While hearing developers talk about the actual development process of their games is nothing new today, this was something almost unheard off back in the 1990s. As such, it’s always a treat when developers get to talk about their games from that era.
In a recent issue, as part of their coverage of the upcoming NEO GEO Mini, Famitsu got a chance to talk to some of SNK’s developers who worked on some of the classic games back in the 1990s. This included designers Noboyuki Kuroki, and Naoto Abe, as well as the sound team’s Hideki Asanaka.
Among the game’s they discuss are the original Fatal Fury games, where Asanaka discusses how they were left to their own devices, allowing their diverse influences to be heard in the soundtrack. They also discuss how the voice work in the first game was originally done by the staff, before they transitioned to hiring the Osaka Drama Troupe for the second game onward, and then having voice actors for The King of Fighters series from the very start.
Speaking of The King of Fighters, they discuss how different the lead character, Kyo was, from their previous work. Kuroki states that their first reaction to seeing Kyo in a school uniform was “Wow.” Especially considering how much more “macho” their character designs in Fatal Fury were.
In addition to this, they also go a bit into Garou: Mark of the Wolves specifically about how it never got a sequel, and how that sequel would have turned out had it been made. Abe states that he recals that the scenario for the story had already been written up to the ending (beyond the original, which ended on a cliffhanger). Additionally, Kuroki also states that he had already created new moves for Rock Howard and B. Jenet.
Of course, this is just part of what they talk about. Check out a translated version of the interview over at Siliconera.
Source: Weekly Famitsu, via Siliconera