Lumines creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi: HD is very important to gaming
Finally, someone who gets it. While some (Nintendo) seem to believe HD comes at the expense of gameplay, Tetsuya Mizuguchi believes that the increased resolution can give games even more emotional impact. He remarks on a feeling that many of us have had, when watching a movie we've seen over and over, watching it again in HD can give an entirely new feeling. Sure playing Mike Tyson's Punch-Out on NES was (and is) fun, but this is 2006. High definition allows you to appreciate lumping up opponents faces in Fight Night Round 3 in ways the SNES never could. Even simple games like Geometry Wars are even more inpressive on HDTVs, there's nothing like having millions of multicolored geometrical shapes chasing you on an enormous screen with no blurring whatsoever. In the interview with Games Industry Mizuguchi goes on to add that he thinks other elements like 5.1 surround sound and particularly online connectivity combine with high-def as a new frontier for gaming.
This is the man who created such classics as Sega Rally, Lumines, Rez, Manx TT and others. He understands the importance of good gameplay, but instead of shrugging off HD as a niche product with little value, he's willing to acknowledge the possibilities and look for ways to enhance gamers experience, rather than limit it.
This is the man who created such classics as Sega Rally, Lumines, Rez, Manx TT and others. He understands the importance of good gameplay, but instead of shrugging off HD as a niche product with little value, he's willing to acknowledge the possibilities and look for ways to enhance gamers experience, rather than limit it.





















Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
fishpatrol @ Jul 26th 2006 4:58PM
You might like to try *quoting him*, since you're barely re-wording the four sentences in that interview that touch on high definition.
He may "get it" in your opinion, but I sure don't. High resolution does not make a game better. Have we learned nothing from the Star Wars prequels? Sweet sweet graphics aren't any indication of the quality of the story or the experience. It can definitely enhance the experience, when it's used well. But this is my understanding of Nintendo's stance:
HD is a great buzzword, and you can make some great-looking games. But their development costs are sky-high, games take longer to create, and cost more to the consumer. Like big-budget movies, the risks are very high. Instead of shooting for the moon, Nintendo is aiming lower in terms of polygons and resolution. But draw out the graph: lower development costs, shorter production cycles, and potentially less-expensive games means that they can take some risks in the games they put out.
Realism is a pretty nutty goal for gaming. I'm not saying the old NES Punchout is more fun than Fight Night Round 3, but if the former feels like an old arcade game, and the latter feels more like you're beating someone up, I'll stick with dodge-dodge-jab, thanks.
It's fine with me if I don't "get it" either. Sure I'd like to see a high-def version of X-Wing on my LCD TV set, but it'll take a lot more than 720p for me to lay my money down.
Richard Lawler @ Jul 26th 2006 5:22PM
I think super punch out was supposed to represent beating someone up, as best it could back then. Just because it didn't do as good of a job of it as Fight night does now doesn't suddenly make it better, but for nostalgia.
We seem to forget that even the old games were cutting edge back when they came out. A bad game is a bad game even in high def, but I'd rather give a developer the chance to make a great game with the best tools possibly available, than ask them to make a masterpiece with crayons and stencils just for old times sake.
SJ @ Jul 26th 2006 5:51PM
I think playing games in HD adds a certain "kick" to action/racing/sport games.
I played some Xbox 360 games on a 25" SDTV first and then I went and tried some on a friends 42" HDTV with 5.1 surround sound. It does make for a much, much better gaming experience.
Also, if Nintendo thinks HDTV's are not such a big deal why are they demoing all the Wii games on HDTVs? (They could be EDTVs I guess)