Will Genji be UK Hit or Myth?

January 17th, 2007, 22:52 Posted By: wraggster

Via IGN

After conquering American and Japanese PS3s with its mixture of swords, demons, samurais and giant crabs, Genji: Days of the Blade is slicing its way towards the European console launch. For months, developer Game Republic has been busy ensuring the story about ancient Japanese warriors is ready for UK audiences.

Set three years after the last Genji, Days of the Blade continues to expand upon legends and historically accurate facts about feudal Japan. The Heishi clan, which was defeated at the end of the original, has returned. Its military strength has been increased by the use of unholy magic, allowing its legions of soldiers to turn into hideous demons. So it's up to Yoshitsune to draw his blade once again, ready to clash with the evil hordes.

As the legions draw close to European shores, IGN spoke to the game's creator Yoshiki Okamoto about bringing a title steeped in Japanese history to western markets.


IGN UK: Do you think PS3 owners outside of Japan will understand the mythological storyline of Genji?

Yoshiki Okamoto: I have not thought about how other nations will regard it. In Japan we watch kung-fu films and see car chases in New York or even hear about people talking about the Knights of the Round Table and we enjoy them all. I just wanted to show that people will be able to enjoy the storyline even if they do not know about Japanese mythology and history. They will see the different battles and will hopefully want to see where the battles took place and will learn about it.

IGN UK: Are Japanese-influenced games becoming more popular in Europe thanks to anime and manga?

Yoshiki Okamoto: I was not really thinking about manga and anime being popular in Europe. The artists that drew the art work in Japan, so they are most familiar with the style of artwork found in manga and anime. The character designs will have certain similarities but that is a by-product of Japanese development, rather than a conscious decision.

IGN UK: Will there be any improvements to the EU version of Genji compared to the American one?

Yoshiki Okamoto: Obviously we did not want to change the game system but we have been able to refine some gameplay elements. We will also have downloadable content ready for the European launch. In America and Japan they have had to wait for the different packs but we will have them all ready for Europe.

IGN UK: Are you planning on releasing different downloadable content for each territory?

Yoshiki Okamoto: No, it'll be worldwide.

IGN UK: The game was originally slated for a PS2 release, so were there problems when making the transition to PS3?

Yoshiki Okamoto: From changing the hardware there were some negative points and some positive points. If we had stayed on PS2 we would have had to keep the same level of graphics from the first game. But with the PS3 we were certainly able to improve. One improvement we looked at was the camera from Genji, which was only on rails. In Days of the Blade we went through all the camera work and improved it a lot. We created a new camera system that shows just how pretty the game looks whilst not hindering the gameplay.

IGN: Would you be interested in developing a new Genji that's created entirely for PS3?

Yoshiki Okamoto: I would like to. If I could start again I would like to make Days of the Blade a little bit different with just the PS3 in mind. I would like to start at the point we're at now with the hardware and with our understanding for developing on PS3. It was really difficult to create a launch title. But we would like to make another PS3 title, although not necessarily a Genji game, using the lessons we've already learnt.

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