Peter Hines on Oblivion, SIXAXIS, and JRPGs

In a recent interview with Peter Hines (there’s a lot of ’em going about), IGN quizzed Bethesda’s PR guy on Oblivion-related snippets. For this segment, they focused on the company’s reason for making a PS3 release. Barring the PS3 vs. 360 discussion from previous talks, Hines explained that “We’ve (Bethesda) never actually done a triple-A game on a Sony platform before and that was something we really wanted to do.”

He went on to explain that since the Sony line of consoles always had an affinity for Japanese-made RPGs (Final Fantasy/Xenosaga/Dragon Quest, anyone?), Oblivion would be the first epic western RPG to make it to the console.

In line with that, it would hopefully touch on a wider demographic who could enjoy its unique settings. “It’s really about reaching out to a whole new group of people,” as Hines said.

Moving on with the discussion, Hines touched on another PS3-centric topic: What was his take on the SIXAXIS?

“I think that its value depends upon the game. It didn’t make sense on Oblivion but I’m sure there are some games it does make sense on. To be honest I would rather have the rumble instead of the SIXAXIS motion stuff.”

With regards to development, Hines explained that the team was more focused on getting the game to play well – and that using the SIXAXIS wasn’t necessary for this to happen. On a personal note, Hines further commented that it was simply more reassuring to “feel” your hits connect when you swing a sword, and that “the absence of the rumble is notable when playing Elder Scrolls.”

In a recent interview with Peter Hines (there’s a lot of ’em going about), IGN quizzed Bethesda’s PR guy on Oblivion-related snippets. For this segment, they focused on the company’s reason for making a PS3 release. Barring the PS3 vs. 360 discussion from previous talks, Hines explained that “We’ve (Bethesda) never actually done a triple-A game on a Sony platform before and that was something we really wanted to do.”

He went on to explain that since the Sony line of consoles always had an affinity for Japanese-made RPGs (Final Fantasy/Xenosaga/Dragon Quest, anyone?), Oblivion would be the first epic western RPG to make it to the console.

In line with that, it would hopefully touch on a wider demographic who could enjoy its unique settings. “It’s really about reaching out to a whole new group of people,” as Hines said.

Moving on with the discussion, Hines touched on another PS3-centric topic: What was his take on the SIXAXIS?

“I think that its value depends upon the game. It didn’t make sense on Oblivion but I’m sure there are some games it does make sense on. To be honest I would rather have the rumble instead of the SIXAXIS motion stuff.”

With regards to development, Hines explained that the team was more focused on getting the game to play well – and that using the SIXAXIS wasn’t necessary for this to happen. On a personal note, Hines further commented that it was simply more reassuring to “feel” your hits connect when you swing a sword, and that “the absence of the rumble is notable when playing Elder Scrolls.”