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Post by Kazin on Oct 26, 2022 21:13:58 GMT -5
The Genesis Mini 2 has a dedication screen that reads "In memory of Rieko Kodama" on it, and Yosuke Okunari, who worked on the Mini 2, confirmed her death in this tweet when someone asked him whether she had, in fact, passed. She made Phantasy Star, the 7th Dragon series, the Saturn version of Magic Knight Rayearth, and Skies of Arcadia, as well as much else. We were just talking about her work elsewhere a few days ago. RIP, Phoenix Rie. Damn. |
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Post by Xeogred on Oct 26, 2022 21:18:45 GMT -5
RIP. She will live on forever through her art and games that she made for the world to enjoy.
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Post by Ex on Oct 26, 2022 21:32:22 GMT -5
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Post by Sarge on Oct 26, 2022 23:15:20 GMT -5
Man, that definitely sucks to hear. What a legacy to leave behind, though.
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Post by toei on Oct 27, 2022 4:43:50 GMT -5
Oh wow, I had no idea. RIP.
She worked at a time where there was a lot more mobility in the games industry. She started as an artist in the Master System era, moved on to directing by Phantasy Star IV, then producer by the late '90s. There was always some confusion in the Western world about her role in Phantasy Star - she drew a lot of the art and supervised the other artists, but she wasn't the "game designer". That term wasn't used in Japan then. Designer meant graphic designer. Game designers were usually called planners, and Kotaro Hayashida, creator of Alex Kidd in Miracle World, was PS1's main planner. But by PSIV - the best game in the series - she did direct, and she did the same on Magic Knight Rayheart, which is excellent as I was saying recently. It seems like Japanese creatives don't make it very old. She wasn't yet 60.
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Post by Kazin on Oct 27, 2022 7:13:00 GMT -5
I wish we knew what art she specifically did on, say, the Sonic series. I know she worked on Sonic 1 and 2, and I can't think of a bad or boring stage design in either of those games in terms of art. I wonder if those PSP Genesis collection interviews are up on Youtube, among anything else she did. I know she was on Retronauts a few years ago (2018, I think?).
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Post by Xeogred on Oct 27, 2022 8:36:13 GMT -5
I wish we knew what art she specifically did on, say, the Sonic series. I know she worked on Sonic 1 and 2, and I can't think of a bad or boring stage design in either of those games in terms of art. I wonder if those PSP Genesis collection interviews are up on Youtube, among anything else she did. I know she was on Retronauts a few years ago (2018, I think?). Was pretty curious when I saw those credits too.
I love the look of all the classic Sonic's, but 1-2 definitely have an extra unique look in ways.
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Post by Ex on Oct 27, 2022 9:02:02 GMT -5
she wasn't the "game designer" That's correct. Kotaro Hayashida was the lead game designer for PS1. Rieko Kodama was its lead graphic designer. She was also a graphic designer for Phantasy Star II. With Phantasy Star IV Kodama was lead director, but she was hands-on involved in its graphic design as well. |
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Post by Kazin on Oct 27, 2022 9:47:44 GMT -5
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Post by toei on Oct 27, 2022 18:23:21 GMT -5
I see to remember reading that she drew most of the monsters in Miracle Warriors, the Master System's other RPG, and they do look pretty cool. Very Phantasy Star. It's a port of a slightly older Japanese PC game, but I think the artstyle was different.
Also, Yuji Naka's tweet... I always have the mental image of these guys and gals as they appears in '90s magazine screenshots, young. Reading that tweet of Yuji Naka mourning Rieko Kodama's death, it's pretty sad.
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