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General Nintendo

Nintendo seems to be pumping out Iwata Asks features on a regular basis now. The latest column contains all sorts of Game & Watch discussion, including the handheld’s origins. Masao Yamamoto, Makoto Kano, Takehiro Izushi, and of course, Satouru Iwata were all on hand for the interview. If this is something that sounds interesting, you can check out the full feature right here.


A “Metroid 1.5” design document from level designer Tony C. Giovannini has been discovered on the staffer’s website. The 7,000 word file will be quite interesting to fans of the series, as it is quite in-depth. Information such as co-op play, new enemy types, the game’s backstory, and tons of other features are detailed in the document. The title would have taken place between the original Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime 2, though the project was rejected. Check out concept art above, and a ton of information below.

Metroid 1.5 Design Concept
Single player Mission Pitch (11.18.02)
&
A New section regarding co-op multi-player gaming
(An Update 11.26.02)
&
New Enemy types (Genetic Experiments) 12-03-02
New Melee attack for Samus 12-03-02
Power-up System (and its cruel trick) 12-03-02

Text: Tony Giovannini
Creature Art: Andrew Jones

Back story:


Recently, there has been talk of Nintendo and Capcom teaming up to create a fighting game. That’s because Yoshinori Ono had apparently expressed interest in such a project. Ono told IGN just a few days ago, however, that there are no plans to create a Nintendo vs. Capcom title. Surprisingly, Ono actually visited Nintendo’s offices to apologize to president Satoru Iwata.

“At the Germany Games Convention I was asked about [Nintendo vs. Capcom]. I mentioned it was an interesting idea that somehow transmogrified on the Internet into me saying I was going to do it! I have no plans to do it. I certainly don’t think anything is impossible, though not terribly likely is probably a way to phrase it I had to go to Nintendo President Iwata-san and actually apologize that I let things get out of hand. But maybe this whole conversation could be the start of something like that… or maybe it ends with me in the dog house with Iwata-san. Time will tell where [this is] going to go.”

Source


Capcom provided the statement in an investor Q&A session…

“In North America, we plan to hold our Captivate private game fest on April 6 and 7, 2011.”

Expect all types of reveals at Captivate 2011. Last year, for instance, Capcom finally confirmed that Okamiden would be coming to North America.

Source


This feature, in short, is about my life with Nintendo. I may have started late in the company’s long run of systems, but there’s no denying that Nintendo is a large part of my gaming life, even if it’s not the main focus. Today, I’m going to talk about my time with the Game Boy, and Pokémon – my greatest Nintendo obsession.

My obsession with Pokémon began in 1998 when the original show was airing on Saturdays on WB (now called the CW). This was even before they repeated everything the day after. They stopped doing that a few months later. The first episode I saw was the one where Ash was facing some trainer with a Parasect and Charmeleon refused to obey him and got owned by said Parasect. I don’t recall the name of the episode though (but I’m sure someone knows it).


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)

Source


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.


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!

Source


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



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