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Sonic & Mario finally team up for a game
Long-time rivals Mario and Sonic are finally starring in a video game together ... but too bad it's not what you're expecting. The duo will finally be able to compete against each other in Super Smash Bros. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games for Nintendo DS and Wii. All your favorite Mario and not-so-favorite Sonic characters will join the competition: Mario, Sonic, Luigi, Knuckles, Yoshi, Tails and more.It appears that famous rivalry between these two 16-bit juggernauts has finally been tossed aside. The press release features some juicy quotes which feel ripped out of the video game Twilight Zone: "We are thrilled to partner with Nintendo and ISM on this groundbreaking title," said Hisao Oguchi, President and Chief Operating Officer, SEGA Corporation. "For the first time, two of the world's greatest games' characters come together to compete in the world's greatest sporting event and we couldn't be more excited." "Mario and Sonic have been respectful rivals since the early days of video games," says Shigeru Miyamoto, Senior Managing Director and General Manager, Entertainment Analysis and Development Division, Nintendo Co., Ltd.. "In fact, for a long time they have been discussing the possibility of one day competing against each other. Now that they have been given the perfect opportunity to meet at the Olympic Games, we may finally learn who is actually faster, Mario or Sonic?" While this isn't the debut we may have wanted for these mascots, we'll take what we can get. Certainly, a competitive game of curling is almost identical to a match of Smash Bros., right? Check out the official website for more.
A laughable list of who's 'most overrated' in the industry
Over at GameDaily, Chris Buffa (ha!) has put together a list of what he believes are the "top 5 most overrated industry people," calling out industry gods (and rightfully so) Hideo Kojima and Shigeru Miyamoto. Surely, anyone who ever doubts the abilities, contributions and impact one Mr. Miyamoto has on the industry deserves to have their head examined ... with a sledgehammer. First, we'll get into his comments on Kojima, a man we'd probably be thankful to if he even took the time to set us on fire. We love him that much. And with Chris' criticisms of the Metal Gear Solid franchise (all play the same, no idea what is going on in the games, etc.), we're that much more sure the man is off his meds. The reason all the "traditional" Metal Gear Solid games play the same is because they are good. Why fix what isn't broken? Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater was our favorite game of 2004, and for good reason. As for not being able to understand the game's content, we suggest you actually pay attention to the cut scenes.As for Mr. Miyamoto, to say that he is "falling back on the same overused franchises" over and over again is a misinformed statement. He isn't falling back on them, he's helping to improve them. Whether you believe the hype or not on a certain Super Mario Galaxy, it's probably going to reinvent the platform genre (we can say that, we played it). To try and downplay his contributions at Nintendo is just idiotic.Finally, Chris takes time to bash Reggie Fils-Aime. Aside from the GBA Micro debacle (seriously, why was that thing made?) at E3, Reggie has done nothing but improved Nintendo's place in the industry. And that's not to downplay Iwata's contributions, but for as much as we all love to make fun of Reggie, he's probably done more than most for the company during his stay with Nintendo.[Via Joystiq]
Miyamoto talks user-generated content, critical of PS Home [update 1]
Speaking to The Mercury News' Dean Takahashi, designer Shigeru Miyamoto gave a slight jab to the PlayStation Home for its familiarity. "What they're doing already exists in one form on the PC," he said. "Our focus [with Miis] is always to be different and do something that's different." Miyamoto furthers his opinion by expressing how the Mii system embraces but isn't focused on the internet, while noting that the character system took 20 years to "come to fruition." We assume much of that time was just Miyamoto circling the idea in his head, as his GDC keynote places the Mii conception alongside the Nintendo 64 era."We are trying to do something that is different and create something that hasn't been there before," he said. A caricature creation system may not have been done explicitly on consoles before, but we still wouldn't call it an entirely new concept. Nor would we give the same honor to Home, but their integration is indeed a first for game consoles.Miyamoto went on to address the idea the user-generated content, citing it as an inevitability. "It's not simply the question of whether there is a game editor," he said. "It is what form does that editor take." We have some idea.Also of note, Miyamoto gave the obvious revelation that a Wii fitness game, tentatively titled health pack or Wii Fit, is underway to ride the wave of success of Wii minigame collections Wii Play and Wii Sports.[Update 1: There was some confusion as to what Miyamoto said in the third line and what we added following the quote. The editorial has been given its own paragraph so as to alleviate some confusion.]
How old were you when you first heard 'Nintendo?'
Oh, we're not asking. This time, Miyamoto is. It seems the master himself is looking for more stories of happy gamers to add to his collection. At Yahoo! Answers, he's asked, "How old were you when you first heard the term, 'Nintendo,' and what does the name mean to you now?" With hundreds of answers and counting, it's likely he'll end up with more nostalgia than you could shake a mushroom at.Since many of us started with Nintendo, back in a time when everyone was a Nintendo fan and no one was a fan of anything else, we've already hashed over a lot of the 'first encounter' memories. But the second prong of the question is intriguing. What does Nintendo mean to us now? There are a lot of possible answers, but most of them boil down to one thing: if you're here at DS Fanboy, then 'Nintendo' probably means fun. Through the ups and downs, for us, Nintendo always means a good time.
The past (and future?) of Miis
During his keynote at GDC earlier this month, Shigeru Miyamoto confessed that the representations we now know as the loveable Miis have haunted him for some time. He also said that another team managed to get close to what he'd always wanted ... for a DS game. Now we can see the story of that DS software -- the seed of the Miis that are cropping up everywhere today. While the article is all in Japanese (and automatic translation makes it seem like something out of a nursery rhyme nightmare), we can get a fair picture of just how pervasive this idea of face creation has been for Nintendo.Of course, the thing we all want to know now is if we'll see this on the DS. Wouldn't it be great to use your Mii in even the smallest aspects of games? In Clubhouse Games, for instance, instead of a user icon, it's a tiny image of your Mii's face. That could really add a nice level of personalization to future DS games, and all without getting into something big. One might also wonder if this will someday be a part of the coming Wii-DS interactivity that remains somewhat mysterious beyond Pokémon Battle Revolution.
Nintendo team playing with Miis in Twilight Princess
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Nintendo_team_playing_with_Miis_in_Twilight_Princess'; During an interview with Shigeru Miyamoto, MTV's Stephen Totilo threw out a speculative question: Had Nintendo experimented with using Miis in Zelda: Twilight Princess? Miyamoto answered that, in fact, the developers at EAD had in fact been playing with that feature! After completing the game, the team started experimenting with putting Miis into the Twilight Princess engine, just for fun.So, working at Nintendo is so awesome that programmers continue working on their games after they've shipped for recreational purposes. That is a shining endorsement if ever there was one.The MTV Multiplayer site is set up so that it's impossible to link directly to the story; you'll have to scroll down or search for "Nintendo's Miyamoto On One-Handed 'Mario,' Miis In 'Zelda".
Nintendo quiet at GDC due to Japanese stock situation?
Before going into GDC07, we all thought Nintendo would remain relatively quiet. And, they kind of did. Miyamoto reassured us that Super Mario Galaxy would be arriving this year and even told us about a new Channel. So, it depends on how you look at it, but we consider the show to be a success here at HQ.Regardless of what we thought, many others are saying that Nintendo really didn't have a presence at the show. And these folk are pointing to the current Japanese stock situation as the reason why Nintendo didn't reveal much at the show. So what does that mean for us? Nintendo is going to stay "hush hush," for awhile. But, when you think about it, hasn't Nintendo always been kind of "hush hush?"
Mega 64's "ruined" Mario skit
A skit that went great until some guy... Mega64 contributed a few new skits to the Game Developers Choice Awards last week to much applause and laughter, including a pretty poignant piece on Feel the Magic XX / XY (we're still waiting for that one to pop up on the internet). One in particular made the crowd scream more than anything else that night. The YouTube description reads thusly: "A skit that went great until some guy made it all awkward." We won't spoil the rest, so check out the video after the break.
A very special Mega64 event
Those lovable scamps from Mega64 are at it again! There's never a dull moment when these friends go on a wild, madcap adventure that you'll never forget. Join them, as they discover... the true meaning of friendship.... what? Oh, we were thinking about a different movie. This one's just, you know, some dudes jumping around in Mario Bros. suits and stuff. But it's the patented brand of Mega64 funny-- video game characters accosting random (and not so random) people on the street-- that makes their work worth our few seconds of download time.Please, click on the limited-edition post break, and watch the movie that your whole family is sure to love!
GameJew stalks Miyamoto, sings him a song
Most fans stalk their role models for a handshake, an autograph, or a quick photo. Not Jonathan Mann, a.k.a. GameJew. Sporting a full Mario costume and carrying a guitar, Mann tailed Shigeru Miyamoto at this year's GDC hoping to get a chance to sing him "his song." It took five days and several brush-bys, but in the end Jonathan got his wish. Check out the video and pray to the gods on Mt. Olympus that the song doesn't get stuck in your head.Although it is kind of catchy.
GDC 07: ... and that's a wrap!
Well, now that GDC '07 has come to an end, it's time to look back over the DS Fanboy experience. Here, you'll find all of the GDC news and content in one convenient location. Even without a lot of direct information from Nintendo, it was still a great show for DS fans.News:Classic Suda 51 weirdness hitting the DSThe Ward sneaks into the newsMiyamoto keynote reveals design inspirationThe making of Ouendan and Elite Beat AgentsBarnyard Blast: Swine of the NightMakeup and Japanese housewife simsHousewife Superstar: home-ec minigamesSquare Enix demos game development gameHands-on impressions:Phantom Hourglass impressionsPokemon Pearl impressionsPhantom Hourglass multiplayer mode demoedVideo:Phantom Hourglass footageMiscellaneous:Even Reggie's limo driver is famous!DS Fanboy lands at GDC: what to expect
GDC 07: Look at that Miyamoto keynote line
In taking video of roughly half the line outside of the entry to Miyamoto's keynote at GDC, we're shocked and amazed at just how incredibly large the line is. Certainly all of these people could not have gotten into the keynote? Regardless, it demonstrates just how much of a legend the man is in the industry. We're still bummed he only had the one announcement, though.Check past the post break for the video.[Via Joystiq]
GDC 07: Miyamoto keynote video
There are dozens of clips floating around from Shigeru Miyamoto's keynote yesterday, but IGN has streaming video of the entire event available for your anxious eyes. You won't find any megaton announcements or landmark revelations, but the presentation is full of insights on "the Nintendo Difference" from the company's preeminent game designer. What's Miyamoto's primary focus when developing a game? Why did it take 20 years before he could finally use his face creation software in a complete game? And whatever happened to Mario 128? If you have a free hour and a half, watch the keynote and find out.
GDC 07: Nintendo execs on nerdiest shirt ever
The best thing about the massive popularity of the Wii is that eventually we'll be able to wear something like this and not have to explain it. We can already imagine explaining to our grandparents that they're caricatures of prominent figures in a Japanese video game company, created using tools on that company's latest video game system. Oh, and we talk about these people a lot, for work.This GDC '07 shirt features Mii versions of Satoru Iwata, Shigeru Miyamoto, and Reggie Fils-Aime. We'd totally wear it-- we're not out to win any popularity contests.
Today's queueiest game video: Miyamoto keynote line
It took a good four minutes to traverse roughly half the line that circled a whole city block around the Moscone center's South Hall. We know your time is important, though, so we sped the above up to double speed.
Miyamoto Mii graces Nintendo chests
Perched proudly on the chests (okay, the shirts) of every employee at the Nintendo expo booth is an adorable Miyamoto Mii -- the same one he showed off a few moments ago in his keynote. Though last night's Lifetime Achievement winner graces the fronts of men and women workers alike, this particular Miyamoto came off a female chest. You know what that means: if you try to sneak a peak at those cute Nintendo blonds, you're bound to get nothing but an eyeful of Miyamoto's cheerful but knowing smile.
GDC 07: Super Mario Galaxy screenshots and footage from Miyamoto's Keynote
Scrutinizing Miyamoto's GDC keynote for information on upcoming games might have been about as productive as trying to squeeze water from a rock, but the new Super Mario Galaxy gameplay trailer and screenshots that were brought out did not disappoint.Along with the clips of planet-hopping and lava stages that we've already seen, we were treated to shots of climbable vines, menacing Thwomps, and ... Planets made of fruit? There are a lot more surprises in the video, but don't take our word for it! Check it out and let us know what you think.
GDC 07: Miyamoto keynote reveals design inspiration
Shigeru "The Man" Miyamoto has just finished speaking at the GDC in San Francisco. A massive crowd waited for the famed Nintendo designer to discuss the inspirations behind his game designs. See how Mii evolved from early NES concept, and read about a brand new Wii channel that Miyamoto is working on. The full Nintendo Wii/DS Fanboy liveblogging transcript is available after the break.
Joystiq and Engadget live at Nintendo's 2007 GDC keynote
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Live_Coverage_of_Nintendo_s_GDC_Keynote_2'; 10:07 a.m.: We're sitting at the Miyamoto keynote. We count five screens of nine Wii logos apiece, totaling 45 Wii logos. That's a lot of Wii! The podium glows blue with a white Nintendo logo and the background shows an effervescent blue cloud that fits accordingly to the inoffensive electronic beats. 10:08 a.m.: More Daft Punk, just like yesterday's Sony keynote -- only this time, it's the original. Perhaps it's a subtle allusion how Nintendo and Sony view each other -- old-school originality vs. technically proficient remixing. Yes, we went there.10:20 a.m.: A GDC helper, um, person informs us to make more efficient use of our seating positions. "The place is going to be packed," he says. People nod right before averting their eyes from the garish green shirt he's wearing. 10:25 a.m.: People continue to pour in and fill up the cheap seats. Luckily, prestigious press people like us get reserved space up front. Suckers!
Joystiq not-so-live coverage of the IGF and GDCA awards
6:20 p.m.: The Joystiq crew walks the red carpet, because we're just that important.6:33 p.m.: Gnarls Barkley's cover of the Violent Femmes' "Gone Daddy Gone" is blasting as we find seats in the press section. Cushy seats with recline-able chairs.6:42 pm: Sam and Max introduce the start for the independent games festival. The mention of projectile vomiting is disturbing, but welcoming somehow. 6:43 pm: Jamil Moledina and Simon Carless march onto stage, noting that the show is being broadcast to the entire world. We sense somewhat sinister undertones.
