More on F-Zero for the arcade, GameCube

At a press conference in Japan, several key figures--Shigeru Miyamoto and Takaya Imamura from Nintendo, Toshihiro Nagoshi from Amusement Vision, and Yukio Sugino from Sega--involved with the recently announced agreement between Sega and Nintendo were on hand to answer general questions about the arcade and GameCube versions of F-Zero that are currently in development at Amusement Vision. The following is a partial transcript from that conference (questions and answers have been edited for clarity):

Q: How do you feel facing your new challenge?

Toshihiro Nagoshi: I never imagined I would do a project like this. I loved F-Zero and it was a really an impressive title for me. I was influenced by it in a sense as I created Daytona USA and other racing games. I am happy to take part in this project.

Q: What do you think is the meaning of this project?

Yukio Sugino: I am responsible for organizing the arcade games. I also liked F-Zero. This is our first try to collaborate on such a big title with such a huge fan base. We respect the power of Nintendo in the console market but we know we are the best at arcade games. I am excited to produce F-Zero AC, and it will surely be a smash hit.

Q: What do you think about collaborating with Nintendo?

TN: Amusement Vision has already created two GameCube titles, so we are familiar with how Nintendo works. Sega and Nintendo have a different way of thinking even though we are both established game makers. We will surely be able to release a great game together with Miyamoto-san at Nintendo.

Q: What do you think about collaborating on F-Zero with Mr. Nagoshi?

Shigeru Miyamoto: He used to be our rival but once he started creating GameCube titles, we have had some opportunities to talk to each other. His passion reminds me of when I worked on arcade games. His team's work style is far different from ours, and that is kind of exciting for us. Amusement Vision is truly trustworthy.

Q: What were you doing when the original F-Zero was released?

SM: I was working on Zelda. The Super Famicom enabled F-Zero to have lots of new features that the Famicom did not. Now the GameCube can do something that the Nintendo 64 could not.

TN: I bought all the launch titles together with the hardware, and I loved F-Zero the best. It actually taught me what a game should be. It is a fun game not only for gamers but also for creators like me.

YS: I was a student at that time and I never knew I would work for a game company. I read articles in game magazines and competed against those records. Actually I broke my controller, as I played it too hard.

Takaya Imamura: It was my first title. When I joined Mr. Miyamoto's team I was surprised to be allowed to design characters and courses as freely as I wanted. It is really an impressive title for me.

Q: What does F-Zero mean to you?

TI: It is a weird game in which creators can push their preference to the users. And the users are still happy to accept its silly world. I guess that's the charm of this game.

TN: It is not a driving game but a racing game. I assume that this title should evolve by increasing speed and how to control the cars without wheels.

SM: Yes, it is more of a racing game than a driving game, as Mr. Nagoshi pointed out. The cars can get faster and faster since they don't have friction with the course, and you feel pleasant when you can handle it as you like.

Q: How will the arcade and GameCube versions be linked?

TN: Data communication will be available. We now call this style "home and away"--GameCube as home and arcade as away. Both the arcade and console games are important, and we believe we can enhance each version by emphasizing the other.

Q: When did you decide F-Zero would be your next project?

TN: As we have been working on the "Tri-Force" project we have been looking for content that is not exactly the same as the GameCube architecture. After several discussions, we reached a decision to create F-Zero.