Shigeru-Miyamoto posts(Subscribe to this feed)
Miyamoto: Mario originally named 'Mr. Video,' couldn't jump
by Griffin McElroy 
{ Nov 25th 2009 at 1:30PM } 
Of course, just like a timid middle school student, Mario was forced to go through some awkward formative phases. Miyamoto revealed that in the original design for Donkey Kong, Mario -- who, at the time, was referred to as "Mr. Video" -- was unable to jump. Man, we feel like we just gazed into some kind of creepy alternate universe.
"It is me, Mr. Video. I'm going to slowly walk over there, all the while praying that I don't encounter any ground-based enemies."
Miyamoto thinks his college degree wouldn't get him a job at Nintendo today
by Ben Gilbert { Nov 23rd 2009 at 8:00PM } 
Though he adds that he "might pick up on [applicants] and try to find out something really different within them which you can't judge just by a college degree," it worries us greatly that today's equivalent of the man who helped to birth some of the game industry's landmark franchises may end up unemployed or even dissuaded from game development altogether. All alone! Without a home! We imagine somewhat like a rolling stone!
... Our apologies. That was quite enough.
Miyamoto: Super Mario Galaxy 2 will be 'really difficult'
by JC Fletcher { Nov 16th 2009 at 1:00PM }
Here's our absolutely ridiculous prediction: Miyamoto and crew are going to do with this sequel what they did with Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels. Since Galaxy 2 is basically another level pack for an existing game, the team is going to make it almost impossible to complete.
Of course, that won't happen. More likely, Super Mario Galaxy 2 will be on par with the first game in terms of challenge, but will include the Super Guide to stay consistent with Nintendo's current strategy.
Gallery: Super Mario Galaxy 2
Nintendo might be considering hybrid HD/SD console
by JC Fletcher { Nov 5th 2009 at 4:27PM }
Genyo Takeda, GM of Nintendo's Integrated Research & Development Division, said that "moving to HD appears to me a natural flow" given the adoption of HD by television programming. "If we can find out the most appropriate medium, between SD and HD, and flexibly move around them depending on the game's contents, it will be good, I think," he suggested. Shigeru Miyamoto agreed, noting that HD wasn't the most important consideration for something like Wii Fit. "Won't HD be better for the games like Pikmin? The developers should choose the most appropriate graphical format depending on the software they make."
Miyamoto: Next Zelda will use MotionPlus for more realistic swordplay
by Randy Nelson { Nov 3rd 2009 at 5:30PM }
"In the previous game, you aimed at things by pointing at the screen, but this time we'll use MotionPlus to create a much more convenient targeting system and a more pleasurable playing experience," Miyamoto added.
Despite these revelations, Nintendo has yet to officially state whether Wii MotionPlus will be an option or a requirement for playing the game. When this next Zelda was announced during E3 2009, Miyamoto could only say that MotionPlus-exclusivity was "possible." These gameplay elements -- especially the swordplay -- only make it seem more likely.
[Via GameLife]
Nintendo still planning to co-market Dragon Quest IX
by JC Fletcher { Nov 3rd 2009 at 1:15PM }
"Hatano said that helping to sell Dragon Quest IX outside Japan is part of a larger effort on the part of Nintendo to partner with software makers to sell their games for Nintendo hardware," GameLife summarized. Maybe eventually, Square Enix will announce this game.
Also on the subject of Dragon Quest IX, at the same event, Shigeru Miyamoto praised DQIX's communication mode, which allows players to collect and interact with others' characters passively. "Dragon Quest IX's passerby communication has caused the number of people walking around outside using their DS systems to increase greatly, and I'm thinking that I could probably make something unique like that," he said. And then he said "Also, recently, we got a cat." Hint, hint.
[Via GameLife]
Miyamoto a 'big fan' of Star Fox, says series popularity on the decline
by David Hinkle { Oct 28th 2009 at 7:50PM }
But, despite all of that, Miyamoto is still a "big fan" of the series. He says that every time a new entry releases, he's "hoping people will enjoy it as much as I do," but that -- in Japan, at least -- the series' popularity has not met with Nintendo's expectations over its lifespan. It's understandable, really; when a company puts out the best-selling "game" of the last decade, it might find it hard to justify putting out something that isn't guaranteed to create giant piles of cash.
Miyamoto: Wii successor will likely feature motion controls in 'more compact' form
by JC Fletcher { Oct 20th 2009 at 11:40AM }
"With both the Wii remote itself and Wii MotionPlus, what we've been able to do is introduce an interface that is both I think appealing and at the right price for a broad audience," Miyamoto said. "And while we don't have any concrete plans for what we'll be doing with hardware in the future, what I can say is that, my guess is that because we found this interface to be so interesting, I think it would be likely that we would try to make that same functionality perhaps more compact and perhaps even more cost-efficient."
This could result in a single unit that combines the base Wiimote functionality with the extra accelerometer of the MotionPlus, which makes sense. Or, more excitingly, Miyamoto could be talking about the system being more "compact" and "cost-efficient." Either way, it's starting to look less and less likely that the Wii 2 will be just like its competitors, but with Mario games on it.
In much more important news, Miyamoto said that he'd never heard of The Wizard. Bill Trinen's got a night of translating horrible Fred Savage dialogue ahead of him!
New Super Mario Bros. Wii is 'pretty difficult'
by Andrew Yoon { Oct 16th 2009 at 11:20AM }
While "Demo Play" makes concessions towards novice players, NSMBW celebrates hardcore gameplay. By earning the super coins hidden through each level, you'll be able to unlock a series of "Super Guide" videos that highlight "super skills" tactics. These videos will reveal how to get infinite 1-ups, find the secret goals and show alternate ways of playing the game. (One video we saw showed three Yoshis working in tandem to lick and spit a hapless Luigi throughout the level.)
The newly released video above highlights some of the various stages in NSMBW. Does it look "difficult" to you? You can also check out North America's all-red packaging after the break.
Gallery: New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Miyamoto: 'there may still be some possibility' for Wii Music franchise
by Christopher Grant { Oct 15th 2009 at 9:00PM }
"The development team members, the directors of Wii Music were I think, maybe a little bit shocked by the reaction and had hoped it would get a better response than it did," Miyamoto explained through a translator. "So I think if we were to do anything, it would be a matter of getting back together with them and trying to understand what their expectations were and where the gap was between their expectations and what the resulting product was."
That doesn't mean Miyamoto doesn't have any insight into the game's failure to connect with gamers. He explained that the "gap between the positives and the negatives seems to be pretty big," referring to the games reception. "The thing that's interesting about Wii Music is there are people who are very versed in music and play the game and their evaluation of it is very high but at the same time there are a lot of people who play it and don't have a very good opinion of it."
As if to prevent any "Wii Music 2 confirmed!" headlines from finding their way online, Miyamoto clarified, "We have talked about it but it isn't anything that's concrete at this point." As unusual as it is to see a Nintendo product miss the mark, it's similarly unusual to hear the company acknowledge as much.
Miyamoto foresees more user-generated content in the future
by Andrew Yoon { Oct 15th 2009 at 8:30PM }
Miyamoto then pointed to previous Nintendo works in an attempt to prove his openness towards the idea. "Of course the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series is one that's made in North America by NST, but it's one that I've been involved in and from early on. We did have a lot of discussions about how to enable that kind of level creation in that series. And of course, more recently on Nintendo DSi, we have released Flipnote Studio, which is another kind of utility or tool-type of software that's really about letting users let their creation out and share it with others."
Neither examples have the depth or scope of what we wanted Miyamoto to do: Confirm a LBP-esque community-driven Mario platformer. As implausible as that may sound, Miyamoto reiterated his interest, and admitted that the future will see more of these kinds of games. "And I think those types of interactive experiences are going to continue to broaden and we'll see a lot more user-generated content going forward. I've always had an interest in those kinds of creative tools, so I will definitely be open to ideas like that in the future."
Miyamoto expects sustained sales for New Super Mario Bros. Wii
by David Hinkle { Oct 12th 2009 at 6:30PM }
- The game has Mario in it.
- Its DS counterpart is the second highest-selling DS game of all time and has sold consistently since its release in 2006.
- It's super fun.
[Via andriasang]
Mario used in original Punch-Out without Miyamoto's permission
by Griffin McElroy { Aug 9th 2009 at 4:30PM }
However, the most entertaining unearthed secret is the fact that Shigeru Miyamoto never signed off on the use of Mario as the game's mustachioed referree. In Miyamoto's own words, "we didn't have an approval system when using Mario images back then and it went right past my check." The interview transcript adds that he laughed after saying this, but we imagine at least one stink-eye was shot across the table.
[Via GameSetWatch]
Shigeru Miyamoto unexpectedly promotes Samurai Warriors 3
by JC Fletcher { Aug 5th 2009 at 11:00AM }
Samurai Warriors 3 will support the Classic Controller, and will be sold in a Classic Controller Pro bundle like Monster Hunter 3. It is due in November, with a playable demo presented at Tokyo Game Show. These things still sell in Japan, so we expect this to move some Wii hardware, as long as it isn't in first person or anything like that.
[Via GameSetWatch; original Japanese report via Inside-Games; image via Famitsu]
Miyamoto: 'Have confidence' in Nintendo's ability to develop for the Vitality Sensor
by JC Fletcher { Aug 4th 2009 at 12:00AM }
"Ideally we would have been able to talk about this in terms of the software implementation rather than just the sensor itself," Miyamoto said. "I don't have any indication for you (of what we have in the works) other than to say that we have lots of very creative ideas."
Even though he still has no specific software ideas to discuss, Miyamoto assured readers that Nintendo would do something interesting. "We understand the challenge before us, and we have met these challenges in the past. We just ask that people have confidence in us."
Miyamoto also offered his feelings on digital distribution: "Personally, I'm one of those guys who, even if I have all the songs from iTunes, I want the CD as well. It's something that makes me - I feel more reassured with that physical media." He believes that a combination of digital and physical media will continue into the future.
