Eurogamer 3DS features - LEGO Star Wars III review, 3DS Vs. iPad 2 lines, Ono on SSFIV:3D Edition

LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars 3D - review

3DS vs. iPad 2: UK queue face-off (video)

Eurogamer: What was your first impression of the 3DS dev kit?

Yoshinori Ono: Before E3, Takeuchi [Jun, chief producer for Resident Evil 5] already had the kit and had been nagging me to come take a look. But because I had been so busy with the console editions I had been putting it off. In mid-May when I finally went to see the kit, I just went, “Wow.” I knew then I had been missing out.

We took it back to the Street Fighter team and showed it to people. Of course the 3D element is a major innovation, but we thought that shouldn’t deceive us in terms of the attractiveness of the 3DS.

We came up with loads of ideas. It gave me this excitement I used to have when I was younger, as a computer geek, and we used to overclock microchips.

I’d like to ask Eurogamer to correct a misunderstanding some people have. Back in Amsterdam, I did an interview with German press. I mentioned 3DS and Dreamcast in the same conversation. I wasn’t saying 3DS is like Dreamcast.

What I meant was, when Dreamcast first came out it was such a developer-friendly kit. I was thrilled to see it because I saw so much potential in that. It’s the same excitement.

I’m not talking about the fate of the hardware, by any means! This has to be a hundred per cent clear, because it became rather awkward for me to visit Kyoto after that.

Eurogamer: Are you worried that those who play Street Fighter on a fighting stick will be unable to play the 3D Edition?

Yoshinori Ono: If you’re used to the sticks it may not be as comfortable as it is for others. But there are trade-offs. If you’re playing with the stick, you have to be at home and you’ve got to dedicate your time to it.

With the 3DS you can play anywhere, any time and with anyone. It’s a matter of convenience. With a stick you have to bring it out. It requires a lot more work to do that.

If you’re a really hardcore Street Fighter player, you probably won’t even complain about the controls. I think the hardcore players will come up with their own way of playing 3DS Street Fighter in a hardcore way. I have no idea how, but they’ll come up with something.

If you ask me have I targeted those hardcore players only, I’d say no. It is designed for the wide audience the 3DS will have. But, in terms of purely comparing it with the sticks, it will be a different experience.

I’ve spoken to some hardcore players already. OK, they might complain in the beginning, but they’re hardcore players for a reason. They can’t not play. If they’ve got a 3DS and they’re not at home, they will start playing. They’re already playing it and enjoying. I don’t see it as a problem at all.