Published in Arcadia Issue 9 (February 1, 2001). First in a series of interviews with Project Justice development staff. This part is with the game’s director, Hideaki Itsuno, who directed the original Rival Schools as well as many other Capcom fighting games.
This month, we’re beginning the Development Student Newsletter. It’s a column where we hit the developers of Project Justice with our burning questions about the game!
Vol. 1 – Hideaki Itsuno
Project Justice Director
– To start, do you have any particularly memorable anecdotes from the game’s development?
Itsuno: I first started working on the successor to Rival Schools three whole years ago. At that time we hadn’t even planned on creating the PlayStation version’s Nekketsu Seishun Nikki mode, and thought we would be able to get right into development on a sequel using the PS1.5* arcade board.
* [I believe this refers to the ZN-2, Capcom’s second-generation PlayStation 1-based arcade hardware. The specs are improved over the first-generation ZN-1 and the PlayStation 1. The original Rival Schools used this hardware.]
But then, we ended up working on Nekketsu Seishun Nikki, and then Nekketsu Seishun Nikki 2, and then Power Stone 1&2, and then the PlayStation version of JoJo, and then Capcom vs. SNK… There was a period where the project was shelved.
It only became an actual project around the beginning of summer 1999. By then, arcade hardware had changed, and Capcom had released many fighting games with similar ideas, so we had no choice but to completely revise the plan.
I was surprised when I pulled out the proposal from three years ago, but at the time it didn’t include Party-Up (for hardware performance reasons?), it had real time character change (like Vs. series?), and used a Dramatic Battle system (2v1 battles in real time), among other ideas. It would also introduce Justice High School’s rival, “Evil High School”.
I think that if we did end up making Project Justice immediately after the first Rival Schools, it would have ended up being a completely different game.
– Do you have any aspirations for entering the 21st century?
Itsuno: I want to release something with Capcom that creates as much of a stir as Street Fighter II or Resident Evil. It would be nice if it was an arcade game.
– What’s the theme of this game?
Itsuno: “Burning situations”! We came up with all kinds of burning situations!
– What is the origin of the game’s title? What kind of other candidates were there? [The game’s Japanese title, “Moero! Justice Gakuen”, translates to “Burn! Justice Academy”]
Itsuno: The title was decided based on that “burning situations” theme, as well as the final stage in which Justice High is going up in flames. But up until that final decision, the road to coming up with a title was a winding one…
- Shiritsu Justice Gakuen 2 ~Moero Seishun Domannaka~ [Private Justice Academy 2 ~In the heart of burning youth~]
- Shiritsu Justice Gakuen 3 [Private Justice Academy 3]
- Shiritsu Justice Gakuen V [Private Justice Academy V]
- Nekketsu Justice Gakuen [Hot-Blooded Justice Academy]
- Shiritsu Justice Gakuen ~Seishun Scramble~ [Private Justice Academy ~Youth Scramble~]
- Kutabare! Justice Gakuen [Up Yours! Justice Academy]
- Tatakae! Justice Gakuen [Fight! Justice Academy]
- Saraba Shiritsu Justice Gakuen [Farewell Private Justice Academy]
- Kaettekita Shiritsu Justice Gakuen [Return of Private Justice Academy]
… Of course it had to be “Burn!”.
– What are the selling points of the game?
Itsuno: This visuals! The gripping story mode! Even more intense fights!
– What’s so appealing about the story this time?
Itsuno: Each school’s story is packed with parts that will get players fired up. In particular, I want everyone to try out all the different story branches from episode 4 onward.
– Tell us about how you ended up with the Party-Up mechanic.
Itsuno: When we proposed the idea for Team-Up Counters, in which both partner characters come in to help, it ended up meaning that we could have four characters on screen, so it happened naturally. It gives off a vibe like, “this time it’s a full-on school offensive”!
– Similarly, how did you end up implementing Team-Up Counters?
Itsuno: Team-Ups were very visually interesting in the first game, but after they hit, the only control you had was mashing the button to increase the effect. The idea for counters came from a desire to add more interactivity to them.
Originally, the plan was for Team-Up Counters to split the screen in two, with one part continuing to play the Team-Up Technique, while the other part would have the remaining teammates fighting.
– Please tell us about the creation of this game’s new characters. Also, what kind of rejected characters were there?
Itsuno: For the new characters, we thought about the kind of components that would be necessary to create the type of “burning situations” we wanted for the story. From there, we designed the new characters to match those components.
As far as rejected characters go, an old janitor, calligraphy club, table tennis club, and basketball club were planned up until the very end. Edayan can go more in-depth on that next time.
– Do you have any advice to get players prepared for the character edit mode?
Itsuno: It’s best to focus on building your stats in the first half. If you don’t, the precious few you’ve gathered will be snatched away by opponents in the second half.
As far as special moves go, as long as you grab the ones you want when they occasionally appear on the roulette, you should be able to collect a sufficient amount. In the second half, please pay attention to collecting points, and aim for bingo. And if you don’t always have a partner with you, you’ll be at a disadvantage in fights, so watch out for that.
Also, if you want to make a strong character, you have to come out on top in the board game, so don’t forget that either.
– If there ends up being another game, what kind of things would you want to feature in it?
Itsuno: For one reason or another, the story concept has already been completed (though it’s still a secret). From a gameplay standpoint, we managed to have a good jump up from Rival Schools to Project Justice, so we would want the third game to feature mechanics that would dramatically change how it plays.
How does something like simultaneous network play with a whole bunch of people sound? I want to be able to pull of the real-time flexible Team-Up (or Party-Up) I’ve been dreaming of.
– Lastly, give us a hot-blooded personal motto.
Itsuno: Determination, no matter what!
Please also check out the next part of the interview with Edayan (character designer and key artist)!
Justice Student Council Registry
- Name: Hideaki Itsuno
- Position: Director
- Responsibilities: Planning and direction
- Previous works: Street Fighter Alpha, Star Gladiator, Rival Schools, Power Stone 1&2, Capcom vs. SNK
- High School: Nara Women’s University Secondary School
- High School Club Activities: Tennis Club
- What did you want to be when you grew up?: Technological developer for an electronics maker