Shinji Mikami 2001 IGN Interview

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Interview with Shinji Mikami (PS2)
The creator of Resident Evil, Dino Crisis, and Devil May Cry sits down with IGN to discuss his newest creation.

May 31, 2001

We are humble folk. We are. We learn this when we meet game creators who grind their teeth on consoles day in and day out. We had the chance to speak with the creator of some masterful Capcom games and he made us feel weak, small, and just short of silly. We are humbled. We are small. But we are happy. Also, we will never ask so many questions about puzzles ever again. Hopefully you might find some happiness in this quick interview with none other than Devil May Cry's Creator Shinji Mikami, Capcom's officer and general manager, research and development, department 4.

IGNinsider: What new things are you trying to introduce to Resident Evil 4?
Mikami: We are still working on game design. Most of my staff is still working on Devil May Cry.

IGNinsider: On the topic of Devil May Cry, what kind of puzzle aspects to the game should we expect?
Mikami: There isn't much focus on puzzle. The game is focused more on action.

IGNinsider: Yes, of course. I've played through the demo and I can see that from the way the design is working, the reason I asked is because I want to know if the game is straightforward action all the way through or are there going to be different gameplay elements?
Mikami: There aren't many puzzles, there are places where you must make maneuvers that require some skill but not thinking. So those puzzles are in the Resident Evil series, in Devil May Cry I want players to enjoy the action.

IGNinsider: Are the puzzles action based? Will there be a lot of that?
Mikami: And it's also about finding Enemies weaknesses. Those are the kinds of puzzles in Devil May Cry. To damage boss characters you must create certain situations and how you create those situations is the puzzle.

IGNinsider: As far as Dante's abilities, is there anything in the finished version outside of what we have seen in the demo? Will there be a combo system?
Mikami: There will be other moves, also Dante will swim in water which will be played from a first person view.

IGNinsider: Does Dante's demon power evolve?
Mikami: As you beat enemies you get points. With those you can buy new moves. In addition to that, each move has levels of strength. There is also a move like [Street Fighter's] "Hadoken."

IGNinsider: Is there a move where you can block the enemy's attack or obtain his powers?
Mikami: No, but when you're in devil form you take less damage.

IGNinsider: Is Devil May Cry in any way a reaction against Resident Evil?
Mikami: It was originally called Resident Evil 4 but the director of Devil May Cry made the game so different that we changed its name. That is how it became so different. It took me three months to convince the director to change the title.

IGNinsider: How did you settle it?
Mikami: I talked to all the other members of the team and told them it would be better as its own game, then I talked to the director.

IGNinsider: Ahh, smart politics. How do you feel about working on the PlayStation 2? Have you found any strengths in the system by working on Devil May Cry that you hadn't found before?
Mikami: If the programmer is really good, then you can achieve really high quality, but if the programmer isn't that great then it is really hard to work with. We lost three programmers during Devil May Cry because they couldn't keep up.

IGNinsider: One last question, do you think there will be more Devil May Crys in the future? Like a sequel?
Mikami: Yes.

--This quick interview was conducted at E3 by Douglas C. Perry​

 

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A bonus interview from Project Umbrella, DMC part near the bottom.

Masami Ueda Interview​

(Project Umbrella)​

Project Umbrella Transcript​

Q1. What is your current position?
A1. My official job title is Lead Composer at PlatinumGames Inc.

Q2. Could you please tell us about your most recent work?
A2. Unfortunately, I can't tell you about what I'm working on now. My apologies.

Q3. I noticed that your hobby is photography. Is that something you'd like to pursue?
A3. It's simply a hobby for me, something to have fun with.

Q3. Biohazard1 was the first game you worked on. In addition to music composition, you were mainly responsible for .midi to PSX data conversion. Was it difficult considering the memory of PlayStation was 512k and half of that was used for sound effects?
A3. Actually, before Resident Evil I composed an obscure arcade game called Miteshinzeyou in 1995. That was my debut, though I doubt anyone knows it! Regarding sound RAM restrictions on Resident Evil 1, it wasn't so bad. It became quite difficult after 2, however.

Q4. To what extent was the sound team involved in development? (I was told that ideas came from everyone.)
A4. It's true that Resident Evil was made with the philosophy that anyone with a good idea had a chance of seeing it realized in the game. I did contribute some concepts in meetings, but unfortunately, nothing I proposed was ever used!

Q5. You're credited for the "Sound" of Biohazard2. Were you also the chief music composer?
A5. I was the chief composer, and in practice the sound director. To me taking on both roles is second nature, so recently I haven't even been asked to be credited as "sound director."

Q6. Were you given any freedom in composing music or was it created using character art/stage design or gameplay to fit the required mood?
A6. It was essentially left up to the composer. I'd write a track, have the director listen to it, and we'd find the right style together.

Q7. Did you write and compose the rock guitar track for Leon's B scenario ending?
A7. I did. I still didn't have a melody prepared on the actual day of the recording, so the guitarist came up with it himself. That was probably the toughest track I've ever worked on.

Q8. The first version of Biohazard2, known as "1.5", was scrapped. In terms of workload, was it like creating two separate scores or were you able to tweak some of the existing tracks and reuse them?
A8. Actually, I was able to re-use almost everything I had composed. For instance, Hunk's track was originally for a destroyed laboratory.

Q9. You were the "Music Composition Chief" of Biohazard 3. What were intentions with the theme of that episode. For example, the ending song of the city's destruction was very dramatic and a departure from the "fear" of 'Bio1' and '2'. (Overall, perhaps the best in the series.)
A9. The theme for Resident Evil 3 was "rhythm." I thought placing melody first would be insufficient to communicate fear, and I was also conscious of the music not sounding overdramatic. In the final game, you can hear the theme rhythm in many tracks.

Q10. How long did it take to write and compose all of the music?
A10. We're usually involved in a project from its inception to completion, so it depends on the development time of the game. During that period I'll compose music, enhance my composing environment, or watch films and play games to be aware of what's going on. In the past I'd compose one track in a single day, or a week at the most. Nowadays one track takes me an average of a week, and in some cases up to a month.

Q11. Which songs are your favorite?
A11. I'm afraid I have to select tracks I composed myself. I love Resident Evil 2, so I'll choose exclusively from that game.

Secure Place
Ada's Theme
"The Ultimate Bio-Weapon" Medley

There are others I like, but I think I'll stop there.

Q12. Can you tell us something to look out for while listening to the music; the kind of thing that most listeners might miss unless they pay attention?
A12. There's a track in Resident Evil 2 called "Wreckage Of The Mad Experiment" that only plays in one room. I originally composed it for the laboratory stage in Resident Evil 1.5, but it looked like it was going to get cut in RE2. Somehow we managed to slot it in there.

Q13. Devil May Cry started off as Biohazard 4. Originally the main character Dante possessed super powers from infection by a virus. What can you tell us about the scenario of that version? (On or off the record.)
A13. I joined the project in the middle of development, so I'm honestly not very familiar with the particulars. It became Devil May Cry immediately after I joined the team.

Q14. What was the theme? Mr. Makoto said the only instruction for Biohazard1 was "sound like a (horror) movie". How did you plan on intensifying the fear of previous works on PlayStation 2?
A14. Obviously the visual quality had increased dramatically, so I tried to express fear via music on the same level. I was aiming for fear in the stage music, and attempted to channel Dante's personality in the battle music. On Devil May Cry I wanted to bring more excitement to the action through the music, so fear wasn't the main element.

Q15. Was there ever a temptation to create a single Biohazard "theme" like Legend of Zelda or was it always planned to differ from game-to-game?
A15. Resident Evil 1 itself didn't have a main theme, so there never would have been a way to continue with one. Looking back, I do think it would have been nice if the series had a theme. However, as a series matures, the people working on it are constantly changing, so preserving a theme can be difficult. Certain composers also want to try a different approach, and may have jettisoned the theme anyway. After Resident Evil 2, and including Devil May Cry, I've given the characters and bosses in each game I've been involved with theme melodies. It's up to whoever creates the sequels whether they want to preserve them or not.

Q16. As long as it doesn't conflict with your obligation to keep secrets, could you tell us about any more scrapped games that you worked on?
A16. I've worked on a number of cancelled titles, but since they were never announced, I'm afraid I can't answer your question in detail.

Q17. Did you have a message for your oversea fans?
A17. We vow to continue to make games everyone will love. Please don't miss our upcoming work, and thank you!