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Nintendo still planning to co-market Dragon Quest IX
Though Square Enix has yet to say anything concrete about releasing Dragon Quest IX outside of Japan, Nintendo has discussed its own plans to market the title. Last year, Satoru Iwata mentioned his intention to promote the game in the West, and during this week's financial results Q&A session, senior managing director Shinji Hatano reiterated that intention. "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
For being a Nintendo property, the Star Fox series hasn't performed, well -- it hasn't performed like a Nintendo property. Gaming legend Shigeru Miyamoto recently divulged to MTV Multiplayer that the series has been on the decline since its inception, with steadily declining sales for each new iteration. 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.
Nintendo's Miyamoto: next-gen Wii hardware could be "more compact, cost-efficient"
There ain't much to glean from Shigeru Miyamoto's recent sit-down with Popular Mechanics, but in the never-ending quest to learn more about Nintendo's next-generation Wii, a few tidbits of interest have been highlighted. Miyamoto, who is responsible for creating the likes of Mario and Zelda (amongst others), spoke at length about current titles, the future of video games as a whole and on his view of the not-yet-named Wii 2. In answering a question about the future of motion-sensing in the Big N's consoles, he ran off topic a bit and noted that "it would be likely that we would try to make that same functionality perhaps more compact and perhaps even more cost-efficient" when speaking about future hardware (which honestly may have been talking strictly about accelerometers). Of course, this is about as predictable as it gets -- hardware tends to always shrink and get cheaper as technology improves -- but hey, there it is! Now, let your imaginations do what they were born to do. [Via TechRadar]
Miyamoto: Wii successor will likely feature motion controls in 'more compact' form
It sounds like Nintendo's plans for the next console are going to continue largely in the direction they've always been going (you know, the one that has resulted in millions of dollars). Shigeru Miyamoto told Popular Mechanics that, despite not having a solid plan yet for upcoming hardware, motion controls are likely to stick around."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'
New Super Mario Bros. Wii is "pretty difficult," series creator Shigeru Miyamoto told us at a NYC press demo yesterday, acknowledging complaints that the previous 2D iteration of the franchise was too easy. After our disastrous performance in last week's hands-on, we'd agree with that assessment. 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-75137%
Miyamoto: 'there may still be some possibility' for Wii Music franchise
At a New York City roundtable event, Nintendo's resident wunderkind Shigeru Miyamoto showed Joystiq and several other press outlets his latest creation: New Super Mario Bros. Wii (more on that later). During the Q&A that followed, when asked if he was particularly surprised by the reception of any of his games, Miyamoto responded that while he wasn't "truly surprised" by the reaction it got, he thinks "there may still be some possibility with ... Wii Music," the Big N's poorly received music title. "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
Nintendo designer Shigeru Miyamoto may not play many of his competitors' games, but he does see a future where games like LittleBigPlanet will become increasingly commonplace. After demoing a few levels from the upcoming New Super Mario Bros. Wii, we asked Miyamoto if he'd ever consider giving everyday players the tools to make their own Mario levels. "This is an area that I have a lot of interest in, and I think that the side-scrolling Mario games in particular are well suited to that idea," Miyamoto said (as translated by Bill Trinnen).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
Nintendo's resident gaming legend, Shigeru Miyamoto, foresees long-term -- nay, long-tail -- sales for New Super Mario Bros. Wii, a prospect that isn't completely insane when you take a few things into account: 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. So, when Miyamoto says that the game "will continue selling even after one year has passed" during a play session in Japan (translation), we have a tough time arguing with the guy. Any sane person would, right? [Via andriasang]
Shigeru Miyamoto unexpectedly promotes Samurai Warriors 3
Why should we care about yet another Dynasty/Samurai Warriors game from Koei? Because Shigeru Miyamoto does, that's why. Nintendo's Senior Managing Director surprised press by appearing at Koei Tecmo's press conference for the Wii-exclusive Samurai Warriors 3, and announcing a new gameplay mode based on Nazo no Murasamejou, a samurai-themed Zelda-like game released only on Famicom Disk System.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]
Nintendo promises 'very creative ideas' for Vitality Sensor, declines to name any
The kids at the Mercury-News have just had a sit-down with our old pal Shigeru Miyamoto, Nintendo's legendary head of game development, for a chat about the recession, game controllers, and trust. The company's plan for dealing with the ebbs and flows of the international economy is simple: "We're really just concentrating on creating something that people want... something the whole family will use." Does that include the admittedly silly Vitality Sensor? Of course: "[A]ny sort of changes to interface that allows people to get into games and enjoy games is a great trend." Any clues as to the exciting new forms of gameplay this Vitality Sensor will provide? "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." It looks like we'll just have to trust the man with the sword for the time being.[Via Joystiq]
Miyamoto: 'Have confidence' in Nintendo's ability to develop for the Vitality Sensor
Since its out-of-nowhere introduction at E3, the biometric-reading Wii Vitality Sensor has inspired some rage, some jokes, and a lot of confusion, but very little genuine interest from gamers online. The Mercury News asked Shigeru Miyamoto to respond to the widespread skepticism about the peripheral. "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.
Miyamoto: Wii MotionPlus technology only possible now
Don't even start weaving conspiracies about how Nintendo's recently released Wii MotionPlus peripheral was supposed to be incorporated in the initial Wiimote design. According to Shigeru Miyamoto, such a nickel-and-dime plot is absolutely impossible -- and as we all know, Miyamoto never lies. Look at him, with those pinchable cheeks! Those are not the cheeks of a liar.In an interview with The Telegraph, Shiggy explained the MotionPlus was only possible due to technological innovations "which took place after Wii launched." Actually, he says the technology was around, but it would have been impossible to use at such a "compact" size and low price. So, did you want Wiimotes to cost $200 and weigh as much as toddlers? No? We didn't think so.[Via IGN]
Wii Sports Resort's E3 2008 demo completed in three months
When we first saw Wii Sports Resort last year, all Nintendo had available were three of the game's events: swordplay, power cruising, and Disc Dog. It turns out that those three (quite polished) events are pretty much all that existed at the time. In the latest Iwata Asks interview, the Wii Sports Resort team reveals that they didn't have anything but the idea of maybe doing another sequel until three months before E3 2008. Above, you can see what had been done: a MotionPlus test involving a virtual toy.As usual, the Iwata Asks interview is full of surprisingly forthright discussion about the inner workings of Nintendo, including the team (and Shigeru Miyamoto) expressing its elation about a MotionPlus delay that allowed for more work on Resort, everyone's relative confusion at Miyamoto's "Wuhu Island" franchise idea, and, best of all, Miyamoto's deceptive methods of team motivation.At one point, Miyamoto announced in an interview that golf would be in Wii Sports Resort, and that the MotionPlus would allow backswing to control the strength of the swing, instead of just speed -- and the team had to rush to actually put golf in the game afterward. Later, he describes how he faked a directive from Satoru Iwata to add an extra game mode. And apparently a programmer couldn't demonstrate the archery feature for Miyamoto because he was too nervous to aim the bow properly.Shigeru Miyamoto sounds like kind of a jerk, actually.
Nintendo's 'Demo Play' planned for handheld games as well
The controversial "Demo Play" feature devised by Shigeru Miyamoto and Nintendo won't just be limited to New Super Mario Bros. Wii and other console-based adventures. A blurb in Japan's Nikkei newspaper notes that the feature, which allows players to skip difficult areas and watch them played automatically, will also be used in portable games in the future. Nikkei referred to it as a "skip functionality" or "skip feature."Nikkei notes that this feature is designed for "high-speed action games," so presumably you won't be able to let Dr. Kawashima step in and count the number of people who just ran out of the house (we hate that one), nor will you be able to make the Pokémon start choosing themselves mid-battle.[Via Kotaku]
Miyamoto: Next Legend of Zelda won't be 'radically different'
If you subscribe to Nintendo Power, the latest issue should be arriving at your house very soon -- Aeropause has the scoop on some details on Nintendo's upcoming lineup from the issue. Most important to folks reading this text is likely what Miyamoto had to say regarding the new Legend of Zelda game, announced back at E3: "I don't think it's going to be that radically different." But, what about the theory of the girl being the Master Sword? Surely that is radically different! In typical Nintendo fashion, that's all Miyamoto had to say. He left us hanging to speculate, and we're sure most will be able to turn this appetizer of a quote into a five-course meal. [Via Videogamer]
Survey: Developers still worship Miyamoto, Blow too
Luminary Shigeru Miyamoto hasn't lost his shimmer in the eyes of game developers, with a recent industry poll finding the Nintendo icon to be without equal. The survey, commissioned by organizers of next month's Develop Conference, asked 9,000 devs to name their game development hero, with nearly a third of respondents pointing to Miyamoto as the man with the plan. The popularity contest also named id Software's John Carmack as the next most idealized developer, followed by Maxis and now Stupid Fun Club brainpan Will Wright. The top ten list of industry highlights was rounded out by Braid dev Jonathan Blow, who's likely too busy rewinding time (to see if he can somehow land higher on the ballot) to care.
Miyamoto "not worried at all" about Sony and Microsoft's motion controllers
Sony and Microsoft certainly turned the motion-sensing heat up on Nintendo at E3 last week, but it doesn't seem like Shigeru Miyamoto is all that concerned at the moment -- he just told the BBC that while he's "flattered" his competitors are "moving in the same direction," he's "not worried at all" about Project Natal or the Playstation motion controller because "they don't have the type of depth that we're able to provide with Wii Motion Plus." Snap. We don't know about that -- we certainly haven't been blown away by Motion Plus -- but we can see why Nintendo's not sweating it just yet: the Wii's a runaway hit and a pop-culture phenomenon, while Natal and the PSMC are still tech demos without announced ship dates or even final names. That said, it's clear that Microsoft and Sony don't intend to just cede this space to Mario and Co., so we'll see how Nintendo fights back -- we'll tell you right now that the Wii Vitality Sensor ain't gonna cut it. [Via Joystiq]
Miyamoto flattered, not worried by Sony, Microsoft motion controllers
If there was one driving theme behind this year's E3, it was that motion controls are too cool for school. However, even with both Microsoft and Sony jumping onto the bandwagon with their own gesture-based antics, Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto tells the BBC that he's "not worried at all" about being left behind. In fact, the brain trust says that Nintendo's "very flattered" by the competition. Still, Miyamoto barbed his comments, stating that, based on what he's seen so far, neither competitor's motion controllers "have the type of depth that we're able to provide with Wii Motion Plus." Sony. Microsoft. You hear that hitting the floor? That's the gauntlet.[Via 1UP]
Insights on Nintendo's new games from the Miyamoto developer event
Shigeru Miyamoto didn't appear at Nintendo's big E3 conference, but he did appear at what Nintendo called a "developer event" later that evening, in a "very relaxed mood" from his morning off. This discussion/Q&A event was the location of last year's Pikmin 3 reveal, and this year Miyamoto came prepared to surprise everyone again at the end, with art from the next Zelda game. "To be honest with you, I really wanted, at this E3, to announce a Zelda game for Wii," he said. "But, we've already shown you a Zelda on Wii, and rather than try to think of something to bring here to show you, we really wanted to focus on actual game development."However, I didn't want to come empty-handed, so I did bring the main illustration for the next Zelda title."
Miyamoto: Super Mario Bros. Wii could be better, but the Wii's too weak
Look, it's no secret that the Wii is comparatively weak. It always has been, and unless some magical, unicorn-approved firmware update hits in the near future, it always will be. The Big N's Shigeru Miyamoto sat down at E3 this year with GameDaily and confessed as much, stating that he "would like to use Wii Speak more, but [in Super Mario Bros. Wii], the Wii processor is already being taxed." He added that this was all "part of being a developer to work with the tools you have to create new and interesting projects," but it certainly makes us wonder just how much more awesome this console could be with a specifications list fit for this millennium. Ah well, maybe we can actually look forward to native 1080p games from Nintendo next decade... if we're lucky.
