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mr driller drill puzzle

Hideo Yoshizawa, who previously worked on the Mr. Driller series, has said that he has ideas for the franchise that go beyond the puzzle genre.

“I would like to make one if I was given the opportunity,” Yoshizawa told Retro Gamer when asked why Namco didn’t expand the universe into other types of games like platformers. “I actually have some ideas, such as making various vehicles move using the drill or flying though the skies by putting an airscrew on his drill.”

Star Fox crew name origins

Dylan Cuthbert, a programmer and director for the Star Fox series, has spoken about how the names of the crew were decided. This was shared in a special 30th anniversary celebration video.

Cuthbert shared the following:

Christ Pratt Mario movie casting

A lot has been made about Chris Pratt voicing Mario in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. As the lead of the film, nailing that character and choosing the right actor for the role is one of the most important aspects of the whole project.

Aaron Horvath, one of the directors on The Super Mario Bros. Movie, recently explained why Pratt landed the role of Mario. He told Total Film magazine that it “made total sense” and he’s “really good at playing a blue-collar hero with a ton of heart.”

Mario popularity

When you think about games and the most popular characters in the medium, Mario has to be there as one of the top choices. He’s been around for decades, in multiple titles and genres – and now he’s even getting his own animated movie.

So what’s been behind Mario’s long-term popularity? Shigeru Miyamoto, the character’s creator, recently shared some thoughts.

In an interview with NPR, Shigeru Miyamoto was asked about what Nintendo will be like when he’s gone. But in his view, he doesn’t think much will change.

Miyamoto explained to the outlet that many people within the company – including those who work on Mario games – “all have this sense of what it means to be Nintendo.” He also pointed out how many new ideas often have the essence of Nintendo.

Miyamoto’s full words:

Shigeru Miyamoto story

Over the years, Shigeru Miyamoto has been painted as a developer who isn’t interested in having stories be a central part of his games. Some have taken it a step further and believe that he’s openly against them.

Mario, the most well-known franchise Miyamoto created, has generally been about gameplay with the plot being almost non-existent. Even with a franchise like The Legend of Zelda, the story hasn’t exactly been front and center.

In an interview with IGN, Miyamoto was able to clarify his stance. He mentioned how it’s not about complex stories being unnecessary, but another aspect is “to focus on a gameplay experience that gets you to try things over and over again.”

Shigeru Miyamoto Steven Spielberg Disney

In a recent interview, Shigeru Miyamoto stated that he doesn’t like being compared to Steven Spielberg, but is “honored” by Disney comparisons.

Miyamoto has drawn various comparisons due to his creations and contributions in the gaming world for multiple decades. He ushered in Mario, one of the most recognizable characters and well-regarded franchises as well as other hits like The Legend of Zelda. Steven Spielberg has seen similar success within the film industry and has been behind many iconic films of his own.

When asked by GameSpot about comparisons to Spielberg and those who say that Nintendo is the Disney of the video game world, Miyamoto mentioned:

Pokemon Scarlet Violet performance issues

In an interview with Financial Post, Nintendo of Canada general manager Susan Pennefather commented on the performance issues players have experienced in Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet.

The biggest problem facing the two games currently concerns the frame rate. During normal gameplay, the action can chug and dip quite heavily. Some have also encountered glitches and general wonkiness while out in the open world.

Speaking with Financial Post, Pennefather had this to say:

Persona 3 Portable 4 Golden developer interview

In this week’s issue of Famitsu, Persona team business producer Atsushi Nomura and Persona team director Daisuke Yajima discussed the work and challenges involved in bringing Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden to new platforms.

Persona 4 Golden did end up on PC back in 2020, but Persona 3 Portable is making its first appearance outside of the PSP. Both also just appeared on home consoles for the first time.

Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series development challenges

Ryo Ishida, the producer of Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series, has spoken about what challenges were involved in remastering Klonoa 2.

The Switch release includes two games. Since the collection used the Wii remake of Klonoa: Door to Phantomile, that game was likely easier to work with. However, Klonoa 2’s last appearance was on PlayStation 2 in 2001.


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