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Miyamoto comments on reworking older titles for 3D Classics, balancing core and casual with Wii U
The following comments come from Shigeru Miyamoto…
- On reworking old games for 3D Classics, specifically Zelda…
“There are a lot of games that I’d like to bring to that (3D Classics) series. We have a lot of different ideas. Right now what we’re doing is looking at working with some outside companies to see which we can bring to fruition. But Zelda is one that I’m definitely interested in.”
- On trying to balance casual and core gamers through Wii U…
“I think that there’s certainly been a tendency to draw lines of distinction between the Nintendo platforms of the past and competing platforms. That differentiation of saying the Nintendo platforms are home to more casual experiences versus some of the other platforms bringing more core experiences. I think the reason some of those distinctions have come up have been different for each generation, going back and looking at the switch to disc-based media at a time when Nintendo felt it was important to stick with cartridge-based media to ensure load times were shorter despite the greater capacity of disc-based media. That was the real reason, I think, some of that happened in that era. Then, of course, for Wii, we were developing in standard definition with a unique new motion controller versus the other systems running in high definition with more standard controls.
I think what we’re going to see with Wii U from the HD side — obviously, it will be an HD console with the capabilities that you’d expect from an HD console. You have, additionally, from a media standpoint, media that is capable of producing games that are going to be HD in content. But on top of that, I think what you’ll find is that the addition of new screens means that developers who are making games for other systems will naturally be able to make them for Wii U, and then on top of that they’ll be able to take advantage of this new gameplay structure to bring new possibilities to their game designs when releasing them on Wii U.
“So, I think you’ll find a blend of experiences on this system. Some of them will be based on the motion style of gameplay that we introduced with Wii, while others will be based on more traditional, core-type games. …it’s just a question of how much gamers understand the uniqueness that Nintendo offers. For us, the ideal is that we’ve been making games for a long time, and we try to create these new styles of play become the future standard for video games. So it becomes then… you need to find the appropriate way to take advantage of new technology while offering it to people at an appropriate price that’s going to make them want to play.”