Osamu Komuta as the man behind new direction

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Xelinis
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Re: Osamu Komuta as the man behind new direction

Post by Xelinis »

KC_MCDOHL wrote:He just said he's working on another game. I don't know what though, I'm afraid.
Well, it's good to hear that he's been active. Does anyone know what he's been up to since the production Suikoden V?
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Rooks
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Re: Osamu Komuta as the man behind new direction

Post by Rooks »

KC, is Mr. Matsukawa is working on Frontier Gate? Or another unmentioned game? I think he was the senior producer for Tactics and SV, so it would be nice to have him on the PSP title, but if he is on Frontier Gate, then that means Konami is serious about making Frontier Gate an RPG that appeals to fans.

Here is a bit of an interview with Matsukawa conducted by RPGfan back in 2007:
Q: As a series Suikoden has received critical acclaim from RPGFans. What do you think are the reasons behind this acclaim?
A: We often receive praise for the Taiga Drama-like [note by editor: a historical TV drama series very popular in Japan] scenario. Obviously, that is one of the characteristics, I think. However, I think, what is most important is the enthusiasm toward the characters (empathy). Therefore you have design, the creation of the setting and the scenario. Meeting 108 characters, fighting together, crying together, one's emotions being shaken up. This kind of experience is the reason, why the series has received acclaim.
The Full thing is here: http://www.rpgfan.com/features/intervie ... ndex3.html

Anyway, It seems like he is familiar with the things that make a Suikoden a Suikoden.

Also, I get the feeling the Mr Sakiyama might be the man behind a lot of our favorite Mini-Games in the series, as his work with educational games lately suggests that he is good at that kind of thing. So, if he is on, then I think we can at least expect to see HQ mini-games make a comeback.
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KC_MCDOHL
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Re: Osamu Komuta as the man behind new direction

Post by KC_MCDOHL »

All he said was thus:
Hi,Chris.

Thank you for your message! (and soory for my poor English...)
Have you seen a New Suikoden at TokyoGameShow2011?

I can not tell anything about New Suikoden because now I work at other development dept. But, of course there is some relation with new Suikoden, so, any messages are welcome for me about Suikoden (and others).

I hope that you will feel good at new Suikoden!

Matsukawa@KONAMI


Yeah, I read that interview before and I was pleased with what I read :) Sakiyama and Matsukawa seem to have a good handle on the Suikoden series.
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Re: Osamu Komuta as the man behind new direction

Post by Oppenheimer »

Awwwww his English is so cute. It almost makes me not want to hate him for his bad design choices.
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KC_MCDOHL
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Re: Osamu Komuta as the man behind new direction

Post by KC_MCDOHL »

Haha! Yeah, Sakiyama's is awesome also ^^


@ Xelinis: I'm not sure what Matsukawa has been up to, all I see him credited for is Suikoden titles. Hopefully he replies to my mail
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Xelinis
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Re: Osamu Komuta as the man behind new direction

Post by Xelinis »

Rooks, KC, one last thing.

In all your contact with the staff, has the subject of Murayama ever been brought up?
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Rooks
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Re: Osamu Komuta as the man behind new direction

Post by Rooks »

Not for me no. We know that Mr. Murayama is still friends with many of the Suikoden Staff and people at Konami. I have talked to the Americans, so even if Konami were pursuing a contract with Murayama, the people I talk to would likely not know of it until after a decision had been made. In terms of why he left, we have no more info than anyone else.
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Rachael
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Re: Osamu Komuta as the man behind new direction

Post by Rachael »

I'm not positive, but I think Japanese companies are hesitant to point fingers at any particular individual.
"F*** you, I'm a goat." -Yohn
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KC_MCDOHL
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Re: Osamu Komuta as the man behind new direction

Post by KC_MCDOHL »

Xelinis wrote:Rooks, KC, one last thing.

In all your contact with the staff, has the subject of Murayama ever been brought up?
Only once. JK informed me that she was, sadly, no longer in contact with Murayama anymore.
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Re: Osamu Komuta as the man behind new direction

Post by damican »

I must say the last two pages of the thread have given me a small amount of hope. I truly hope at some point we will see a true sequel, but I will be pleased if this game has some continuity to the suikoden universe we all know.
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Xelinis
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Re: Osamu Komuta as the man behind new direction

Post by Xelinis »

I decided to do some digging into Tierkreis' development staff and discovered some things that I wasn't aware of before.

1. While Osamu Komuta is the director, Takahiro Sakiyama was listed as the Lead Planner.
2. Tsugawa wrote Tierkreis.
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Re: Osamu Komuta as the man behind new direction

Post by Raou »

With enough push from the fans over a period of time, they'll more than likely either conceed to continuing the main series of just quit on us all together. I, for one, will continue to buy the games even if they aren't of the main series.

I suppose it's because that, while my love for the main games is fierce, I want to see what they'll deliever. It may be weak and leave possibilities galore up in the air (Tierkreis) but at least they're giving us 'something'.

Although, I'm curious to what they're going to do next with the announced new title. I think that if Konami merely stepped back, looked at the series (I-V) and went in with GOOD writers who can deliever powerful story telling, and actually add a damned marketing campaign, because, honestly, they market Yu-gi-Oh games more than I ever saw a Suikoden commercial, they might see more people getting into the series.
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Re: Osamu Komuta as the man behind new direction

Post by patapi »

If this man, who was behind the series' change in direction through Tierkreis, has no reservation when it comes to abusing Suikoden I+II's popularity to sell Frontier Gate, it is a wonder that the Suikoden team decided not to milk the series' valued main series' connection to market the actual new entry in the franchise.
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Re: Osamu Komuta as the man behind new direction

Post by Raou »

KC_MCDOHL wrote: Also, Mr komuta has come a long way since then. I have spoken to him alot over the past 10 months, and please bare this in mind, he has often told me that he now wishes to respect fans opinions regarding the Suikoden series. He also said he would use me as a reference to what Western fans really want. I should also add that he used a Japanese/English dictionary so he could read, and reply to, my emails.

That, to me, shows not only dedication to the fan base but also a willingness to make things right.
It does in my book. The man has dedication.

The way I see it is while Tierkreis dropped the ball in many ways, you won't know the perfect forumla for the games until you've tried a few new things. And the guy tried and obviously it wasn't that big a hit.
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Rooks
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Re: Osamu Komuta as the man behind new direction

Post by Rooks »

Asking for a bit of help with translation:

麻布長江

Osamu Komuta, Junko Kawano, and Takahide Murakami all checked in here on their FB page together.

Google has this as "Linen Yangtze River." I guess they could all just be out to dinner together at an oddly titled restaurant, but the reference could be to something else as the Yangtze is important to chinese literature and Water Margin. It is likely this is nothing, but, I figure I should check.

PS. Junko Kawano sent me a birthday card on my facebook wall. I am happy.
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