Nintendo Wii's Miyamoto Blasts Halo, Generally Chippy

Last week, Shigeru Miyamoto, the famous Nintendo developer behind the company's uber-popular Mario games, cracked Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People list.  Buoyed by a flood of Wii fan votes, the designer was officially unveiled under the "Builders & Titans" category, rubbing elbows with tech moguls like Apple's Steve Jobs.  Now, some gamers may be ready to accuse Miyamoto of letting that go to his head, with the designer recently taking a bite out of Microsoft's beloved flagship franchise, Halo.

 

In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly's Geoff Keighley (many of you gamers will recognize him from TV programs Electric Playground and Reviews on the Run), Miyamoto answered a flurry of questions on everything from Japanese social issues to his age. 

 

Nestled in there was one poignant question from Keighley:

 

"American gamers have bought more copies of Halo than they did of Metroid…Do you ever worry that you're losing touch with what young American players might want to play?"

 

Sounding a bit perturbed, Miyamoto turns his nose up at Keighley's leading query.  The Mario-man replies bluntly,

 

"I could make Halo.  It's not that I couldn't design that game.  It's just that I choose not to."

 

Keighley's questioning and Miyamoto's subsequent answers reveal the divide between East and West in the gaming world.  Both agree that in North America, many game companies – like EA or Montreal-based Ubisoft – often test the waters for gamer interest before developing a new title. 

 

Miyamoto admits this is hardly his ideal strategy.  Instead, he tries "to create new experiences that are fun to play." 

 

His snap at Halo isn't the designer's only aggressive stance.  He also tells Keighley,

 

"I would really like to see people develop games like I do.  When I show a game to people I don't ask their opinion or give them a survey.  I just watch their eyes and their face while they play.  Do they smile?"

 

At one time, many of Miyamoto's games were revolutionary.  However, it's his latest hardware contribution – as a lead in developing the Wii – that has garnered Time's support.  When it comes to "Shiggy's" more recent games, many are following the framework set by previous editions in their respective series (including Zelda, Mario).

 

Call it an unpopular observation, but with Zelda: Twilight Princess lagging behind other Wii hits in terms of innovation, is it possible Miyamoto should adopt a North American attitude towards design?

 

Or, at least round up some kids and watch for smiles.  The last group must be voting by now.

13 comments
Posted by jessicajaja on May 16,2007 at 2:02 AM

on a good day I can emit popular catch phrases and various other quips.

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Posted by mike on May 10,2007 at 10:14 PM

its a crime to see Zelda TP sale so poor in japan because the game was amazing. Best title i have played in years.

This title may have been less challenging, but it was really fun. Fun is what matters the most.

Posted by Jimmy on May 9,2007 at 7:21 PM

Can I ask you a question nightshadow? I am not trying to be rude or anything, but, who's side are you on? Nintendo, Microsoft, or Sony?

But, I wasn't talking about The Legend Of Zelda:Twilight Princess for the 360 and PS3. I was talking about the Nintendo version.

I also agree that Miyamoto basically built the industry.

Posted by nightshadow on May 9,2007 at 10:58 AM

Yes, Miyamoto can call out Bungie and North American development practices because he basically built the industry.

Oh yeah, Twilight Princess wasn't impressive at all. The 360 and PS3 had better launch line-ups definitely, with games like Gundam and Genji, where could it go wrong? Yeah, I've got about a million people who would like to disagree with you.

Posted by Jimmy on May 8,2007 at 9:24 PM

And if anyone has a problem with it, then all I can say(and all of you Nintendo fans out, like nightshadow and wa, will agree with me)that they need to get over it and get on the winning side(Nintendo)!

Nintendo forever!!

Posted by Jimmy on May 8,2007 at 9:17 PM

I agree that even though The Legend Of Zelda:Twilight Princess didn't go over too well, I think(even though I am a huge Nintendo fan), that Miyamoto does have the right since(in my opinion)he's the best game designer ever and he's created classics that still survive today such as ZELDA and Mario to call out Bungie, Halo, and North American development practices. I also agree of his style of testing games.

Posted by Brando on May 8,2007 at 2:07 PM

Not really.  Miyamoto is still a phenomenal talent, and many gamers don't realize the role he played in the Wii's development.  However, as for his games, port or not, the latest Zelda game was hardly the most impressive out of a middling launch lineup.  

On this one, I'm primarily playing devil's advocate.  Does Miyamoto have the right to call out Bungie, Halo, or North American development practices?  Not sure.

Posted by wa on May 8,2007 at 1:24 PM

dude are u sick or what ? ur going against miyamoto here !

Posted by Brando on May 8,2007 at 1:19 PM

Yes, on a good day I can emit popular catch phrases and various other quips.

Posted by nightshadow on May 8,2007 at 11:40 AM

And no, Twilight Princess not being innovative isn't an unpopular obsevation. It's a stupid remark. I read your review. Were you guys talking out of your ass when you wrote that?

Posted by nightshadow on May 8,2007 at 11:36 AM

Well, if you want Miyamoto to adopt a North American style of gaming i.e. making redundant, generic crap that has been on the market for years, then forget it. That isn't Miyamoto's style. He creates new concepts in the world of gaming, which has kept this industry alive. You're an idiot for even suggesting otherwise.

Posted by Bobby on May 8,2007 at 11:31 AM

"Call it an unpopular observation, but with Zelda: Twilight Princess lagging behind other Wii hits in terms of innovation"

You do realize that Twilight Princess is a Gamecube port, don't you?

Posted by Trawler on May 8,2007 at 11:03 AM

Aw man. I'm used to Sony and Microsoft bigwigs blasting their competition, not Nintendo. Oh well, the fact that this comes as such a surprise shows that Nintendo has been quite a benign presence, though the odd offhanded remark shouldn't be considered a huge deal seeing as how we seem to brush them off as fast as Sony and Microsoft can produce them.