Via the magic of facebook, we caught up with former Capcom-er David Siller.  Who is David Siller?  The producer/designer/creator of the much-loved "Maximo" series! 

In addition to giving us a great interview, David has also sent over a boatload of amazing hand-drawn concept work from the Maximo development.  It's not just the "concept art" you see periodically, but the nitty-gritty stuff that goes into actually putting a level together. 

Check out the interview below, and the full gallery here.  Really amazing stuff--this is definitely one for the Capcom history books. 

Tell us a little bit about yourself.  Which titles did you work on, and what roles did you play?

First of all I am a real passionate video game player, a user so to speak! I am also a veteran Creator – Producer and Designer of action video games of all types. I have created not only this beloved “Maximo” game for Capcom, but also “Aero the Acrobat” for Sunsoft and have also co-created “Crash Bandicoot” for Universal Interactive. In addition to creating the intellectual properties, I also produce or executive produce these games and are part of the design and planning teams. I have designed and created coin-op games as well as console games. Recently, I was the lead designer of the “Pain” downloadable game that was awarded the “Top Selling PSN Game of 2008.”

I have also worked as a journalist in the earlier days of console gaming having written for such publications as EGM, GamePro, Play Magazine and some video game books among other activities. I also created the legendary “Sushi X” game reviewer while working on the formative years of the EGM Magazine.

What were the best parts of development?  What were the worst?

The best part of the development of the first MAXIMO was the complete cooperation among the incredible team of people working on it! I really mean that as we worked together so effectively and were so very productive.

Believe it or not there were no worst parts as we kept politics out of the studio and everyone had mutual respect for each other. When you hire competent people and them you let them do their work without micro-managing them, it all works very well that way. Everyone has ownership in the product.

What were the challenges of working as a US studio for a Japanese publisher?  

Communications were probably the biggest challenge as that is an on-going situation when you have different cultures involved in a mutual product development project. In the end we all worked well together because everyone had passion for what was going to be the result – a great new CAPCOM video game!

Was there anything about Capcom’s past or its general profile that you felt influenced Maximo’s direction?  

Absolutely! The original game created by Fujiwara “Ghosts ‘N Goblins” and those sequels. My intent was to make an original game that was in many ways a tribute to that series but every new as well. I tried to envision what a 3D version might be like and go from there. The game resulted in having many clever tributes that players would find interesting when they occurred.

Have you played any games recently that you felt had learned something from Maximo?

I have seen the influence of MAXIMO in many games since its initial release, such as the “Ratchet & Clank” series and the “Jak and Daxter” series (starting with the second game). Also the “God of War” series and many other similar action type games. I believe that MAXIMO spearheaded the direction for intense action games for the PS2 and consoles of that era showcasing how to keep the player totally enthralled with action and challenge before anyone else had done that before.

Pretend I was a kid today and you were trying to convince me to play Maximo.  What’s your pitch? 

“Hey kids want to game an action game that outplays everything else? Try this exciting new pick up and play game that is instant action from the moment go!”

Any as-yet-undiscovered Easter eggs or insider nods you put into the game?

If I told you that then they would NOT be Easter Eggs anymore! It is still a secret, sorry!

What would you like to see in a new Maximo game? 

I would love to spearhead the third and final part of the original trilogy! Everyone on the team probably has their own ideas, but mine are very firmly rooted in a completion of Maximo finding Sophia who was kidnapped in the beginning of the first game. In what I would call “Maximo: the Phantom Tower”, Maximo would journey to an unknown region where Sophia is being held in a ghost-like tower that only appears under certain circumstances that have to be discovered during the game. Once those conditions are met, Maximo would enter the strange tower and venture to the top where Sophia is captive, but that sounds easier than it will be for him as the path is filled with creatures and henchmen all dedicated to stopping his conquest!

This game would also realize a darker and edgier more mature looking world and characters. This strange new world where Maximo has gone to rescue Sophia is inhabited by alien-like xenomorphic characters and creatures as yet never-before seen!I would love to resurrect the team to do this game and get Susumu Matsushita involved as well!

I had the pleasure of spending late Saturday and Sunday over at the venerable NorCal Regionals, which attracted not only the best in California, but from the entire nation, with strong showings from the East Coast and even Hawaii (Capcom's own Wes, Rey, and Gerald also stopped by to check out the action).

NorCal's own Ricky Ortiz took revenge on SoCal's legendary Alex Valle for some earlier defeats by rallying to win the main event in explosive fashion, taking his always dangerous Rufus to another level (he's pictured above holding the "I AM POWER" limited ed. Akuma from SOTA from the Capcom Store, courtesy of Darin)

You can find the full results here, some great pictures at Kineda (which reflect the recent influx of ladies at SFIV events), an interview with Ricky over here, and the impromptu dance party that broke out during a brief pause in the tournament action. 

Stay tuned to iplaywinner--they'll be posting some direct feed view of the finals matches soon!