Mukaitoge got his start as an architecture student, but moved to games after college, directing console music games for Konami before getting a chance to develop his two original Wii games. When the time came to create the original game, he says, the design followed from the Wiimote -- which seems kind of obvious when you play Elebits, the game of pointing at stuff.
The games were more popular in the U.S. than in Japan, which Mukaitoge theorizes is due in part to Japan's reliance on franchises: "Well I've found that mysterious myself, as well, but the Japanese market tends to purchase games that already have previous versions, like franchise games, instead of original ones. Maybe that is one of the reasons. It's not a good thing though..."
This startlingly candid interview is worth checking out. Towards the end, Sheffield and Mukaitoge begin riffing on obscure Saturn and PC Engine RPGs and talking about great Yuzo Koshiro music. It's always nice to find out that game directors put some effort into playing games occasionally.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-07-2008 @ 3:11PM
troy said...
Yeah I read this earlier today and I really enjoyed it, it is clear that the man enjoys games, but he still says to the interviewer "What's wrong with you?!" in a joking way about how much they knew about a particular game. LOL I look forward to being able to play my copy of 'Dewey's Adventure' more when I have more time, ironically after I finish school and am merely employed full time.
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1-07-2008 @ 3:28PM
Buntaro said...
He didn't even study anything gaming related... and made two of the best Wii games to date.
I also wholeheartedly agree with his thoughts on franchises and sales.
I hope this does no affect his next game in any way, which hopefully will turn out to be another Wii game; C'mon people, do yourself a favor and get Elebits and Dewy.
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1-07-2008 @ 4:27PM
Ghaleon said...
Glad some people still remember how sweet the Saturn is.
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1-07-2008 @ 4:30PM
Ghaleon said...
Legend of Oasis and Y's aren't obscure... are they?
Makes me feel old (and I'm only 25) when I hear stuff like that. Tears.
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1-07-2008 @ 8:19PM
Tom said...
Just got a used copy of Elebits for 20 bucks today. Kind of excited about that.
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1-07-2008 @ 9:23PM
samfish said...
I bought Dewy's Adventure and I really regret it, to be honest. I found it somewhat enjoyable, but the controls were mostly awful. I definitely don't think it should have cost $50.
Having played both of Mukaitoge's Wii games, I think he has a solid grasp on game design, but he's...missing something. I'm not sure what. It's like his games are ALMOST there, but ultimately they just fail to connect. They have a Nintendo-like quality to them, but don't feel like Nintendo games. He definitely has potential, but he just needs that spark to set him off.
I'd like to see him get away from the sugar sweet visuals and try something else. Not something dark, but just a different style of game.
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1-07-2008 @ 10:11PM
raindog said...
Yeah, Dewy's was a ripoff, but I'd put Elebits in the top 10 Wii games quality-wise and originality-wise. It's like our Katamari.
I just hope there's an Elebits 2 with more areas/objects and less terrible voice acting.
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1-08-2008 @ 8:19AM
Rocketboy said...
Elebits was fun to start, but so dull after 4 or so missions.
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1-11-2008 @ 9:49AM
Chrysee said...
Oh come on, Dewy was -excellent-. Elebits got boring really fast, but I haven't tried to get back into it for like a year.. but I doubt either of those games will drag me away from Mass Effect right now
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