Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto reflected on the classic character he created in an interview with The New York Times. In a few of his comments, Miyamoto spoke about how he wanted Mario to achieve great success much like Mickey Mouse.

According to Miyamoto:

“I really wanted him to make my Mickey Mouse. I wanted to use him in all the different games I made. My hope was that 10 or 20 years down the road, he would be the iconic character of video games. I feel tremendously fortunate that’s what came to pass.”

Miyamoto also spoke about the evolution of Mario as a whole:

“We were only able to have five Koopas on screen at one time. As the technology has evolved, we’ve gone on to having more enemies, 3-D technology and analog sticks. I’ve been fortunate that at every phase of new technology, we’ve been able to introduce a new ‘Mario’ game that leverages it without having to think too deeply about a new story. It’s kept ‘Mario’ fresh and exciting for people throughout the 30 years of the series.”

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Zelda: Tri Force Heroes details – characters, costumes, items

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 6 Comments

It’s a double-dose of Zelda updates in this week’s Famitsu. Along with new details about Hyrule Warriors Legends, the magazine has presented more information about The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes.

In terms of the plot, there was a beautiful, fashionable Princess in a beloved, fashionable Kingdom. However, a witch curses the princess to wear tights that cover her completely and cannot be removed. The king then sought the “Legendary Hero” to defeat the witch in order to undo this spell.

Famitsu shares the following about some of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes’ characters:

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Miyamoto says it’s time to take Super Mario Bros. in a new direction

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 20 Comments

TIME has an interview with up Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. Some of the comments are actually from June, but there’s a sprinkling of fresh remarks as well.

One interesting excerpt concerns Miyamoto talking about how Super Mario Maker is like a transition point for the franchise, as Nintendo feels it’s time “to move in a new direction”. Miyamoto said:

“Doing this now at the 30th anniversary [of Super Mario Bros.] is really putting some more of that creativity into the players. But at the same time, we as the developers feel that it’s time for us to move in a new direction, and we’re preparing to work on the future of Super Mario from here on.”

You can check out TIME’s full piece here.

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Japanese Genei Ibun Roku #FE boxart, images of the different editions

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Images, Wii U | 11 Comments

Famitsu has posted the official Japanese Genei Ibun Roku #FE, as shown above. You can also find images of the different editions in the gallery below.

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The hardest Super Mario Maker levels: Travis stumps Dave

Posted on 9 years ago by Travis(@nintentravis) in Features, Videos, Wii U | 8 Comments

For the past two weeks we’ve been profiling the craziest, best, or most creative Super Mario Maker levels. Well the big day is tomorrow, so Travis wanted to put the shoe on the other foot and try to create the hardest level he could. He enlisted the help of his friend Dave to play “Bumpers in the Night!”

That wraps up our Super Mario Maker pre-launch coverage! We’re excited to see what people will be creating as of tomorrow, make sure to forward us the best levels you come across!

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August 2015 NPD: top 10 best-selling games in the U.S.

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News, Wii U | 25 Comments

NPD Group has released a listing of the top ten best-selling games in the U.S. for the month of August 2015. The results can be found below.

Madden NFL 16 (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3)
Minecraft (360, PS3, Xbox One, PS4)
Gears of War: Ultimate Edition (Xbox One)
Grand Theft Auto V (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3, PC)
Lego: Jurassic World (360, 3DS, Wii U, PS3, Xbox One, PS4, Vita)
Rare Replay (Xbox One)
Until Dawn (PS4)
Call of Duty: Black Ops Combo Pack (360, PS3)
Batman: Arkham Knight (PS4, Xbox One)
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3, PC)

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August 2015 NPD: 600,000 copies of Splatoon sold in the U.S., 3DS sales up 30%

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News, Wii U | 2 Comments

GamesBeat has reported some additional information from the August 2015 NPD report. According to the site, Nintendo has sold 600,000 copies of Splatoon in the United States. Additionally, the company “reported a 30 percent increase in sales for its 3DS handheld line for the eight months of the year”.

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Miyamoto, Reggie, other Nintendo legends share their fondest Mario memories

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

In celebration of the 30th anniversary of Super Mario Bros., IGN reached out to nine Nintendo legends for their fondest memories. The site managed to obtain comments from high-profile people like Shigeru Miyamoto and Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime.

Miyamoto’s pick? Super Mario 64. Here’s what he shared about that game:

“Of course, I’ve had many memories with Mario over the last 30 years, but the one that sticks out for me most was when we made Super Mario 64. I felt very fortunate to be able to work in a 3D space for the first time, take on this new technology, and have Mario be the character that helped bring it to life. And that we did that by working with 3D technology at a time when there weren’t many people doing it. So that was a very important moment with Mario for me.
“The other memory links back to my childhood. When I was younger I used to always like to make puppets and do puppet shows. When we made Super Mario 64, it was like I was able to do a puppet show with Mario in a 3D space. It’s been very fun for me to have these moments where the things that I’ve enjoyed from my youth have blended in with the work that I do in video games.”

Reggie’s choice was none other than Super Mario World. He mentioned the following about Nintendo’s SNES classic:

“My deepest Super Mario memory is with Super Mario World. I came into the Nintendo family in 1991 via the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and that console came with Super Mario World. I can still picture Yoshi’s Island 2 and the opening sequence to get a Koopa shell moving to the right and picking up my 1-Up. I also loved the various Yoshis – especially the Blue flying Yoshi and the Yellow sand-stomping Yoshi. I played and replayed that game with my sons and always kept it at 99 lives. I still have the cartridge, and a working SNES at home and in my office.”

You can find more comments from the likes of Takashi Tezuka, Bill Trinen, and more here.

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Super Mario Maker version 1.01 takes down 9-day unlocking system

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 27 Comments

There’s an extra tidbit of information – a very important one at that – regarding Super Mario Maker’s first update. After applying version 1.01, it appears that the 9-day unlocking system has been removed.

Here’s how the new format works. Rather than having to wait a full day for content to unlock, you now need to wait just 15 minutes after spending that time with level editing. 30 minutes in, you’ll have day 2’s content. The same goes for day 3’s content after 45 minutes – so on and so forth.

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