Pokemon CEO on the series’ early days and rise in popularity, bringing it west, more
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, Mobile, News | 6 Comments
A few weeks ago, Japanese outlet Inside Games published a lengthy interview with Pokemon CEO/president Tsunekazu Ishihara. There was a tiny bit about the current status/future of the series (Pokemon GO), but it was more reflective about the franchise in general and its past. Ishihara went in-depth about how the game series started and the importance of the Link Cable which helped boost popularity, bringing the franchise overseas and naming Pokemon, and more.
It took some time, but we now have a complete translation of the interview. Head past the break to read it in full.
More: Game Freak, interview, Pokemon, Pokemon GO, top, Tsunekazu Ishihara
Nintendo UK on Yo-kai Watch’s western potential, says “3DS has still got a big life ahead of it”
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 18 Comments
As part of a new feature on Yo-kai Watch, MCV spoke with Nintendo UK product manager Remy van Leeuwen about the series.
First, van Leeuwen discussed Yo-kai Watch’s potential in the west. The Yo-kai themselves, their emotional abilities, and the comedy aspect could all help to connect with kids.
He said:
“It is difficult to say whether it will have the same impact in the West, but I definitely think that there is a lot of potential for it, especially working together with the likes of [toy company] Hasbro and [TV company] Turner. Everyone is going to back it to its fullest. Because of the nature of Yo-kai and their emotional abilities, it makes it quite easy for kids to relate to them. For instance, there is a Yo-kai called Cheeksqueek, which basically makes people fart. That’s been a hit with kids in our research.”
“One of the other key aspects that will definitely resonate with kids in the UK is the comedy aspect to it. The characters themselves are just funny, and they’re quite deep, too. We will be trying to bring that out in our campaign.”
More: interview, Level-5, Remy van Leeuwen, top, Yo-kai Watch
Reggie on Miitomo – why it doesn’t have real-time messaging, “long-term opportunity”, mobile goals, more
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Mobile, News | 12 Comments
Members of the media recently went hands-on with Miitomo, which also included some interview opportunities. TIME is one outlet that has an interview up with Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime. During the discussion, Reggie commented on why Miitomo doesn’t have real-time messaging, “long-term” plans for the app, mobile goals, and more.
Head past the break for some of Reggie’s remarks. You can read the full interview on TIME here.
More: interview, Miitomo, Reggie Fils-Aime, top
Fire Emblem Fates developer discussion: “A Tale of Two Families: Revelation”
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, Videos | 2 Comments
Nintendo is continuing its developer series based on Fire Emblem Fates. Check out the third episode below called “A Tale of Two Families: Revelation”.
More: Fire Emblem Fates, interview, top
Rebellion CEO praises Nintendo, has no idea what NX is
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch, Wii U | 11 Comments
Last week, Videogamer spoke with Rebellion CEO Jason Kingsley to talk Nintendo, including the NX.
Regarding the company in general, Kingsley had only good things to say about the Big N. He told the site:
“Nintendo are brilliant. They’re a fabulous company and I love them. I always feel they’re quite eccentric. They come up with some incredible hardware. Even the Virtual Boy back in the day was really intriguing, and then the clamshell design of their handhelds. To be honest, I just don’t know [whether Rebellion will support NX]. The only way I can answer the question is, when we know what the machine is we’ll see and we’ll have a look. I’ve always loved Nintendo, I love their games and love their hardware.”
As for NX, Kingsley has no idea about what the system actually is at this point. He therefore can’t commit to or rule out support until more information has surfaced, though the door is being left open.
More: interview, Jason Kingsley, Rebellion
Miyamoto on Project Giant Robot – “we haven’t yet decided to turn that into a full game”
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 136 Comments
During the latest Nintendo Direct, it was revealed that Project Guard became Star Fox Guard. This was a title that originally debuted at E3 2014 alongside Project Giant Robot. Some may be curious about that game’s status.
In an interview with TIME, Shigeru Miyamoto indicated that Project Giant Robot hasn’t materialized into a full experience. He told the publication:
“‘Project Giant Robot’ was something we started as a second project, and unfortunately we haven’t yet decided to turn that into a full game.”
Will we eventually see Project Giant Robot become its own thing? Or will it remain as only a temporary E3 demo? Only time will tell!
More: interview, Project Giant Robot, Shigeru Miyamoto, top
Game Freak’s Masuda on appealing to longtime Pokemon fans and newcomers
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 33 Comments
Pokemon has been around for 20 years, which is a very long time. The series has plenty of longtime fans, but new players come into contact with the series each day as well.
So how does Game Freak – the maker of the Pokemon RPGs – appeal to both types of players? That’s something GamesMaster asked the studio’s Junichi Masuda in an interview this month.
He told the magazine in response:
“Today you will see ’90s kids who played the first Pokémon games, who are now parents playing with their children. But some of the core gameplay elements simply appeal as much now as they did in 1996. The collectable elements of the game still appeal to people’s sense of achievement, and it’s great for strategic thinking.
“You have to make accurate judgements about what to change and what not to change. It is also about not making things too difficult. After two or three generations, games have a tendency to become more difficult. In recent titles, catching Pokémon by throwing PokéBalls is explained in-game, but we also make a point of trying to get into the heads of children who have picked up a Pokémon game for the very first time in order to better understand how the games feel to a first-time audience.”
More: Game Freak, interview, Junichi Masuda, Pokemon, top
Miyamoto on Star Fox Zero – difficulty, improvements, building interest in dogfighting games, more
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 7 Comments
Another Star Fox Zero interview with Shigeru Miyamoto has popped up online. This time around, there’s a discussion published by TIME. Miyamoto talked about the switch in approach (now like a movie instead of a TV series), appealing to new players, his approach to difficulty, improvements that have been made, and building interest in dogfighting games.
We’ve posted some excerpts from the interview below. More comments from Miyamoto can be found on TIME here.
More: interview, PlatinumGames, Shigeru Miyamoto, Star Fox Zero, top
Aonuma and Sano on Twilight Princess HD – challenges, picking Tantalus, more
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 14 Comments
Last week, Stack published an interview with Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma and assistant director Tomomi Sano about Twilight Princess HD. Between them both, they commented on when the project began, challenges in remaking the game, why Tantalus was specifically chosen, and more.
As usual, we’ve picked out some excerpts below. The full interview is located here.
Aonuma and Sano on Twilight Princess HD – how it came to be, considered Wiimote controls, more
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 23 Comments
This week’s issue of Famitsu contains an interview about The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD. Series producer Eiji Aonuma, along with assistant director Tomomi Sano, participated in the discussion.
Topics included how the remake came about, consideration of Wii Remote controls, the Twilight Cave, and more. You can find a full translation of the interview after the break.
