[Quick Questions] King of Fighters XIII

When gamers think of Atlus, they're likely to think of their trademark RPG franchises like the Shin Megami Tensei series. However, they took a chance and published somewhat niche fighting game The King of Fighters XIII in the US. Without a doubt, hardcore fighting gamers must have been worried about how the project would be handled. We couldn't help but want to ask the publisher how the game would turn out, given Atlus' seemingly inexperienced record with fighting games, so we decided to ask them some Quick Questions. Those who are on the edge about whether Atlus would have done The King of Fighters XIII right will definitely want to read on.

Denkiphile: HasAtlus or the development team reached out to the competitive player base forany assistance? If so, what type?

Rob Stone, QualityAssurance: We would like to have as much involvement with the competitiveKOF players as we can during the short period when we're localizing this game.Many players have already provided us with valuable feedback about bugs in theconsole builds that were shown as location tests, as well as feedback regardingbalance changes between the arcade and console versions.

Aram Jabbari, PRManager:  We’ve been in constantcontact with a number of prominent people within the many strong, thriving KOFcommunities around the world.  We’vegiven key folks extensive play time with early builds and taken extensive noteson their feedback.  We’re quite seriouswhen we talk about working as hard as possible to make this the best KOF gameof all time.

DP: Will there betournament-friendly features included? Such as the ability to change buttonsstraight from the character select screen or easier button configuration (i.e.pressing buttons to assign them ala BlazBlue or browsing through eachindividual button and changing their functions ala Street Fighter 4)?

AJ: Offline(in Versus mode), players can reassign buttons at the character select screenby having the 1st Player side press the Circle button (PS3) or the B button(360).  As you say, it makes the processof switching different players in and out of the same system/setup a loteasier!

DP: Recently, SNKPlaymore has said that the game will be rebalanced due to the new characters.Will the game include an option to play as either the arcade or consoleversion?

RS:  Youwon’t have the option to choose between the arcade and console versions of acharacter. Thankfully, so far all of the feedback regarding balance changes hasbeen positive. There won’t be any extreme changes to any of the characters, soit’s unlikely fans of the arcade build will have to completely re-learn thegame.

DP: Will theupcoming replay mode be compatible with both online and offline matches?

AJ:  The Replay mode is online only.

DP: We're reallyexcited for the 4-CD compilation preorder bonus for King of Fighters XIII. Willit be a collection of tracks from throughout the years or more of a collectionof remixes?

AJ:  The 4 CDs feature over 100 tracks fromthe 15+ year KOF series history.  None ofthe tracks are remixed or altered after the fact; they’re exactly what KOF fansremember from their favorite classics!

DP: You guys havealready stated a good deal on why Atlus has chosen to publish King of FightersXIII in the states, but this game an exception to the rule or are we seeing agenre that Atlus USA will branch out onto? What's the likelihood of seeing morefighting games picked up by Atlus?

AJ:  Our involvement with THE KING OF FIGHTERSXIII is a fairly simple matter: we recognized that it is a fantastic fightinggame, with major improvements in every important area over its predecessor,particularly in terms of game modes, fighter count, and network play.  We’re always excited and proud to be able topublish a great game here in North America, and as soon as we’d had a chance tospend some time with KOF XIII, we knew what we had on our hands and couldn’twait to get it into the hands of fans here.

DP: Do you haveany final words for Atlus faithful out there or fighting game fans?

Clayton S. Chan,Editor:  KOF fans are among the mosthardcore and dedicated in the world. I hope that you enjoy all the hard work Iput into making the characters come to life for you. As far as fighting game fansin general, I would humbly request that you please stop kicking my ass at everyfighting game in existence.

[Quick Questions] Giant Atari Joystick - Artist Jason Torchinsky

While at the Super iam8bit show, many pieces caught our eye. However, the most iconic piece of hardware was there in 15:1 scale form and caught everyone's eye. Jason Torchinsky had constructed a gigantic, working model of the Atari 2600 joystick and displayed it at the show. Anyone who's been there already would have undoubtedly seen and been awed by it. During some downtime after the gallery's opening, we were able to sit down with Torchinsky and get in a couple of Quick Questions. For more on Torchinsky's work, be sure to check out his website!

Denkiphile: Thanks for your time, Jason. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and this project?


Jason Torchinsky: So, about me: I came out to LA with a sketch comedy group, and as a stand-up. We had some mild success, but I'm the only one still out here, so you can infer how that went. I still do some comedy, just recently having been a writer for the Onion News Network, but mostly now I'm a designer, teacher, artist, and writer. I co-authored a book, Ad Nauseam: A Survivor's Guide to American Consumer Culture, which I'll plug.

As an artist, I like making kinetic, mechanical installations, especially interactive ones. I just collaborated with artist Kerry Tribe last year on an installation in the UK that used multiple tape decks and a massive loop of tape that was strung around a gallery, as well as a 1/12th model of the Mir interior. I also work a lot with Machine Project, where I just gave a concert using only old Apple IIs and taught kids how to hotwire cars.

The giant joystick project came out of conversations with Jon Gibson (i am 8 bit curator) and I had where we wanted to have something interactive and fun for the 2007 iam8bit show. I'm not sure how we arrived at the giant joystick idea, but a huge old Atari controller that actually works just seemed like a blast.

DP: How long did this project take to complete?  


JT: When I decided to make the joystick, I wasn't entirely sure I could do it, but it seemed like a great risk to take. I knew I wanted it to be as accurate as possible, so I measured every bit of an actual Atari joystick, and multiplied the dimensions by a factor of 15, a number I decided based on the dimensions of my truck. I had to go to a cabinetmaker, Dan Fill, to get the massive parts cut, especially the large circular hole. I had I think only 2 or 3 months to build it before the show; it wasn't much.

The mechanism is very close to the actual original joystick, and the electronics are very simple, consisting, really, of five switches.

DP: What has been the overall response you've received about the joystick?


JT: People seem to have pretty great time with the joystick. Making something big is just fun, period, and the old Atari joystick has lots of nostalgia value for lots of folks. Climbing on it and using it and hitting that big springy button really gets people excited. They also like to have their picture taken on it.

DP: It seems that the joystick needs at least two people to operate. Out of all the times you've seen people attempt to use this so far, which time was the most interesting? Can you tell us about it?


JT: People usually team up to use the stick, one standing on it operating the stick, another on the button. I've seen single people use it, holding the stick and operating the button with their foot, or by standing next to the stick, one hand on the stick, one on the button. The most fun is to see little kids use it, and they tend to swarm all over it and sort of control it in a big, chaotic group.

People get pretty rough with the stick, and jump all over it, kick the button, and generally beat it to hell. It usually ends up broken in some way after every time it's exhibited, and I try and make incremental improvements to make it more and more durable. I've accepted this now, but it's still rough to see happy folks gleefully pounding the crap out of your work. It's due for an overhaul as we speak.

DP: I'm the resident fighting game fan of Denkiphile and I just have to ask: in 20 or 30 years, can you see someone making a 15:1 scale Mad Catz Tournament Edition Arcade Stick? 


JT:In 20 years, will folks be making 15x scale Mad Catz arcade sticks? Maybe. They're pretty big, so it'd be an undertaking. I think a giant Wiimote is much more likely, as it's much easier to build on a huge scale. But it'd take a big group of folks to swing it around. And who has to wear the wrist strap? Personally, I really love making novel Atari controllers, and have a strange "team controller" I'd like to try out, which takes five people to operate.

I'd also like to plug my first big public art installation, four massive (8'x10'x3') space invaders that will be in Culver CIty from October 10 for the Indiecadevideo game exhibition.