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Iwata Asks: New Super Mario Bros Wii:

Iwata: Yes, the company was releasing Popeye playing cards and Popeye Game & Watch titles.

Miyamoto: That's why at first I asked if I could make a game using Popeye. The basic concept of Popeye is that there is the hero and his rival who he manages to turn the tables on with the aid of spinach.

Iwata: When you put it like that, it's the same as Pac-Man, isn't it? (laughs)

Miyamoto: Yes, it's identical to Pac-Man! (laughs) So I sketched out a few ideas for games using Popeye. At that point, Yokoi-san was good enough to bring these ideas to the President's attention and in the end one of the ideas received official approval. Yokoi-san thought that designers would become necessary members of development teams in order to make games in the future. And that's how Donkey Kong came about.

Straight from the mouth of "the man who made up zelda based on childhood memories" ;)

This interview is the best example of Nintendo's attention to detail that I can find. In it, Miyamoto describes the insane amount of detail that went into the first ten seconds of Super Mario Bros. The mushroom, goomba, blocks, and pipe were all played just so in order for the player to realize what was good, what was bad, and so on. All without a tutorial and losing at most one life.

I think modern game designers could learn a lot by going back and studying how they used to convey ideas to the player without the memory space for tutorials.

Interestingly enough, Miyamoto wanted to name Mario, "Mr. Video". He said in this recent interview, http://us.wii.com/iwata_asks/nsmb/vol1_page2.jsp, that he was glad he didn't as Mario turned out to definitely be a money-making name.

Excerpt from the Article:
Miyamoto: Well, I called him "Mr. Video". My plan was to use the same character in every video game I made.
Iwata: So you had that plan right from the start? Why did you intend to use him in every video game you made?
Miyamoto: Well, I thought the way Hitchcock cropped up in all the films he directed was really cool! (laughs)
Iwata: (laughs)
Miyamoto: Or take manga artists like Osamu Tezuka and Fujio Akatsuka who have the same character popping up in a variety of different works. I think I was probably influenced by that at the time.
Iwata: If you were considering using the character in a number of titles, you must have been satisfied with the way Mario had turned out.
Miyamoto: I felt that I had come up with a pretty solid character, which is why I thought: "Right, I'll keep using him from now on!" That's why I decided a solid, imposing name like "Mr. Video" would work best. But thinking back, I don't think I should have gone with that name. Someone at Nintendo of America actually came up with the name Mario. If he had been called "Mr. Video," he might have disappeared off the face of the earth. (laughs)

WAIT! Maybe that is the secret of good marketing! A terrible name.

Nintendo concurs.

What the heck are you talking about?

A console game system did all that?

It wasn't even invented here! It's from Japan, you doofus. See:

http://wii.com/

I received my package yesterday and it had everything mentioned in the article plus balloons, streamers, and a few more goodies. Sounds like their package wasn't complete.

The way we're going to do it is I'll install a temp copy of 7 on my laptop, show a few things I know, and then let my guests play with it. We're also hosting a BBQ, playing some GH, RB, Wii Sports, and just plain chilling out.

I'm still undecided on whether to raffle off the single goodies (e.g. playing cards) or do some kind of trivia game: what kind of car was BG driving when he got hauled for the infamous mugshot?

After everyone's gone home I'll simply put my production hard drive back in the laptop and start using with my copy of Windows 7 Ultimate. :)

All in all, it should be a good time just getting together and hanging out.

These days I have a console that lets me get the maximum amount of enjoyment out of the least possible time investment.

I agree, Wii is boring as shit and gets there fast.

If you query the number of gamers you have left, of course you're going to get a 99.8% figure. (Though honestly, that exact figure sounds like bullshit to me. Did you know that 85.7% of all statistics are made up on the spot?) The question is, how many customers have you already lost where DRM was a contributing factor? Of those customers, how many can identify DRM as the problem rather than stating "the game doesn't work"?

I almost guarantee that any study EA has done resulting in these figures was flawed. Based on his statements however, I don't think EA has done that research. Riccitiello pulled that number out of thin air. Even if EA did research that suggests that only 0.2% of users should have a problem, there's a huge gap between theory and practice.

I'm an example of a PC gamer lost by the industry. I used to read PC Gamer regularly, wait for the awesome new titles coming out, and get lost in the worlds of these games. Eventually I stopped and gave up on the industry. If you're interesting in why, here are the key points:

-- Lackluster games. The majority of games felt like regurgitated first person shooters. They were all the same with new skins. Hardly an interesting market.

-- Technological problems. There's nothing more irritating than purchasing a game or getting a game as a gift, then not being able to run it. At least two of those instances were clearly DRM problems. The games would not even start. No error, no reason, just fail. Tech support then explains some BS about having a CD Burner. Because, you know, those are so uncommon in computers. (This guy explains it WAY better than I can.) Not to mention the video card driver treadmill. Having problems with that game? Oh, well you need to update to Super Destructo Detonation Drivers version 34120123.1239213213 release 8231 patch -0123 revision B. It will make your system super-unstable, but your games will kick ass!

-- Time. As I got older, I simply had fewer hours in the day to game. I no longer have the time nor the patience to work around the previous two problem. So I just stopped buying PC games. Nowhere was there a concious decision of "screw them", it was simply, "This does not interest me anymore".

These days I have a console that lets me get the maximum amount of enjoyment out of the least possible time investment. Life is so much better than when PC games clogged my system's arteries.

In closing, I'd like to say this: History has shown that good games sell. Period, end of story. Piracy has always been and always will be a scapegoat for the real problem of poor quality merchandise. Implementing draconian anti-piracy measures will only drive away the few customers you have left.

Either the shareholders will start wondering why so much of the company's profit is being spent on stupid shit, and begin firing all the top management

I take that you didn't read the way that GOOG sells it's shares. My understanding is that the regular shareholders will never have enough voting power to override Google's overlords. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

Sony was screwed. And hey, they may still be screwed. They certainly lost the lucrative console market

And your giving all the credit for that to MSFT? Didn't this thing have something to do with it? Does MSFT have an answer for that yet?

Ballmer understands- Google is a one-trick pony. What do they make money on besides search?

And what happens if Google leverages it's internet operations into a application hosting platform that makes the PC into a fancy dumb terminal? What does MSFT look like if the Windows/Office monopoly goes away?

I don't know which one of them will win but I think you are being far too dismissive of Google and giving Ballmer way too much credit. If he thinks Google is a one trick pony and that search isn't all that why does he get wet every time he thinks about buying up Yahoo?

I think you missed the joke. Whoosh!

The Wii shop uses Apache Tomcat/4.1, as see on it's 401 on page here:
http://oss.shop.wii.com/oss/common/vc/NaN

Mirrordot Links:

This Hacker How to view them

The wii uses a browser to communicate. By emulating this browser with firefox, you can surf the wii shop.
1. Open Firefox
2. Install the User Agent Switcher
The previous tech-recipes on the use of this tool is also killer.
3. Click Tools
4. Click User Agent Switcher
5. Click Options -> Options
6. Click User Agents
7. Click Add
8. Description: wii
9. User Agent: Opera/9.00 (Nintendo Wii; U; ; 1038-58; Wii Shop Channel/1.0; en)
10. Click OK X 2
11. Click Tools again
12. Select User Agent Switcher
13. Select wii
14. Copy and paste one of these links into firefox and visit it:

Main Channel:
http://oss.shop.wii.com/oss/common/vc/W_01.jsp?lan guage=en®ion=USA=US

Surf the Manual!
http://209.67.106.203/en_US/html/manual/USA/startu p.html

My Nintendo Membership Link:
http://oss.shop.wii.com/oss/common/vc/S_02.jsp?lan guage=en®ion=USA=US&=init

Sonic The Hedgehog Page:
http://oss.shop.wii.com/oss/common/vc/B_05.jsp?tit leId=000100014D414845

HTH, Monkeyboi (AC, I'm no karma whore...)

Mirrordot Links:

This Hacker How to view them

The wii uses a browser to communicate. By emulating this browser with firefox, you can surf the wii shop.
1. Open Firefox
2. Install the User Agent Switcher
The previous tech-recipes on the use of this tool is also killer.
3. Click Tools
4. Click User Agent Switcher
5. Click Options -> Options
6. Click User Agents
7. Click Add
8. Description: wii
9. User Agent: Opera/9.00 (Nintendo Wii; U; ; 1038-58; Wii Shop Channel/1.0; en)
10. Click OK X 2
11. Click Tools again
12. Select User Agent Switcher
13. Select wii
14. Copy and paste one of these links into firefox and visit it:

Main Channel:
http://oss.shop.wii.com/oss/common/vc/W_01.jsp?lan guage=en®ion=USA=US

Surf the Manual!
http://209.67.106.203/en_US/html/manual/USA/startu p.html

My Nintendo Membership Link:
http://oss.shop.wii.com/oss/common/vc/S_02.jsp?lan guage=en®ion=USA=US&=init

Sonic The Hedgehog Page:
http://oss.shop.wii.com/oss/common/vc/B_05.jsp?tit leId=000100014D414845

HTH, Monkeyboi (AC, I'm no karma whore...)

Mirrordot Links:

This Hacker How to view them

The wii uses a browser to communicate. By emulating this browser with firefox, you can surf the wii shop.
1. Open Firefox
2. Install the User Agent Switcher
The previous tech-recipes on the use of this tool is also killer.
3. Click Tools
4. Click User Agent Switcher
5. Click Options -> Options
6. Click User Agents
7. Click Add
8. Description: wii
9. User Agent: Opera/9.00 (Nintendo Wii; U; ; 1038-58; Wii Shop Channel/1.0; en)
10. Click OK X 2
11. Click Tools again
12. Select User Agent Switcher
13. Select wii
14. Copy and paste one of these links into firefox and visit it:

Main Channel:
http://oss.shop.wii.com/oss/common/vc/W_01.jsp?lan guage=en®ion=USA=US

Surf the Manual!
http://209.67.106.203/en_US/html/manual/USA/startu p.html

My Nintendo Membership Link:
http://oss.shop.wii.com/oss/common/vc/S_02.jsp?lan guage=en®ion=USA=US&=init

Sonic The Hedgehog Page:
http://oss.shop.wii.com/oss/common/vc/B_05.jsp?tit leId=000100014D414845

HTH, Monkeyboi (AC, I'm no karma whore...)

Keep it simple as possible. If all she wants to do is the internet, set her up with something like MSN TV or maybe even a Wii once the browser comes out and if it supports SSL. Also, some cable companies offer web browsing through their digital cable box, and I'm sure that there's some linux distro out there that runs in a very small storage footprint (256MB or less) that can be run in a set top box configuration.

Bottom line, if she just wants to surf the internet, get her something that just surfs.

The only thing I'm left wondering is when the News and Weather channels will be open

It's obvious why you would want this sort of interaction between machines, but take a broader look. For example if the Nintendo Wii runs its non-game software on a linux core and MS opens up to Linux, does that mean that now the homes the Wii permeate will also be able to (hypothetically) interact with Micosoft "channels?" What implications could this have on the industry outside of PCs?

Just give me more videos of cute chicks playing tennis on wii.com

ts lack of HD resolution means it will look weird on HD sets

It's bad when "crap" is informative.

``My internet cock is _this_ big!''

``Well _MY_ internet cock runs linux! omg!''

Its terrible.

I like playing games, but nobody makes games I want to play. Does the author really mean to suggest I should be playing games I'm not interested in?

And what else could Loki expect by picking a very small percentage of a very small percentage? Did they really think they could do better than the Dreamcast? I mean, Sega's Saturn numbers were larger than Linuxs' at the time. Isn't this really just a big no-duh?

Here's an idea: If you want to buy the game, buy the game. If you want to justify the 2,000$ you spent on your ``eff-pee-ess'' by buying crappy games, all you're really doing is perpetuating this myth that "gamers" have small penises and bad hygene.

Meanwhile, at least somebody is paying attention to the fact that the "gaming population" is pitifully and unmarketably small, and that while many of them actually like to play games, the more vocal jackasses with their so called "culture" makes them the target market of only the most brain-damaged.

BTW: I just remembered that just yesterday I could not see the WII experience videos.

Watch these and tell me you don't want to try the console out. These people honestly look like they are just having fun. Some of these also really made me understand the possibilities for the casual gamer with this system.

Since you've actually used one, let me ask you a question. In another Wii story a couple days ago, someone pointed out that in the demo videos on Wii.com, the on-screen cursor has quite a bit of jitter. I didn't notice it when I watched them the first time, but after reading that comment I went back and watched again. You can see a considerable amount of cursor jitter in the Forecast Channel and Mii Channel videos. Have you experienced that when using it in person?

See a video of it in action here:

http://www.wii.com/en_US/movies/forecastchannel/

It looks more like having control of the kind of system the weather man on TV has.

Based off the movies on wii.com, this thing will probably set Japan aflame in numbers similar to the DS and DS Lite. Further comments below...

• The interface looks relatively easy to navigate, though I wonder how long I can hold that controller out in front of me.
• The Mii Channel is another step in the development of online personas. Yahoo! Avatars, anyone? Regardless of how similar it is, this will definitely draw in the chick clique. Being able to take "yourself" in a remote is a bonus. How Westerners pick it up depends on whether or not they'll respond like they did with The Sims...
• Wii Weather really does look cool.
• The News Channel is cool; I wonder if we'll have different sources to pick from.

The centerpiece of the Wii (or, at least, what's being displayed here and touted as a Big Reason to get one) resembles an AOL-TV like Internet portal, but it can play games. I'm not going to expect this thing to be my Firefox replacement or anything.

Launch lineup: Strong, good potential. Excite Truck. Ha ha ha... that's excellent. Hopefully I'll be able to make and store a crapton of courses. Wii Sports is more likely than not a bargain at the perceived price of $50, especially if there's more than one course available for Wii Golf. Tying in Miis' skill levels and performance is a good idea. Probably doesn't have advanced features of any of the five games (will Golden Tee for Wii, if it comes out, support the concept of topspin/backspin/natural fade/draw?) but is a good multiplayer title to have regardless.

By the way

The Wii.com english section is UP NOW!! (you read it here first =op)

Unfortunately for me I am using Linux and I can not see the videos ("javascript and flash are used in this contents, you need to upgrade you Flash player...)

For anyone that hasn't yet done it, check out the Nintendo Wii page and watch the demo videos of the system interface. Amazing stuff and surprisingly intuitive. Combined with a decent web browser, this could not only be a killer game console, but could well be that perfect balance between entertainment center and household information hub.

A Wrist-strap for the Wiimote

I was just watching the video, wondering how many of these things were going to get broken when the removal of centripital forces from your hand allows the device to go flying towards the TV. Now I feel much safer.

To quote Mel: Swing Away!

Just to make sure everyone noticed, wii.com just updated to English too.

Great videos on that site, even if they're all in Japanese right now

Wii Menu
Wii Web Browser/News Channel
Wii Weather

Great videos on that site, even if they're all in Japanese right now

Wii Menu
Wii Web Browser/News Channel
Wii Weather

Great videos on that site, even if they're all in Japanese right now

Wii Menu
Wii Web Browser/News Channel
Wii Weather

is now live!!!

www.wii.com