Yoshio Sakamoto has had a rather diverse career with Nintendo, having worked on games like Metroid, WarioWare and Tomodatchi Collection. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata asked the Metroid: Other M producer to speak at GDC to "explore the secret of creating games for such a dynamic range of titles."

One of Sakamoto's greatest inspirations seems to be film, noting directors Dario Argento, Luc Besson, John Woo and Brian de Palma as key figures. In particular, he found Argento's "Deep Red" to have a profound impact. Argento's manipulation of mood through music and timing is something he found moving; the use of foreshadowing helped transcend the film beyond other horror films.

Other M will take these various inspirations by becoming a "synthesis of everything I've learned," Sakamoto told the audience. A new trailer screened for GDC attendees highlighted various cinematic moments in the upcoming Wii game, including a CG reimagination of Super Metroid's climatic ending. Sakamoto pointed out the return of Metroid Fusion's Adam, reminding the audience that foreshadowing will play a key role in creating suspense in the interquel. Considering the subsequent applause, it seems clear that Metroid fans approve of this new direction. Permalink | Email this | Comments