Nintendo on Amiibo – standard Mario figure line likely, will extend into future platforms, more
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, General Nintendo, News, Wii U | 2 Comments
Check out this exchange between IGN and Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto and Shinya Takahashi…
IGN: What are some high level applications for that you both have in mind for amiibo?
Takahashi: “I think the biggest distinction for the amiibo figures is first, we’re releasing them with Smash Bros. and there will be figures for the different characters in the game. You can take the Mario amiibo and use it in Smash Bros., but then you’ll be able to use it across different games that Mario appears in. For example, you can use the Smash Bros. Mario figure and use it in Mario Kart 8 when that functionality releases. You can also use that same Mario figure in Mario Party 10. So for the amiibo project in general, we’re looking at having all of the figures be useable across a lot of Nintendo titles and not just the one game the figure was [visually] designed for.
To get technical, the amiibo is able to store data, and within the full data set you have this much data (mimics a large space with his pointer finger and thumb) which is reserved for Smash Bros. But then you have a subset of data (mimics roughly half of the space from the previous example) that says this is the Mario figure. Smash Bros will use the big chunk of data in the Smash Bros. amiibo, but the other games are able to read that this is a Mario figure through this other set of data that identifies the character, and that is how the characters are able to interact with the Mario amiibo.
When you use the Smash Bros. Mario amiibo in Smash Bros., it’s able to do all of the different things designed for that game. When you take that amiibo and you use it in different games, it’s not the Smash Bros. Mario, it’s just a Mario. It’s a more simple use for [amiibo functionality] but it’s able to do those two things.”
More: Amiibo, interview, Shigeru Miyamoto, Shinya Takahashi, top
Aonuma says he hears the fans about revisiting Zelda: Majora’s Mask
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 19 Comments
Check out this exchange between Kotaku and Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma about The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask…
Schreier: I have to ask… I asked readers what questions I should ask you, and the number one question was that you’ve hinted so many times about a new Majora’s Mask or a Majora’s Mask remake for the 3DS—will we ever see that?
Aonuma: I do know that fans want to see Majora’s Mask. I’ve heard that voice, it’s very, very strong, and I’m always listening, is what I would say.
Schreier: I think people reacted to the teaser in A Link Between Worlds, the mask in the house. People saw that and thought it was a hint for the future, so that’s why people are excited about that.
Aonuma: Maybe I was toying with them a little. (laughter) I’m doing everything I can. I hear the voices of the fans. There are so many out there. It’s very loud, and just to acknowledge the fact that the need, the want is out there, I put that in there.
Reggie on Nintendo going with digital plans over a traditional conference
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 5 Comments
This information comes from Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime…
“My first E3 was ten years ago and ten years ago YouTube and Twitch didn’t exist. Ten years ago you could actually get media to pay attention. We’re reflecting the current realities. We couldn’t have a video like the one with myself and Iwata in a press conference.”
More: interview, Reggie Fils-Aime
Story of Seasons dev on the theme of life and death
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 2 Comments
This information comes from head of development Yoshifumi Hashimoto…
“[The original Harvest Moon] released at a time when games were all about battles and monsters, and we made a game about being a farmer, but not a farmer with a tractor,” he said. “You took care of things with your bare hands. If you didn’t take care of your animals, they would die. Initially, we received complaints from parents who said the game was too dark. But this whole game is about a farmer’s life. I want people to experience what life is like.”
– Hashimoto doesn’t see a game like Story of Seasons or any of the Harvest Moon titles forcing a message onto players
– He believes the actions and consequences in the game make it easier for players to understand life and death
– He said he recently heard on Japanese radio of a kid whose pet died, and who explained to his parents that the pet had “run out of batteries”
– He hopes Story of Seasons helps younger players understand that the world is a bit more complex than that
“Death is a touchy subject to talk about. But it’s one of the things I’m really proud of doing in my games. I was thinking of what kind of life I could have the user experience … I wanted to make it easier for players to understand life and death.”
Nintendo’s Scibetta on Luigi’s death stare, Robot Chicken in the Digital Event
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News, Wii U | 0 comments
This information comes from Nintendo of America marketing boss Charlie Scibetta…
“There are different examples of when its the right time for us to take something that happens organically and make it part of corporate messaging. It was a late addition, and we thought that we could pay homage to the fans. With the Luigi Death Stare, people started to pick up on it and share it — and sometimes we just let that play out and enjoy watching it like any other fan would. We like to see how the fans evolve stuff like that. Other times we may decide to give something a boost like we did with this. If you’re into that, and you see it, you immediately get it and the fact that Nintendo acknowledged it.”
“It was a collaborative effort. They came up with ideas, and so did we, but they let us know, from a comedy standpoint, what they thought would work well.”
More: Charlie Scibetta, interview
Aonuma on Link in Zelda Wii U, Zelda as a hero in the future
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 15 Comments
This information comes from Eiji Aonuma, speaking with IGN…
“One thing I have to say is, I never said that wasn’t Link. I said ‘No one ever said that was Link.’ Every game needs to have a protagonist. You have to have a main character, so we create one that is ultimately supposed to become the player. With each iteration of Zelda, we make this main character and it’s not as though this protagonist is not the same character all the time. It’s just a role within the game that the player occupies.”
“That’s something that I tell my designers when they create the character. Certainly, as part of a series, maybe people will think it’s the same main character but, ultimately, it’s the player character. It’s the person with the controller in their hands, if that makes sense. This kind of information can just exponentially grow, so I just wanted to make that clear.”
“I’m interested in seeing something like that (princess being a hero), but I think one of the charm points of this particular franchise is that fact that it’s called ‘Legend of Zelda’ but Zelda is not the main character. She’s not the protagonist. But if you ask me what that is, I don’t know. I can’t really explain it. Maybe if she’s the main character, then maybe the title needs to change.”
More: Eiji Aonuma, interview, The Legend of Zelda, top
Reggie: No plans to bring Twitch streaming to Wii U, YouTube affiliate program talk
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News, Wii U | 4 Comments
Reggie confirming no plans for Wii U to work with Twitch…
“We don’t think streaming 30 minutes of gameplay by itself is a lot of fun.”
“We’re looking to do a lot of great things with Twitch. The Nintendo Treehouse Live at E3 that we’re executing through Twitch is doing fantastic numbers. Your specific question of just purely streaming gameplay, what we’ve got to think through is, so what’s fun about that? From a consumer standpoint, what’s fun about it?”
Reggie on how putting Nintendo videos on the Internet need to be more focused, curated like Mario Kart 8…
“Kart is fun because its a highlight of the race. You can make some choices as to what parts are going to be shared. We think that makes it interesting, and obviously, the meme of the Luigi death stare is wonderful when that comes out of that type of experience. But in the end we’ve got to make sure that it’s fun.”
On how Nintendo’s view of Twitch live streaming is driven by a belief that gamers are using the service to look for tips and how to improve their capabilities…
“So for us, what we’re doing at the Nokia theater with the Smash Invitational, we loved that streamed because that’s where you are able to see how these players perform, the moves they make, you can learn something,” he said. “That has value to us. And you can expect us to do more of that type of activity, highlighting our games and providing a forum for players to learn how to play better. But that’s different than watching Joe Blow’s 30 minute stream, which may or may not have something that’s all that interesting.”
Reggie on Nintendo’s YouTube affiliate program…
“What we hope is that that’s going to lead to even better content and even better monetization opportunities for the YouTube vlogger. We are going to formalize a program and we’ll announce it to the YouTube video community. Look, in the end, what we want is we want more content like what we’re able to do with the Mega64 guys. We gave them access to information, access to our executives, access to our building with the goal of creating something fun and watchable. That video was a lot of fun and it’s been watched north of a million types. That’s the type of stuff we want to work with the video blogging community to create.”
On whether concerns over the ability to monetize content that uses Nintendo properties enter into Nintendo’s decision to not bring Twitch gameplay video streaming to the Wii U…
“The Twitch conversation is a completely different conversation. We want to do stuff that’s going to be fun and going to be watchable. Nintendo Treehouse Live at E3 is fun and watchable. Thats the stuff we would like to continue doing with an entity like Twitch. YouTube and that content monetization is a different animal.”
More: interview, Reggie Fils-Aime, top
Aonuma excited about the reaction to Zelda Wii U’s visuals, still not saying much about Link
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 20 Comments
Game Informer has put up a few new comments from Eiji Aonuma regarding The Legend of Zelda for Wii U. Aonuma discussed the fan reaction to the game thus far, and also remained mum for the most part on Link. You’ll find his comments below.
More: Eiji Aonuma, interview, The Legend of Zelda, top
Aonuma confirms that Link was the character featured in Zelda Wii U’s debut video
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 90 Comments
This information comes from Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma…
“It’s a rumour. Actually that comment I made jokingly. It’s not that I said that it wasn’t Link. It’s that I never said that it was Link. It’s not really the same thing, but I can understand how it could be taken that way. It seems like it has kind of taken off where people are saying ‘oh it’s a female character’ and it just kind of grew. But my intent in saying that was humour. You know, you have to show Link when you create a trailer for a Zelda announcement.”
“I don’t want people to get hung up on the way Link looks because ultimately Link represents the player in the game. I don’t want to define him so much that it becomes limiting to the players. I want players to focus on other parts of the trailer and not specifically on the character because the character Link represents, again, the player.”
More: Eiji Aonuma, interview, The Legend of Zelda, top
Itagaki on how Nintendo became involved with Devil’s Third and more
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 4 Comments
This information comes from Devil’s Third creator Tomonobu Itagaki, speaking with Joystiq…
“We developed the game up to an early playable version at THQ but then there was the unfortunate end of that company. Then, when we went looking for partners and found Nintendo who really supported my vision. I’m not really sure if it would have been possible ten years ago to be honest, but I’ve had a long relationship with Nintendo going back to the Nintendo and Super Nintendo. Once I went independent, I definitely went over to Nintendo to say hello.”
“I like to think of myself as a warrior. There will always be accidents on the battlefield. You have to find ways through those and adapt. The world has been through financial crises in the past few years yet we’ve all found ways to continue on. One thing that’s different from my previous company is my relationship to the people I’m working with. Previously I wasn’t necessarily responsible for hiring and taking care of everyone, but my position is different now and I feel a lot of responsibility for my team.”
“I’m not one to go looking for fights in back alleys. I prefer to find them in a big avenue. That’s why I tried to pick the most major genre I could think of, the modern shooter. That’s what led me to make Devil’s Third.”
“When people play this game I want them to think, ‘What does it mean to live?’ I want them to think about life itself. What does it mean to be alive? What does someone believe in a world like this? We’re all citizens in a very fragile world order, as if it’s made of a glass, that can shatter at any moment.”
