Miyamoto on the Gamecube

[Macawmoses]

Even the senior managing director of Nintendo feels down now and again -- and as any dyed-in-the-wool Nintendo fan can tell you, there were more than a few things to feel down about during the company's GameCube era. That's why it's perhaps little surprise that in an interview conducted with Famitsu editor-in-chief Katsuaki Kato this week, Shigeru Miyamoto revealed his "sadness" at Nintendo's game-development atmosphere at the time. "There was an era when Nintendo was going in the direction of doing the same things other companies did," Miyamoto told Kato. "The more we competed with new companies entering the market, the more we started acting similar to them. But is being number one in that competition the same as being number one with the general public? That's the question we had. Entertainment is something that you have to look at the world with a very wide eye as you create it. I always thought that, but there were a few years where I was unable to get off other people's trends. It was a dilemma in my mind."


Which years were these? "The N64 and the era after it," Miyamoto responds. "I was endlessly fascinated with 3D worlds, but what with all the issues I had to tinker with in terms of rendering and processing speed, it got to the point where I didn't know who was making the games any longer.

"This is a job where you have a plan and you polish it endlessly while getting help from others. If Nintendo's games fail to stand out as games that aren't made that way proliferate, then it shows that the creation process is for nothing, which made me very sad. That was especially obvious during the GameCube era; Nintendo titles were hardly even discussed by the [non-gaming] general public back then."

As Miyamoto describes it, this creative dead end that he and his development teams felt with the GameCube was one of the primary motivations for Nintendo's new approach -- something first seen with the Game Boy Advance's Classic NES series. "We thought about starting over from scratch and aiming for games that can be played by people who don't play games," he notes. "We did some research, and the result was the Classic NES series, which got the response we were hoping for. In the end we didn't want a new game system, but a product that would make the entire world go crazy. And so [ex-Nintendo president Hiroshi] Yamauchi said 'two screens.' That turned the development lab upside down!"

The core concept of the DS was a pretty far-out idea even by Nintendo standards. "Doing that would make the system larger and essentially double the price," Miyamoto said. "And yet we thought that it'd be a new surprise for the general public, that it wouldn't be a bad way to attract the interest of a wide band of people. So we went through some trial-and-error work which ultimately connected to the touch pen, something I had wanted to have for a while. I didn't think two screens was enough to make the DS a success, but the touch pen is what puts it all together, both in terms of cost and design. That's what helps make it seem fascinating to people."

And to think: we wouldn't have the successful, powerful Nintendo of today if it weren't for the era of "connectivity" and little purple boxes.

Wow. This is a few days old, and stolen from GoNintendo....but it is kind of rage inducing. Nintendo may not have appealed to the masses, but solid releases like Melee, Sunshine (eh), WindWaker, and others defined the Gamecube. So, I wouldn't say Nintendo was lost, I'd say they were right on track.

[Tupin]

Nintendo made a really powerful system for the time, it was just the fact that they had to play catch-up to Sony for not using discs for the N64 that set them back. It really was the Saturn of the 128-bit generation. Poor third party support, little-used power, and too few games.

Nintendo isn't the type of company that plays catch-up. When they try to play catch-up, the developers get alienated and are suppressed in what ingenuity they can use in development. Sure, the GCN era might not have been an example of it, but it was not a good time to work for Nintendo.

Had Nintendo just tried to make a next gen Gamecube, they probably would be doing even worse.

[Macawmoses]

How wasn't it a good time to work for Nintendo....other than worrying about your next paycheque. I mean, being involved in the creation of series like Pikmin isn't worth it? Really, the GCN era was unique in that Nintendo focused on the gamer base, rather than trying to become more than that - something Sony and Mic both did.

[Tupin]

How wasn't it a good time to work for Nintendo....other than worrying about your next paycheque. I mean, being involved in the creation of series like Pikmin isn't worth it? Really, the GCN era was unique in that Nintendo focused on the gamer base, rather than trying to become more than that - something Sony and Mic both did.

They had nothing else. Only the hardcore Nintendo fans stayed around for the GCN.

Nintendo hates making games for only one certain group, and it's even worse when that's all they can make because they won't make extended profit.

[Doodle]

To me, the Gamecube was OK. It had some good games. I think I have 40+ games for it, too. >_>
But I'm glad Nintendo's "slump" let the innovative Wii and DS come fourth.

[Macawmoses]

How wasn't it a good time to work for Nintendo....other than worrying about your next paycheque. I mean, being involved in the creation of series like Pikmin isn't worth it? Really, the GCN era was unique in that Nintendo focused on the gamer base, rather than trying to become more than that - something Sony and Mic both did.

They had nothing else. Only the hardcore Nintendo fans stayed around for the GCN.

Nintendo hates making games for only one certain group, and it's even worse when that's all they can make because they won't make extended profit.

They're only making for one group now. Only having hardcore or not, the titles that were made for the GCN were often times instant classics...they just weren't appreciated as much.

[Nayrman]

Actually I find this a bit rage inducing as you said. The thing is all those were solid titles. The problem was all the technical stuff that Nintendo let slip up.
N64 didn't have discs, so it fell behind. The Cube had a surprising amount of power. Problem was no one besides Capcom bothered to make use of it. Also, Nintendo REALLY missed out on online in the Cube (which is why they effectively lost). The failure was all technical decisions, rather than game ones.

[Macawmoses]

Of course. However, none of those decisions had to do with being inspired, or original, they were just missing out on features everyone else had/wanted.

[Kaz]

Absolutely retarded. For one thing, the Gamecube was more balanced and original than the N64, spanning classics across a greater spectrum of genres and not mostly just platformers like the N64 mostly did. The Gamecube was a great console and anyone who isn't completely drowning in nostalgiac value or Sony/Microsoft corruption should be able to see that.

Metroid Prime
Metroid Prime 2
Melee
Pikmin
Pikmin 2
RE4
RE0
REmake
Eternal Darkness
Wind Waker
Twilight Princess
Mario Sunshine
Ikaruga
Tales of Symphonia
MK Double Dash
Kirby Air Ride
Soul Calibur II
Paper Mario: TTYD
Star Wars Rogue Leader
Viewtiful Joe
Viewtiful Joe 2
Killer7
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time
Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes

More great games than I can think of for the Dreamcast and the Xbox for sure, at least. The PS2 was a very worthy competitor though and I can't really decide too well which I like more because I don't have quite enough experience in the PS2's best games.

But regardless, the Gamecube was a great console. Maybe it was a bit of a letdown for people who kept their heads up in their asses and stuck to 1st party games, but great for all of us who knew about all the hidden greatness.

[Kilroy]

The thing is, I use my Wii more for Gamecube games than I do for Wii games. The GCN was a wonderful system, but at the same time, I'm happy Nintendo put a stake in the GCN as soon as the Wii came out.

I hate how Sony is trying to keep the PS2 on life support DX

[Jono2]

^you forgot F-Zero GX, Twilight Princess (GC Version >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Wii version), FSA, SFA, Super Monkey Ball 1 and 2.

[Captain Justice]

I thought the GC was a pretty good system.

Its at least 10x better then the garbage Wii.

[Ridley]

I thought the GC was a pretty good system.

Its at least 10x better then the garbage Wii.

It isn't complete garbage if I can play N64 and super nintendo games on it. Also with my hacks, I can play game emulators. ;D

[Nayrman]

I thought the GC was a pretty good system.

Its at least 10x better then the garbage Wii.

It isn't complete garbage if I can play N64 and super nintendo games on it. Also with my hacks, I can play game emulators. ;D

Echo means the actually software (non download) junk that third parties and Nintendo are producing.
And I completely agree. I'd take the Cube's library over the Wii's every time.