Main Feature: Popular Japanese Game - CHAMPION JOCKEY / Creator's interview: Sachiyo Watanabe, Japanese Animation Director

Main Feature: Popular Japanese Game "CHAMPION JOCKEY"
The long-awaited CHAMPION JOCKEY horseracing game, released in September 22nd, is the product of TECMO KOEI Holdings, formed through a corporate merger in April last year between Koei and Tecmo. The merger put their popular titles together, offering new software that is sure to thrill horseracing game lovers. It incorporates Tecmo's Gallop Racer and Koei's G1 JOCKEY with the addition of a motion-controller that makes it all seem even more real. This is now the definitive jockey action game. Gallop Racer provided an invigorating sense of being at the race course thanks to its sumptuous images and very game-like systems. G1 JOCKEY was geared toward the more hard core players who demanded realistic jockey and other simulation and played for many hours at a stretch. The two games shared the same theme but otherwise had very little in common. How were they combined to arrive at the best of both worlds? David, our reporter, goes backstage to learn about the software development and try his hand on the motion-controller, which is claimed to feel just like riding a horse! We also consider the future of jockey action games.

Creator's interview: Sachiyo Watanabe, Japanese Animation Director
Japanese animation director Sachiyo Watanabe is not part of a team and has no assistant. She does it all herself, typically in pencil, colored pencil or ink, focusing especially on gentle, lightly humorous images of lovely children, animals or natural things. She says she fell in love with animation in junior high. She is now a true freelancer after working at studios in Japan and New York.