So the past 8 months of my life are nearly all public record. On Friday, PlatinumGames announced three new titles to be published by SEGA. I’ve been working closely on MadWorld (above) and Bayonetta (below).

While I can’t say anything beyond what has been stated in the press releases, I’m really excited by the reaction our titles have received.

Our Facebook page has become one of the largest in the gaming section, and we are at just about 1100 fans as I write this. If you haven’t already, visit the page and watch the trailers for MadWorld and Bayonetta. If you like what you see, Become a Fan. For those of you who abhor Facebook, trailers after the cut.

I look forward to hearing everyone’s comments.

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I was part of a team that won a Nintendo Power 2007 Award for Best Story/Writing!

Along with my writing partner-in-crime Janet Hsu, editor Brandon Gay, and original scenario writer Shu Takumi, we were recognized for our work on Phoenix Wright - Ace Attorney: Justice for All.

The article even goes on to cite the A-Team paraphrasing clown as one of the reasons the award was bestowed! Being in charge of the case with said clown, as well as the other instances of pop culture orgasm in case 3, I’m really pleased that it connected with people.

To think, the editors selected us over reader’s choice Super Paper Mario (an excellent localization I hear)… It’s the first award I’ve ever won for my work, and I’m truly pleased. I’m sure I speak on behalf of everyone involved in saying thanks to all those who played and enjoyed Justice for All, and the other Ace Attorney games.

Speaking of Ace Attorney games, Apollo Justice comes out this week. I will be picking up a copy on my trip back to the states, because I just happen to be the voice for the brand new Ace Attorney.

You can hear me shout “Objection”, “Take That!”, “Hold It!”, and “Gotcha!” over and over again! And if you buy me enough beers, I may even recapitulate my performance!

With this game out, along with the in-game text I wrote for Devil May Cry 4 (I didn’t do the scenario… It isn’t my fault, I swear!), it seems my Capcom career is quickly coming to an end. Only one game left now!

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One of the things that I have been working on lately is the PlatinumGames Facebook page.

It opened to the public on Thursday evening JST, and the response has been great. Over 440 facebook users have become a fan of our company, and I couldn’t be happier.

I really like what facebook is doing with the F8 platform. Sure, Beacon was a mess, but F8 opens up facebook pages to non-facebook users while enticing them to join by offering higher levels of interactivity. It also keeps a uniformity in design that myspace really doesn’t afford you.

If you haven’t yet had the chance, take a look at the page by clicking the screenshot above. It is hosting blogs from Hideki Kamiya (Resident Evil 2, Devil May Cry, Viewtiful Joe, and Okami fame) and Shinji Mikami (the creator of Resident Evil, director of Resident Evil, Resident Evil 4, and God Hand), along with a welcome post from me, and links to some press coverage we’ve gotten recently.

However, what excites me most about the page is the users discussing and interacting with us and each other. I can’t wait to see where it takes us.

Finally, I’ve been pondering the role of auteur theory in games. I haven’t quite developed my ideas into a coherent blog post, but when I do, I hope it sparks some discussion.

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Hey all…

I never officially posted where I am currently employed, but now I feel I can let the cat 100% out of the bag.

I now work as International Coordinator at PlatinumGames. IC is a position that was created for me to describe the fact that I do everything from marketing work to assistant production. However, my main job, and the one I hold the most passion for, is writing excellent game scripts, be they original or translated.

The best thing about PlatinumGames is the incredibly talented staff we have. But to fulfill our plans for global domination, we need the most fearless game creators on the planet standing with us. That is why we started the official PlatinumGames Blog.

The PG blog exists to show everyone how wonderful it is to work in our corner of the world, through the eyes of not just the people running the show, but also the designers, programmers, and planners that make the magic happen. Right now everything is in Japanese, so I might mirror my own posts here in English from time to time; however, if you can read kanji, please check out the site. Everyone from Shinji Mikami, Atsushi Inaba, Hideki Kamiya to designers, planners, and programmers are blogging. And I’m sure everyone is interested in their musings more than my own post on the joys of buying CDJs.

P.S. Yep. It is PlatinumGames. Not Platinum Games. Which I like… Because I don’t want any space between me and games. I guess that means megames.

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The past few weeks have been anything but normal, so it is time for an anything but normal post. Here is a chronicle of my past few weeks:

I’ve had an iPod Touch for a while now, and I have to say that after owning a 1G Nano and a 4G iPod, the touch is definitely my favorite of the three.

I purchased it on the first day of my vacation, September 14, the minute the Apple Store received stock. Then I went and had lunch with some old friends.

Unfortunately, the first touch I had was a week 37 with the bad screen, but the Apple Store in Aventura Mall was kind enough to swap me out to a week 38 once they saw the screen. Now I couldn’t be happier.

My vacation was great stuff, but I spent way too much money.

Pictures of splurging after the cut.
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Today was my last day at Capcom. For the past 2 years and 2 months, I have worked with incredibly creative people on incredibly fun games, been a part of the best selling game of 2007-to-date here in Japan, and fulfilled lifelong dreams. But there is more work to be done.

Just like my friend Robert Love, this has been an operose decision. Walking away from the place that gave you a shot, and where you had great success, is always a difficult thing. I’m going to miss the people I’ve worked with, and the projects I’ve worked on…

Yet, just like Robert, new challenges lie ahead.

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It seems like Monster Hunter Freedom 2’s translation is getting some early recognition.

On 1up Yours, Mark MacDonald was kind enough to mention that he thought the translation was good, specifically mentioning the work I had done on the Felynes within the new village of Pokke.

IGN also mentioned the translation in their piece on MHF2 at E3:

“Capcom has Freedom 2 on display at their E3 booth and the game looks almost complete — the translation was good and connectivity was completely functional.”

This is the longest and most trying project I’ve worked on, so the early mentions of the translation, albeit humble, are encouraging.

Please feed my unborn children by pre-ordering the game.

You can also pick up a plush Piggie toy by pre-ordering from Gamestop/EBGames.

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Back from dinner celebrating a new hire and I’m in a good mood so I figured I should post about what I have been working on lately. I also updated the Gameography.

Since I went through a gap of being lazy for a while, here is the brief summary. Click the covers to buy the games online.

In September/October, God Hand was released.

Not only is Shinji Mikami the coolest director in the world. But we also became pretty good friends during the process of making the game. I look up to him so much. If you like hardcore action games, but have noticed they almost always lack a sense of humor, you should pick up God Hand. The english script is hilarious - and I get to take the dubious pleasure of probably being the first person to use “Douchebags” in a game.

One day I’ll have to write mini-memoirs of working on God Hand because it was such a crazy, fun, enlightening experience. But it is the weekend and I am off on a business trip on Monday, so it will have to wait for another time.

P.S. You’re not Alexander. (Which if any fans find this, is from the children eating interview of one tattooed ex-champ. Praise be to Angra.)

The next biggie is my second collaboration with Janet Hsu. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Justice For All!

It was release a couple of days ago in the US, but the Japanese version featuring our text has been out for a while now.
“Like sand in an hourglass, so are the days of the circus.”

I wrote the decidedly pop-culture tinged case 3, Turnabout Big Top. It was a blast because it introduced me to one of my favorite characters to write ever - Lawrence “Moe” Curls. In fact, Wikipedia’s Justice For All entry has a great guide to the references. They didn’t catch them all though.

JFA is quite a high profile localization, so it seems that I have popped up in a couple of interviews. Check out a quick quote from me on Siliconera.com.
There is also a much more extensive interview with Janet and I, as well as our editor Brandon and head of localization Eric Bailey, over at Nintendo.com.

As you can tell from these interviews, Janet is the brains of the operation.

I hope everyone buys both of these games and enjoys them. If you have some freetime, post comments about your experiences playing them! I’d love to hear everyone’s thoughts!

Finally, my GTHD Ferrari lap time held up and left me in the top 75 on the rankings.

Here are the specifics of my 71st ranked lap.

Rank: 71
Time: 01:10:958″
PSN ID: Synaesthesia
Options: ■AT ■ASM：OFF ■TCS：6 ■TIRES：R3(FRONT) / R3(REAR)
Posted: 01/16 22:53

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The iPhone has well exceeded the hype. Considering what it enables with its browser and the possibility for open development, it very well could change the world.

A device with this ease of use and mobility, coupled with a social networking platform could create true mobile social networking. Imagine if google maps could display other iphone users with similar interests in that are logged on in your area. What if you could find out that the person sitting on the other end of the starbucks likes the same 1980s cliche cinema that you do.

Not only does this have the opportunity to make us more social, clever creatures - it provides a gateway to technology experiences that introduce non-core users to the true ideas behind social technologies. If Time magazine says “you” are the person of 2006, the iPhone will allow you to express why in 2007 and beyond. I am 100% drunk on this Steve Jobs-spiked cool aid.

BTW: Check out this picture I took downtown today.

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There is a hilarious new God Hand trailer up!

http://www.cloverstudio.co.jp/godhand/

Spread the word.

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