http://www.gameinformer.com/News/Story/200509/N05.0917.1830.06421.htm
Game Informer: Before you worked on Resident Evil 4 for PS2 what other games have you worked on for Capcom?
Masachika Kawata: I was a designer before I became a producer on this project and I worked on things like Dino Crisis and the Resident Evil remake.
GI: How difficult was it to port the code over from GameCube to making it work well on the PlayStation 2?
Kawata: It was actually very difficult. For a normal port we actually spent more time and money than usual in order to get this to look just right.
GI: What was the most difficult aspect? Was it the graphics, the sounds, the controls?
Kawata: The most difficult part for the PlayStation 2 was probably the space and recreating that. The original concept for the GameCube involved wide areas with lots of enemies and that was the hardest part to get right on the PlayStation 2. At first we were thinking wed have to divide the areas up or come up with some technique like that in order to recreate the feeling of space, but actually as we worked on it we were able to get the compression technology up enough where we could actually keep it just like the GameCube version. And keep that same feeling of space.
GI: Was there anything that you could simply not bring over from the GameCube version?
Kawata: There was one spot that they did have a little bit of difficulty with and you may or may not notice that. I think that the player might not actually notice that. For everyone out there I want everyone to try the PlayStation 2 version and see whether or not they can tell the difference between it and the GameCube. I think that the people who are playing the PS2 version wont see or feel that much of a difference between this and the GameCube version.
GI: So lets talk about some of the additions that have been made to the game. Why should someone whos already played the GameCube version go back and play through the PS2 version.
Kawata: I want you to play through the extra stuff in the PS2 version. I think that it is worth it.
GI: So what is some of this extra stuff that youve put into the game?
Kawata: There are a lot of different things that have been added, but the five main things that I can say right off the bat are: Theres an entirely new mission for Ada Wong, the character; there are also new costumes that werent available in the GameCube version; there is also a new laser weapon the PRL412; theres also true widescreen; and theres also a movie browser so you can go back and see all of the assorted movies.
GI: Is the Ada Wong mission separate from the actual single player game?
Kawata: You have to be able to clear the main scenario once to be able to select it, but it is different from Leons scenario.
GI: Do you purchase the new weapons from the same guy?
Kawata: For the new weapons if you complete a certain extra game thats included with this, thats when you receive the weapons. Its not actually buying it from the merchant.
GI: Do you have to play through the entire game to get the laser?
Kawata: Sorry, but youll have to play through the whole game to get access to that laser.
GI: Theres been rumors that the chainsaw is a new playable weapon. Is there anything you can say about that?
Kawata: In the beginning we have to admit that we actually thought about putting the chainsaw in as a weapon that you could use. But when we thought about the overall atmosphere of the game and the types of characters that were in it, we thought it would be better to leave it out in order to keep the atmosphere of the game solid. For a hero like Leon it seems kind of strange for him to be taking a chainsaw and just grinding through enemies.
GI: So thats a no.
Kawata: Correct.
GI: What do you think of the chainsaw controller?
Kawata: I think its a very special controller because, for example, in the version that theyre selling here when you push the start button you actually feel the start of the chainsaw and hear that sound. I think thats just great.
GI: Lets talk about Separate Ways. Was this your idea? How it all come about?
Kawata: Actually while we were thinking about the game itself we realized that the development time was actually very long and we wanted to add something to the game more than just porting it. We wanted to really add something to the game and one of the things we realized was that Ada shows up in the game later but you dont know much about her and shes a very strong character and she deserves to really stand out in the game. So we really wanted to give her that side story in order to let her stand out the way she should have in the game.
GI: So this wasnt something that didnt make the cut in the GameCube version?
Kawata: Actually, this wasnt part of any of the GameCube specs or anything like that. It wasnt something that was able to be put in to the GameCube version. It actually was a new idea that we came up with while working on the port for PS2. For example, the director and I and a few other people were talking about it and thats when the idea first came about. Of course, we did consult with the original director, Mikami, and a few other people to make sure that it did flesh in with the game right. But its actually a new idea that came out of the PS2 version port.
GI: Did Mikami come up with and direct this portion of the game or did you?
Kawata: Me and my team came up with the idea. We first showed it to Mikami after we had most of it fleshed out. We basically got his approval for it and he said, I like it. Go with it.
GI: If I unlock Separate Ways and play through the game again, can I go back and forth between Ada and Leon?
Kawata: Theres actually no crossover in between the two. So youre not going to be able to switch back and forth while youre playing. Theyre going to be completely separate things. One of the reasons they had Separate Ways as something thats only available after you clear the main game is because if you just played Separate Ways on its on you wouldnt understand the story. But once you play the main story, Separate Ways sort of adds to that story and gives you the background to it.
GI: And you have all new cinematics with Adas quest?
Kawata: Theres about fifteen to twenty minutes of new footage just for the Ada adventure.
GI: How long do you think it will take to play through that mode?
Kawata: Itll probably depend on the person, but when we tested it inside the company with different people it tended to take at least 5 hours to get through it.
GI: The GameCube stick is a little stiffer than the PS2. How are you adapting that kind of control to the PlayStation 2 controller, which is a little looser?
Kawata: We actually did check into that and we had a couple of people who played the GameCube version express the complaint that the controls will be a little bit looser on the PlayStation 2. We checked with people who hadnt played the GameCube version and they didnt have any complaints about it. So we actually figured out that its just an issue of what youre used to.
GI: Any other mode that are in the game that you havent announced yet.
Kawata: Weve pretty much announced everything that will be in it.
GI: Will it be on a single disc or multiple discs?
Kawata: One disc.