STACK #138 Apr 2016

GAMES FEATURE

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Shigeru Miyamoto needs no introduction. We were extremely fortunate to be able to talk with the Nintendo and industry luminary ahead of the Australian release of Star Fox Zero onWii U. By Paul Jones

I’m interested to learn how the decision to revisit your back catalogue arises.What’s the

catalyst? Are the decisions driven by fan requests or are these projects green-lit when the tech is considered suitable? Mr. Miyamoto: Mainly it’s technology or my daily interests. Sometimes we decide to wait for an appropriate time such as when the processing power or price is sufficient to be able to materialise the project, or sometimes having the dual screens and gyro control can be the starting point, like this time.

I believe the gameplay will evoke nostalgic memories of playing Star Fox on Super Nintendo Entertainment System and NINTENDO 64, and at the same time mastering the new controls while progressing in the game will be a fun experience filled with nostalgic influence and the creation of new strategies. In the E3 version, we removed some features like bombs that were present in previous titles, however following internal review, we think fans will find the game jam-packed with good elements from previous games in the series. Of course, I would like children who have never played the series to feel like a fighter pilot, but also to enjoy the fun of an action game where they can gradually master the button and gyro controls as they play. What is the secret, in your opinion, to satisfying the expectations of a dedicated fan pool yet remaining appealing to a new generation of gamers? I’m happy if I am doing both, but it’s not something I can say myself [laughs]. I always switch between my skilled-self and my beginner-self when reviewing the prototypes, and when I find new elements in this process, I proactively try to take them into the game. Ultimately, I think the most important thing is whether I’m finding myself having fun at the time. While we always have test audiences, I ask them how they feel, but I don’t ask what they want it to be.

GAMES

And to follow on with the question above, why the ten year hiatus for Star Fox ? We have developed titles in

the series on Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS, however it has actually been 19 years since we developed a brand new title in Japan that follows on from the design of the NINTENDO 64 game.

I have fond memories of playing Star Fox (aka Starwing ) on SNES back in ‘93. When you approached the development of Zero , did you have gamers like me in mind or did you draw up the concepts for a broader audience?

APRIL 2016

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