Here is the best remaining links to that I can find:
http://forums.pesfan.com/archive/index.php/t-86160.html
Interview with Seabass
We were three journalists from Gemany and Switzerland and we were given about 30 minutes to ask whatever we would like to know concerning Pro Evo Soccer 5. So, the questions came from all of us. A Konami CEO translated the questions and answers since “Seabass” does not speak English.
Q: We now got the fifth part of the ProEvo series. So what are the main parts you’ve developed? Is there anything special you like about PES5?
S: We have the online function in the PS2 version in the European territory, and, in addition to that, we have secured some new licenses from new clubs and leagues. And, we have new AI, artificial intelligence, added to the game system.
Q: We realised that you have made some major changes in game play, e.g. in defence, it is quite hard to get through. I have the impression that the game is a little more “work” rather than a game. It is harder to score compared to the previous games. Do you think it might be difficult for casual gamers to get into the game after these changes, especially in the defence?
S: It’s a nice question. I think there is only one way, one right way for defence. So it was easier for me to improve the AI for defence compared with other parts such as attacking and other elements. But in the meantime, I feel I have to make the AI for defence not so strong in the future, in the next version.
Q: You also made the dribbling harder. The ball isn’t fixed to the player as in part 4. It bounces a bit more from the feet. Why?
S: (smiles) I intentionally made the change since I think a football player traps the ball right under his feet. But in the meantime I think there should be more discussion about that point. There might be some change in that part in the future. (pauses) The game player can hold the ball right under the player’s foot if he uses “R2 trap” or if the player keeps the control pad in neutral position. Some players can make good traps.
Q: I played against a Japanese player yesterday and he showed me moves I’ve never seen before in the game. Dribbling, spinning, feinting over and over again. There are so many moves in the game that it seems they do not all appear in the manual.
S: (laughs) I think all the descriptions about the player movements should be mentioned in the manual. So, I think you can check them in the manual. Players can make more additional movement by changing the pace of dribbling or something, so I think you should play more to find additional movement. (pauses) Even I could not imagine that there were so many movements in the game. So, I was surprised, too, about the many movements.
Q: Why do you think the Japanese players are so much better than the European ones? We’ve seen your Japanese champion beating our European champion 4-0. (actually, the Japanese guy stopped attacking at half-time and let the Italian journalist “live”
S: (smiles) I think Japanese players are much stronger than European users because strong Jap game players travel all over Japan to have more serious games with many opponents. And so, I think it’s natural that jap players are stronger than European users. Japanese top rankers acknowledged with each other and they have good communication.
Q: Talking about the strengths and weaknesses of the different players: I would like to ask about the strength of the different national teams in the game. I wondered since the beginning of the PES series: It’s no secret that Brazil is the best team in the world, but there are so many teams, for example Germany and Switzerland, which are too weak compared to the international ranking of the FIFA. Where do you get the information about the teams; why are there so many differences between reality and the game?
S: It’s not only based on the FIFA rankings.
I also check various games to decide the strengths of the national teams. In the meantime, I think national teams have similar strengths for the game which I think is good for the game to have serious fight among various national teams. I’m not sure if you know that Norway was difficult to beat for Brazil. So, I’m considering of incorporating such element in the game so that the game will have more serious competition.
Q: In almost every soccer game I’ve played the English team is always very good and I can’t remember when England won the WC. Does it relate to the several markets or is it because England is the founding nation of soccer or why is that? Is it because PES is so popular in England?
S: (laughs) No, it does not relate to the market for it. I always make impatient decisions for national teams strengths. I am planning to develop a good game in which each country’s players select their own country. I think it is a good game. So, I am planning to develop such a game in the future.
Q: How do you choose the teams that are in the game? For example, Egypt, a very strong country from Africa, is missing.
S: As you know, we have the limitations of the data capacity of the current platforms. So, I give the priority to the CL top 16 teams, so other teams could be dropped from the game. So, e.g., if a Greek club team advances to the CL final tournament, strong African teams could be dropped due to the limitation of the data capacity and hardware.
Q: Talking about hardware limitation: why are there no spectators in the stadium anymore? But, when you have a free kick, it’s all full. Is that a hardware limitation?
S: When the players rush to the corner, there are several slowdowns in the game. So, to avoid such situations, I made the stadium vacant, no audience, but of course I think I should improve such situations solve the problem on the next generation platforms.
Q: Talking bout the next gen consoles: Will there be games on the next gen consoles? What improvements do you expect for the series?
S: As announced, we will release PES on the next gen consoles, on X360 and PS3.
Q: When?
S: Sorry, we cannot tell you. The improvement point will be the number of club teams and national teams, and in addition to that, the game will be “more real”. It will be close to real human beings´ ability, not only controlled by AI, so, it will be a more human football game on next gen consoles.
Q: Do you prefer one of the next gen consoles, X360 or PS3?
S: I don’t have so much experience with Xbox compared to the PlayStation, so Í think the team, the WE team, is familiar to PS, but I think the platform will not be so big issue in the future. I will develop a PES for X360, PS2 and other platforms.
Q: Thank you for your time.
S: Thank you.
