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Shigeru Miyamoto profiled: legendary game designer, interior decorating enthusiast
Using traditional conversion metrics, The New Yorker's got ten pictures worth of words on Nintendo's iconic designer Shigeru Miyamoto, arguably the father of modern video games whose cerebral impulses have spawned the likes of Mario and Legend of Zelda. Don't expect any bombshell news (spoiler: the company's hard at work on a portable, glasses-free 3D console), but it's definitely a thorough and entertaining read on the origins of Nintendo's gaming interests and Miyamoto himself. Bonus: given how Miyamoto's non-work time with exercise and gardening became the inspiration for WiiFit and Pikmin, feel free to overanalyze how his fixation with moving around his living room will turn into the next multi-platinum title.
Pi counted to 5 trillionth digit, 90 days and one spec'd out custom rig later
Remember that girl in your high school math class who would always get extra credit by memorizing more digits of Pi? Well, if you ever hear her utter "9484283852," well, you've probably already finished your college applications (and maybe even earn a degree or two). That ten-digit string is the lead-up to the 5 trillionth number, reportedly a new world record calculated using special software from Alexander Yee (y-cruncher) and a pretty awesome custom-built rig by Japanese Pi-pusher Shigeru Kondo -- a pair of 3.33GHz Intel Xeon X5680, 96GB DDR3 RAM, about 39TB of storage, and Windows Server 2008. All in all, the computation and verification took about 90 days to accomplish. Full, fascinating details at the source link.
Miyamoto: Ocarina of Time could have been in first-person perspective
There aren't many gamers who don't harbor fond memories associated with the Nintendo 64's classic adventure (and to many, the greatest installment in the Hylian franchise), Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. In addition to its beloved story and incredible visuals, it was a groundbreaking third-person adventure through an intricately detailed fantasy world -- but would we (and Game Rankings) still hold the triforce-hunting adventure in such high regard if we had experienced Hyrule directly through the point-eared protagonist's eyes?In a recent discussion between Nintendo president Satoru Iwata and revolutionary game developer (and Time's most influential person of 2008) Shigeru Miyamoto, it was outed that Shiggy secretly possesses a penchant for first-person shooters (notably, Rare's seminal N64 shooter Goldeneye), and that he'd considered creating Ocarina of Time using an Oblivion-esque first-person perspective. We're not quite sure how this would have affected the title -- but we're certainly terrified of the prospect of witnessing Darunia's sexy dance of seduction first-hand.
Shigeru Miyamoto back for round two -- nominated for 2008 Time 100
We imagine that Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of some of the most recognizable intellectual properties on the planet, doesn't like coming in second place -- let alone ninety-second place. Unfortunately for the banjo-plucking game designer, that was the case in last year's Time 100 list, when Shiggy, sandwiched between the world's fifth richest man and the author of "The Secret", nearly didn't make the cut. Though his pride was surely bruised, Miyamoto wasn't discouraged by the low ranking -- he merely stepped up his game, providing oversight for some of last year's best-selling Wii titles. Perhaps that's why he's been nominated for the 2008 Time 100 list, where dedicated Nintendo fanboys have pushed the eccentric designer to number 27 -- somewhere between Michael Cera and Oprah. Your votes can help propel the father of modern video gaming to the top of the list, a position currently held by a certain precipitationally-named Korean pop star. Unless, of course, you're anti-Shiggy -- but who could you say "no" to that adorable face?
Happy birthday, Miyamoto-san!
He created Mario, Donkey Kong, and Zelda. He has been indirectly responsible for using up thousands of hours of our lives. We sort of want him to be our Dad. Yes, Nintendo design guru and general gaming god Shigeru Miyamoto turned 55 years young today (hasn't he aged well?), so it felt only right that we took the time to wish Shiggy many happy returns.Here's to a long and prosperous future, sir! One with lots of cake.
Halo DS ... never existed?
Put on your sleuthing caps, ladies and gents, we have a bonafide mystery on our hands. Surely you remember, with chagrin and unfulfilled longing, the news of the canceled Halo DS project, reported by IGN editor-in-chief Matt Casamassina. He even went so far as to say that he played the title, and love him or hate him, Matt tends to speak verily. Enter: last night's San Francisco Halo 3 beta event. The Bungie team, responsible for the development of all things Halo, were interviewed by numerous gaming outlets and media sources, including one Rumor Reporter. When asked about the ill-fated Halo DS, Bungie's Brian Gerrard, Director of Franchise and Community Affairs, commented, "Wow, I have never heard or seen such a project, nor do we have plans for any DS Halo title."We doubt either of these two respected news sources were lying or mistaken, which leaves the question: who made the mysterious Halo DS, the one Matt C. played? There's only one obvious answer, of course.Shiggy made it.[Thanks, Bruce!]
Miyamoto: I want to make games you don't know you want
Shigeru Miyamoto, the be-everything guy at Nintendo we love so much, recently conducted an interview with Entertainment Weekly in response to his being named as one of Time's 100 Most Influential. As if the amount of respect we have for the man could increase, he found a way through his answers in this interview. Especially so when the question of creating something like Halo came up."I could make Halo," Miyamoto says. "It's not that I couldn't design that game. It's just that I choose not to. One thing about my game design is that I never try to look for what people want and then try to make that game design. I always try to create new experiences that are fun to play." And that's what we love about Miyamoto. He could be developing those kinds of games, but he'd rather innovate then compensate. We respect that, even if it means that not all of his games are going to be amazing.[Via IGN]
Miyamoto ends up at #9 on the Time 100
An expert team of historians and sociologists have finished their initial research, and have determined that Shigeru Miyamoto is the 9th most influential person of the year. We're totally kidding about the experts and the research-- it was just a web poll. Rather than taking the time to go down the top 8 and make fun of them, we'll leave the baffling revelation of who made the cut as an exercise for you. You'll be surprised, and kind of confused! Maybe even a little disgusted!
Update: Shiggy is doing great in the Time 100
Behind Rain, who is a Korean pop star and Stephen Colbert, who is one of the funniest folks on television, Shigeru Miyamoto is currently holding down third place in the race for most influential people of the year, according to Time. We just felt a little reminder was in order, in case you missed our last post informing you of his presence in the race. So, if you haven't gone over there to help Shiggy out, we suggest you do so now.Do it now, or else we'll cry.[Thanks, Ben!]
Miyamoto hasn't quite taken over this Time Magazine list
The list is the Time 100, which profiles 100 people that, in Time's opinion, are the most influential. And this year, our opinions will help shape Time's. And that's why we say Shigeru Miyamoto hasn't taken over the list yet. If there's anything gamers are good at, it's being vocal on the Internet. He's currently sitting at number 3 on the list with an average rating of 92, but we're sure that our collective clicking-on-things power will drive him to the top of the list. Sure, that's above every world leader and every scientist, but if they wanted carefully-researched decisions about relative world influence, they shouldn't have asked the Internet. They're lucky that we're even voting for real people.
Help Miyamoto get a nod from Time Magazine
Time magazine's website is running a feature right now where candidates are up for being included in the Time 100. What is the Time 100? Well, it's a who's-who list of influential and powerful people, a list that certainly demands to have one of, if not the most, influential game designers in the industry, Shigeru Miyamoto. Lucky for him, you can have a say in who makes the list. All you have to do is follow the read link and give Mr. Miyamoto a rating. As of right now, he's got an average rating of 79, but we're sure that will come up. So, head on over and let your voice be heard.
New Wii games revealed in Greek interview
The name George Katrinakis probably doesn't mean much to you unless you happen to live in Greece, as he's the CEO of Nortec Multimedia, the distributor of Nintendo products in the region. And it turns out this George knows a thing or two about the future of Wii gaming, dropping some clues on us ignorant folk about a pair of new titles. Wait, new games? Rock!First up is a game, which is being dubbed Health Pack at the moment, that is certainly the most interesting in our eyes. After performing some exercises in the game, supposedly your personal data will be sent out to hospitals that have been contracted out by Nintendo via a new Channel and later returned as some kind of evaluation. Information on how the data will be collected and presented is sketchy as of right now, but we're pumped for a new Channel, let alone the doors this could open for future Channels and/or games.The second title, Wii Music, sounds a lot like the orchestra demo that Shiggy demoed during the E3 keynote. In it, players will not only be able to control specific musicians in the orchestra, but also save their compositions and send them to other Wii users. While this doesn't tickle our fancy as much as Health Pack, we're certainly not in any position to complain about more games.According to the interview, both of these games are to be released before the end of 2007.[Via Joystiq]
Miyamoto calls out third parties
Shigeru Miyamoto sat down with Newsweek's N'Gai Croal earlier this month and aired out his concerns with third party developers not putting their best efforts behind games for Nintendo systems. Companies often find that their biggest competition on consoles like the Wii and DS is Nintendo themselves, but according to Miyamoto, most third parties aren't rising to the challenge with their top development groups. Instead, they're depending on third- or fourth-string teams to produce their titles.While not every game from Nintendo is a blockbuster hit, Miyamoto says that the company makes sure to put its best people behind titles that are "designed to really support and sell hardware." Can most third parties say they're doing the same? If not, then how much longer will it take before developers approach their Wii releases seriously and start using their star teams to create AAA titles for the console?
Miyamoto to provide keynote at GDC
That's correct, in the way that Iwata made a keynote at last year's GDC, Miyamoto is following in his footsteps with his keynote presentation titled A Creative Vision. Miyamoto's keynote is to revolve around his "singular creative vision [that] drives his work, not only in terms of his world-renown software, but also in generating key technologies, including the current global phenomena, Nintendo DS and Wii." Not much for us to go on, but being the veteran that he is, and the large amount of respect he demands for his contributions to this industry, we're sure it'll be a keynote to remember.
BusinessWeek interviews Miyamoto and Ashida about the Wii
BusinessWeek recently interviewed Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto and Ken'ichiro Ashida about the Wii. They inquired about all things Wii related, such as initial ideas behind the controller and creating a cost-effective console. They found out that the current goal of the company to turn people from all walks of life into gamers originally came from a desire to get gamers' moms playing. So moms were a key target audience for this console? Miyamoto: Our goal was to come up with a machine that moms would want-easy to use, quick to start up, not a huge energy drain, and quiet while it was running. Rather than just picking new technology, we thought seriously about what a game console should be. [CEO Satoru] Iwata wanted a console that would play every Nintendo game ever made. Moms would hate it if they had to have several consoles lying around. Ashida: We didn't want wires all over the place, which might anger moms because of the mess. If that was Nintendo's goal all along, they should've just asked us. We have the most brilliant idea for a simulation game where you play a soccer mom and must drop the kids off at practice, making sure you take turns with care so that the children do not spill their juice boxes all over their uniforms (patent pending). There's still time Nintendo, all you need do is shoot us an email. [Via NeoGAF]
Rumor: Mario Paint 2 and Shiggy's new game
Got your grain of salt? Good, you're going to need it for this one.Games Asylum is reporting that a quote from Shigeru Miyamoto in N Gamer magazine reveals a sequel to Mario Paint in Marionette. The site purports that this was a term that floated around back in the GameCube days. It was supposedly going to be an internet service for the console.The site also states that Shigeru Miyamoto is working on a new Wii game that will utilize the Wiimote's speaker. The game is supposedly focused on 4-player action where the speaker in the Wiimote will call out the name of the player who has the next turn.Again, all of this is just speculation at this moment as there is no evidence to back up these claims. Anyone care to check out the issue of N Gamer magazine this is supposed to come from?[Thanks AssemblyLineHuman!]
Wii Orchestra demonstration videos
When Miyamoto took the stage in a tuxedo at Nintendo's E3 keynote and began conducting an orchestra, many attendees were floored by what they saw. Whether it was something totally unexpected that managed to pleasantly surprise or something that caused the attendee to lower their head into their lap in disgust, the unveiling of Wii Orchestra was unexpected. Since its showing at E3, nothing much else has been said about it.Well, during Leipzig the game was made available and IGN got their hands on it. In uploading two videos of the game in action, they have given us a very good feel for how speed on the player's part affects the music in the game.
LoZ controls get updated and Shiggy talks GC titles updated for Wii
Some have said that using the Wiimote as if it were a sword, swinging it around to perform actions in-game, will undoubtedly cause us all to collapse from exhaustion. Some have noted that no actual force is required when using the Wiimote as if it were a sword or in any other kind of fashion, causing the previous point to be irrelevant. Well, now the argument may heat up yet again as Shigeru Miyamoto recently confirmed with Nintendo Dream magazine that the previous controls established for The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess are no more. Instead of using the B button to cause Link to slash, as the E3 build demonstrated, now players will need to physically swing the Wiimote around should they wish Link to vanquish his foes. Only thing is, the combat in previous Legend of Zelda titles has been intense, causing some to wonder if this new change is for the best. Also, now that the B button has been freed up, it will now be used when Link is utilizing the bow. Upon aiming at a target, hitting the B button will let loose the arrow from the bow. Miyamoto also tested out using the d-pad for aiming duties, but decided to scrap that idea.In the same article, Miyamoto stated that given the hardware set of the Wii, it would be easy to update GameCube titles to allow full use of the Wii's control scheme. Of course, we have to assume that if this were even going to happen it would only be restricted to first-party titles from Nintendo. Miyamoto said:"We'll be upgrading the development tools, but GameCube code can be used for the most part as is. In that sense, I believe that it would be good to remake GameCube games for Wii, and that some titles would become better with the change to the Wii remote controller."So, you can have one GameCube game updated with the Wii control scheme: what would the game be and how would the Wiimote be used?[Via Joystiq; Thanks vidGuy and Marc!]
Wii battles 360/PS3: kicks ass, doesn't care to take names
Converted from an animated gif file originally to the video you see above, this viscious German console brawl shows the Wii go up against a combined force of the Xbox 360 and PS3. As the Wii's "console master," Shigeru Miyamoto's hard work and dedication to leveling up his console is evident as barely a scratch is received by the unit during the scuffle as it easily dispatches the consoles. Hey, even our own Ludwig's Anatomy of Shame remote gets included in the battle!Anyone want to translate the text? Is it...is it funny?
Wiimote could still see some changes before launch?
In speaking with Japan's Famitsu, Nintendo's own Shigeru Miyamoto dropped a hint that the Wiimote's current design could not be the finalized version. Shiggy stated that "we're still debating on the area of how many buttons to use." This response came when the question was asked about Nintendo's difficulties when designing the new controller. We could be reading too much into this, but Shiggy has been known to let a bit of truth slip now and again, so take it as you will.[Thanks Hobbes!]
