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spritecell-com · 11 months ago

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Shigeru Miyamoto interview from Micom BASIC (February 1989)

The following is translation of a review of Super Mario Bros. 3 written by Akira Yamashita for the February 1989 issue of Micom BASIC Magazine as the 7th entry in his “Serious Play, Sincere Review” (ホンキでPlay, ホンネでReview) series of articles. It contains commentary by none other than Shigeru Miyamoto himself on the development of the game and its design choices. The review was written a few months after the release of Mario 3 and provide a few insights of not only of how game was received in Japan, but also how it compares to other games available in the market at the time thanks to Mr. Yamashita’s tremendous insights.

There’s also a list of recommended 2-players games for the Famicom that I decided to leave out, but I might translate it too and edited into the article at a later date if there’s demand for it.

Profile of Shigeru Miyamoto

Name: Shigeru Miyamoto

D.O.B: November 16, 1952 (Sonobe, Kyoto)

Employed by Nintendo Co., Ltd after graduating from the Kanazawa University of Arts on April 1977. He became involved in game development in 1979, working as a character designer in titles such as Space Fever and Space Firebird. Currently works as manager of Nintendo’s R&D department 2.

Work History

Arcade: Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr., Mario Bros.

Famicom (as director & game designer): Hogan’s Alley, Excitebike, Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Wild Gunman, Duck Hunt, Devil World, Spartan X [aka Kung-Fu]

Famicom (as producer): The Adventure of Link, Doki Doki Panic, Super Mario Bros. 3, Shin Onigashima, Famicom Grand Prix: F1 Race, Volley Ball, 3D Hot Rally

The Culmination of The Athletic Game Genre

Athletic Game - This is the term that Mr. Shigeru Miyamoto and Nintendo uses to collectively refer to Super Mario-like games. Specifically it refers to games where slightly large characters move around the screen and jumps serve as the basic action.

Indeed. Mr. Miyamoto’s career has been in a cycle. Ever since Donkey Kong, the first time he ever worked as a game designer, it appears he has an inseparable bond with the athletic game genre.

First of all, any game in which almost all the characters are pushed out to the front (including “athletic games”) can be divided in the following sub-categories depending on the objective the player needs to fulfill in order clear a single stage.

A so-called “chase game” where the purpose is to avoid obstacles and enemies while doing a certain task (such as eating all the dots or reaching the exit). Examples include Pac-Man, Mappy and Chuck’n Pop.

A game where the objective is to defeat a set amount of enemies such as Dig Dug or Bubble Bobble.

Donkey Kong, Mr. Miyamoto’s maiden title, clearly belonged to the first category (although it might be a bit misleading to call it a “chase game”, since the enemies and obstacles only move at a regular pace). I remember it felt pretty fresh at the time to play a game made basically about “jumping”.

The objective of the game was changed for the original Mario Bros., which now felt into the second category. In addition to the Jump from Donkey Kong, Mario Bros. introduced “headbutting” as a new method for defeating enemies - This was very groundbreaking. Usually in a second category game, it was expected for the player to shoot bullets or some kind of equivalent. Substituting that with such an unusual method as “headbutting” was the nature, and significance, of the original Mario Bros. When it comes to games that feature unique methods of defeating enemies, it is surprising rare for titles released prior to Mario Bros. The games that suddenly comes to mind are titles such as Heiankyō Alien, where you dig and fill-in holes, and Libble Rabble, which employs a unique method called “bashishi”. [Translator’s note: The “bashishi” refers to the ability to destroy enemies by using a strand tied to two arrows to enclose them.]

And with Super Mario Bros. released for the Famicom [NES], the ingenuity was further expanded. “Stomping” on enemies has been added as a gameplay element in addition to jumping and headbutting, as well as the option for “Fire Mario” in order to satisfy the desires of players who wanted to shoot bullets. When you consider the type, it’s basically a Category 1 game, but it brings up the image of a Category 2 game to the player, creating a brilliant fusion of both types.

“It’s a type of game that is easily approachable for younger inexperienced players, but can also be played by experienced hardcores without getting tired of it. It’s a fun game, even when you’re just watching other people play from the sidelines. That’s the sort of game that I wanted to create.”

Miyamoto explained why he stepped into the so-called “athletic game” genre (which is a label that I don’t mind using). Super Mario Bros. 3, a game which satisfies such conditions, can be said to be the culmination of the genre.

Some of the Virtues of Super Mario 3

Super Mario Bros. 3 was a huge hit that by the end of 1988 there was even a shortage of supply. I think the following aspects should be noted.

Caption: A card-flipping minigame similar to concentration. There are many hidden items such as 1UPs, Starmen, coins. Since there are only eight patterns to the distribution of the cards, it’s not impossible to memorize them and get a perfect.

Caption:

At a first glance it seems like a picture-matching game. You can stop the wheel (?) with the push of a button. If you can memorize the pattern, you can combine the picture into a starman and earn a shocking amount of five extra lives. It’s a perfect aid.

The Spirit of Aiding - Because 1UP mushrooms are plentiful compared to the previous two Mario games, and it’s also easy to get extra lives through minigames such as the picture roulette and concentration, it’s almost hard to get to the Game Over screen. Moreover, I’m glade there are aids that have been employed, such as the technique of picking up consecutive starmen, that take into consideration how well you can play the game comfortably.

The Presentation - Despite being an action game, considerable effort has been put into the game’s presentation in otherwise mundane places. For example, the kings that appear at the end of each world has been transformed into a different animal, in World 4 there levels where you can switch between normal-sized version and a version where all the enemies and environments are larger than usual, and in World 5 there’s a tower that you can climb which takes you to the heavens, where you will find the castle at the end. There’s no limit to the examples I can give. This is a significant improvement over the first two Super Mario games thanks to the increasement of the game’s ROM size. If there is one aspect I think could’ve been improved, was the presentation of the ending could’ve been better.

Scrolling Ideas - It’s rare for a single game to employ various methods of scrolling. There’s free-scrolling with your character, forced-scrolling to the right (and ocassionally diagonally), hi-speed scrolling, ect. The highlights are the flying airships that you enter at the end of each World. Like in Stage 3 of the arcade game R-Type (which also involved moving around a giant airship), you must carefully navigate your character while the stage scrolls through various directions in order to avoid being crush by a wall. While these ideas have been employed by other games in the past, they still deserve merit for the way they’re employed here.

The Music - I believe the soundtrack to Super Mario Bros. 3 will go down as one of the best in Famicom music’s history. In addition to the sense and atmosphere that makes you feel the uniqueness of each world, what is truly amazing is that they managed to devise a program that makes sound sampling on the Famicom possible. That’s real. Those are the sounds of a real kettledrum and a bassdrum that were recorded through sampling. Following the release of the game, rumors spread that the Super Mario Bros. 3 cartridge employed an integrated chip specifically for the sampled sounds, but Mr. Miyamoto clearly denied such a thing.

Caption: The king who appears in the castle at the end of Worlds 1 through 7 are each transformed into a different animal. You might find yourself laughing at the unexpected transformations. By the way, do you know what happens if you clear a World as Frog Mario?

The Peculiar Details and the Difficulty Setting

Caption: The airship from World 8 is said to be one of the most difficult levels in Super Mario 3. Because of its uneven footholds, along with its high-speed scrolling, the results are quite bad. Perhaps you might even need the P-Wings if you can’t clear it normally.

Caption: Among the enemies with individual patterns in the game, Boo has the most unique concept out of all of them. She only approaches gradually while Mario has his back turned on her. Each of these character establishes have good sense in them.

As mentioned above, Super Mario Bros. 3 has several aspects that are a rank higher than other games. However, when you take into account the game as a whole, it could be said that the secret to its popularity lies in how the details were set. The experts at Nintendo have crafted detailed maps, along with enemy characters that exists mainly to raise the quality of the game, that help motivate players.

Of course, you can’t ignore the perfectly exquisite difficulty setting. When I was playing for the first time, there were many stages where I thought “gah, I hope I don’t have to repeat this again!” Yet, strangely enough, most of the levels can actually be cleared without much of an effort. Although, you could say it depends on how you memorize the level designs, it is at that moment that you truly believe that you’re skilled. It is evident that you gain experience from playing Super Mario Bros. 3 and level-up at a very fast-rate.

Once you’ve become truly skilled, that’s when you start pursuing artistry in your play style. On a certain rough spot, could it be possible to clear it elegantly on the quickest time possible? With that in mind, perhaps the best strategy for certain stages is to aim for a non-stop completion. In fact, if you jump while doing the B-dash, it is possible to stomp on a Goomba and such with dead-on timing.

Caption: For example, when you’re on top of the T-shaped pies in World 1-2 if you’re run off with the B-dash and do a large jump with a clack, you can step on a Para-Goomba like this. If you’re confident in your skills, you might want to try challenging your friends over who has the faster completion time in certain stages (although, it might be foolish to try this on a forced-scrolling level). You may also want to record your own nonstop gameplays on video to make your own “Super Mario Bros.3 Perfect Strategy Video”.

Mr. Miyamoto comments on the excess that led to such a strange setting being accepted by players

“I believe the reason why our players have support our games to such an extent is because we do our work with the utmost sincerity. ‘Don’t make the consumers feel like they’re lost - That’s our policy. Also we never try to deviate from our original intent, our original concept, even if a similar game is released before finish ours. If you do that, then it will be inevitable are that your game’s settings and balance will be ruined.”

It was through this interview that I’ve come to the realization that Mr. Miyamoto is truly one of Japan’s leading video game designers with his firm grasp on video game development.

The Greatest Theme: 2-Player Simultaneous Play

Caption: In 2-players mode, if Mario and Luigi enter the same area, the original Mario Bros. will somehow begin play (this is no hoax). You can understand the importance that Mr. Miyamoto is placed on 2-players gameplay.

“The biggest theme of Super Mario Bros. 3 was making a game that was fun for 2 people to play”

I was a bit surprised by Mr. Miyamoto’s statement. I was aware that Super Mario Bros. 3 has a mode where two players take turns between Mario and Luigi. For example, if Mario completes World 1-1, then it’s Luigi’s turn to play World 1-2, which feels a bit odd at first. I’ve never paid much attention to this mode until Mr. Miyamoto mentioned it. What was his purpose for adding such a mode? The following is his answer.

“In Super Mario Bros. 3, I wanted to give players a ‘field where two people can play together’. For example, you can have a skilled play help out his unskilled sister proceed through the game through cooperation, or have a pair of friends compete to see who gets the highest score. Therefore, when playing in 2-players mode, I would be glad if they approach it like a board game and use the whistles to instantly access any of the 8 worlds they like.”

This could indeed be said to be a challenge to create a new 2-players game for Miyamoto, who made one of the biggest 2-players game ever, the original Mario Bros. However, Miyamoto himself was not satisfied with the 2-players play of Super Mario Bros. 3.

Perhaps there are readers who are thinking “Why don’t they just put Mario and Luigi on-screen in Super Mario Bros. at the same time? That’s such a brilliant idea! Maybe I should become a game designer”, but such an idea is short-sighted. Just having Mario and Luigi on-screen at the same time wouldn’t be viable. To be precise, it’s not impossible, but the quality of the game would suffer.

Figure 1: A situation in 2-players co-op

Let met get into the specifics. Let’s supposed there’s a version of Super Mario Bros. where two players can play simultaneously. Now, consider the situation shown in Figure 1. Mario will naturally try to avoid the Venus Fire Trap by moving towards the right (the direction of the scrolling), but he can’t because Luigi is on the other end of the screen. As a result, a tragedy will occur and Mario will be struck by fire. There’s also the problem that Mario cannot see the enemies that will appear ahead of him since he’s too close to the edge of the screen. In terms of the situation described above, it’s almost impossible to play Super Mario Bros. with two players at the same time, unless forced-scrolling is employed.

Caption: This is Alien Syndrome, an arcade game by Sega. The gruesomeness of the monsters was nice, but during 2-players mode, I was also concerned on where to scroll as well.

With that said, there has been plenty of free-scrolling multiplayer games in the past ,especially arcade games. Titles such as Alien Syndrome, Ikari Warriors and its sequels, Rock ‘n Rage, Dark Adventure, Quartet, and many more. Anyone who has played this game with partner has likely experienced the frustration of screaming while seeing their character died on-screen because the screen wasn’t scrolling like it should. It can be asserted that these types of multiplayer games are absolutely unreasonable systematically. Multiplayer games are only possible either, with a fixed screen or with auto-scrolling - that’s my theory.

Caption: Although it was an early Famicom games, Devil World must be seen for its scrolling ideas. When I was told this was a Shigeru Miyamoto game, I was pretty convinced.

On a side-note, one 2-players game that impressed me with its scrolling was Devil World, a previous game by none other than Mr. Miyamoto himself. This was a game where the direction of the auto-scrolling changes as indicated by the devil at the top of the screen. Although one of the game’s flaws is that the logic behind the scrolling couldn’t be understood during a 2-players game, the concept of an auto-scrolling game that changes direction is still impressive even in this age.

What’s Next For Nintendo’s Top Designer?

Usually this would be part where I would mention the aspects of the game in which I was unsatisfied with and come up with suggestions on how to improve them, but unfortunately (or not).

If I may mention a few things, perhaps the game might be too difficult to players who have never played the previous Mario games or the game might take too many hours to complete if you intend on completing it without using warp zones. With that said, it’s a pretty good game when you consider that those are the only flaws I could think of.

Is Mr. Miyamoto, who served as producer of this super game, going to continue making games like this? This is a question that is of the interest of many videogame fans. At the end of this interview, while the answer was a bit abstract, I was still able to get it from him .

“I have been in charge of game direction until now. Of course, I will continue doing so in the future, but when the time is right, I would also like to work on planning out a gameplay system too.”

System planning - While Mr. Miyamoto said this quite bluntly, he seems to have considerable preparedness for it. The fact that most recent games don’t have their gameplay systems designed for them, but rather they simply rearrange existing systems, is a situation that Mr. Miyamoto himself is coming to grasp, even though most players can’t imagined it from their standpoint.

What kind of gameplay system is Mr. Miyamoto thinking of? I’ve asked him for the specifics.

“There are many talented creators involved in other industries such as novel authors and filmmakers. Now if only someone would create a system, or perhaps a field, in which such people could get involved in game development with ease… My dream is to create a point of contact for creators active in fields other than video game development.”

In our current situation, it’s pretty difficult to create an interesting game if you don’t already know anything about videogames to some extent. But perhaps, with some kind of tool or aid, we will see infinite possibilities in the game industry that we’ve ever seen before.

Mr. Miyamoto brought up an RPG that is being developed by Nintendo with the cooperation of writer Mr. Shigesato Itoi, best known for his coverage of Namco’s Family Stadium baseball video game “Please look forward to it” remarks Mr. Miyamoto. [TL’s note: Of course, that RPG would be none other than the original MOTHER, which Mr. Yamashita himself would review in a later issue.]

1989 will be an intense year, not just for the Super Famicom, but Nintendo’s software development department in general. [TL’s note: At the time, the Super Famicom was expected to be released in 1989 in Japan, but it was ultimately delayed to 1990.]

Miyamoto’s History of Athletic Games

Donkey Kong (June 1981, Arcade) - The originator of the athletic game genre, as well as the first game Miyamoto was involved as a game designer. Despite the fixed screen format and simple controls that consists of a joystick for moving and a jump button, the game was rich in its variety that it showed. Perhaps it might had been the first game to ever have a jump button, but I can’t say for sure.

Donkey Kong Jr. (July 1982, Arcade) - The sequel to Donkey Kong featured a bold setting in which the roles of the protagonist and antagonist from the previous game were switched. While the gameplay system remained largely unchanged, the switch to a larger protagonist brought on many new ideas. This has been the only game to ever feature Mario as antagonist.

Mario Bros. (April 1983, Arcade) - A game that brought-in 2-players co-op to the gameplay cultivated by Donkey Kong. Both players can proceed throughout the stages in various ways, whether it is by cooperating with each other or by pulling each others’ legs trying to kill each other. It is considered to be one of the greatest 2-players simultaneous game in history.

Super Mario Bros. (September 1985, Famicom) - The game that served as the turning point for the athletic game genre, expanding from a fixed screen to side-scrolling. It would go on to become the biggest hit game for the Famicom, becoming a huge influence to the industry along with Dragon Quest.

Super Mario Bros. 2 [Japanese version] (June 1986, Famicom Disk) - A sequel known for its hellish difficulty, it was aimed specifically at players who mastered the first game. The game is filled with many situations in which the levels can only be cleared using advanced techniques. With that said, the gameplay system was almost unchanged from the original. There were many people who bought the Disk System add-on just for this game.

Yume Kojō: Doki Doki Panic (July 1987, Famicom Disk) - A game produced in cooperation with the Fuji TV’s event Yume Kōjō. While the game wasn’t much of a success, many of its ideas would go on to inspire Super Mario Bros. 3. In fact, a graphically modified version was released for the NES in North America as its version of Super Mario Bros. 2.

Super Mario Bros. 3 (October 1988, Famicom) - The third installment of the Super Mario series was developed with the idea of rearranging the original with a much larger ROM size. In addition to the high degree of completeness, we cannot overlook the amount of new ideas that were enthusiastically inserted into the game. The hard work that has put into the game can be felt by its presentation.

Super Mario Bros. 4 (working title) - Scheduled to be released this October as one of the launch titles for the Super Famicom. [TL’s note: The Super Famicom wouldn’t be released in Japan until 1990] Our curiousity over the kind of Super Mario game that this new machine will be capable of is endless. One can only expect as much from Mr. Miyamoto’s skills as a producer.

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spritecell-com · 2 years ago

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Enter the N64... Interview with Shigeru Miyamoto from 1997

Similar to a post from last year, I’ve decided to dig into some of my prized magazines and look for interesting articles worthy of another chance. The following is an interview with Shigeru Miyamoto (one of the few names in this world that dispenses any introductions) that took place in Madrid in early 1997. Those were the days before the great release of the console in PAL territories, also at a time when peripherals like the DD64 and the Satellaview were still a great enigma in the minds of faithful fans. Miyamoto’s answers are very enlightening and almost prophetic. Here he speaks about the development of several games from Mario 64 to Zelda 64, also mentioning the making of Yoshi’s Island 64 and a secret project he claimed to be different from all the rest – perhaps Dōbutsu no Mori at an early phase? Additionally, there are also some interesting considerations regarding 3D games and online gaming.

I particularly enjoy his honesty. Hobby Consolas, who had nothing to lose, made some rather unsettling questions regarding Nintendo and the competition but Miyamoto was up to the challenge. I hope that this small interview might bring to mind some of those long lost details from the time of the 64-Bit revolution as well as some further insight as to the true nature of Nintendo.

Shigeru Miyamoto

The genius at the shadow of the N64

Since the beginning, Shigeru Miyamoto has always been the authentic representative of Nintendo. But now, with the arrival of the N64, his responsibilities have increased even more. He is the creator of the best games – among them Super Mario 64 and Zelda 64 – supervising all the software developed for the console and selecting its accessories and adapters. No one in the world knows more about this system than he does, so if his opinion interests you, please don’t lose the details of this most interesting interview that he gave to us exclusively.

- After having worked on that masterpiece called “Super Mario 64”, what are you working on right now?

I have three main occupations. My main task consists of working very close to all game directors. At present, I am immersed in some 5 games at the same time. I also work sometimes as supervisor for other companies and now I am close to approximately 10 games. Moreover, I also work for the creation of a Mario Paint-like system and in the creation of titles in the style of SimCity. Lastly, I’m working on a new type of game, a basic and independent system for the DD64.

(Translator’s note: the original text was surely mistranslated, as the original answer from the interviewee might have been related to him working on game editing systems similar to Mario Paint and SimCity)

- What lessons have you learned while directing Super Mario 64 regarding 3D games?

I think that 3D games are the product of the developer’s selfishness, since we don’t still know how to make a game that corresponds to the selfishness of the users. It’s not a new lesson, since this has been learned before with the CHIP FX games, but Mario 64 has confirmed us the importance of making games that adapt to the desires of users. What we learned using this game was the potential of the N64. During programming of the game we found many topics that could be modified or improved in the development process of the game that we’re taking into consideration now as we develop Zelda 64. Mario 64 has been a test launch of sorts for Zelda.

- What sort of response did the N64 get from Japanese users?

Well, I received many letters from fans, including from school children that have collected the 120 stars of the game. Some school kids are better than me at playing Mario 64! That makes me think that it has caused a good impression.

- What happens when you do collect the 120 stars?

Then you obtain the special prize of 100 lives. Furthermore, when you’re watching the final scene, you can change the perspective.

- What responses have you received regarding the analogue control?

I think it has been accepted by the majority of people, except for a few claiming that it doesn’t feel right to them. Although almost everyone thinks that once you’ve used this pad, you can no longer do without it.

- Was it a surprise for you that SEGA and Sony also released their analog Joysticks?

Not at all. I knew that if we’d release something new, others would end up imitating us.

- Why wasn’t Zelda presented at the Shoshinkai?

This time we wanted to center on the hardware more than anything else. In fact, I didn’t even think about showing the video demo. We didn’t want people to mistake the game for the DD64. Our priority is to establish a strong market based on cartridges.

- Do you think you’ve attained that goal?

I think we’re in the right path to make it happen in Japan. I think it will take a year or maybe a year and a half to do it. We hope to achieve a more complete catalogue to support the N64 by the end of next year.

- Do you think that cartridges are the optimum support for software?

I think we have created enough games to demonstrate that the cartridge is still a very important media. Unfortunately, many users don’t see things this way and still believe the CD ROM is the future and that the cartridge is obsolete. We have managed something with the software, but we still haven’t persuaded every Japanese consumer.

- The cartridges can use up to 64 Megabytes. How do you think they might evolve in the future?

Perhaps they might become cheaper. I can predict that cartridges will have 128 Megabytes come next year. In two years… I can’t tell.

- Why did you decide to do Yoshi’s Island in 2D?

In fact, when we started to work on the N64 we wanted to make a game in 2,5D (with 3D levels but with 2D game play). It would be a very approachable game for all audiences. Because of that we decided to make Yoshi’s Island in 2,5D. As you know, the original SUPER NES game uses the chip FX, but we wanted to do something more, although it was not possible due to the limitations of this system. So that’s why we now want to make what wasn’t possible to do on the 16bit in this N64 version. The 3D graphics are very flashy, but we wanted to use more artistic graphics. The game will be like an animation movie and that sort of aesthetics can only be achieved in 2D.

- Does that mean that better graphics can be achieved in 2D than in 3D?

No, I’m not saying that. It’s a simple matter of tastes. The polygons offer a kind of solid graphics. If you enjoy them there’s no problem with that. But those polygons need to use the mapping of textures and that supposes a series of limitations. When you work in 2D, you have almost infinite possibilities to apply color and textures to all designs: the artistic freedom thus multiplies. This sort of rich visuals can only be made in 2D.

- The rivals of Mario 64 are Crash Bandicoot, from Sony, and Nights, from Sega. What do you think about them?

It can become very easy for users to play and very easy for developers to create this sort of game. It’s all about a demonstration of what they propose and what we propose. We offer something very different with Mario 64.

- What can you tells us about a possible Mario 64 2?

That it will come cheaper if we present it with the DD64… (laughs). Well, I’ll think about it when I finish Zelda.

- Is Zelda your present priority?

Yes, Zelda and Starfox.

- Are you also participating on Mario Kart 64?

I am the producer and we have a great director in charge of the project, which is a big relief for me. We keep in touch through periodic meetings.

- When the SUPER NES was released, there were many original games (F-Zero, Pilot Wings…). Will all these games have their sequels as well, seen that Wave Race was also released previously on the Game Boy?

Wave Rave 64 is a completely different game on the Nintendo 64. It is true that we sometimes enjoy converting the same titles from other systems, but now I am studying the possibilities of releasing something very original. In fact I’m working on a project that could be ready in 1998. It’s a game that is very different from what we’ve done so far. But that’s all I can tell.

- Are you interested in On-line games?

In the future I might become interested since we are completely related with the entertainment business. We still don’t know if the industry in Japan will evolve towards a multi-player game system or an online multi-player mode. Personally I believe in a simple gaming system, easy to access and easy to play. The online games are more complicated and more difficult to play and I believe that it will take a lot of time before they establish themselves as a great market. Technically I’m interested in that theme, but I’m also much more interested in the game which four players can enjoy simultaneously in one same TV screen.

- Are you satisfied with the power of the N64?

Let’s say I’m not satisfied enough, but it’s really making a great job.

- What do you think about the Satellaview?

Technically, it becomes interesting to be able to send information directly to the N64 via satellite. But at present we’re only focused on sending information to the console using the control pads.

- You’ve mentioned before that the DD64 might make the prices of games cheaper, but also allowing many more possibilities since it’s recordable. Regarding this, what new ways are you exploring?

I think that the power of game development will multiply by two. We have a lot of ideas to fulfill, that we haven’t been able to do because we didn’t have the right system to support them. With the arrival of the DD64 we can make our dreams come true.

- For the first time, a home console is powerful enough to support Virtual Reality. Do you have any plan in this sense?

I can conceive that it could be used for a short period of enjoyment. But personally I’m worried about the possible risks for the body when a player uses a visor during long periods of time. In any case it could become interesting.

- Why do you think that the Japanese game creators are ahead of the Europeans and North-Americans?

Because we work harder… (laughs). Well, the truth is that there are very impressive companies in what concerns technology all around the world. I think that if they can tune into to Nintendo they can make great things. And I also think that, regarding 3D technology, the Japanese engineers are still way behind the Europeans and North-Americans. This is because the tools have not been created by the Japanese and, therefore, the instructions are all written in English. I think it will take at least a year before we reach the level of foreign programmers.

- Are you as fascinated about creating games as you were 10 years ago?

I’ve become somewhat lazy… but I’m doing all I can. When I’m working I’m much more efficient, but I’m working 80% of the time I used to work before.

- Do you think you’ve improved?

Do you? (laughs). I don’t know… sometimes I have the feeling that I’m doing the same thing I was doing 10 years ago…

- Nintendo is a game company mostly dedicated to younger audiences. Has it become harder for you to identify yourself with them as you grew older?

No, I don’t think so. I’ve always have in mind the idea of me as the buyer of the games I create.

- Do you think that games have truly improved or simply become technically more advanced?

I believe they have improved in all senses. Still my personal vision is that making games is like making a miniature garden which I keep in a box on top of my table. When I start creating the game, the concept is always there like the miniature garden, but the technology will never be able to live up to the concept.

[ From Hobby Consolas nr. 65 Year IV – read original article in Spanish ]

#shigeru miyamoto

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