October 21st 2002
Interview with Matt Bozon
Pix: Please tell us a little bit about yourself...
Matt: I work at
WayForward Technologies, a game development company for hire. We've been
developing games for every platform under the sun for the last 10 years and a
lot of handheld games lately (including Shantae, Xtreme Sports, Sabrina 1 & 2,
Wendy GBC, Scorpion King GBA, Godzilla Domination GBA to name a few). I head
up the GBA department and am eagerly waiting for an E-Reader dev kit to be
released.
Pix: So I'm guessing you've already tried the e-Reader. Do you own
one?
Matt: Yep! I've got the original release from Japan and the new US one.
I can't wait to see where Nintendo takes it.
Pix: What is your general appreciation of the device?
Matt: My favorite thing has got to be the fact that games can be stored
on paper... which I guess is obvious, but it really makes this medium wide open
for cool ideas. Besides cards, a game could be stored on any printed surface
Nintendo wants to put it on. I think that's a huge innovation.
Pix: Would you like to develop e-Card applications? If so, can you share
a few of your ideas with us?
Matt: I'd love to develop some E-Cards. The fact that the US reader
emulates the NES only makes it sweeter. I think it would be cool to make a
Shantae game that appears to have been made in 1983. Besides that, just about
any mini-game would be fun. I'd also like to see if it's possible to link 2
readers and do a co-op or competitive game.
Pix: What kind(s) of e-Reader applications would you like to see, aside
from your own?
Matt: I suppose the more widespread the better. It would help the
device become more commonplace if TOPPS or another card company incorporated
voice clips or some other media into sports cards. There's no reason this
needs to be limited to gamers. Although NES games are favorites of mine, I'd
hate to see this technology limited to being an NES emulator.
Pix: Do you see the Game Cube making a good use of the e-Reader?
Matt: Currently I don't think so. Animal Crossing is great, but unless
Nintendo opens E-Cards up to other developers GCN/E-Card link will likely
remain a novelty for only a few games. Maybe they have a Pokemon Cube game up
their sleeves.
Pix: Do you expect 2003 will be a good year for the e-Reader?
Matt: Currently the E-Reader seems very misunderstood. If Nintendo can
get it into people's heads that these cards aren't "unlocking" info on the
reader, it will certainly stand a better chance. However, even if NES E-Cards
sell incredibly well, there is a very short list of NES games that fit into
25K... I think no more than a dozen. Once the Reader is understood and NES
25K library spent, it's up to new content.
Pix: Is there anything you'd like to say to Nintendo?
Matt: Sure! The E-Reader is brilliant! We like it! Now share I say!
Pix: Thank you very much for this interview!
Matt: My pleasure!
