Itagaki On Shooters Taking Over: "Do I Look Worried?"

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Tomonobu Itagaki is a personality. He says what he wants to say, when he wants to say it. Period.

And during a recent Gamasutra interview, the Ninja Gaiden guru spoke about his interest in the military (and what military shooters have to do to become more realistic), and how the changing landscape affects our reaction to top-heavy babes.

But he was also asked about the continuing Western/Japanese culture clash, the ensuing gap, and whether or not he's worried about this perceived tendency for shooters. The industry loves those FPSs but we still say there's plenty of variety out there. On the other hand, Itagaki has a slightly different take:

"Well, games are all kind of the same anyway. It's just a matter of enjoying them. I don't know, it was the same deal when I was making fighters, and when I was making hack 'n-slash games. So it doesn't really matter to me.

My philosophy, or my passion, is to get to the top three in whatever I'm trying to tackle, and really, having a successful, high-selling game is a great thing to me. That's my personal preference. From an industry standpoint, of course, more variety would always be a good thing. Not everyone likes violence, after all."

But the best part of the interview is when he is asked if he's worried that shooters seem to be taking over:

"I'm not worried, no. [Itagaki removes his sunglasses and leans forward.] Do I look worried?"

Classic.

Tags: tomonobu itagaki, western games, shooters, video games

12/2/2011 12:26:15 PM Ben Dutka

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