5. Fear You Can Walk Around With
A difficult problem for us, as well as Nintendo, is how to communicate the appeal of 3D to customers.
I want to continue putting effort into having everyone see the real thing for themselves. I think it’s important to create a situation in which one person gets their hands on a Nintendo 3DS and says, “It really is 3D!” and then one after the other more people say, “You have to see it to believe it!” That’s one reason we put in so much built-in software. For example, the reason we had Nintendo 3D Camera and AR Games built in on the system was because we wanted as many people as possible to experience them.
So rather than Nintendo presenting it through media channels - which is the conventional way - it’s important that people show it to each other.
In that respect, it might be good if there was some way a horror game like Resident Evil could be seen and enjoyed together by people around the player in order to share the frightful experience.
Yes, it is quite a challenge to create a game for a handheld that can be enjoyed and shared by watching someone else play.
The games in the Monster Hunter series19 and Pokémon20 series, which were social phenomena, were like that. When lots of people around you are playing, you can’t help but get involved, even if you didn’t feel like it before. So I think it would be significant if the spread of the Nintendo 3DS system ended up increasing opportunities for introducing more appealing franchises to people who don’t know about them. 19Monster Hunter series: The first instalment of this hunting action game series was released by Capcom Co., Ltd. in 2004. 20Pokémon series: The first instalment in this series, which consisted of Pokémon Red Version and Pokémon Blue Version, was released in 1996 in Japan and in 1999 in Europe.
That’s right. I really hope that happens!
Lastly, could you tell us what is appealing about Resident Evil: Revelations and Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D for the Nintendo 3DS system?
Sure. Resident Evil: Revelations is your traditional Resident Evil game with the fear element front and centre, while Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D has lots of hardcore action in 3D. Stages from Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 521 appear, recreated with incredible precision, so it stands up well to a home console game. 21Resident Evil 5: A survival horror game released in 2009. Known as Biohazard 5 in Japan.
So the kind of shooting action players once experienced on their home console is now available in the palm of their hand.
That’s right. I hope players will try it out and realise just what can be done with Nintendo 3DS, also paying attention to the 3D. Resident Evil: Revelations is coming a little bit further down the line, but I hope players will experience true terror even on a handheld.
By carrying around a fully-fledged Resident Evil game, now you can experience its contrast between fear and release anywhere.
Many players are in their 30s and 40s and don’t have time to play video games at home. They can play a handheld while commuting, though, so there are more possibilities with the Nintendo 3DS system. This may just be my own personal feeling, but for a while I didn’t feel like we were really in the 21st Century, but now I’m beginning to feel like we are! (laughs)
Resident Evil on the Nintendo 3DS system is fear you can walk around with in the 21st Century. The sound and sense of atmosphere are fuller, so when an enemy closes in on you, you think, “Whoa!” Some say that it isn’t so much how scary objects look as how substantial they seem. That’s because of a certain rawness in the way shadows are cast, for instance.
While it’s a little nasty, when blood spurts out, some stuff that isn’t blood is mixed in with it, so I hope people will experience that sticky feeling. (laughs) Also, we worked on the feeling of distance when you fire a gun. You play from a first-person perspective, but when that meaty enemy closes in, the sense of haste and urgency is different. You’ll think, “An enemy might be just up ahead,” but it’s closer than you expected, so you think, “It’s gonna get me!” We ramped up that feeling.
People really come alive when they talk about something scary. (laughs) I wonder why scary experiences are like that? That would explain why horror games are popular.
You want to share scary experiences. You don’t want to be the only one spooked out! (laughs) Also, the surround sound capabilities of the Nintendo 3DS system were a big plus. I think they’re great for horror. The hardware’s sound capabilities are really good, so I hope people will experience how that affects the game’s horror aspects. If possible, I want people to play wearing headphones.
Headphones! That would be scary!
At Nintendo World 2011, lots of people said positive things about it, so we started aiming even higher. There are lots of things you can’t see when you’re directly involved, so I have to step back for a broader perspective. I want to continue developing its good aspects.
Yes, that’s right. (Shigeru) Miyamoto-san has an amazing ability to change his viewpoint with regard to a game he is working on. Usually, people are too close to what they’re working on, but Miyamoto-san can look at his own work as if it is someone else’s and say, “It’s missing something here.” So it’s important to change your viewpoint, asking yourself if you’re judging it from a fixed viewpoint and making an effort to change your angle on it.
That’s right. The crux of the game doesn’t waver, but the point from which you view it does. It’s important to work that way.
I’m looking forward to completion of the games. Thank you for coming today.
Thank you for inviting me.