Posted on 13 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

Some interesting tidbits about the Mario series have been shared in previous Iwata Asks articles. The latest interview is live, and features some surprising facts about previous plans for Super Mario Bros. According to Nintendo president Satoru Iwata and Shigeru Miyamoto, the original specifications for the game included a rifle, beam gun, and even plans for a rocket.

Iwata: And it says the A button is for kicking when empty-handed and also for using a rifle and a beam gun. Is this really for Super Mario Bros.?! (laughs)

Everyone: (laughs)

Miyamoto: He was going to use a beam gun when he flew on a cloud.

Iwata: Ever since the beginning, you imagined him flying in the sky?

Miyamoto: Yes. But at the time, it wasn’t on a cloud, but on a rocket.

Iwata: Huh? Mario flying on a rocket?! (laughs) Oh right, that’s on another page.

Miyamoto: I decided to divide the actions between ground and sky. I think I was still puzzling it out. Even though it was only six months before completion. (laughs)

Iwata: Still, I’m surprised that early on you didn’t use the A button to jump.

Miyamoto: I didn’t remember either!

Everyone: (laughs)

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Posted on 13 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, General Nintendo, News, Wii | 0 comments

Iwata’s response to an opinion that people will expect less from home consoles in the future…

“The question was if the value (created by home consoles) or ‘the rich experiences which could be realized only by home console video game systems’ have changed. Until recently, it was true that the focus had been placed significantly on the ‘rich experiences’ which were available because of such advantages as it could use the home electricity and, accordingly, home consoles have less restrictions in terms of power consumption, unlike portable devices which require batteries to operate, and that large and dynamic graphics can be created for the large monitor screens. But are these ‘rich experiences’ the only unique characteristics which could be realized solely by home console video games in the first place?

If such ‘rich experiences’ were actually the only uniqueness, home consoles would lose their meaning when battery-operated portable devices become capable of reproducing similar rich experiences. On the contrary, and this is something which started to be discussed when Wii made its debut in 2006, bigger screen TVs were entering our living rooms around that time, which enabled people to use their living rooms for a more broad range of purposes. More specifically, living rooms had morphed into play areas where people could move their bodies. This is one of the unique entertainment features that home console systems, not handheld devices, were able to realize.

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Posted on 13 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, General Nintendo, News, Wii | 0 comments

Last week, Satoru Iwata shared some interesting information about Zelda, 3DS system updates, and more at the company’s latest investor briefing. That wasn’t all the Nintendo president had to discusssed, though. Here’s what else he had to say:

– Nintendo believes the pack-in software for the 3DS is the equivalent of Wii Sports
– Nintendo is only releasing nintendogs + cats at launch to make way for third-parties
– Other software was finished before nintendogs + cats, but expect these titles to be released later
– Additional software hasn’t been announced, will be released this year
– Not as easy to get third-party support in the West because handhelds are downplayed
– Iwata feels that this importance will rise
– Nintendo will be looking to see how the West responds to 3DS and NGP

Thanks to Harry for the tip!

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Posted on 13 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

Edith Jeter was a huge Dragon Quest fan. In fact, she actually wrote in to Nintendo Power after Enix closed down, expressing her concern that the sixth game in the series would not be localized:

“I’m now 76 years old. I may not live long enough to see Dragon Quest VI unless someone takes action soon.” – Edith Jeter, Puyallup, WA

The letter above was published roughly fifteen years ago. While Dragon Quest VI never made it out of Japan on the SNES, the game is finally releasing for the DS in just a couple of weeks. But, sadly, Edith won’t have a chance to play the title. She passed away earlier this month at the age of 91.

Gamers have been leaving Edith some heartwarming messages on an online memorial, such as the following:

“Your letter in Nintendo Power Volume 82 was the first thing I thought of when I heard DQ6 was finally coming to America. I never knew you, but you and your family are in my thoughts and prayers.” – Joshua Kanary, Mentor, Ohio

Posted on 13 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

This information comes from Satoru Iwata, who was asked about Sony’s newly announced NGP…

“They’re trying to appeal to customers from a different direction than us. The customers will decide which is correct. Nintendo is not the kind of company that thinks about how we oppose other company’s product.”

Iwata also talked about the 3DS. Pre-orders in Japan are off to a good start, though Iwata is more interested in seeing continued sales rather than a “rocket start.” It was also revealed that a 3DS firmware update will be made available at the end of May to enhance wireless functionality and allow DSiWare transfers.

Lastly, regarding the possibility of putting original titles on non-Nintendo hardware, Iwata said “So long as I am CEO, it definitely will not happen.”

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Posted on 13 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

This information comes from Capcom’s Jun Takeuchi…

“In most cases, launch titles until now have used around 50% of the capabilities of the system. This time, we’re suddenly using up 80 to 90%.” He boasted that the game’s graphics are so good that they will make you ask “what is the difference between a portable game machine and a console!?”.

“We have titles for 2011 that have yet to be announced.”

Regarding the secret titles, Takauchi said that they are large scale projects. Both games will be revealed by the summer, though it isn’t clear if either game is for a Nintendo platform.

Takauchi also commented about the 3DS’ hardware. Takauchi appears to be impressed with the system’s graphical capabilities, and mainly pointed out Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater as one of the more interesting examples. Additionally, he feels that the 3DS will be able to do amazing things for those who implement inventive ideas and know how to use the hardware.

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Posted on 13 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News, Wii | 0 comments

The latest Iwata Asks is different than what we’ve become accustomed to. Although it was posted on The Last Story website, RPGs in general are the focus of the latest column. Satoru Iwata, Xenoblade director Tetsuya Takahashi, and The Last Story director Hironobu Sakaguchi participated in the interview.

– Takahashi and Sakaguchi were both working at Square in the 90s
– Takahashi was a graphic designer on Final fantasy IV through VI
– Takahashi left in 1999, met up with Sakaguchi again three years later
– The Iwata Asks gathering is the first time Takahashi and Sakaguchi have met in 8 years
– Takahashi left Sakaguchi’s team to do new things (before leaving Square and after Final Fantasy VI)
– He was hoping to use 3D in different ways from VII, with fully 3D maps
– 90% of his team was unaware about using 3D at the time
– Sakaguchi’s team was similar when working on Final Fantasy VII
– Up to III, the Final Fantasy main programmer was foreign, couldn’t speak Japanese
– Sakaguchi and the programmer ate steak every night because it was the only thing the programmer could eat
– Iwata thinks one reason Japanese RPGs aren’t as successful outside of Japan is due to the excessive use of the same patterns and conventions
– Sakaguchi: “Because of this, RPGs need a change”
– Sakaguchi feels that Japanese-developed titles show feelings and detail well, thinks they can be accepted worldwide if creators value these areas
– Iwata, Sakaguchi, and Takahashi agree that there are things all people can find interesting in spite of cultural differences like foreign movies
– Sakaguchi thinks the answer to this is near and RPGs can succeed if they work towards this target
– Iwata: “This is one topic we game creators in Japan will have to clear going forward”
– There appear to be no hints of releasing Xenoblade/The Last Story overseas

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Posted on 13 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News, Wii | 0 comments

This information comes from Game Informer…

“As far as a second Epic Mickey game goes, there’s no shortage of interesting challenges to tackle. I have some ideas about music gameplay that could be fun and there’s a world of stuff can do with paint and thinner that we couldn’t even have thought of the first time around. Or we could do some stuff completely different and not to any of the stuff I’ve mentioned here. Who knows? There’s no shortage of ideas.” – Warren Spector

“I’ve actually always envisioned Junction Point – well, once we became a part of Disney – as the studio that draws inspiration from the Archives. I’ve been pretty up front about my love of the Ducks. I’d love to do a Duck Tales game, and a Gremlins game would be amazing. Oswald would make a great leading man …er … rabbit.” – Warren Spector

You know, even though I was very much hyped for Epic Mickey, I still haven’t played the game. Some of the feedback I read about the game was off-putting. Austin seemed to like the game, though, so I might as well try it!

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Posted on 13 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, General Nintendo, Wii | 0 comments

Posted on 13 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

Capcom’s Yoshinori Ono was asked the following question at the 3DS preview event…

“Considering you are trying to make Street Fighter IV 3DS accessible to a wider audience, did you ever think about including Nintendo characters to broaden the appeal?”

Surprisingly, Ono stated outright that he would very much be interested in making a Nintendo x Capcom title. Ono believes the idea should be pitched to Nintendo of Japan, as well as Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai.

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