A few interesting words from Nintendo’s former handheld designer
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 1 Comment
Satoru Okada was a pretty important figure at Nintendo. He played a big role in the creation of the company’s earliest handheld systems, which continued until his retirement back in 2012.
Okada was recently interviewed by the Japanese publication “Shooting Gameside”. Here are a few of the more interesting excerpt that specifically pertains to Nintendo:
—Since you’ve participated in the creation of so many different handheld gaming consoles, I was thinking you’d be more particular and high-strung. But in fact you’re very open and relaxed.
Okada: The first thing I made using a computer was the Game and Watch series. After that handheld gaming consoles became the main focus of my work at Nintendo. Speaking of being particular, you know, I didn’t originally apply to Nintendo with any special ambitions or designs. Originally my friend was supposed to have taken the company’s entrance test, but due to circumstances he couldn’t make it out. In his place I was chosen to take the test. When I say “in his place”, though, I don’t mean that I was a mere susbtitute; I was given the chance as part of a job-search program at my school. I knew if I took it lightly that it would damage the reputation of my school, and I couldn’t allow that. Still, I didn’t really know what I was doing, so I ended up being late to that test, but thanks to the kindness of the test administrator, I was allowed to take it anyway.
Nintendo’s entrance exam had a section where you had to actually engineer something. You were given a design and had to make a model of it using small metal pieces. Since I had spent so much time in Junior High doing those electrical engineering projects, it was an easy task for me. As a result, rumour got around at Nintendo that “someone good at soldering has joined!” It seemed I was the first person to join Nintendo with any electrical engineering abilities, a fact which would turn out to be a huge investment in my future.
More: interview, Satoru Okada, top
Pokemon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire pre-orders are higher than X/Y
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 5 Comments
Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire are seeing higher pre-orders than the last entry in the series, X/Y. That’s information comes straight from Nintendo UK, who spoke with MCV in the magazine’s latest issue.
Nintendo UK marketing boss Shelly Pearce said:
“Pre-orders for Pokemon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire are doing really well at the moment. It is pre-ordering more than X and Y, so we are quite optimistic about that one.”
UK general manager Simon Kemp chimed in about Pokemon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire pre-orders as well: “And that is a pattern we’re seeing globally.”
Level-5 CEO wants the company to become like Disney
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 4 Comments
Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino has some pretty ambitious plans for the company.
In a recent interview, Hino stated that he hopes to transform Level-5 into something like Disney. The company would focus on worldwide entertainment as opposed to just games.
Hino mentioned that he hopes to accomplish this within five years.
More: Akihiro Hino, interview, Level-5, top
Bandai Namco on why Pokken Tournament is being made for arcade first
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 10 Comments
Prior to Pokken Tournament’s announcement, many gamers assumed that the title would be confirmed for Wii U. That didn’t happen though, as it’s only for arcades at present.
In an interview with Japanese website 4Gamer, Bandai Namco’s Katsuhiro Harada explained why Pokken Tournament is hitting arcades first. When 4Gamer said that Pokemon is considered family-oriented and that this isn’t necessarily the same for arcades, Harada responded:
Pokken Tournament targeted at fans between the ages of 18 and 30
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 3 Comments
With Pokken Tournament, The Pokemon Company and Bandai Namco hope to appeal to older fans. Producer Katsuhiro Harada, in an interview with 4Gamer, said that the team is “aiming for something over 18 years of age to the early 30s” when it comes to age demographics.
Harada said:
“Naturally, it’s being developed into something that elementary school children can also enjoy, but if we’re talking about age demographics, we’re aiming for something over 18 years of age to the early 30s.”
“When it comes to Pokémon, everyone says they love it up until the fourth grade, and what’s funny is that there are kids who graduate from it after that. Well… it’s not that they ‘graduate,’ since they’re still fans, but they just don’t show [their enthusiasm], and kind of play it more behind-the-scenes.”
“That applies to some of the kids out there. However, for some reason, once they get into their 20s, there are more and more people who enthusiastically share their love for Pokémon.”
“This title is being made as an ‘adult’s Pokémon’ for that generation of people who grew up with Pokémon. Those in their 20s and 30s today have spent a lot of time during their school days with Pokémon, and have some strong memories looking back at the games and anime.”
“And for those people, Pokkén will finally allow them to experience what it’s like to freely move around their favorite Pokémon, and I expect it to be a very impressive title. Please look forward to it.”
Tetsuya Nomura was “very happy” to be involved with Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate for his collaboration
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 0 comments
At New York Comic-Con last week, Square Enix’s Tetsuya Nomura revealed a new collaboration with Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate. The Kingdom Hearts III director is making original male and female weapons along with armor and original Felyne equipment.
Nomura spoke a bit about his involvement with Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate with Famitsu this week. “I’ve publicly stated that I love the Monster Hunter series, especially the multi-player,” he said. “So when I received the offer, I was honestly very happy.”
Nomura’s designs are specifically made for the west. They’re not available in the Japanese version of the game, which launched last week.
Nintendo UK: “Wii U has had quite a good year so far”
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 21 Comments
The latest issue of MCV has interviews with Nintendo’s UK marketing boss Shelly Pearce and UK general manager Simon Kemp. During the discussion, Pearce states that the “Wii U has had quite a good year so far”.
Pearce said in the magazine:
“We’ve really seen momentum pick up with Mario Kart 8 back in May. That was when we saw a step change, not just in terms of sales but also people’s attitudes to Wii U. People are starting to consider buying now, which was cemented by our E3 activity. All the software that we showed then gave people confidence that there were lots of games coming that they wanted.”
“One of the key things for us is that people are staring to realise what software there is, what games they can get this Christmas, but importantly a lot of key stuff that is coming next year, too. It is a really strong line-up.”
“We are expecting to see real growth from Wii U this Christmas and we will continue to build on that next year”.
Kemp also said the following:
“We’ve felt a real increase in interest and momentum. Compared to 12 months ago, it does feel noticeably different.”
Pearce mentioned Splatoon, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, and The Legend of Zelda as Nintendo’s big titles for 2015.
More: interview, Shelly Pearce, Simon Kemp
Video: More Pokemon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire talk from Game Freak
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, Videos | 0 comments
Game Freak on the Pokemon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire demo, Pokemon Snap, and more
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, General Nintendo, News | 2 Comments
CVG has published a new interview with Game Freak’s Junichi Masuda, which covers a wide array of topics. Masuda was asked about the Pokemon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire demo, fan requests like the return of Pokemon Snap, and more.
Read on below for a few excerpts from the discussion.
Game Freak says a new Pokemon Stadium game would “need to have some sort of new invention”
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 35 Comments
Nintendo hasn’t published any new Pokemon Stadium games since 2007. By the sound of things, the series won’t be returning anytime soon.
Speaking with USgamer, Game Freak’s Junichi Masuda said that simply improving the graphics wouldn’t be “as impactful or impressive” since Pokemon games are in 3D these days. A new Pokemon Stadium would instead need “some sort of new invention” for its existence to be justified.
Below are Masuda’s full comments:
“It kind of goes back to the core philosophy of Pokémon as a brand: We really want to excite people and surprise them with new things they weren’t expecting. The original games, of course, were 2D and in black and white, and seeing them in 3D was a stark contrast… it was kind of a huge surprise for players. Nowadays, the Pokémon are already in 3D, and I’m not sure that better graphics would be quite as impactful or impressive. So in order to come back to the Stadium series, I think we’d need to have some sort of new invention to justify it.”
