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Miyamoto: Yup, you can slap your face on there
In an interview with MTV, Shigeru Miyamoto directly says that players will in fact be able to slap their mugs onto a digital counterpart in the simplistically-fun Wii Sports. This was said when he was asked which new titles he's working on for the launch of the Wii."This isn't [a new original game, but] I'm directly involved in "Super Mario Galaxy." Apart from that, I am involved in the "Wii Sports" series. Although these really aren't new characters so to speak, the "Wii Sports" series features these little models which you can put your own faces on ... and then you may start to see those characters, with faces you've created, appearing in different games on the Wii system. Beyond that, it's true that I am working on some different ideas. It's just a little bit too early for me to show those off yet."Faces you've created appearing in different games? What different games? Is there going to be some built-in tool kit or camera add-on? Bueller?Let the speculation begin![Via Digital Battle. Thanks Armin!]
Miyamoto talks Wiinaming, caricatures
In talking with CNN Money's Chris Morris, omnipotent game designer Shigeru Miyamoto expresses what just about everyone has been thinking, at least until recently: "Revolution" is a much better name than "Wii." Miyamoto notes that a large part of the decision to change to the shorter and much easier to mock name came from the belief that non-gamers would feel threatened by a term normally used for violent uprisings and/or anti-parasitic pet medications. "When we first thought about it, myself and others felt that the name Revolution was very appropriate to what we were doing, but [Revolution] is a name that was almost threatening to non-gamers. It wasn't acceptable. So we thought this was more friendly and inviting."In the same article, Miyamoto also hints that the Iwata and Reggie caricatures seen in Wii Sports: Tennis aren't just an in-joke, but a customizable feature of the game. The thought of playing as (more) deformed versions of ourselves has us amused and intrigued--could there be another Wii secret in store, such as a camera attachment or the ability to read photos from a USB storage device? Nah, it's most likely just an avatar creation utility like those found in Animal Crossing: Wild World or Mario Kart DS, albeit a much more advanced one thanks to the Wiimote's abilities.[Via Joystiq]
Miyamoto flattered by Sony
Sir Shigeru sat down for a meeting with the Edmonton Sun during E3 to discuss his newest console and how he felt about its wonderful reception during the show. Even more surprising was Shigeru's thoughts on the PS3's motion-sensing dual-shock controller, to which he had to say:"It's kind of what always seems to happen. But the fact that they looked at what we were doing and decided it was a good path is kind of flattering, it kind of reinforces in our minds that we're doing the right thing. What they've done is just take your standard controller and add in this motion-sensing device that's similar to what we did back on the Game Boy Color many years ago. Maybe if they were to completely copy and go with a remote and a nunchuk and two motion sensors, I might be a little more concerned. But I don't think they're anywhere close to that."[Via Go Nintendo]
Wii gently ejects discs
In this rather short video, Miyamoto demonstrates just how the Wii will push your disc out like it was its first time, treating it with the gentle ease only a world-class lover could provide. I watched could watch this a million times.
Spielberg of gaming and Spielberg of movies play Wii
The AP managed to snap some shots of Shigeru Miyamoto -- often called the Spielberg of video games -- and Steven Spielberg -- the, uh, Spielberg of movies -- playing a quick round of tennis in LA last week, as celebrities are wont to do. Couple things though: they played using Nintendo's new Wii console, and they did it in amidst the frenzy of E3. Really wish we got in there for this although, judging by the relatively empty space behind them, it appears Nintendo had these VIPs isolated from the unwashed masses. That reminds me, things to do before I die: play a Nintendo game with Shigeru Miyamoto.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Joystiq Video: Shigeru Miyamoto Interview
If you haven't already read the transcript of our interview with the inimitable Shigeru Miyamoto, we've gone to all the trouble of putting video of it online. Get his thoughts on everything from the Wii to the PS3's new controller, why the HD-era isn't quite here yet, and why the interface is where innovation is coming from. Unfortunately, we're wrapping things up, preparing for the trip home from E3, so we didn't have time to cut this video up into bitesized chunks for you as of yet, however, we are working on a bittorrent feed of it and will be adding the bits and pieces soon. Until then, right-click and save the 542.2MB file. Our very large video: 542.2MBs, 25:25 long, 480x360 3ivx Quicktime [link] Make sure you also check out AOL Games' video interview with Miyamoto.
The Engadget & Joystiq Interview: Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto (again!)
When we found out Shigeru Miyamoto wanted to give us a second round to ask him about the latest in the world of Nintendo here at E3, I found that same inner-child fanboy Peter reminisced about when we last interviewed him start to emerge. Suddenly I wanted to play all those games I grew up on again, but we had to know how he thinks the Wii is going to change the future of gaming. Vlad Cole and I somehow managed to pull ourselves together long enough to ask him about whether the sedentary gaming world is ready for full-body frenetic gameplay, how he's influencing the next generation of Nintendo games and game designers, the media agendas of the 360 and PlayStation 3, and even a little on HD gaming.So, thank you very much for meeting with us, I really appreciate it. The Wii represents a major step forward for Nintendo in terms of functionality and capabilities. One of the things we're really curious to know is what Wii is going to enable you as a game maker to create that you've never been able to create before.Well, I think the greatest strength of the Wii is that it allows you to create games that are very intuitive and very easy to pick up and play, such that people who've never played a video game before can easily pick up the controller and start playing. And that's kind of the concept behind the games like Tennis and Golf and Baseball and the Wii Sports Series, and these are really kind of the very basic games that we're looking at doing.And then of course thinking about the types of games that the gamers have come to know and play over the years, the unique features of the Wii controller, such as the direct pointing device on the Wii Remote will allow gamers to now more directly interact with the types of game screens that they've seen, where they're pointing directly at a place on screen to interact with it.Is there a type of game that even now you still can't or for whatever reason create?I can't think of any off the top of my head. I don't really have any ideas that stew in my brain for long periods of time. I really just focus on what I'm working on at the moment.The one thing that I have been thinking about for a long time is this problem we've had with 3D games, where as we've been making 3D games, 3D worlds and the control schemes have becomes so complicated. People who don't play games can't easily jump into those interactive worlds and experience them. And I think we've been able to overcome some of that difficulty with the functionality of the Wii controller. So now as we go forward and create software I have to continue to think of ideas of how to take advantage of that to overcome that barrier.
TIME gets hands-on with the Nintendo Wii
We knew we should have taken that call from Miyamoto the other day, but our loss was TIME magazine's gain, because the Mario and Zelda creator was looking for someone to, wouldn't you know it, take the upcoming Wii for a little spin. TIME's five page article is so full of interesting deets that we barely have room to scratch the surface here, but suffice it to say that Lev Grossman not only reports on his hands-on experiences with a number of games, he's also able to get inside Nintendo's head, if you will, and tease out a bit of the methodology behind what some hardcore gamers perceive as the company's madness (Wii? those controllers? Nintendogs?). As for the actual gaming, Grossman got to play some tennis (the sensors even allow you to add spin), slay some dragons (brandishing the controller like a sword in Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess), and bring those wacky Warioware minigames into the third dimension (think: fishing, weight lifting, cooking, etc.). Geez, this thing sounds like so much fun that we may just skip the Sony keynote this afternoon and see if the folks from Nintendo will let us play with their goodies.
Rumor: New Starfox-like title to be presented at E3
Quite possibly one of those "purple monkey dishwasher" instances, supposedly Sir Miyamoto commented to a journalist of the French variety that a new title would be debuted for the DS at the company's E3 press conference. This mystery title, if the post linked is to be believed, will be very similar to once-hot, now-not franchise Starfox. Everyone is already going wild on the internet speculating that it is none other than the infamous Starfox 2, a game that was supposedly in finished beta form, yet never released due to the age of the hardware. Sir Shig's comment, which is supposedly this, when translated mentions nothing about this, so believe what you will. [Via Go Nintendo]
Donkey Kong swinging onto the Revolution
N-Sider reports that Nintendo's own Shigeru Miyamoto announced that a new Donkey Kong title would be gracing the Revolution and it would be helmed by none other than the Jungle Beat team led by Takao Shimizu and Yoshiaki Koizumi in a Famitsu magazine piece. The game is being released in the console's launch cycle and will be present at E3, although in what capacity we can only speculate. The game is to forgo the bongo interface of previous titles and adopt a new control interface on the Revolution.It's smart for Nintendo to come out in full force with all of their strongest first-party titles for the Revolution, which is something the GameCube failed to do during its launch. Donkey Kong has been a fan favorite for years and, should the game feature the same polish as past games bearing the gorilla's mug, will be sure to be one of the Revolution's best titles. What kind of game do you want to see DK in next? Another platformer?
More Official Nintendo Magazine scans
Some more scans have been leaked to the interweb from the upcoming issue of Official Nintendo Magazine showcasing an extended interview with Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto and details for NIBRIS' Raid Over the River and Sadness. The information on Raid Over the River and Sadness isn't new, and the article features the same concept art that NIBRIS' website displays. The last scan shows Link in front of the Revolution and is too blurry to make out, for the most part. In squinting my eyes, all I could read was Shiggy saying "What I can say is that I think the Revolution controller creates quite a different play style for Twilight Princess."
Miyamoto a martinet making Metroid Prime
Allen Varney has written a fascinating look at the making of Nintendo's 2002 masterpiece -- and series reinvention -- Metroid Prime. By complimenting the community's fear of updating the venerable franchise with the story of a production environment that warranted such fears, you get a tangible understanding of the pressure and passion that is bound up in a title of Prime's quality. His characterization of Miyamoto as a brilliant, dedicated, and -- most interestingly -- demanding taskmaster stands contrary to many gamers impression of the designer as "a Gepetto whose genius and imagination turned a heap of technology into a living world of delight" (to quote the writers of Smartbomb). Take, for example, this description: "In 2000, Miyamoto himself visited Retro, an event compared to the Emperor visiting the Death Star." Ouch!It's tough love though. Reading about the storied excesses of Retro's founder and the studios subsequent mismanagement, then reflecting on the end result being the excellent Metroid Prime series is a welcome reminder: you have to squeeze coal really hard to make a diamond.
