![]() ![]() So then we came to develop an expansion for that, Bloodline Rebellion, which is scheduled to hit arcades later this month. But we still weren't really satisfied with the result at that point with Tekken 6. We'd had more time with the PS3, in the form of the PS3-based architecture of the arcade board. And so then the next step in the process was Tekken 6, which was released in arcades about a year ago now. ![]() So in that regard, it was kind of hard to show off the power at that point. And where other developers have had kind of pre-rendered stuff that they were showing off on the PS3, we were one of the times who had real-time footage from the console itself. ![]() We had Tekken Dark Resurrection going on at that point, but we hadn't really had much hands on time with PS3, at all. Harada: First off, when we released that footage, well we weren't really working on the title so much at that time. Can you talk us through these development phases? Subsequent to that, the very first in-game shots you released were disappointing however, we now see that the game is much improved since then. Kikizo: I think the first time you showed the game was back at E3 2005 when they showed PlayStation 3 for the first time, as just a CG teaser. So it was more about trying to answer the fans' requests and having as many as possible be able to get the game - that was the objective there. And it's also the timing at this point - at the moment we have two high spec consoles on the market at the same time the Xbox has a huge installed base in Europe and America. And we just had so many fans that said "we really want to get our hands on it, but can't." So we wanted to answer those fans. But rather than some fans feeling disappointed, there are a lot of Xbox users out there at the moment, and a great deal of fans who only have an Xbox and really want to play Tekken, which is the number one in the fighting genre. Harada: Yes, we have developed it PlayStation 1, 2 and now 3, so it is true that we have really grown with the PlayStation brand - we have a lot of fond memories, and we worked very closely with Mr Kutaragi as well, so we had a really good relationship. Obviously it's not just PlayStation now, so what would you say the sort of die-hard PlayStation fans who maybe feel 'betrayed'? Kikizo: You remember close to the beginning of the series, a time when Tekken was very closely associated with PlayStation. And since we still have a while to go before the release of the console version, that feedback will not only strengthen the arcade version but also it will mean a more balanced console game. One thing that having an arcade version has allowed us to do, especially in Japan, is that once the game's released, it's online, it's networked, so we can get a lot of feedback and then adjust the game - we can update it over the network, so that has allowed us to do a lot of balancing of the game and the fighters, which is very difficult to do. Maybe one of the key factors is that even if you have a very bad player against someone who's not so bad, if you play ten matches, the advanced player won't always win all ten of those, that is just the nature of the game to mix things up a bit. It's pretty well balanced, and it kind of shows, because it still has popularity in arcades. Probably the console users are ten or twenty times more than the arcade, so there is that fact, but I have tried to focus on making a game that appeals to both - it's not made for just the hardcore arcade audiences. Harada: It's a difficult question, but I have been working on the series myself for over ten years now, and I have really tried to tune the emphasis so that it does well in both the arcades and at home. Kikizo: How much would you say you're designing Tekken 6 for the Japanese arcade scene, which is still really competitive, compared to console players around the world? He showed us the arcade version of the game that's due out in Japan next week, and demonstrated it to us using a rather cute little console-style arcade stick. 1 at the Contents Production Headquarters of Namco Bandai Games Inc., which is quite a mouthful but basically means it's Namco's elite studio and this is the guy who's been in charge of Tekken for over ten years. Harada-san is the Manager of Game Design Section 2, R&D Dept. ![]() A final bonus character, Azazel, is said to bring the true roster up to 41 characters overall. Bloodline Rebellion, which is released in Japanese arcades on December 18 (and happens to be the version next year's PS3 and Xbox 360 release is based on) adds a further two characters - Alisa Boskonovitch and Lars Alexandersson - both sounding like they're straight off the set of a European porn flick, and both looking the part as well. ![]()
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