Miyamoto’s complete comments about 2D and 3D Mario titles on 3DS

We gave you a rundown about what Shigeru Miyamoto had to say about bringing both 2D and 3D Mario titles to the 3DS, but now his full remarks are available. You can see what he said below.

“This is not confined to Mario games, but when a game is made in 3D, we can make the players feel that the game is more alive, and the developers are able to incorporate more tricks for the players to enjoy. For its ability to provide the players with more choices or freedom in the gaming world, 3D is more suited.

On the other hand, there are also people who can’t stand even the slightly more complicated looks of 3D. In fact, with 3D games, game-play control has to become more complex. When the developers include all the functions in order to cater to the anticipated demands from the players who, as they gradually progress deeper into the 3D world, will want to do more and more, the game in the end inevitably will look extremely complex for the novice players. I mean, even though players will realize that the games are not complex when they actually play them, 3D games look complicated for those who see them for the first time.

From that perspective, as you indicated in your question, the consumer base of the “Super Mario” series has narrowed from when we launched “Super Mario 64.” However, we’ve been striving to make 3D games which can enable you to have the “I’m actually in the game field now” feeling and which can provide you with more fun options to choose from in the game field and, at the same time, which can be played by anyone. We’ve been developing the “Super Mario Galaxy” series with such a mission in mind. By launching “Super Mario Galaxy 2,” we have invited a number of people who didn’t use to play any 3D games to the world of 3D Mario, I think. Simultaneously, we have been making 2D games because leveraging upon and making improvements on 3D games alone cannot satisfy all the game players. We have made “New Super Mario Bros.” for Nintendo DS and “New Super Mario Bros. Wii” with such an objective. These 2D games are easy to understand and accessible to anyone. Even if the players only play for a short time, they can feel satisfied. After all, video games are not only about conquering all the stages. What is more important is the fun the players can feel as a result of the play. The 2D games have the advantage of delivering that sensation more easily to the players.

As for Nintendo 3DS, of course, we’ll be making both types of games. It’s not the issue of which is more attractive because each one has its own appeal. In the past 3D “Mario” games, and 3D “Zelda” games for that matter, if there were several floors at the same height, it was hard for the players to tell if each one of them was located with the same distance between them or if just one was further away and higher than the other floors. On Nintendo 3DS, you can readily understand the height and distance of the next floor in front of you. You can feel the difference by switching between the 2D and 3D modes. You might have had a hard time trying to jump on a stump or to hit a floating question-mark block in 3D Mario until now, but you will be able to do so easily on Nintendo 3DS. In addition, Mario and Link will both have more vivid presences. When I make games, I take great care of such details as the body weights of the players’ characters. When the character jumps, can the player feel the weight? When the character lands, does the land feel like it is acting as a cushion? How long should the character stand still in order for the player to feel the weight of the character’s body? I think about a number of such details. By making 3D games on Nintendo 3DS, such minute details can be felt, and the players can feel as if the world exists.

Talking about 2D games on Nintendo 3DS, those who have played 2D Mario so far can understand that the developers were unable to do a lot of tricks which made use of the depth of the screen. For example, when “Wiggler” or “Bullet Bill” fly towards you from a distance, if the developers try to incorporate the depth of the screen, you cannot tell if and when these characters hit you. But such tricks shall be available on Nintendo 3DS.

We have tried many things, including when we made games on Virtual Boy. We have some ideas for a “Mario” game which has depth in the screen. So, for both 2D and 3D games, we are excited to be able to make new tricks on Nintendo 3DS.”