Miyamoto on Galaxy 2, Zelda and more

Shigeru Miyamoto continues his interview rounds by speaking to German site GamingMedia on Zelda, Mario Galaxy 2, and the original Donkey Kong.

Back in March the Nintendo game designer spoke on various key projects, and the resulting footage has now popped online. If you happen to speak German, then the following video interview with Shigeru Miyamoto might be of interest:

Zelda Wii

• The image shown at last year's E3 plays an important role in the plot (that the game includes Link, perhaps? - ed).
• Normally the team creates the video sequences, and these are expanded. However this time round they started with the game structure, and then worked on the video sequences. Nintendo will publish a lot closer to the game's completion.
• "For us, it is important to the to optimize gameplay and make the controls easier. We do our best to make the controls player friendly, since ‘Zelda’ has become complicated".

On whether producing both hardware/software affects development for Nintendo

• "We are already thinking in the design of the hardware out, which game we want to develop for it. This is obviously an advantage for us. On the other hand we have to produce our games, before the hardware is finished. This is a disadvantage for us. Our position is on the one hand advantageous, on the other advantageous".
• The goal for Nintendo is to make hardware more flexible for the future for more games. If this concept is "correctly understood and implemented seriously by third-parties, then the end product quality is as high as our products and player-friendly".

On Nintendo's past... the playing cards and being unique

• "Mr. Yamauchi, the former president has long worked in the entertainment industry and taught us a lot. He wanted us always to focus on entertainment in this industry and to seek a unique monopoly position. A monopoly sounds real dangerous, but in the entertainment branch it is important that a company creates something unique. Hence we must produce something that does is not offered by any other company."
• "If you ask consumers what they want, they call features that others have. But in reality, they want get presented by the developers with new functions which the others have not produced. Therefore, it is our task to design something that which we meet the unconscious desires of consumers."

Miyamoto on the original "Jumpman" and Donkey Kong arcade game

• "At that time I did not realize how important that was. I am of the opinion that pressure leads to nothing. You have to think in any situation, whether one can create something new. I set myself no goal but rather to go step by step. So I’m not afraid, even if I may not reach the goal. At that time I did not feel the gravity of the situation."
• "I never would have thought it would achieve that success. I see very often the old versions of ‘Donkey Kong’ in the U.S. or at shows like E3, and old games/technology we don’t even have not in the company any longer. It gives me great joy."

Miyamoto putting fruit in his mouth: personal experiences in Galaxy 2

• “Right, I’ve never been in space. But this time Yoshi puts fruit in the mouth and pulls the fruit from the ground, which is still stuck. And how this pull feels, I know from personal experience."
• "What I experience in daily life, I bring it into the game. Yoshi is easy or difficult to control, but I want the players to try it. If successful, this is a great feeling. In action games that’s what’s fun. I challenge the players."