Miyamoto Answers Fan Questions, Hints at 3DS Super Mario World

While at E3 a few weeks ago, IGN had the opportunity to talk to Nintendo’s Senior Managing Director, Shigeru Miyamoto. And in that opportunity, they allowed some of their readers to ask the man credited with the creation of some of gaming’s most beloved icons some of their own questions.

The interview is conducted in a video format (subtitled, at that), which you can see here:

For those unable to view the video, herein lies the gist of it:

• Does he ever read blogs or websites to see what his fans want, or are all his ideas original?

  They go online, not so much to see what people want and how to compete with other games, but rather to see how they are reacting to what they have released. They use their own ideas to come up with something unique.

• How does he feel about story and emotion in games? Does he feel they are connected, or that one is more important than the other?

  He thinks that the connection between the developer and player is more important than the story, and that it is also very important that the player feel naturally accepting of the world brought before them by the game. And if that acceptance is there, then they can understand that world and the many ways they can play within it.

  They can then use their own imagination and creativity to come up with and tell parts of the story.

  Developers have to predict the different ways a player will interact with that world, and be prepared to give reactions, rewards, or responses to the player for using their creativity to find new ways to interact with the environment.

  That is the element most important to him, the connection between creator and player.

• …seriously? Okay, here goes:

  “Have you ever thought of making an add-on for the Wii that simulates taste? I’d sure love to know what a 1-Up Mushroom tastes like.”

  Laughing, he says that it’s a unique idea, but it would be a challenge to try to introduce something like that which could be sold in stores at a reasonable cost.

• Xbox LIVE is better than Nintendo’s online service. Any plans to improve Nintendo’s online service?

  Can’t talk about anything specific, but they want to have every Wii connected online, so we can look forward to what services and functionality they come up with to reach that goal.

• Miyamoto once said that he felt the development of Super Mario World had been rushed and the game was incomplete; what would he have changed or added if given more time?

  As it turns out, a lot of the ideas that were left behind were eventually picked up in later Mario titles. But the question now has him thinking about what fun it would be to create a 3DS version of Super Mario World, “and how we could use the depth and sense of distance offered by 3D visuals on the world map and maps in that game, so that you have Bullet Bills flying at you from a distance and popping up off the screen.”

Naturally, IGN follows up by asking if that was a small hint, to which Miyamoto laughed and responded “I don’t know… Maybe!”

Miyamoto has previously alluded to a Mario title for the upcoming handheld, while Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime addressed the prospect of NES and Super NES games remade for 3DS, but as “potentially getting more than just ported over.”

While a new Mario title for the 3DS seems like a more exciting prospect, at least initially, seeing a remake of Super Mario World has its merits, too. Especially if there are any ideas left that Miyamoto had for the original that didn’t make it into other games.

Source: IGN (via GoNintendo)