Support NeoGAF

[Vampire On Titus]

Watch the interview on YouTube here (their channel dosen't allow embeds), English subtitles are available in the close captions.

※日本語は下部にあります。 The "geimu" documentary series focuses on Japanese creators and industry insiders who may not be as readily familiar outside of Japan and tells the stories behind the games they have worked on. Want to see more episodes? Help us out by joining the GPS as a supporting member! In this episode, we are joined by game writer Rika SUZUKI. She tells us about her first experiences with video games, her early work as a programmer, and her memories of working on games including the J.B. Harold series, the 1920 series (unknown in the west), Another Code/Trace Memory and Hotel Dusk. No part of the production is pre-scripted, and all questions were presented without any prior knowledge. The interview is presented as a monologue with no added commentary, so that the thoughts and opinions of the game creator can be presented as purely as possible. As such, some familiarity with retro games is necessary to fully appreciate the interview. We put care and effort into our gameplay examples, with most of the video captured as RGB directly from the machine. This documentary was made possible by members supporting the Game Preservation Society. Best viewed in 4K to enjoy game captures, English subs available. Special Thanks goes to Damian ROGERS for helping translation and communication ♡

I watched this earlier and it was fantastic, especially as a fan of CiNG's games from back in the day. It was great to hear from Rika again and have her go over her extensive history in gaming. In the west people are most familiar with her Nintendo published games like Another Code (Trace Memory) and the Kyle Hyde games (Hotel Dusk & Last Window) but in Japan she's known for making numerous memorable mystery adventure games dating back to the mid 80s. A very under appreciated and historic game designer, I'm grateful to GPS for producing some good media about her games.

 

[Quasicat]

Awesome video!
I bought Trace Memory for DS at Toys R Us a few weeks after release; it was in the clearance bin for $5. I brought it home and loved it! The story and the many different ways that it used the hardware was amazing. I later found out that Europe got the sequel for the Wii when all of the discussion about Project Rainfall was going around. I imported it among some other titles and played it (Another Code) like crazy! It was so much fun! Unfortunately, I imagine that it will be the last and we will not see these games anytime soon.

 

[Vampire On Titus]

Awesome video!
I bought Trace Memory for DS at Toys R Us a few weeks after release; it was in the clearance bin for $5. I brought it home and loved it! The story and the many different ways that it used the hardware was amazing. I later found out that Europe got the sequel for the Wii when all of the discussion about Project Rainfall was going around. I imported it among some other titles and played it (Another Code) like crazy! It was so much fun! Unfortunately, I imagine that it will be the last and we will not see these games anytime soon.

An unfortunate aspect about CiNG's handheld games is that because of their inventive hardware puzzles it's hard to port them to other consoles. One of the best moments in Trace Memory, gameplay wise, is the reflection puzzle and it really doesn't work without a two-screened handheld that bends at the hinge. I'm sure there'd be a way to get port these games over mostly in-tact, though, If there was some will to do it. Unfortunately I doubt there's anyone at Nintendo that really cares at this point. I was thinking that the Famicom Detective Club remakes could've sparked some interest in re-releasing other mystery/ADV games, but I don't know how well those did.

 

[Isa]

Thanks for the video! I've noticed a few Vloggers that live in Japan recently visiting Fukuoka. Coincidence? Perhaps not....

 

[a multicultural team of v]

I played JB Harold earlier this year and it was actually a pretty cool game that game that made you feel that you really were exploring the city picking up clues on your own (even though I'm sure there is very little variation in the "path" you follow). Would love to play the sequel but it hasn't been translated yet.

 

[Vampire On Titus]

I played JB Harold earlier this year and it was actually a pretty cool game that game that made you feel that you really were exploring the city picking up clues on your own (even though I'm sure there is very little variation in the "path" you follow). Would love to play the sequel but it hasn't been translated yet.

Yeah, as far as I know the progression in JB Harold is linear. I think in some of the games you may be able to fail by arresting the wrong culprit as in Portopia? But don't quote me on that. The cool thing about JB, though, is that the amount of places to go, things to investigate, and subjects for questioning is extremely broad. So you do wind up having to follow your own intuition like a detective would. The intention of this is really hammered home back the pack-ins for the original PC release, which game with a map, a notebook, and a pamphlet of suspect profiles to write information into.