Tetsuya Mizuguchi on Rez HD, Game Design, the Future

Mizuguchi: I'm Too Artistic, I Know

Tetsuya Mizuguchi, founder of Q Entertainment and best known for his work on Rez, Space Channel 5 and Lumines took the stage at DICE today to talk about the future of gaming and give attendees a quick history lesson on all things MIzuguchi. His talk, titled "Art vs. Commerce" focused on his career-long struggle to balance the artistic and the fiscally responsible. From the wildly successful Sega Rally—which sold 20,000 full-sized arcade units and 1.5 million on consoles and PCs—to the commercial underperformer Rez—a game for which he declined to offer sales data.

Mizuguchi explained he was inspired by games at a young age, fascinated by Atari's dedicated Pong platform. He says he also discovered the music of The Beatles at the same time, combining the two experiences in a visual and emotional way.

If you find me doing anything this weekend outside of securing every achievement in Rez HD, question my priorities, because, clearly, virtual accomplishment in one of my favorite games of all time supersedes all. I never did get "100% shot down" on Level 5, you know. I suppose I may wind down with something else, say a revisit to Super Mario Galaxy—which I've yet to finish—or Silent Hill 2—for that dog ending—but its looking like a weekend of synaesthesia.

What about you? Pick up Rez HD? If not, what else are you playing this weekend?

Chessmaster LIVE (And Rez HD) Coming to XBLA

You probably already know that Rez HD is coming to Xbox LIVE this Wednesday (don't forget to read our impressions, btw), so we'll refrain from rehashing what is now a nugget of your wisdom in snarky blogger format. Instead we'll just mention that Ubisoft's Chessmaster LIVE is coming this week as well. With a multitude of boards, online play (surprise) and extra game modes, chess players can decide whether or not it's worth their 800 points.

Because while Chessmaster LIVE looks good and everything, it's no Battle Chess.

A few days ago I headed to downtown San Francisco to meet up with the Tetsuya Mizuguchi and the folks from Q Entertainment as they did their final push for Rez HD before it officially hits XBLA this coming Wednesday. I was ushered into a hotel room and seated on a comfy couch in front of a nice big screen displaying the familiar beats and graphics of Rez. The next thing I knew I was being handed three different controllers: one was placed behind my back, one on the floor under my feet and the third in my hands to control the game. This, I was told, was "the Miz way" to play. As it turned out, the Miz way was the way to go.

We started on Xbox 360, but we have no reason not to provide this game to other platforms.

If I had a reason to remake Space Channel 5 on the new platforms, I will do that.

If 800 Microsoft Points is "too much" for a hi-def remake of one of the best video games of all time, by all means, go ahead and register to win one of fifty copies of Rez HD. It's no skin off my back if you want to fill out a registration form at the official Rez HD site and skirt the payment, you cheap son of a bitch. However, if you do have the gall to weasel your way into a free code for the Xbox Live Arcade version, do me a favor and don't tick the radio button on the survey that says "I'm a fan of Tetsuya Mizuguchi" because you'll be lying. The man's got kids to feed and you're trying to shortchange him and the rest of the underpaid Q Entertainment staff. People like you make me sick.

Rez HD Official Site

Two Men, No Shirts, All Rez

Thanks, Aokaze!

Rez HD Gameplay Blowout

As some of you may well remember, the Kotaku Team got a chance to pay a visit to the Q Entertainment Studios whilst we were in Tokyo for TGS. After meeting the amazing Miziguchi we were treated to a glimpse of some of their upcoming games including Every Extend Extra Extreme and Rez HD. I had the good fortune to be the first person to check out Rez HD and it was awesome. If you never picked up this title on Dreamcast or PS2 and are curious what it's all about, GameTrailers has been kind enough to upload four gameplay videos for your perusal. Ok course, you can't see the full HD effect in these videos (unless you go to GameTrailers where they have HD versions), but it should be enough to whet your appetite until the game shows up on Xbox LIVE sometime in the coming weeks.

Make the jump for the other three videos.

Rez HD 360 Gameplay

Sure Flynn got his grubby paws on the game while we were in Tokyo, so I've seen chunks of this, but this video still leaves me in a bit of a sweat. As much as I wish Mircosoft would put a little more effort into finding original idie games to get on the 360 Arcade, they sure know how to pick the classics.

Miz Wants Every Extend Extra Extreme on PSN

We would like to.

We haven't decided yet.

Rez HD Impressions

The small room in the front of the Q Entertainment offices was packed with people, but the only sound came from the television.

A steady beat filled the room, vector graphics filled the screen, Tetsuya Mizuguchi sat slumped in his chair, playing his game.

A person, made up of crisp lines, swam through the screen, drifting above and then into a canyon of red and orange lights, the beat steadily climbing. Miz shifted the thumbstick of the controller resting in his hands around, highlighting targets, steadily tapping a button with a finger, effortlessly slipping though the code he wrote.

By the second level Sawako Yamamoto, who sits quietly across the table from Mizuguchi, is bopping her head to the beat as she sits entranced, watching him play the game.

A city scape of linear buildings drift by, the music continues to pulse. Five minutes into the game and half the people in the room are silently rocking out to the music, there feet tapping, heads bobbing.

First Ever Hands On Impressions of Rez HD