Masahiro Sakurai bought a Vifam figure as a reference for his work
Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 11 Comments
Masahiro Sakurai last worked on Super Smash Bros. for Wii U/3DS as director. That was in 2014. Since it’s been over two years since Smash Bros. shipped on both of Nintendo’s current systems (though there has been plenty of DLC since then), fans are wondering what Sakurai is up to now.
A new interview conducted by denfaminicogamer may give us a hint. Much of the discussion is about Sakurai’s game collection and other random topics, but there is one interesting excerpt that stands out.
Sakurai mentions how he sometimes purchases figures for his work. Somewhat recently, he bought a Vifam figurine. Vifam is from the 1983 mech anime Ginga Hy?ry? Vifam.
You shouldn’t jump to the conclusion that Sakurai is making a game based on that series. Rather, he wanted the attached rifle gun to use as a reference for his work. Now the question is: in which way is he using the figure as a reference?
Thanks to VZ_Blade for the tip.
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Sakurai tries to clear up a few misconceptions about Super Smash Bros. for Wii U/3DS
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News, Wii U | 335 Comments
Super Smash Bros. director Masahiro Sakurai returns to Famitsu this week with a new column. The full issue won’t be out until tomorrow, but as usual, some leaks have surfaced – including tidbits from Sakurai’s piece.
It seems that the latest Famitsu column is about Sakurai clearing up misconceptions, both in terms of his own work and his peers. There is some talk about Smash Bros. here.
Here’s what leaked out of Famitsu earlier today:
– There must be some favoritism from Sakurai since both Kirby and Pit are included in the boxart: In actuality it wasn’t even Sakurai who decided the boxart composition, but rather Nintendo.
– [Insert character here] is too strong, there must be some favoritism involved: The team balanced characters objectively by referring to results from monitoring versus battles.
– Kirby’s stages are all from games made by Sakurai: Sakurai tries to clarify that this isn’t always the case. Initially, there were plans to have a stage based on Kirby’s Epic Yarn (which wasn’t made by him), but with the arrival of Yoshi’s Woolly World, its theme and stage composition changed.
– Too many Fire Emblem characters, does Sakurai really likes the series that much? It may be indeed too many, but it was decided strategically (rather than raw favoritism).
Sakurai Famitsu column summary – Smash Bros. eSport thoughts and more
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, General Nintendo, News, Wii U | 41 Comments
Super Smash Bros. director Masahiro Sakurai is back with another Famitsu column in this week’s magazine. This time around, Sakurai tackled a few questions from fans.
Here’s a summary of what was shared:
What’s better: printed or digital manuals?
Sakurai points out that he only reads manuals when he’s really stuck, so either way is fine. But for digital versions, it’d be better if they load up as fast as possible. (Note: Many people consider printed guides to be more convenient because they’re not located on the same screen).
More: Famitsu, Masahiro Sakurai
Sakurai on Smash Bros. Wii U/3DS DLC stages and Mii Fighter outfits
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News, Wii U | 6 Comments
This month’s issue of Nintendo Dream has a lengthy interview with Masahiro Sakurai, director of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U/3DS. He discussed the two games in general as well as specific topics like DLC fighters.
We now have an overview regarding what Sakurai shared in terms of DLC stages and Mii Fighter outfits. For a summary of this portion of the interview, head past the break.
Tidbits from Sakurai’s 500th Famitsu column
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 1 Comment
As promised, this week’s issue of Famitsu has Smash Bros. director Masahiro Sakurai’s 500th column. This is more of a commemorative piece as expected.
Sakurai has reconfirmed his special stream on Niconico for March 10. He’ll look back on past columns, answer questions submitted by fans, and play certain unspecified games.
There are also rankings of columns Sakurai has covered the same topic, split into three categories. Those are as follows:
Games directed by Sakurai himself
1. Super Smash Bros. – 479 times (131 times for Brawl)
2. Kirby – 121 times (coverage of the first Kirby is 37 times)
3. Kid Icarus – 64 times
4. Meteos – 31 times
5. Mushiking: The King of Beetles – 6 times
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Sakurai considered Geno for Smash Bros.
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News, Wii, Wii U | 189 Comments
There’s a pretty big interview with Masahiro Sakurai in this month’s issue of Nintendo Dream. We already covered quite a bit of it earlier today, but there’s additional news emerging from the magazine as well.
As spotted by Source Gaming, Sakurai states that he wanted Geno to be a playable fighter in Brawl, and apparently Wii U/3DS as well. He also acknowledged that Geno is popular, especially when talking about old characters.
We did end up with a Geno costume in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS. Obviously that’s very different from a playable fighter, however. Maybe we’ll see him in the franchise’s next entry?
Sakurai on ending Smash Bros. DLC, wanting to appeal to all players
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News, Wii U | 101 Comments
This month’s issue of Nintendo Dream features an interview with Masahiro Sakurai. During the discussion, the Smash Bros. director talked about ending DLC in the Wii U and 3DS games, including how development differed with the main title and why now is an appropriate time to stop adding characters. There’s also quite a bit of discussion about how Sakurai wants Smash Bros. to appeal to all types of players.
Head past the break for the interview breakdown. Please note that this particular post is more of an abridged/summary version rather than a word-for-word translation.
Sakurai’s 500th Famitsu column to be published in next week’s Famitsu
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments
Super Smash Bros. director Masahiro Sakurai has been writing columns in Famitsu for a long, long time. In next week’s issue, his 500th piece will be published. It’ll be in April that Sakurai has had columns featured in Famitsu for 13 years.
To commemorate the milestone, a special live stream will be held on Famitsu’s Nicovideo page on March 10 at 9:30 PM Japan time. The main contents of this broadcast stream will be mentioned in Sakurai’s upcoming column. Japanese fans can also submit questions on Famitsu’s website for a chance to have them be answered.
More: Famitsu, Masahiro Sakurai
Sakurai talks about trying to keep Smash Bros. fresh with new fighters
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News, Wii U | 56 Comments
Last week, Nintendo brought out the final DLC characters in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS. Director Masahiro Sakurai gets reflective in his Famitsu column with development having wrapped up. His piece is about exhaustion and stimulation. Based on what’s written, it seems to refer to a cycle with continuous updates, where a game starts being exciting, but over time people may get a little bored (exhausted), and that’s when the development staff have to think about new things (schemes) and implement them into the game so that it becomes exciting again (stimulant).
Sakurai starts off by touching on Smash Bros. DLC just slightly. Aside from Lucas and Roy – who have been represented in Smash before – the DLC characters were made to offer unique gameplay. Sakurai refers to Corrin with his transformation and super range as well as Bayonetta who makes use of special combos, gun shots, and Witch Time.
Sakurai explains why Wario’s Shoulder Ram move was taken out of Smash Bros. Wii U/3DS
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News, Wii U | 43 Comments
In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS, some changes were made to Wario. One of these includes the removal of the Shoulder Ram move. Masahiro Sakurai, director of Smash Bros., spoke about this in his latest Famitsu column.
Sakurai took on one reader question regarding the Shoulder Ram move in his piece, after a fan pointed out that he now uses a backhand punch instead. When asked about the change, Sakurai responded that they wanted to make Wario stronger. Shoulder Ram was a move that made him use his own body which is his hitbox to attack, making him easier to get hit. It had no range, and it was also difficult to push opponents off the cliff with it. Since Smash Attacks, especially the horizontal ones are moves that will decide the game, it was changed to make him stronger.
Sakurai added that if the team were to cling too much to reenacting the original moves, sometimes it wouldn’t be too interesting. He indicates that, ultimately, they prioritize the fun factor over adhering to the original series’ accuracy.
