Towards the end of May, Gaming Union had the chance to talk with Seth Killian, who is the Community Manager for Capcom, about a multitude of different topics, from Marvel vs Capcom 2 to Dark Void.
A big thanks goes out to Adam Tabor from the Gaming Union forums, who orchestrated this interview and conducted it himself.
Gaming Union: We know that fan demand was driving the release of Marvel Vs. Capcom 2. Was this just known on the Capcom side or was Marvel aware as well? If not how hard was it to convince them to do this?
Seth Killian: Marvel was aware of it, but since games are just one part of their new media empire, and since Capcom actually made the game, I think we heard about it most often. It was a long process to get MVC2 re-released, but there were a lot of people on both sides motivated to make it happen, so I was very happy to see it all come to fruition.
GU: What was the reasoning behind the demo of Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 being local multiplayer only?
SK: Our SF HD Remix beta was online, but it was only available with the purchase of Wolf of the Battlefield, and was intended to help us test the online code. For MVC2, though it will have the same great online, we no longer needed to test that online functionality—we know it works great, and we also wanted the demo to be totally free. Expanding the demo would have also required us to make a separate submission, which is not only time consuming, but also very expensive. This way we were able to keep the demo free, and while of course people always want more free features, I think it does the job of a demo by whetting the appetite by showing how the game looks, and letting people remember the zany fun 3v3 teams.
GU: Tell us more about what we can see when MVC2 when it's released on XBLA and PSN.
SK: I think you’ll see a lot of Magneto players flying around at crazy speeds. It's a first-class fighter, so we wanted it to have a first-class online experience, and I think it really delivers.
GU: Will we ever see Marvel Vs. Capcom 3?
SK: I know there are people at Capcom (like myself) who would love to see that happen, but it’s a complicated question with factors to consider from both Capcom and Marvel’s perspective. The thought is that if we can make MVC2 a big success we’ll have a good first step towards showing the relevant people that a new game could be a success.
GU: Tatsunoko vs Capcom is another series that a lot of people are wanting to see here in the west. We know it's being tied up due to licensing issues, but is it a matter of if we get it or when?
SK: It was always a question of "if", not "when". Licensing departments and lawyers can be a big challenge, but we do have an internal group who have been working hard to make it happen. I was in love from the first time I touched the game, nearly 20 months ago.
GU: Who is your favorite Street Fighter 4 character? If I were to challenge you could you totally pwn my face?
SK: I love watching C. Viper. I'm not great at playing her, but I love to see her played well. In the hands of an expert, she just sings. And although I’ve never seen you play, and so have no idea how good you are, yes, I would pwn yr face :P
GU: Street Fighter 4 has been a big hit for Capcom. You have a lot of DLC in the form of character costumes. Is there any more DLC planned for this game, such as extra characters like Dee-Jay or T-Hawk?
SK: No plans for additional DLC right now. We want the core game to be a completely functional package, and character DLC could split the user-base.
GU: Is Capcom planning anything new with the Mega Man Legends series such as a 3rd installment or us getting the PSP ports of the 1st two games from Japan?
SK: After Marvel vs Capcom 2, MM Legends is probably one of our most fan-requested games. MM creator Keiji Inafune is certainly aware of the fans' request—his office is basically a shrine to the stuff he’s gotten from fans over the years. There are no plans right now, but Mega Man 9 came totally out of left-field, so you never know with that guy. If he gets inspired, and things can happen very quickly.
GU: Why do you think gamers should buy Dark Void as opposed to all the other action games coming out with Fall?
SK: Jetpack, jetpack, and more jetpack. I loved Crimson Skies, and you've got all of that flying goodness built in, but when you add that on top of the shooter action, it creates a real sense of freedom with how you approach every challenge. You don't always just have to blast your way through—you can try and hover to a flanking position, or try a quick zoom past a particularly rough patch, or take the traditional approach, but it’s all up to you. Vertical combat is a lot of fun too—makes you think about cover in a whole new way.
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