Originally Posted by 1up

1UP: The DOAU Mystery Gamer Competition is taking place worldwide. Where would you say the best players come from? North America? Japan? Europe?

TI: I would say North America. The basis of this opinion comes from Americans' extremely active attitude towards video games, the inherent competitiveness present in their national identity, and finally, to give a rather simple reason, the relative population sizes of the countries. If players from other countries read that and think "What the hell does he know!", then I urge them to become champions for themselves. If they do so, I will reconsider my supposition.

1UP: What can you tell us about the Mystery Gamers players will compete against?

TI: Regardless of who the Mystery Gamers are, I can tell you that those who wish to challenge me personally should step forward and speak up. I can't tell you how grateful I am to Microsoft for setting up my matches for 3 o'clock Japan time in order to accommodate my rather nocturnal schedule. I'm looking forward to fighting with people in North America on "their time".

1UP: It's not Bill Gates is it? He's probably not very good at Dead or Alive.

TI: Actually, wasn't Bill practicing hard to be able to play DOA3 gracefully in front of groups of people? On an unrelated note, I would actually like to go up against Bill once; not in a fighting game, but in backgammon.

1UP: Will the Mystery Gamer use any character in particular or will you guys choose at the last possible moment?

TI: I'll be using Kasumi. Other than that, who knows!

1UP: As a member of the DOA development team, do you think the Mystery Gamer has a big advantage over the players he'll be competing against?

TI: My friend, let me tell you the absolute truth. The Mystery Gamers are Team NINJA's ace developers, people who have been working beside me for 8 years making DOA games. However, creating games and playing them seem to be two completely different cups of tea (laughs). I have heard that the first day of competition ended in complete failure for the Mystery Gamers. More specifically, they lost every match. Not to worry, though; I will avenge their defeat.

1UP: Have you noticed any online trends happening in relation to Dead or Alive Ultimate? Like, what sort of matches do people prefer, how active is the spectator community, etc.?

TI: I am encouraged to see the presence of a variety of types of players, from players here in Japan who play with other Japanese with high-speed connections, to players from around the world who challenge each other, and who connect to Japanese sessions on purpose to take on the best fighters here. Seeing the level of competition makes me passionate about what I'm doing, and I can't wait to unleash the next wave of even more intense online bouts that will blow everyone away.

1UP: Will spectators be allowed to watch the Mystery Gamer matches? If so, will latency affect the tournament?

TI: If you are lucky, you might be able to get in a spectator, but I wouldn't count on it. However, even if you aren't able to view the matches directly, I intend to leave behind a legend for you. Regarding lag: I have been informed that there is a certain amount of lag present, due to the fact that the matches take place between North America and Japan. Everybody, please join the Tournament with a really good connection. Make sure that you don't lose on account of the size of the Earth and the speed of light before I have my chance at you (laughs).

1UP: Will the Mystery Gamer be wearing any sort of special costume to commemorate the event?

TI: Not particularly. I intend to use Kasumi's sailor suit school uniform when I play.

1UP: Is Microsoft doing anything special with Xbox Live to help ensure smooth gameplay during the tournament?

TI: I consider the Xbox LIVE staff to be my lovable wingmen. The other day, wonderfully warm words of encouragement came flying in from the LIVE guys in America, something along the lines of "We couldn't even find the session that the Mystery Gamer was playing in! Hey Team NINJA, we're busting our butts here, are you guys really doing your jobs?" (laughs). However, you must remember that when a DOAU session reaches the full 8 members, it can no longer be seen on the Optimatch list. We didn't make this up, it's part of the LIVE specifications! (laughs) My wingmen seem to have gotten so carried away by their passion for games that they forgot their own rules!

1UP: Any advice for players planning on entering the tournament? Any tips that might give these poor fellows a chance?

TI: I have no advice for my enemies...

Just kidding! Let's just go at it and have fun! I am eagerly awaiting my turn, and so should you.

1UP: Speaking of your enemies, Tekken 5 just came out in North America (and we know how you feel about Tekken), but doesn't feature any sort of online play, multi-tiered stages, or tag-team play. Do you think they chickened out of the online arena?

TI: First they put in all of these half-finished "features", then they take them right out again. Tag fights, elevation differences, walls. I don't know if it's because they're impatient, or because they lack the ability, but no matter the reason those guys are a pretty weird bunch. Any of those things would have become a bonafide feature if they took the time to do it right (laughs). Oh, and come on guys, let's quit trying to hide the prehistoric nature of the main product by tacking on some absurd "bonus game." I have been saying this for 5 years, haven't I? If you have the time to make an action-style "bonus game", why don't you create an honest-to-god action game and sell it as a standalone product? Oh, and if you're going to bother including such a "unique" form of ball play, you should do a beach volleyball game instead (laughs).

Oh, that's right, I forgot something important. You guys did do a "bonafide" action game, didn't you? What was it called again? Oh yeah, NINA: Death by Degrees.