New artist info on PCE/TG-16 game Mesopotamia/Somer Assault

[PC Engine Fan X!]

In the August 2008 issue of Otaku USA anime magazine, on pages 124 through 127, there is a four-page spread about famed Japanese game artist, Kazuma Kaneko. Kaneko-san did the artwork for the classic PC Engine game title of Mesopotamia (aka Somer Assault in the USA for the Turbo Grafx-16).

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Here's the part of the Otaku USA's magazine article with interviewing Kaneko-san refering to the classic PCE game in question:

Interviewer: The first title you did design work for was a game called Mesopotamia (aka Somer Assault) for the PC Engine...

Kazuma Kaneko: Actually, Mesopotamia was the first one I did for Atlus as their own publishing outfit. I'd done some stuff for the Famicom Megami Tensei games and a few other titles that Namco released which Atlus had developed. Mesopotamia came after those. I didn't really do all that much with that title -- I designed the main character and the villain, and did a lot of the animation. But I really liked what I did for that one.
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The deeply hidden super-secret STG game inside Mesopotamia/Somer Assault is another one of those cool gems to play. Given that you only have just one life + three smart bombs, just how long can you last and still score high enough? There aren't any "safe spots" whatsoever and you'll still die upon impact with any random enemy. Even with auto-fire cranked up to the max, it is an absolute given that sooner or later, your single life will be gone in a flash.

With the three smart bombs given to you at the get-go, the higher your score is, once set-off, the more faster and crazier patterns that the enemies "zig-zag" at you. A cool background for this hidden STG game within the main Mesopotamia program would've been a nice touch for visual aesthetics. ^_~

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Jon]

Easily one of my favorite video game artists. The work he's done for the SMT series is phenomenal. I just recently bought Kazuma Kaneko Works III which contains a ton of beautiful artwork from Nocturne as wells as DDS 1 and 2.

I also remember reading that he did the work for Mesopotamia but didn't know it was his first project. I received the game as a freebie when I bought my Core Grafx II. I need to break it out and give it another go. I never really did give that strange game a fair shake.

[Ganelon]

Eh, I don't think he did the actual in-game artwork, or at least not the Mesopotamia-exclusive scenes (such as of the villainess in the intro, which clearly looks like western art). Too bad there's so little else in the way of human characters.

[Koa Zo]

(...)
I also remember reading that he did the work for Mesopotamia but didn't know it was his first project.(...).

that's because it wasn't

Actually, Mesopotamia was the first one I did for Atlus as their own publishing outfit. I'd done some stuff for the Famicom Megami Tensei games and a few other titles that Namco released which Atlus had developed.(...)

Eh, I don't think he did the actual in-game artwork, or at least not the Mesopotamia-exclusive scenes (such as of the villainess in the intro, which clearly looks like western art). Too bad there's so little else in the way of human characters.

I didn't really do all that much with that title -- I designed the main character and the villain, and did a lot of the animation. But I really liked what I did for that one.

reading comprehension, much?...

[Ganelon]

Um, are you talking to me? If so, have you beat the game? I highly doubt he's talking about designing the final boss. Oh, and I meant the Somer Assault-exclusive scenes.