Capcom’s Horinouchi talks about Megaman ZX series for DS, possibility of a Megaman Wii

With Megaman ZX out since last year and definitely enjoying its much earned success, it’s good to get information about the next installment in the annual tradition that is Megaman. Cubed³ managed to snag an interview with Takeshi Horinouchi, Line Producer for the Megaman series. As the line producer, he takes charge of coordinating the schedules of different departments working on the Megaman games. Horinouchi gave juicy info about making Megaman DS games, possible future Wii Mega Man titles, and more.

Horinouchi revealed that the development process for Megaman ZX took about 20 months, with Capcom crossing hurdles such as integrating the DS’ touch screen feature into the game. The development team, however, decided on keeping the control scheme as-is, using the D-pad and buttons. The few touchscreen elements that made it into the game received less-than-positive reviews, he said.

But so far Horinouchi is pleased with how Megaman ZX fared, though he thinks that it may have sold better if it had been released a bit later, not last year while the Nintendo DS was “still rapidly expanding in the market.”

Go on and read what else Horinouchi said about the latest Megaman installment, another Megaman ZX sequel, and Capcom’s plans on a Nintendo Wii version of the video game – all at the Full Article.

With Megaman ZX out since last year and definitely enjoying its much earned success, it’s good to get information about the next installment in the annual tradition that is Megaman. Cubed³ managed to snag an interview with Takeshi Horinouchi, Line Producer for the Megaman series. As the line producer, he takes charge of coordinating the schedules of different departments working on the Megaman games. Horinouchi gave juicy info about making Megaman DS games, possible future Wii Mega Man titles, and more.

Horinouchi revealed that the development process for Megaman ZX took about 20 months, with Capcom crossing hurdles such as integrating the DS’ touch screen feature into the game. The development team, however, decided on keeping the control scheme as-is, using the D-pad and buttons. The few touchscreen elements that made it into the game received less-than-positive reviews, he said.

But so far Horinouchi is pleased with how Megaman ZX fared, though he thinks that it may have sold better if it had been released a bit later, not last year while the Nintendo DS was “still rapidly expanding in the market.”

Horinouchi also gives a hint about the new weapons system the sequel Megaman ZX Advent will be offering gamers:

The main characters of Mega Man ZX Advent can transform into not only Mega Man, but the bosses they have defeated as well. This is a very marked difference from the first game. The touch screen has also been put to good use through features such as the map system and one-touch transformations, making it feel more like a DS game. I think it was through the large volume of great feedback we received from the players that we were able to make this game grow by leaps and bounds.

Interesting, right? Here’s where Megaman ZX Advent gets better: Hardcore Megaman fans will have special conditional bonuses should they defeat the bosses in certain (secret) methods, and they will be given medals as well. There’s also a beginner’s mode packed into the newest Megaman series for the benefit of those who haven’t played the epic series in the past.

Finally, Horinouchi mentions a big let-down: there are currently no plans of making use of the Nintendo Wi-Fi connection, and that a Nintendo Wii version of the Megaman ZX series is unlikely, though they think that the Nintendo Wii is a good hardware. He said that he would love to try developing a Wii video game at least once. As for another sequel to the current Megaman video game in development, he mentioned that this will depend on gamers’ reception.