Shigeru Miyamoto
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Who's got a Joystiq T-shirt?
Our limited-edition Joystiq T-shirts are rolling out to our biggest (and speediest) fans right now. Then there's our not as limited-edition Joystiq E3 shirts that we were giving out at the show. Did you grab enough business cards from Joystiqers on the show floor, like the Joystiq luchador did? Did you make it to the AOL booth during our short, one-hour handout? Or were you gracious enough to grant Joystiq an interview, like Peter, Perrin, Shane, and Miyamoto-san? If you're sporting a Joystiq tee, let us know what you think. Didn't get one? We'll be giving away the orange shirts on the site so keep your eyes peeled. And if you see somebody sporting one on the street, stop 'em and say hi. They're either Joystiq readers or one of us.Big thanks to Philip and Yann for the incredible designs. Seriously, we're humbled.
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.
E3 recreation: Miyamoto flashes gang sign
Late last night, Shigeru Miyamoto was spotted throwin' up his gang sign ... Wiiiii-siiiiide! [No pictures were snagged, so we pieced together this accurate recreation.]
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.
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.
Miyamoto on PS3: We're not competing
In a recent interview with the Guardian Gamesblog, esteemed game designer Shigeru Miyamoto was questioned about Sony's recent announcement of a PS3 delay. Rather than respond with an assortment of boomerang jokes, Mr. Miyamoto calmly stated that he simply doesn't view Sony's machine as competition. "It depends on what expectations people have of the PS3 and Revolution. Sony has taken a long time to create their machine but it is obvious that the direction we are taking is different to the PS3."It may seem like an arrogant stance, but when your machine literally eschews traditional controller design and the current trend of cramming more technological power into a box, it's a fair statement to make. He goes on to say that rather than taking on the other two corporate giants in terms of graphical power, Nintendo would rather stick with what they do best and create appealing games that strike a balance between technology and playability. On the other hand, it would perhaps be unwise to think that the PS3 (or Xbox 360) and Revolution aren't competitive in a traditional sense. After all, the end goals of providing a gamer with his entertainment are the same. The execution and mindset may differ, but it still boils down to giving you the games you want to play. Nintendo may very well be going after the untapped casual market but hardcore gamers, who fall under Sony and Microsoft's marketing umbrellas, are sure to be just as interested in the Revolution. What say you?[Via Eurogamer]
Miyamoto: Twilight Princess uses Revo controller
Has the saga finally come to a climactic end? It would seem that we can finally lay this epic opera of speculation, magical allusion and straightforward denial to a well deserved rest: According to a Nintendo of Europe interview with recently knighted design genius, Shigeru Miyamoto, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess will take advantage of the Revolution controller."I would say that we are progressing well with completing it. And one of the most important features is that, because Revolution can run GameCube software, when you play Twilight Princess on Revolution you can take advantage of the Revolution controller.”Now, how exactly one would take advantage of the Revolution controller is up for debate (get your mind out of the gutter, please), though we're quite prone to the idea of tossing boomerangs, swinging swords and ensnaring innocent fish. For the rest of the interview, you'll have to either get a bothersome Nintendo VIP membership upon following the link or pay a visit to the GAF forums. [Via GamersReports]
Miyamoto knighted in France
Today, Shigeru Miyamoto, along with Michel Ancel (Rayman, Beyond Good and Evil, King Kong) and Frederick Raynal (Alone in the Dark), became the first game creators to be knighted under France's Order of Arts and Letters. Technically, the accolade does not include the addition of "Sir" to one's name. But screw that. Three cheers for Sir Shiggy!Jeux-France has complete coverage.[Thanks, Tim; via GameBrink]
You may rise, Sir Shiggy
Eurogamer reports that masterful game designer Shigeru Miyamoto is set to be awarded with a knighthood in the Order of Arts and Letters next week by the French Minister of Culture. Though the ceremony will sadly be devoid of pompous accents, damsels in distress and fire-breathing dragons, one can easily draw parallels between the crusades of a knight against an evil king and Mr. Miyamoto's strive for innovation in a tough industry. But really, we just want to picture Shiggy running around in a suit of armor and lopping off limbs (it's only a flesh wound). He'll be joined on the occasion, which marks a first for game designers, by Frederick Raynal (Alone in the Dark) and the disinctly awesome Michel Ancel (Rayman, Rayman 2, Beyond Good & Evil, King Kong). Though we'd prefer they be rewarded with large cash prizes and instant sequel greenlights, a fancy French knighthood is at least indicative of some well deserved recognition for this trio of extremely talented game designers. Seriously, play their games.A further note of interest is that, unlike a British knighthood, the recipient of this award does not get to attach a regal "Sir" onto his name. That's quite a disappointment, what with "Sir Shiggy" having such a great ring to it. Are there any other game designers worthy of knighthood?
Shiggy to have live webchat
Nintendo's own Shigeru Miyamoto, the father of that lovable portly plumber and chicken-abusing Hyrulian, is to be conducting a live webchat this Friday via Webchats.tv. While the duration of this most magnificent event is only 30 minutes (being held between 2 and 2:30pm EST), Shiggy will in fact be taking questions. Here's your chance to try and squeeze some more Revolution information out of him. What questions would you like to ask Miyamoto-San? [Via Gamecloud]
Chat with Miyamoto
Nintendo has announced that its legendary designer, Shigeru Miyamoto, will be on hand to field questions and praise during a half hour webchat next week. The discussion looks to focus on the Nintendo DS, including insight into the New Super Mario Bros., but perhaps some skillful fans will be able to pry out some Revolution details (don't count on it). The webchat will be viewable at webchats.tv at 2 pm (Eastern) on March 17. Start submitting your questions now.
Shigeru Miyamoto to receive French honour
On the 13th of March, the French Minister for Culture and Communication will confer honours upon three game developers, admitting Michel Ancel, Frédérick Raynal and Shigeru Miyamoto to the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. Recognising contributions to French arts and culture, the Order is part of the French chivalry system.At Chevalier (Knight) rank, Miyamoto and the French developers will be among up to 200 new members this year. They join such past luminaries as Leonardo diCaprio and Bruce Willis as well as Philippe Ulrich, co-founder of Cryo Entertainment. With several OBEs awarded in Britain to game developers, it seems that games are becoming recognised as art--enough to deserve national honours, at least.[Thanks, Shiggy]
