Sunday 28 July 2013

Why Guile's Theme Goes With Everything: Part 1

Back in my second post, I mentioned that I'd consider translating that old interview with some of the Capcom staff.  Well, I decided to get stuck in and at least give it a go, and I now have a new found respect for translators and localisation staff everywhere!

As this is the very first attempt at translation for me, I don't think this is a perfect piece of work.  There were several sections, particularly in the second part (coming soon), that proved troublesome for various reasons.  For one thing, I think the text I translated is a word for word, largely unedited, transcript of the original interview and as such, even in Japanese, it doesn't flow particularly well.


The interview was conducted in, as far as I can tell, in April 2004, with Yuko Komiyama (Komio), who has worked on Megaman X7, music arranger Mitsuhiko Takano, and Isao "Oyaji" Abe, who worked on the sound for the Street Fighter series.  Komio seems to be the one asking most of the questions, but it's really less of an interview, more of a chat about Street Fighter.


This is why Guile goes with everything.  



Part 1
Round-table - First Half:  The History of Street Fighter
Komio:
Coming up is the Fifteenth Anniversary of Street Fighter so there are a lot of things I'd like us to talk about.  I don't know much about the Street Fighter Series, but it all began with the regular Street Fighter II, right?
Abe:
That's right.  In 1991 with Street Fighter II
Komio:
It started all of a sudden with "II"?
Abe:
No, no {smiles wryly}, there was an original Street Fighter before it.
Komio:
Oh, right.
Abe:
There was a Street Fighter game before SF2, but it was a completely different game.
Komio:
Ah, but they're both fighting games, though.  Takano, you're pretty obsessed when it comes to Street Fighter, what can you tell us?
Takano:
Well, if I have to say, since I joined the company I've learnt so much from asking Abe, so maybe you should ask him…
Abe:
I don't know… Street Fighter was around even since before I joined, so I've got no idea.  I've never even seen that game at an arcade.
Komio:
So it didn't sell very well, then?
Abe, Takano:
{Embarrassed laughter}
Takano:
I read in a book that it did pretty well in America.  Now, how was the atmosphere inside the company when we were about to start Street Fighter II?  Let's say, we were looking forward to making the sequel.
Abe:
It felt totally and utterly different.  The feeling within the team was like, "Guys, let's make something new".
Komio:
Both games shared a few features, right?
Takano:
Yeah, well we had the clock and the health gauge, so on appearance they probably look pretty similar.
Komio:
Where did the big changes take place?
Takano:
Um… The changes to the input system were significant.  The first Street Fighter was like this: How hard the player actually pressed the button determined if they did a weak, medium or strong punch.
Komio:
What?  With the button?  (Presses one finger on the table)
Abe:
Yeah, that made the game almost impossible.
Takano:
I don't know much about the details, because Abe and his mentor at the company made the game, really.  Anyway, you went like this with your fist and hit it.  I was like, "Hmmm…  That's interesting..."  {Taps table}
Abe:
Hmmm… {Taps table too, mimicking Takano}  A problem we had was that the button parts would wear down.  It was pretty bad actually, particularly on the chassis.
Komio:
I see.  But to go back to what we were talking about before; After Street Fighter II, Street Fighter III came out, right?
Abe:
Actually, there were various different versions of SF2 before that.
Komio:
Of SF2?  Like "ZERO"?
Abe:
That came out a few years later.  First there were Street Fighter II Dash, Turbo and Super.
Komio:
Amazing.  It felt like it was going to be Capcom's cash cow for some time to come.
Takano:
{Bursts into laughter}
Abe:
Pretty much.  At that time it was unstoppable.  We were surprised  when every employee in the company got bonuses, extra time off, plane tickets and the like.
Takano:
Well, it wasn't surprising for you; You started it, after all!  {Laughs}
Abe:
Ah!  We had it good back then!
Komio:
Umm…  Then you had "Dash" and stuff...
Abe:
You can't just pass the other games over like that!  {Laughs}
Komio:
Sorry.  There were so many, I can't keep track of things…  So, III came next then?
Abe:
No, no, you've got the order wrong.  And when III was released, ZERO2 was already in development.
Takano:
That's right.  Turbo and Super were developed at about the same time, too.  Because Turbo didn't have any new sound elements, I think Abe worked on Super.
Abe:
Yeah…  You really know your stuff, don't you?
Takano:
Well… I really love the game.  When I was first introduced to Abe, I said something like, "You're "Oyajisan*" aren't you?"  To which he said, "How did you know that?" {Chuckles}  That was the first thing anyone at Capcom said to me.
Abe, Komio
{Laughter}
Abe:
Basically, yeah, SF2 was SF2.  It wasn't Street Fighter (1) and it wasn't Street Fighter III.
Takano:
Like the difference between Megaman X and Megaman EXE.
Komio:
Okay, I get the picture.
Abe:
Well, they're all fighting games really.  {Ironic laugh}
Takano:
They just look the same.  The Dragon Punch does, anyway {Wry laugh}
* Oyaji is the nickname Isao Abe used that appears in the end credits of the Street Fighter series.  "Oyaji" means something like "Old Man", as in what some people call their fathers.



kreeb

P.S.  You can read the second part here.

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