osaki: Rather than ideas themselves, we had a lot of thoughtslike "we want to make VF work more like this!" For instance, thecustomisation items, both the players and developers shared the feelingthat we wanted to attach more items to more various body parts and wewere able to realize many designs like this in VF5.

Kikizo: Many of our favourite stage themes return on VF5 – Shun’sraft, Lau’s Great Wall, Wolf’s snowy mountain from VF2 – is this fornostalgia for fans, or did you run out of ideas?x12

Osaki: Well, one reason is we wanted to bring nostalgia to thefans, but the greatest reason is we wanted the players to see whatthose old stages would look like when expressed with Lindbergh and thenext-gen technologies.

Kikizo:Obviously VF is by far and away the highest grossing game in Japanarcades. But what makes many Japanese players so deeply talented at VF,compared to many western players?

Osaki: I don’t think it’s only Japanese players who have anespecially good playing sense. I believe the Western players would alsoplay matches at the same level as those held in Japan if they haveopportunities to fight against many other talented players.

Kikizo: So what’s the best advice you could offer to new VF players who buy VF5? Hopefully there will be a few…

Osaki: To become skillful, the shortcut is to learn the basicaspects such as techniques and systems, but we would be happy if youmess around with whichever aspect you find most interesting, forexample combos, and first become good at that. Once you have identifiedyour favourite techniques, you can plot strategies based on them.

Kikizo: Will we ever learn more about VF’s mysterious story – for example, will Sarah ever recover from J6?

Osaki: Please look forward to the future story development.

Kikizo: Looking back at the PS3 version of VF5, what were thecomplexities you encountered in translating Lindbergh’s Pentium 4 gamecode to Cell?

Murayama: We had trouble at the early stage of the developmentsince there were many differences between Pentium 4 of Lindbergh andCell of PS3, but the development went very smoothly after getting aover the trouble. There was no huge issue, though.

Kikizo: How useful has it been to have the Hard Disk with the PS3 version?

Murayama: VF5 utilizes the Hard Disk to shorten the load time.The important point is that the console has HDD fitted as standardequipment and because of this, it helped us a lot.

Kikizo: It seems you have all the different territory data (fullJapanese and English text, menus, commentary) complete on all versionsof the game, accessed depending on the PS3 system language. What are the advantages and drawbacks of mastering a single, multi-language disc for all territories?

Murayama: The advantage of advancing development of variousversions at one time while including multiple languages is of course,reduction of the overall project period. The disadvantage is the factthat you will have difficulties when you need to address the issuesseparately even if you are creating the same title, like when somethingis okay in Japan whereas it is not in Europe, for example. However,taken as a whole, the advantages were far bigger.

Kikizo: How many ranks exist (like Master, Warrior, Enforcer) and what is the highest rank?

Murayama: We’ll not reveal how many types of ranks there are,nor the highest rank, you’ll have to look for them on your own. But youshould be able to see the highest rank if you complete the game whilekeeping the winning percentage over 80%.

Kikizo:Is it technically possible to update or expand the PS3 version of VF5via download or update disc, to add extra functionality, fixes orpatches? If so, is it likely?

Murayama: We have no plan to update or expand PS3 VF5 at this time.

Kikizo: Why it is not possible to transfer player data from one PS3 to another, for example on Memory Stick?

Murayama: It is possible to copy the data with it maintained asthe system data, so you can transfer the player data. The reason weassociated the character data to the system data was because we wantedto simplify the save sequence to make it understandable. As a result,it became impossible to move the character data alone, but we believewe achieved a comfortable gameplay environment.

Kikizo: Tutorial Challenge training, as seen in VF4 on the PS2, isalso not included – did you not have enough time to include it?

Murayama: Actually, the reason we could not offer as detailedcontent as VF4 Evo is because the VF5 arcade version is actively inoperation, and the study of combos etc is still ongoing. The game doesprovide great training functions, so, I definitely recommend you learnVF5 with this, looking for combos and strategies to play the gamebetter, that you may not have seen before.

Kikizo: Did you consider microtransaction payments for items and customisation?

Murayama: Naturally, we considered it. This is also the casewith the rankings, but you cannot avoid a delay in development scheduleif you implement network-related specifications. Instead, we abundantlyincluded as many items as we could offer to the fullest in PS3 VF5 thistime. You should enjoy them because there is a large amount available.

Kikizo: We have been enjoying the items a lot, yes. What is your view on CPU AI ‘cheating’ to increase single-player difficulty?

Murayama: I personally feel that CPU AI needs to take cheatingactions at times in order to fight against rapidly progressing players,and to amuse them. Please play the VS CPU matches as it is a way toenjoy unique excitement that’s different from the VS-human-playerbattles. By the way, I do not think CPUs of VF5 is cheating, do you?

Kikizo:Well, some players had noted on VF forums that they thought there wasAI cheating, but I am not convinced it’s cheating by definition -knowing the player’s precise input several frames before a real humanplayer would be able to tell by the effect on screen. So anyway, whoare the players in the recorded Exhibition matches in the game? Theyare pretty good…

Murayama: Unfortunately, that’s a secret! We guarantee they arefabulously high-level players. Since we chose and included everyplayer’s match that can be described as "this is their best bout!",they should surely serve as your play references.

Kikizo: How long might it take to unlock absolutely every item in the game and get the highest rank with every character?

Murayama: It changes depending on the player’s skills. Itdepends as the "luck" element is also involved. You need ability notlet you lose to the CPU, as well as the luck that allows you to call in "Battle for Items" and the good fortune that their contents turn out to be whatyou want. When is comes to "all characters", the play time willobviously become 17 times longer, so you must play for a considerablylong time.

Kikizo: So, going back to VF5 in more general terms, future versionsand so on. Mr Kataoka told me last year that it was Taka Arashi’sphysical size that made it difficult to continue using him, but nowcharacters like Jeffry are also much bigger. In future editions willyou please consider adding Taka as a hidden character? And his stagefrom VF4 as well?

Osaki: The plan regarding Taka Arashi’s comeback is up in theair. It is possible that he might be featured again if we get a lot ofrequests from the players. The same applies to the revival of his sumo ring stage from Virtua Fighter 3.

Kikizo:Let’s talk about the theoretical future for the series. Would you everconsider a radically different direction for Virtua Fighter 6, forexample a realtime ‘ragdoll’ physics gameplay system – with dedicatedphysics hardware becoming popular, this could be a significant advance- could this ever work? Or could it be "realism overkill", asSuzuki-san once described it?

Osaki: Though we cannot answer specifically about our internaltechnologies in detail, we would not like to rule out attempts at anyand all technologies, if we are convinced that it would make VirtuaFighter new and fun.

Kikizo: The producers of both Tekken and Dead or Alive series haveopen respect for the VF series (if not for one another!), what are yourviews on their fighting games?

Osaki: I have no idea if the producers of Tekken and DOA respectthe Virtua Fighter series, but those titles each have their owncharacteristics, and are wonderful fighting games.

Kikizo: Do you plan to release a VF5 Official Soundtrack? Especially as there appears to be no Sound Test mode in VF5 PS3.

Osaki: It has not been determined yet.  We hope to release one if we receive many requests from the players.

Kikizo:Looking at Sega Ages series, you must be aware that re-releases ofolder games can prove very popular. Services like Xbox Live Arcade,PlayStation Store and Wii Virtual Console are taking this opportunityfurther – so how about some perfect remakes of VF1, VF2 or especiallyVF3? Or perhaps other Model 1/2/3 titles too?

Osaki: The major point here is that there needs to be loads ofdemand from the players. If there is a place of business in it, therewould be no reason to hesitate to develop remakes, but I believe thismatter should be determined after more elaborate research.

Kikizo: Finally… how about a Virtua Fighter Kids 2 for the Wii?

Osaki: I personally have not thought about this combination! Ifthe market demands it, and it can work in a business sense, it could betaken up as an object for consideration.

Kikizo: Thanks so much for your time.

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IGN: The Naruto: Clash of Ninja series followed the story arch ofthe first seasons of the actual show up until now. Will MVZ continuethat tradition, or does it branch off from the main plot? If so, whichseasons does it follow?

Nobby: The final details of the missions are still being tweakedat the moment, but the game will follow the general overall story fromthe Naruto TV episodes. We’re possibly looking at starting from theChuunin exam finals and taking it from there.

IGN: The original Clash of Ninja games worked with a basiclight/heavy combo system along with a super-combo attack. Will MVZchange that formula?
How?

Nobby: The Clash of Ninja fighting system will be preserved butwe’ll be augmenting the system with the Wii remote motion sensingfunctionality by requiring timed player motions during special attacks.

IGN: You mentioned that both standard and special attacks will beexecuted with motion control. Can you give us a few specific actionsthe player will be making as an example?

Nobby: The special attacks will have varying motion inputs. Someinputs require you to swing the Wii remote up or down while otherspecials will require you to twirl the remote with specific timing.Some attacks will also use the motion sensing in the nunchuk, as well.

IGN:  Will each character’s motion controls be different, or will they all fit into a few core gestures?

Nobby: Some gestures will be shared among characters, but thegestures are varied enough that they won’t be identical in terms oftiming and execution.

IGN: How do the modes in MVZ differ from previous Clash of Ninjagames? Are there still 2-on-2 modes or 2-on-1 handicap matches, or isit strictly 1v1 fighting?

Nobby: We’re sticking with a similar set up as the previousClash of Ninja so you can have up to 4 players maximum participating inany one battle.

IGN: What became of the other Clash of Ninja games releasedoriginally in Japan? Are those still planned for a US release at somepoint, and if so, would we see them on GameCube or Wii?

Nobby: While we’ve never said no to bringing the remainingGameCube titles over to the US, it’s really dependent on whetherretailers would buy more GameCube products. So at this stage, it’s notvery likely, our focus is to develop Naruto games for the nextgeneration systems in the US.

IGN: The cast of characters is still a secret, but have returningfighters’ move sets changed in the jump to MVZ, or will their attacksresemble previous versions? To be more specific, will any animationsfrom previous games be re-used, or is MVZ a complete overhaul of thedesign?

Nobby: It’s going to be some of both. As you know, Naruto is alicensed game, so the moves have to be consistent with the show. Everytime the developer puts any kind of animation for the models together,they do their best to bring the essence of the characters from the TVseries. Where we’re including characters from previous games, if theanimations for the attacks are the same, then they’ll be reworked tomeet the Wii specs. However, for new characters and new attacks,including new special attacks, the animations will be newly created.

IGN: If you could, please go into detail on the Mini-games. Willthey exist around the core fighting engine, or are they separategameplay mechanics all together? Can you give us any examples?

Nobby: The mini-game mechanics will be the same as the JapaneseNaruto Wii game released in February in Japan. However, the contentwill be adjusted to fit with the current US TV release schedule. Theywill have different gameplay mechanics to the main game but will usetechniques that you learn in the game. One game uses the ability thethrow shuriken, one is a game based around Naruto’s clone jutsutechnique and another gives you the opportunity to practice Naruto’sRasengan.

IGN:  Does the game support 16:9 and 490p?

Nobby: No decision has been made at this time.

IGN: Will Clash of Ninja MVZ make use of Nintendo’s online plans,either in direct online competition or by support of Wii Connect 24?

Nobby: There won’t be online support this time around, no.

IGN:  Is there a release date/window announced yet?  When can players expect MVZ to hit shelves?

Nobby: Clash of Ninja MVZ is expected to hit selves in Fall ’07.

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