Masahiro Sakurai, the designer behind Kid Icarus Uprising and Super Smash Bros. Brawl has informed British gaming publication Gamesmaster that the game could include an online multiplayer mode.
“The online capabilities are currently being tested. There could be some versus play but we can’t go into any detail. There are a lot of capabilities that expand on what was in the DS that people are taking advantage of.”
- Masahiro Sakurai
JC Connors, the studio head at Griptonite Games firmly believes that the Nintendo 3DS is of ‘console-level quality’ and see’s the platform as “an opportunity to bring something special back to the gamers”.
“You know, a lot of the casual games that really bombarded the DS marketplace have now moved onto other platforms like the iPhone, so I think everyone looks at this as an opportunity to kind of bring something special back to the gamers.”
“Everyone looked at the 3DS with just how powerful it was, and the new features, the analog stick and the 3D, as an opportunity to bring almost console-level quality games to this handheld because they could, on the DS, you really couldn’t.”
“You almost have to treat it like a console, because many of the things it can do are things that consoles can do. So, you know, why not bring a more ‘gamer’ experience to that platform, if it can do really well with it?”
- JC Connors, Griptonite Games
Nintendo have informed games developers that their anti-piracy measures for the 3DS are extremely sophisticated.
Ian Curran, THQ’s executive Vice President of Global Publishing, has been informed that the piracy prevention methods for the Nintendo 3DS are extremely sophisticated in comparison to the Nintendo DS.
“The problem with the DS market in the last few years, particularly with the DS Lite, is that it’s just been attacked by piracy. It’s made it almost impossible to shift any significant volume. The DSi combated it a little bit, but the 3DS has taken that a step further. I actually asked Nintendo to explain the technology and they said it’s very difficult to do so because it’s so sophisticated.”
- Ian Curran, THQ
Square Enix have released new footage of the highly anticipated Kingdom Hearts Re:coded for the Nintendo DS.
The footage gives viewers a glimpse of the battle system that’s being utilised in the game and also showcases some of the vibrant levels that players expect from the renowned franchise.
Sony Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida has informed UK trade site Develop that his company is waiting to see what Nintendo and Microsoft’s new consoles offer before they release the PlayStation 4.
“Nintendo’s approach was not to upgrade much on its basic hardware – Wii doesn’t even support HD resolution – so they might be the first to move,” he suggests.
“Probably the watch should be on these companies, in my opinion,” the exec continues. “Because PS3 was later than Xbox, and is more powerful, so it has a longer lifespan.”
- Sony Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida
Hideki Konno the producer behind Nintendo’s eagerly awaited 3DS has admitted that advertising and marketing the new 3D handheld games console is going to be “very tricky” for Nintendo.
“We are constantly discussing how to market the product. Our internal PR departments are saying that we should use cinema advertising, because cinemas are capable of showing 3D movies. But our key point with 3DS is that you don’t need glasses, which you obviously need to use in cinemas. So we think regular marketing and promotional activities will be very tricky for us. I think that a lot of awareness about 3DS will be spread by word of mouth.”
- Hideki Konno, Nintendo
According to a report featured in the Wall Street Journal Nintendo and Sony are currently in talks with wireless carriers to add 3G network connections to their next handheld devices.
“Videogame makers know that in order for portable game machines to take the next step forward, they need wireless communication. We are discussing this with various players.”
- Ryuji Yamada, president of NTT DoCoMo
In a interview with G4TV Metroid co-creator Yoshio Sakamoto outlined what his acclaimed development team wishes to achieve with the highly anticipated Metroid: Other M for the Nintendo Wii.
“Our goal this time around was to use the latest technology to make a game that felt as simple and accessible as NES games did back in their day.”
“I’ve made lots of 3D action game before but I’ve never tried to do one with so simplified a control scheme. It’s important to try and do so because a lot of people may have felt left out by the increasing complexity of control schemes.”
“Trying to use just one Wii Remote to create an action game that feels current, and feels modern and slick can be quite a challenge but this is our chance to take on that challenge and I think we’ve done a good job.”
- Yoshio Sakamoto, Metroid co-creator
Speaking to Japanese publication Sankei Biz, Sony Computer Entertainment boss Kaz Hirai revealed rather predictably that he isn’t entirely won over by glasses free 3D technology.
“Naked-eye 3D for portables does not have high precision, and at present there are limitations,”
- Sony’s Kaz Hirai
On the subject of 3D, Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata still has the technology in mind for the future successor to the Nintendo Wii, but, he says it’s unlikely that we will see glasses free 3D TV’s anytime soon.
“With parallax barrier technology the LCD must be a certain distance away from the screen. It also needs a certain viewing angle. We think it is not a great match for the home TV set.”
“As one of the engineers, I can anticipate that someone will invent a 3D TV that does not require you to wear 3D glasses. As far as today is concerned I do not think they can do it well. We need an invention to make it happen. If you ask me when, I have no idea.”
- Satoru Iwata
Legendary games developer Shigeru Miyamoto recently had the chance to be profiled for the LA Times.
The profile gives an interesting insight into the ideas behind the acclaimed games he’s created and also gives an insight into where Miyamoto finds his undisputed creativity and inspiration.
Early years: Growing up in the small Japanese town of Sonobe during the 1950s, Miyamoto recalled that only 1 in about 10 homes in the village had a television. The Miyamoto household was not one of them. Instead, he found entertainment in a steady stream of comic books and puppet shows.
Sources of inspiration: Miyamoto, 57, finds ideas for his digital imaginary creations in the physical world. A gardening project became the basis of Pikmin, an adventure game for Nintendo’s GameCube. A fascination with the family’s bathroom scale turned into Wii Fit, a fitness game with a wireless device that resembles the prosaic object that inspired it. And a dog training class he took when he got his sheltie puppy prompted his bestselling title Nintendogs.
Student days: Miyamoto attended Kanazawa College of Industrial Arts in Japan. Although he dutifully completed assignments, he didn’t always produce what his instructors expected. “I made a lot of strange things in school,” Miyamoto said through his interpreter, Bill Trinen. “We were given an assignment to create a chair. Most of the other students would examine chairs from a historical perspective and create a chair that was an evolution of that. When I got the assignment, I thought about what it would be like to sit on a rope. So I tied some ropes together and made a chair. I don’t think it was very comfortable.”
First job interview with Nintendo: Most job candidates would bring a resume and a portfolio of drawings or photos. Miyamoto brought clothes hangers. He had designed and made them for children who were too small to reach closet bars and too young for traditional, hooked, metal wire hangers. “I came up with a different solution,” Miyamoto said. “I made a wooden hanger that had a little cross shape which would fit into a notch on the wall. I painted pictures of elephants on them.”
The result: “Nintendo really liked them and decided to hire me,” Miyamoto said.
Advice for aspiring game designers: “It’s really important to find things that are fun and interesting to you personally, and then apply those fun aspects to a game,” Miyamoto said. “When we first got our puppy, I took him to a training class. I found out that it wasn’t a place to train your dog. It was a place to teach people how dogs behave. I thought that was interesting. As a result, I made a lot of friends who were passionate about dogs. I also started going to the pet shop to buy things for my dog. Then I thought it would be nice to make a game people can buy while they’re at the pet store.”
- LA Times profile for Shigeru Miyamoto
