Table of Contents
This is the 1995-1999 page of the Shigeru Miyamoto Archive.
1985-1989 | 1990-1994 | 1995-1999 | 2000-2004 | 2005-2009 | 2010-2014 | 2015-2019 | 2020-2024
1995
Unknown (Yoshi’s Island interview)
Publication Date: 1995
Subject(s): Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Unnamed interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto
Link: https://shmuplations.com/yoshi/
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20160412210320/http://shmuplations.com/yoshi
Translator: shmuplations
Notes: It’s possible this interview appeared in an official guide for the game, but I could find no information about its origin.
Summary: There was room for Yoshi to grow as a character after Super Mario World.
If they had a Yoshi control scheme and a Mario control scheme it would be confusing.
Since a game where you controlled Mario would sell more they added the Super Baby Mario power-up. It originally turned Baby Mario into regular adult Mario.
They made the story together as a team. They always focus on the gameplay first, then the story at Nintendo.
The first 2 years of development were spent doing experiments and it’s taken about 5 years total. The idea that really caught on was not dying when you get hit.
They wanted to include everything they could since it was going to be the last Mario game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It’s designed for the levels to be replayed several times.
It pained him a bit to make a game where you aim to get 100%, but people seemed to be having fun during playtesting.
He was stressed during the development of Super Mario Bros. but he realized it would be a hit after he saw people anxiously waiting their turn to play.
Super Mario Bros. 2 started with someone making a difficult Super Mario Bros. level for fun, but they liked it enough to make a whole game like that.
Super Mario Bros. 3 is the real sequel to Super Mario Bros.
They wanted Super Mario World to feel upgraded and more impressive. He was happy with the graphics and the three directional scrolling.
With the next Mario game he wants to abandon some old but established ideas, like running into an enemy killing you.
He wants players to have as much freedom as possible.
He’s interested in the Rubik’s Cube. It’s deep and has endless variation. It’s something that grabs people’s attention. He’s not completely confident he can make innovative, timely, and relevant video games. He joined Nintendo to make something people would talk about and remember.
Next Generation – Why are Shigeru Miyamoto’s games so damn good?
Publication Date: February, 1995
Subject(s): Mario’s design and origins, exploration, secrets, Sonic the Hedgehog, Earthworm Jim, Pac-Man, appealing to a wide audience, Nintendo 64
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Unnamed Next Generation interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto
Scans:
Summary: Mario wears dungarees so that you can see his arms move, and a hat because it would look silly if his hair didn’t move. He has a mustache because there wasn’t room to separate mouth and nose.
Super Mario Bros. has two halves: the game with the platforms, and the secrets. They drew the levels out on graph paper. They playtested them a lot. Then they added the secrets.
He explored the nearby mountains with his friends as a boy. He likes to walk alone in New York City and explore. When he knows his way around a bit he will buy a map. This is like The Legend of Zelda games, you explore and then get a useful tool.
It’s hard to say what his favorite game is. Donkey Kong was his first game and it is enjoyable. He also likes Excitebike and Pilotwings.
They drew pictures of the Donkey Kong Country characters and Rare made them in computer graphics.
When making characters the pixels and memory available are predetermined. He makes characters that will work in the kind of game they are for. If they make 10 enemies for a game, five will be designed around the player character’s abilities. The other five are based on the graphics for that part of the game. They try to make enemies that can be figured out without the instruction manual.
Donkey Kong was his first character, and is a concrete character. He cherishes Donkey Kong as much as Mario. Donkey Kong looks more adult in Donkey Kong Country.
There is an “I” that is the game character, and another “I” looking at the former “I”. The distance between them varies when playing a game. Games allow adults to become primitive, they are children with more morals.
Better graphics are fine as long as they do not disturb the playability of a game.
They know video games aren’t cheap, so they try to make them worth the money.
A game must capture the feeling a child has when entering a cave alone.
They try to include things in a game off the main course. It’s satisfying when a player finds something unexpected.
One of the charms of video games is doing things that you can’t do in real life, and not risking your life. People want to feel like they are improving. Balance is very important.
Players should feel comfortable, moving their character just as they wish.
He doesn’t know that his characters are imitated, but Nintendo’s games often are. Those people only copy the surface.
Sega made Sonic so they’d have a mascot. Platformers are a good way to use a new a character. Sonic the Hedgehog is a beautiful and good game that is similar to Mario games in some ways.
He likes Pac-Man, but Pac-Land was too much like other jumping games.
He likes how Earthworm Jim fires a gun, it doesn’t show the bullets. He was thinking of including something like that in one of his games.
He shouldn’t deny people’s right of expression, but he doesn’t want to use depictions of violence to get players excited.
They are making Kyoto games, not Japanese games. People in Kyoto love to set the fashion. One of their biggest difficulties is making games both for people who have played their games before and people who are new to games.
They don’t aim for a specific age group. If the difficulty of a game is set for eight year olds, it can also be played by parents in their 40s and 50s. If the difficulty is set for an 18 year old, not as many people would be able to play the game.
Working on games that are semi-completed is easier since he can just add his ideas in without a birth pang.
He would like to make a Pilotwings 2.
Graphics aren’t as important as gameplay. The Nintendo 64 will be stunning and unprecedented.
Electronic Games – The Top Bananas
Publication Date: May, 1995
Subject(s): Donkey Kong Country
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Steve Kent, Tim Stamper, Shigeru Miyamoto
Scans:
Notes: This interview was supposedly the origin of Mr. Miyamoto’s quote “Donkey Kong Country proves gamers will put up with mediocre gameplay if the art is good” for many years. Steve Kent, who conducted this interview, says in his 2001 book The Ultimate History of Video Games that Mr. Miyamoto “was a bit hard” on Tim Stamper and said the quote during the interview, but this is not reflected in this version published by Electronic Games.
Summary: When he started at Nintendo he wanted to make toys. Hiroshi Yamauchi knew he could do something fun, but no one expected it to be video games.
He was happy that Donkey Kong turned out so well.
Some of the games he played with friends when he was young had a winner chosen by another friend. That friend could change the rules as they wanted, but a computer will not change the rules. People forget about the human element of video games. Games are not made fun while thinking about business, his biggest barrier is when salespeople make decisions about which games are made.
He likes short games. His favorite is Pac-Man, though he wishes he had come up with SimCity.
Gaming has gone from the world of programmers to the world of designers.
Possibilities have opened up with better technology, they will be 3D in the future. TV screens are the wrong size and shape for video games.
If there was no game industry he would work in the toy or theme park industry. He would not make video games as a hobby for his friends.
Satellaview Tsūshin
Publication Date: May, 1995
Subject(s): Satellaview
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Reported on by Jack Yarwood, Unknown Satellaview Tsūshin interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto
Scans:
Translator: Stephen Meyerink for Time Extension
Notes: Famicom Tsūshin (now known as Famitsu) released Satellaview Tsushin as an “extra issue”. Scans uploaded by koiuni6.
Summary: He’s not very involved in designing the Satellaview hardware. In the future they might have multiplayer games where people can share a space. They want to ensure they have reliable broadcasts.
The next six months of the Satellaview will probably mostly be games by Nintendo, there will be great variety. They can distribute games for free that they couldn’t sell as cartridges with the Satellaview. If someone brings them a game they could distribute it to 100,000 people. Some people made unprofitable cartridge games just because they wanted people to play them.
Developers could make changes based on player feedback. Cartridge size usually determines price, but the Satellaview doesn’t have that limitation. Players don’t have to pay anything when they change what data they have. It’s like paying for the software up front.
He assumes they couldn’t sell non-game cartridges for over 5000 yen, but they could distribute it with the Satellaview. They’re going to release cartridges where some of the data can be rewritten, so you can do things like update sports rosters. They’d like to use it to fill in gaps.
At the time of Famicom Grand Prix: F1 Race he thought about connecting things online and letting 100 people race at the same time. The issue with online play is maintaining a hosting service, but the Satellaview could do it on any scale. He wants people to think of Satellaview as an empty cartridge. More software will come over time, making it more and more satisfying.
Super Play – Shigeru Miyamoto The Super Play Interview
Publication Date: June, 1995
Subject(s): Producers, English and American developers, Nintendo 64, CDs, Sega, Sonic
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Unnamed Super Play interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto
Scans:
Notes: When Mr. Miyamoto says he hasn’t had much experience with role-playing games an editor’s note says “this, from the man who created Zelda!”.
Summary: He’s working with Paradigm Simulations in the United States. He evaluates game quality overseas. It can be difficult, their way of thinking is sometimes different. A producer shouldn’t influence the team too much.
He likes how they make games in England, it’s similar to his style. He is a bit more worried about America. Sometimes American producers work so hard they have no time for a private life, and sometimes American workers are careless.
He would like to make a game like Infogrammes’ Alone in the Dark.
Games have become more complex over time, and 3D games even more so.
Super FX chips are expensive. They couldn’t release some games because they were slow, but many Super FX games will be released soon.
He’s working on Nintendo 64 games and maintaining the quality of overseas games.
The N64 will be the cheapest and most powerful. If it doesn’t have 5 or 6 good games at launch consumers won’t buy it. He is unsure that 16-bit consoles aren’t enough. Sony and Sega say there’s a market for next generation systems, but only Nintendo has sold 10 million units of hardware. It sounds strange for another company to talk on the same terms. The media says history repeats itself, but it’s uncertain that people will buy a 64-bit machine.
They can make Mario with more precision using polygons.
When designing a game he first thinks about what the player would like to play, what kind of character they want to play as. Then he builds the scenario, setting, characters, and events. He hasn’t made many role-playing games.
It’s easier to help with a partially completed game, he can just add his ideas. Working from scratch is a hardship, but you your skills won’t improve unless you do.
PlayStation games look good but are unfinished. Many games developed at Nintendo are unreleased because they’re unfinished. The player must be satisfied, not the creator. The impressionist Cezanne always wanted to surprise the customer.
They make Kyoto games, not Japanese ones. They like to set the fashion in Kyoto, they aren’t like Tokyo.
He wants his games to be easy to play, and for adults and children. Mario was aimed at children. A beginner and a game specialist must be able to play a game. The maker of Dragon Quest agrees.
He doesn’t play many games, he just plays around in them for a bit. You have to play a role-playing game for 5 hours to have fun. His favorite game that he didn’t make is probably Pac-Man.
He didn’t join Nintendo with the intention of making video games.
It will take 3 to 5 years to master the next generation game systems. The N64 will not use CDs, which have a lot of capacity but are slow. CDs are good for manufacturers because they are cheap to make, but making the data that goes into them is becoming more expensive.
He hasn’t played much of Sonic, but Sega did well in imitating Mario games. His energy makes him different. Sega imitates Nintendo’s way of doing business. It strength is its arcade business making new hardware. Nintendo does research and development, but Sega only researches games it already wants to sell.
Club Nintendo – el control de las celebridades (untranslated from Spanish)
Publication Date: July, 1995
Subject(s): Super Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Unnamed Club Nintendo interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto
Scans:
Notes: There were many Club Nintendo magazines from various countries, this is from the Chilean version. A machine translation of the title is “control of celebrities”. I was made aware of this interview from this smallmariofindings post, which linked to this tweet by mariozisun. The magazine was uploaded to the Internet Archive and presumably scanned by Retro_Archiver.
V-Jump Festival ’95
Publication Date: September 13, 1995 (translated March 3, 2010)
Subject(s): Super Mario RPG
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Unknown interviewer, Chihiro Fujioka, Shigeru Miyamoto
Link: https://glitterberri.com/v-jump-presentation-part-2/
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20230128205448/https://glitterberri.com/v-jump-presentation-part-2/
Video:
Translator: GlitterBerri
Notes: The subtitles in the video use GlitterBerri’s translation. This was a prototype version of Super Mario RPG.
Summary: There were bugs with the art in flat areas. If you turned in circles you’d see glitches. The second one will be on a different platform, they’re doing their best to make sure this is the last 16-bit Mario game.
Super Mario Magazine (untranslated from Japanese)
Publication Date: September 22, 1995
Subject(s): Super Mario RPG, Super Mario 64
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Unknown Super Mario Magazine interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto
Scans:
Notes: Super Mario Magazine was a short one-off special publication made by Japanese magazine Famimaga. Uploaded by MrTalida to Archive.org. Thank you to Stefanie Kischak for informing me about this interview.
Nintendo Power – The Spielberg and Lucas of the Video Game Industry
Publication Date: October, 1995
Subject(s): Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Unnamed Nintendo Power interviewer, Takashi Tezuka, Shigeru Miyamoto
Scans:
Summary: The Super FX Chip allows for enemies to be any shape, to scale, and to rotate.
He loves the Baseball Boys.
Game-on!
Publication Date: October, 1995
Subject(s): Super Mario RPG
Format: Essay
People: Shigeru Miyamoto
Link: https://shmuplations.com/supermariorpg/
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20180610214400/http://shmuplations.com/supermariorpg/
Translator: shmuplations
Notes: Game On! was a Japanese video game magazine.
Summary: Before Super Mario RPG started development he talked with some people at Nintendo about making a Mario role-playing game. Later they were talking with Square and they wanted to make a game with worldwide appeal. After many discussions they decided to make a game that featured their respective strengths. They’ve made a game with Mario’s action gameplay and a turn-based role-playing game system where no blood is shed.
MAXIMUM The Video Game Magazine – The Return of the Awesome MARIO KART!
Publication Date: October, 1995
Subject(s): Mario Kart 64
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Unnamed MAXIMUM The Video Game Magazine interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto
Scans:
Notes: This impromptu interview took place at Shoshinkai 1995 (later named Space World) which occurred November 22–24.
Summary: Mario Kart 64 is about 95% done and will be a launch title for the Nintendo 64 on April 21st. The 3D thumb controller is so good that there is no need for a steering wheel accessory.
Mario Kart 64 will not use any kind of link-up, their policy is one TV and one game for multiplayer. They could have added 8 person multiplayer, but everyone’s screen would be too small.
They would have had Mario Kart 64 playable at Shoshinkai , but their booths are too small to show off multiplayer.
Super Mario Stadium
Publication Date: November 22-24, 1995
Subject(s): Nintendo 64, Super Mario 64
Format: Interview, Q & A
People: Unnamed hosts, Kouji Watanabe, Shigeru Miyamoto
Video:
Translator: Meiji Ishin
Notes: The subtitles have the English translation. Super Mario Stadium was Nintendo’s TV show which aired on Thursdays. This interview took place at Shoshinkai 1995, which would later be called Space World. The video contains beta footage of Super Mario 64. Uploaded by YouTube user Meiji Ishin.
Summary: The Nintendo 64 has a 64-bit CPU. The selling point are the fast computations, which allow for advanced AI. They made sure it felt different to the touch.
They’d always dreamed of making 3D animations and controlling characters like puppets.
Because it’s a free environment they have to draw what’s behind a tree too.
You can move the analog stick on the controller 360 degrees. The slot on the controller is for a Memory Pak that you can store data in and you can take it to a friend’s house.
The games will cost the same as Super Nintendo Entertainment System games, even though though they have more memory. They will cost 9,800 yen.
1996
Nintendo Daijiten (untranslated from Japanese)
Publication Date: 1996
Subject(s): Game development
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Unknown interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto
Gallery of Shigeru Miyamoto’s interview: https://spritecell.com/shigeru-miyamoto-nintendo-daijiten/
Archive Links: https://archive.org/details/nintendo-dictionary-vol-1
https://archive.org/details/nintendo-dictionary-vol-1-disc-two
https://archive.org/details/daijitenswf_202012
Notes: Nintendo Daijiten (Nintendo dictionary) is a CD-ROM made by Nintendo and several other companies. It uses Adobe Flash and contains information about Nintendo games and several interviews. I see conflicting claims of this being released in 1996, 1998, and 1999, while the back of the CD case has a copyright notice of 1997.
The first and second links (uploaded by Media-Monster) contain image files of the Nintendo Daijiten CDs, the third link (uploaded by craftersshaft) emulates disc 2 within a browser. Mr. Miyamoto is “GUEST4”.
Nintendo Power – The Game Guys
Publication Date: January, 1996
Subject(s): Super Mario 64, Nintendo 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Unnamed Nintendo Power interviewer, Takashi Tezuka, Shigeru Miyamoto
Scans:
Notes: This interview took place at Shoshinkai 1995 (later named Space World) which occurred November 22–24.
Summary: He first had the idea for a 3D Mario when working on Star Fox, 5 years ago. The Super Mario 64 at Shoshinkai is about 50% done and 20% mapped out. It will be released by April with plenty of time to spare.
Ideas for Super Mario 64 come from real life. During development Takashi Tezuka had the idea to put his wife in the game. She’s normally quiet, but exploded once because she was angry Mr. Tezuka spent so much time at work. There is a character that shrinks when Mario looks at it, but grows when he looks away.
They can show the entire game world in detail and convey emotions thanks to the Nintendo 64.
He’ll be working on The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time with Mr. Tezuka after Mario 64 is done. The 64DD allows them to create software tools. You might be able to change backgrounds or back up games. The N64 will be better than PCs, they had plug and play long before the PC market did.
Mario Kart 64 looks good but doesn’t play much better than Super Mario Kart yet.
Bravo TV – Nintendo 64
Publication Date: January 28, 1996
Subject(s): Nintendo 64
Format: Interview (spoken English)
People: Unknown Bravo TV interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto
Video:
Notes: This footage was shot November 22–24, 1995 at Shoshinkai.
Summary: The Nintendo 64 will change the image of games. Games will change as players play them.
Next Generation – Shigeru Miyamoto the Master of the Game
Publication Date: February, 1996
Subject(s): Nintendo 64, Super Mario 64, Super FX chip, controllers and ports
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Unnamed Next Generation interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto
Scans:
Notes: This interview took place at a cocktail party organized by Nintendo of America after Shoshinkai 1996.
Summary: He’s happy that Shoshinkai went well even though they said 10 games would be playable but only Super Mario 64 was.
About half of the Nintendo 64’s power has been revealed.
He’s completely involved in Super Mario 64, Kirby’s Block Ball, Wave Race 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Star Fox 64, and Mario Kart 64. He is less involved with Pilotwings 64 and Buggy Boogie. He’s always in charge of around 10 games.
He is currently directing Super Mario 64 rather than producing. He needs more time. They started on Mario 64 one and a half years ago, though they worked on an experimental game almost 5 years ago with the Super FX chip. This has probably been the shortest development time for a Mario game.
With Mario 64 he wants to widen the experience and improve the gameplay compared to Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island. Mario 64 is almost a different kind of game than past Mario games. He wanted to make an interactive cartoon. He wants experienced game players to not have an advantage. It may be difficult to adjust to the analog stick, but it’s worth it.
The Legend of Zelda should have always been in 3D. He’s interested in what writeable storage can do to lengthen games and provide deeper gameplay.
Saturn and PlayStation have some good games, but they are mostly arcade conversions. Other games seem poor and experimental.
They’d like to work on online play, and the expansion port of the Nintendo 64 was made for that possibility, but he’d rather talk about it when they’ve sold 3 million units.
They have 4 controller ports on the Nintendo 64 because it’s the first time they have a system that can handle 4 screens.
He stopped smoking because he has to work with Americans, but he’s been eating lots of sweets.
Time – THE SPIELBERG OF VIDEO GAMES
Publication Date: May 20, 1996
Subject(s): Graphical power, online play
Format: Transcribed interview
People: David S. Jackson, Shigeru Miyamoto
Link: https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,984568,00.html
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20151005163616/http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,984568,00.html
Summary: They’ve had trouble making games look as real as possible, but those problems have been solved with the Nintendo 64. The Internet has to be more popular before they use it for games. His kids can only play games for two hours a day after they finish their homework.
Super Mario 64 Official Guides
Publication Date: June 23, 1996 (approximate)
Subject(s): Super Mario 64, jumping in 3D, animation, enemies, initial prototype, movement and physics
Format: Transcribed interview
People: First interview: Unnamed interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto. Second interview: Unnamed interviewer, Takashi Tezuka, Yoshiaki Koizumi, Hajime Yajima, Yasunari Nishida, Shigeru Miyamoto
Link: https://shmuplations.com/mario64/
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20160922162125/http://shmuplations.com/mario64/
Translator: shmuplations
Notes: This shmuplations article contains two interviews from different sources, I have included both in this entry. I could not figure out which official Japanese-only guides these came from, but one is probably Super Mario 64 120 Power Star Complete Manual ★ Definitive Edition! (machine translated title). The Super Mario 64 Complete Clear Guide is not official and does not seem to have any interviews in it.
Summary: [First interview.]
Since Donkey Kong he’s thought that a game needs to be exciting for the people watching, too.They tried that for Super Mario 64.
A theme of his has been to let the player make their own vision. He wants players to make up their own solutions and play styles.
They returned to an older style with Super Mario 64. Jumping is difficult in 3D. They can’t measure the exact pixels Mario can jump anymore, like they could in 2D. Late in development they made it so that your jumps would make it if you were “close enough”.
They tried animating with motion capture but ended up doing it by hand. The area around his hips is a joint and all of Mario’s movements are based on that origin.
The Mario face in the opening was from a Mario Paint 3D prototype. He thinks it’s the first time the skin animation technique has been used in a game.
He’s always said he doesn’t want to make movies, but it seems like all the game developers now aspire to. Do they have a superiority complex?
Mario is an Italian-American from Brooklyn. The voice actor also did Mario’s voice 5 or 6 years ago at an event. There are more voice samples in the American version.
There are less than 40 enemy types, rather than the usual 80. Many are neither friend nor foe. They wanted the player to feel like it was a mysterious place.
They had a Yoshi event, but scrapped it. To not waste the model they put him in at the end. Luigi was in the game until February, but they had to cut him due to memory issues.
[Second interview.]
Super Mario 64 started simple: a room with Lego-like blocks. They knew they were halfway done when they got the controls to feel smooth. Things had to start vague since they were still designing the Nintendo 64 and didn’t know what it would be capable of. They started by developing on a powerful computer, no one thought they’d be able to get it running on a $250 console. The N64 prototype handled it almost perfectly, though. The staff felt they’d been lied to when they saw the planning sheet, it was going to be a massive game.
Moving Mario and Luigi around that small room and moving the camera was the fundamental basis. They wanted moving to be fun.
Yasunari Nishida and Yoshiaki Koizumi handled the animation. They were told to make as many movements as possible. They created movements for every button combination, which left a few useless ones.
At an expo in November they heard that the controls felt slippery, but they dug in. This is the kind of response you get when you’re trying to change the culture. They made Super Mario 64 to change the culture of gaming.
There’s a lot of physics calculations, all the jumps have different calculations. They had to learn physics all over again.
Half their time was spent on the basic systems, the levels and enemies were done at the end.
There was some concept art and sketches, but they didn’t make models. They started with a general shape but changed it as they added things. He had doubts about some of the ideas, like the Koopa the Quick race. It was originally a rabbit. He wanted to add a rabbit throwing animation.
They had children, including his son, playtest Super Mario 64, which is unusual for them. Watching his son try to climb an unclimbable hill in Bob-omb Battlefield over and over made him wonder if his son had any brains.
Their big gamble was that it would be fun just to wander around. They made it for the people that would hang around outside the castle at the start of the game.
They used 60% of the N64’s capabilities. Maybe 40%.
Mario and the Legend of Zelda have the same basic gameplay. One is focused on action, one on puzzles. They share ideas.
Next Generation – An interview with Shigeru Miyamoto
Publication Date: August, 1996
Subject(s): Super Mario 64, Nintendo 64
Format: Q & A
People: Unnamed Next Generation interviewer and other members of the press, Shigeru Miyamoto
Scans:
Notes: This group interview took place at E3 1996.
Summary: He had trouble concentrating on Super Mario 64 since he’s become more of a producer at Nintendo, overseeing many games. If he stopped work on Mario 64 for a bit, then no one else would work on it.
Only fighting and racing games are meeting 3D criteria. Many games are 2D, but using tricks to seem 3D. It’s easy to get confused when playing a 3D game due to the camera. It’s frustrating when you can’t move the camera because a wall is in the way.
He couldn’t put everything he wanted into Super Mario 64, so there will be a sequel that will take at least a year and a half.
Super Mario 64 used about 60% of the Nintendo 64’s capabilities.
There will be 2D N64 games. He is working on a Yoshi game.
Super Mario 64 would have been impossible on a CD-ROM.
They don’t know yet if the Mario 64 sequel will be a 64DD game.
He decided to work for Nintendo so he’d have the chance to surprise people.
Nintendo Power – Miyamoto Speaks
Publication Date: August, 1996 (appeared in English October, 1996)
Subject(s): Super Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Wave Race 64, Star Fox 64, Mario Kart 64
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Unnamed Famimaga 64 interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto
Scans:
Notes: This interview was with Japanese gaming magazine Famimaga 64 and Nintendo Power later ran a translated version.
Summary: He wrote the specifications for Super Mario 64 before Shoshinkai last year. He had wanted to use polygons since before the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. He tested them with Star Fox and Stunt Race FX. They made and tested samples for 6 months and then developed the game for a year.
They spent a year on the characters and camera angles. Mario and MIPS were used for testing.
He comes up with the concepts, like Mario’s moves, first. He started on creating the world after Shoshinkai in November 1995.
The leg sweep would be used to knock down bamboo poles and defeat Goombas.
Basically only A and B are used for control.
The Nintendo 64 might be the only console that can make a correct 3D view, so you can’t see Mario from behind a wall. It would be confusing if the camera shifted every time Mario moved.
The characters speak more in the English version, such as Mario saying “here we go!”
He used some ideas from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time in Mario 64, just like the Super Nintendo versions of Mario and Zelda.
The soldiers in the Ocarina of Time demo at Shoshinkai stop before they swing their sword, they need to fix that.
They focused on making the water look realistic in Wave Race 64 first. They originally used boats, but changed it to jet skis, which are more unique which can show more maneuvers.
They are working on more driving styles in Mario Kart 64, each car will run very differently. They are changing Donkey Kong to Super Donkey Kong.
They will be using polygons more in future games. They had a sprite limit on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, but the N64 is programming-free, you can make whatever you want. They can make high quality 2D images, like with Yoshi’s Story.
Networking is important long term. If he was a consumer he wouldn’t be interested in it right now. Networking will be realistic when 5 million N64s have been sold. Japan is not ready for it, houses only have one phone line.
The Memory Pak can backup save data, and the 64DD will be able to too.
Shoshinkai 1996 Super Mario 64 Demonstration (untranslated from Japanese)
Publication Date: November 22-24, 1996
Subject(s): Super Mario 64
Format: Presentation
People: Unknown Nintendo presenters, Shigeru Miyamoto
Video:
Official Mario Kart 64 Guidebook
Publication Date: December 14, 1996 (approximate)
Subject(s): Mario Kart 64
Format: Essay
People: Shigeru Miyamoto
Link: https://shmuplations.com/mariokart64/
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20181101232356/http://shmuplations.com/mariokart64/
Translator: shmuplations
Notes: Several people who worked on Mario Kart 64 wrote their answer to the question “what has changed from Super Mario Kart to Mario Kart 64?” for the official Japanese guide.
Summary: Mario Kart is meant for a wide audience of all skill levels. Even though people say that games are evolving, keeping some things the same makes it easier for the average person.
They mostly changed how the game worked under the hood, such as 4 player gameplay. It was difficult to balance the 4 player battle mode, but it’s amazing. The programmers thought it would be impossible.
They couldn’t have done it without cartridges and the way they preload data. CDs can store a lot of data, but they are limited in how much the can preload. They repeat the same mistakes as the Famicom Disk System.
When they have 128 or 256Mbit cartridges they’ll be able to add better steering animations and more combat abilities.
Famimaga 64 (Mario Kart 64, untranslated from Japanese)
Publication Date: December 27, 1996
Subject(s): Mario Kart 64
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Unknown Famimaga interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto
Scans:
Notes: Scans are by Gaming Alexandria.
1997
Unknown (Pokémon Gold and Silver Version interview)
Publication Date: 1997
Subject(s): Pokémon Gold Version and Silver Version
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Satoshi Tajiri, Tsunekazu Ishihara, Shigeru Miyamoto
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20111130222502/http://www.glitterberri.com/pokemon-gold-silver/pokemon-2
Translator: GlitterBerri
Summary: He’s not involved with Pokémon Gold Version and Silver Version yet.
Gold and Silver will be 8 megabits, more than the originals.
He’d like to make a Pokémon game on the Nintendo 64 game that’s essentially a Pokédex.
When he suggested making multiple versions of the original games, it wasn’t so they would sell more copies. He thought of a family with 3 kids that all had something unique.
Kono Gemu ga Sugoi! 64 Edition
Publication Date: 1997
Subject(s): Nintendo 64, 64DD, Disneyland, Nintendo 64 Transfer Pak
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Unnamed Kono Gemu ga Sugoi! 64 Edition interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto
Scans:
Translator: Kody NOKOLO for Hard4Games
Notes: YouTube user Hard4Games commissioned this translation, I assume was responsible for the scans, and made a video about it. The video description contains a link to the full translation and scans. There does not seem to be any information about this publication on the English Internet, but if it is like Kono Manga ga Sugoi! and Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi! then it is a mook. The name of this publication translates to This Game’s Awesome!.
Summary: Many Nintendo 64 games could be called extensions their of Super Nintendo Entertainment System versions. When people say the N64 version is just an upgrade it has a deeper meaning. People also say that the games that really introduce new ways to play like Super Mario 64 aren’t coming until 1998. This motivates the people working on those games.
The Super Nintendo-like games are trying to be Disneyland fun. Mario and The Legend of Zelda are play spaces for people to enjoy.
Mario, Zelda, and Star Fox games are like finding things to do at Disneyland. Their N64 versions bring them closer to Disneyland.
He’s dissatisfied with Star Fox 64. It should be more fun.
Nintendo tries to entertain the way that Disneyland does.
The 64DD will allow users to rewrite data. The three things that make it fun are enhancing, replacing, and adding. You’ll be able to record your game’s world and share it, or make new content.
The N64 isn’t complete without the 64DD, it’s an expanding play platform. You can share data between the Game Boy Pokémon games and Pokémon Stadium. They are working on a voice recognition system so that you can move your character in Mario Artist without your hands.
At Disneyland you can run around off the path and swing sticks, no one will make you go somewhere. That’s the kind of fun the 64DD enables. It’s important to him to create Disneyland and non-Disneyland experiences.
Game worlds are for entertainment, they shouldn’t make the player feel anxious. He’s happy if people just play the first part of his games, he doesn’t want them to overexert themselves. The N64 is trying to be a tool for realizing creativity. No matter their age, everyone loves to create.
Nintendo Power – Miyamoto Does it Again, and Again, and Again
Publication Date: January, 1997
Subject(s): Rumble Pak, Mario Kart 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Star Fox 64, F-Zero X, Earthbound 64
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Unnamed Nintendo Power interviewer, Takashi Tezuka, Hideki Konno, Shigeru Miyamoto
Scans:
Notes: This interview took place during Shoshinkai 1997. The Famimaga 64 scans (which are from Gaming Alexandria) seem to indicate (if machine translation can be trusted) that they are running a portion of an interview they got from Nintendo Power. Looking at machine translation I am pretty sure I have matched the Famimaga 64 scan to the right Nintendo Power interview.
Summary: The Rumble Pak was designed for a fishing game, it would rumble when a fish bites. It will release before the fishing game because it works well with Star Fox 64 and Blast Corps.
They couldn’t use tunnels or jumps in Super Mario Kart, but the Nintendo 64 has almost no limitations. The Super Nintendo Entertainment System was limited in how many enemies could appear at once. They can also now include real time cinema scenes, even with different camera angles.
The N64’s CPU isn’t being used to its fullest extent, they can still improve AI, keep track of characters that aren’t on screen, and add lighting effects.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is about half done and should release in 1997. Or maybe it’s 10% done.
They put things where they feel right. Fun ideas are put in. They wanted to use Super Mario 64’s penguin in every game, but not every developer wanted to. Look for a giant penguin boss at the end of Star Fox 64.
The F-Zero X programmer is studying physics, it should be released within a year.
Earthbound 64 should release 6 months before the 64DD.
Hobby Consolas – Shigeru Miyamoto The genius at the shadow of the N64
Publication Date: February, 1997
Subject(s): Nintendo 64, 64DD, cartridges versus CDs, Yoshi’s Story, online gaming
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Shigeru Miyamoto
Link: https://easternmind.tumblr.com/post/354562104/miyamotospeaks
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20190629092421/https://easternmind.tumblr.com/post/354562104/miyamotospeaks
Scans:
Translator: Easternmind
Notes: The magazine asks about why “Yoshi’s Island” was a 2D game, and Mr. Miyamoto talks about the 2.5D “Yoshi’s Island” game on the Nintendo 64. I have changed this to “Yoshi’s Story”.
Summary: He has three jobs. First, his main job is working with game directors and he is currently working on five games. Second, he is also supervising 10 games being made with other companies. Thirdly, he is working on a new type of game for the 64DD.
3D games reflect a developer’s selfishness, since they don’t yet know how to make a game that reflects the selfishness of the players. Super Mario 64 showed them how important it is to make games that are made to cater to what the players want. There are many things they could improve upon, and they will implement those things in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
He’s received letters from children who got all 120 stars in Super Mario 64. Collecting all 120 stars gives you 100 lives, and you can change the perspective of the final scene.
Most people have accepted analog controls. They knew that Sega and Sony would imitate Nintendo and release their own.
They’ve shown that cartridges are still important media. Some people think CDs are the future, they haven’t convinced everyone in Japan. Cartridges may have 128 megabytes next year.
They wanted to make an approachable game with 3D levels and 2D gameplay for the Nintendo 64, so they made Yoshi’s Story that way. They wanted to do more with Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island, but couldn’t due to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System’s limitations. Yoshi’s Story is like an animated movie, which can only be done in 2D. Polygons need textures, which creates limitations. There are more possibilities with color and texture in 2D.
Crash Bandicoot and Nights into Dreams are easy to play and easy to make. Super Mario 64 offers something different.
Super Mario 64 2 will be cheaper if it’s presented with the 64DD. He’ll think about it after The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. That’s his biggest priority right now, along with Star Fox 64.
He’s the producer of Mario Kart 64, and there’s a great director working on it.
Sometimes they enjoy converting games to other systems, but he’s studying how to make something original. It might release in 1998, and it’s very different from what they’ve made before.
He may be interested in online games in the future. He prefers simple game systems that are easy to play. Online games are more complicated and haven’t established themselves as a big market. He’s more interested in 4 players sharing a TV screen.
He’s not satisfied with the N64’s power.
The 64DD will double the power of game development. It will allow them to capitalize on their ideas and make their dreams come true.
Virtual reality could be fun for a short while, but he’s worried about the harm wearing a visor for a long time could cause.
Japanese game makers work harder. There are great companies around the world that can make great games if they tune into Nintendo. Japanese engineers are behind in 3D technology because the instructions are written in English.
He’s become lazy, he’s more efficient but he works 80% as hard as he used to. Sometimes it feels like he’s doing the same thing he did a decade ago.
He designs games with him as the player in mind, not children.
Games have improved in every way over time. He sees making games as making a miniature garden in a box. Technology never lives up to the concept.
Next Generation – What’s Next for Shigeru Miyamoto/IGN – Shigeru Miyamoto Interview
Publication Date: February 6, 1997
Subject(s): Nintendo 64, 64DD, analog sticks, virtual reality
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Unnamed Next Generation/IGN interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto
Link: https://www.ign.com/articles/1997/02/07/shigeru-miyamoto-interview
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20221127054520/https://www.ign.com/articles/1997/02/07/shigeru-miyamoto-interview
Scans:
Notes: Next Generation magazine describes this as a “world exclusive interview”, but it also appeared on IGN (then known as N64.com) at the same time. The only difference is the interviewer is credited as either “NG” or “N64.com”. I was able to find mention of them being “sister publications” on IGN’s site. This interview took place November 22–24, 1996 at Shoshinkai (later named Space World). Here is the fat penguin Easter egg being demonstrated.
Summary: At Shoshinkai this year they want to show the power of the Nintendo 64 and its cartridges. They’ll need about 18 months after the launch of the N64 to meet their goals.
Japanese players see cartridges as obsolete.
In the next year there will probably be a 128 MBit cartridge.
While many want a full orchestra and lots of songs in games he has been demanding quality and interactivity.
3D games have been made selfishly, with Super Mario 64 they catered to the selfishness of the players, who want control, a good camera, and ease of play.
Star Fox 64 uses 70-80% of the N64’s potential.
He has received letters from children that have gotten all 120 stars in Mario 64, kindergartners are better than him.
Mario and Zelda games are converging, but people will have different experiences with each.
He doesn’t think that anyone has found that the penguin can be a bit fatter.
Most people master the analog stick within 2 hours and can’t play a 3D game without one. He wasn’t surprised when Sega and Sony imitated it.
There are three parts to his job: being a producer working with directors on 4-5 games, working as a producer with third parties, he’s currently supervising about 10 of these, and being involved with less than 10 disk games.
He would be okay with a 2 minute virtual reality demonstration with the N64, but he’s worried about the health hazards of wearing a headset for a long period of time.
He’s interested in online gaming in the long term, but it’s too difficult for consumers right now. Miniature LCD Tetris games are big in Japan right now because they are simple and kids can throw them away when they are tired of them. People will buy cheap and easy to understand video games. He’s more interested in simultaneous 4 player.
He was the producer of Mario Kart 64, but the director did most of the work.
They wanted to make a 2.5D game to make it easier for players, they eventually decided it would be Yoshi’s Story. There were many things they wanted to do with Super Mario World: Yoshi’s Island but couldn’t. They wanted to do those things with Yoshi’s Story. They call the art style cardboard art, which you can only do in 2D.
He is doing his best, though he’s only using 80% of the energy he was 10 years ago. Sometimes he realizes he is only repeating what he did 10 years ago.
They are working with many very good second parties who could be very very good if they tuned up the details. Japanese 3D engineers are far behind American and European ones, probably because the development manuals weren’t written in Japanese.
GamePro – Nintendo 64: An Expert’s View
Publication Date: March, 1997
Subject(s): Nintendo 64, Super Mario 64 2, role-playing games
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Ken Ogasawara, Shigeru Miyamoto
Scans:
Summary: He’s worked on all of Nintendo’s Nintendo 64 games, but he’s worked most heavily on Star Fox 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and F-Zero X.
There is a lot he wants to do, but there aren’t enough programmers. Creating games is fun, not a challenge.
The Super Mario Club in Japan have rated N64 games an average of 80+ so far.
International Superstar Soccer 64 may be better than Nintendo’s games. Eiko no Saint Andrews uses the analog stick well.
Wave Race 64 is the most advanced N64 game, it uses about 80% of its power.
Role-playing games should appear next year, when more people have an N64. They are working on Paper Mario, Mother 3, and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
The next Super Mario 64 will have changed gameplay. You may be able to play it without the 64DD.
It would be fun to make a game where four players control a limb of a robot and have to coordinate their movements.
He wants N64 games to make people feel relaxed and comfortable, and for them to feel nostalgic for these worlds. Like the Beatles’ Abbey Road.
The Southeast Missourian – Mario Is Much Wilder Than His Inventor
Publication Date: March 9, 1997
Subject(s): Super Mario 64
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Unnamed Associated Press interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto
Scans:
Notes: This interview was by the Associated Press and appeared in a few different newspapers.
Summary: Nintendo is his patron and sponsor, he’s happy to work there.
He wanted Mario to feel alive when you control him in Super Mario 64, like a hamster.
He’s satisfied with how much money he makes because he lives simply.
There’s no Mario games at home so his 8 and 10 year olds will do their homework and chores.
They didn’t want Super Mario 64 to just be a fancier Mario game, it had to be fun just to touch.
Total Games – Mamma Mia!
Publication Date: April, 1997
Subject(s): Nintendo 64, Super Mario 64, Mario
Format: Transcribed interview
People: John Matheson, Shigeru Miyamoto
Scans:
Notes: This is from the first issue of New Zealand magazine Total Games.
Summary: The Nintendo 64’s highly detailed environments couldn’t be done on a 32 bit system. Super Mario 64 couldn’t be made on a CD-ROM because Mario moves so quickly. Real time access between the ROM and CPU is necessary to load the scenery. The Nintendo 64 will revolutionize game design and enable game play not possible anywhere else.
Mario was anonymous at first, but Nintendo of America named him after an Italian landlord of a warehouse they rented. Mario is meant to fit into many games, being kind, generous, and lovable.
Unknown (Tokyo Game Show 1997 Spring, untranslated from Japanese)
Publication Date: Unknown (recorded April 4-April 6, 1997)
Subject(s): Upcoming releases, 64DD, Star Fox 64
Format: Interview
People: Unknown interviewers, Shigeru Miyamoto
Video:
Notes: Genki_JPN has subtitled a portion of the interview here.
Nintendo Power – The Creators Speak Out
Publication Date: June, 1997
Subject(s): Super Mario 64,Star Fox 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, 64DD
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Unnamed members of the press, Yu Suzuki, Shigeru Miyamoto
Scans:
Notes: This Q & A took place at the Spring Tokyo Game Show 1997, which was held April 4-6.
Summary: He has a background in industrial design. He tries to surprise people with his games. He set up door traps on his room when he left for school, which surprised his mom.
He was worried people would complain that Super Mario 64 was another game in a series. He’s not good at games so he tries to make games that he can play. When he started at Nintendo he was challenged to make something better than video games, and he is still working on it. He was working on something similar to the Tamagotchi when it was released, but since it required sitting at a TV he knew it had no chance.
He likes to walk, swim, and play guitar.
He was supposed to be a producer on Star Fox 64, but he got more involved in the second half of development. He’s proud of the cinematic feel, and the Rumble Pak will make it feel like a toy.
Development of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is going well, it will initially be released as a cartridge game. The 64DD is going well too.
He’d like to make a game that doesn’t require a television because he doesn’t like the dimensions of current screens. It would be exciting to use different layouts for each scene, like with comics.
Star Fox 64 Official Nintendo Power Player’s Strategy Guide – Miyamoto on Star Fox 64
Publication Date: June 30, 1997 (approximate)
Subject(s): Star Fox 64, Goldeneye 007, Yoshi’s Story, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Unnamed Nintendo Power interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto
Scans:
Notes: Includes pictures of a notepad where some early ideas for Star Fox were written.
Summary: He did not direct Star Fox 64.
The first 30 minutes of the game are the most important so he made changes to Corneria and Meteo.
Star Fox 64 is a remake of the first game because they wanted to make an interesting game rather than a new story. He wonders if this is the right approach.
They took some ideas from Star Fox 2, like the all-range mode, multi-player mode, and the Star Wolf fight. 60% is from the original, 30% from Star Fox 2, and 10% is original.
He’s not attached to the theme of Star Fox, the original was to push the Super Nintendo Entertainment System to its limits.
He thought the boost button might be better suited to the top C button, but he’s satisfied with how the controls turned out.
They got rid of configurable controls at the last minute to emphasize Star Fox-like gameplay and to set a standard for the control stick.
He was surprised to find that Fox had voice clips, but it’s kept to a minimum. He had Slippy’s croaks cut.
When game developers try to make interactive movies they turn out more like movies than games. Many people think movies are better, but they disagree. Even though they disagree at Nintendo, they can still borrow some ideas from movies. This approach gave Star Fox 64 a fuller feeling.
Camera work is important, he’s been specifying how the camera should be placed and moved.
They scrapped some rumble effects when players were confused as to why the Rumble Pak was rumbling. He’d like to use the Rumble Pak with GoldenEye 007.
The staff came up with the tank and submarine because they didn’t like his idea for transforming the Arwing into a human-like craft.
Multiplayer games are important for the Nintendo 64, so they came up with the 4 player mode early on.
He likes the branch in Venom 1 where you have to decide who to help. He worries about Slippy.
They made better use of the Nintendo 64 with Star Fox 64 than they did with Super Mario 64.
Goldeneye 007 is being made by Rare. They’re better at first-person games than they are at Nintendo.
Yoshi’s Story will allow you to discover things with the analog stick, and you’ll be able to rotate the backgrounds. Due to the power of the N64 it should be more fun than Super Mario 2: Yoshi’s Island.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is getting his full attention. He wants players to really feel the light, the shadow, the temperature, and the humidity. It should take about 4 months after the Japanese release to come to America.
Dengeki 64 (reported on by IGN)
Publication Date: Unknown (reported on July 29, 1997)
Subject(s): 64DD
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Unknown Dengeki 64 interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto
Link: https://www.ign.com/articles/1997/07/30/miyamoto-reveals-secrets-fire-emblem-mario-paint-64
Summary: They’ll be stuck if they don’t consistently release software for the 64DD once it comes out. He’d like cartridge and 64DD games to link up.
Many are saying that Mario Artist: Paint Studio isn’t a game.
There won’t be a mouse for the 64DD because that wouldn’t appeal to everyone.
About 20 64DD games are being worked on.
A Fire Emblem for the Nintendo 64 is being worked on and should come out after Paper Mario.
Nintendo Power – The Game Masters
Publication Date: August, 1997
Subject(s): Rumble Pak, Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development, Systems Research and Development, Paper Mario, Pokémon
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Unnamed Nintendo Power interviewer, Benimaru Itoh, Takao Imamura, Shigeru Miyamoto
Scans:
Notes: Nintendo Power describes this short interview as coming from a meeting at E3 1997 that was several hours long.
Summary: Pigma Dengar uses a Kansai dialect, where they end sentences with “dengar”.
They’re making versions of Wave Race 64 and Super Mario 64 that use the Rumble Pak in Japan. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Yoshi’s Story will use it too.
Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development is special because 20-30 people work on each game and they give their all. It’s rare to be so focused on small details. Systems Research and Development also exists within Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development, they have about 200 people.
He works with around 400 people on over a dozen projects at once. Thankfully Takao Sawano helps with all the 64DD games other than Mother 3.
The first games for the 64DD will be SimCity 64, Mario Artist: Paint Studio, Pokémon, and Mother 3.
A group at Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development came up with up the Pokémon idea, and it’s been very successful. The card game is almost as successful as Magic: The Gathering. The Nintendo 64’s first Pokémon game will be an encyclopedia, then a role-playing game.
Cheat codes were found in action games, and people got them from other people. He’d rather players found things themselves. The 64DD will be able to personalize codes.
Paper Mario is being worked on by 20 people and it should be done sometime next year. They are only starting on Super Mario 64 2.
Electronic Gaming Monthly – EGM Wraps Up E3
Publication Date: September, 1997
Subject(s): Super Mario 64 2, Cabbage, 64DD, Pokémon Stadium, Paper Mario
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Unnamed Electronic Gaming Monthly interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto
Scans:
Notes: The intro blurb makes this sound like a one-on-one interview at E3, but the interviewer is labelled as “Press” which makes it sound more like a Q & A with multiple publications. There is a bit of overlap with what this Nintendo Power entry describes as a “meeting”.
Summary: He’s mainly a producer, but he’s a producer and director on The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
He’s not involved with Banjo-Kazooie, but he’s impressed with it.
Five people worked on Super Mario 64 in the beginning and 20 to 25 worked on it later on. It took about two years.
He’s been working on some concepts for Super Mario 64 2. They could have something before the year ends.
They’ve been working on Cabbage for about five years with Shigesato Itoi. It’s a life simulation game, like Tamagotchi.
Pokémon Stadium is being worked on for the 64DD by about 10 people. He’s not sure it will come out in the U.S.
The 64DD was delayed so that there would be more launch titles, which will be Mother 3, Pokémon Stadium, Mario Artist: Paint Studio, and SimCity 64.
About 20 people are working on Paper Mario, it should release by the end of 1998. The next Shoshinkai show will feature Mother 3 and have a playable version of F-Zero X.
Game designers are just now learning how to use the Nintendo 64.
The Electric Playground – The First 3 years of E3 Exclusive Footage – S1:E1 – Electric Playground (E3 1997)
Publication Date: September 23, 1997
Subject(s): Upcoming games, hobbies
Format: Interview (live translator)
People: Victor Lucas, Yasuhiro Minagawa (translator), Shigeru Miyamoto
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fo3XuOwxlkA
Notes: This interview took place between June 19 and 21, at E3 1997. I believe this is the first E3 that Mr. Miyamoto made a public appearance at, and perhaps the first that he attended. This was also the first episode of The Electric Playground.
Summary: He’s happy to be here, but he’s used to working on a computer. He likes looking at the faces of the people playing games he worked on.
Yoshi’s Story is next, but he’s working on Star Fox 64. Rare’s games like Banjo-Kazooie are great.
He doesn’t think about the differences between Japan and America when he works on games.
He’s been playing the guitar and swimming.
IGN – Miyamoto Meets N64.com
Publication Date: November 25, 1997
Subject(s): Games he’s working on, Nintendo 64 Transfer Pak, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Cabbage
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Peer Schneider, Doug Perry, Shigeru Miyamoto
Link: https://www.ign.com/articles/1997/11/26/miyamoto-meets-n64com
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20160819230340/http://www.ign.com/articles/1997/11/26/miyamoto-meets-n64com
Summary: He once worked on 20 games at once, but now he is concentrating on 5. Those 5 are The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Yoshi’s Story, F-Zero X, 1080º Snowboarding, and the Mario Artist series.
The Mario Artist games are Talent Maker, Picture Maker, and Polygon Maker. There will be a fourth, Sound Maker.
The Nintendo 64 Transfer Pak will let you play Game Boy games on your television. In the future you will be able to play a game on both the Nintendo 64 and Game Boy, loading your data.
Nintendo and other companies are funding Marigul. Kazutoshi Iida is working there on games for the 64DD. He once taught a young Kazutoshi Iida at a free game creation course.
Yoshi’s Story is almost identical to Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island in gameplay, but the quality is much higher.
There is no Metroid game under development.
When Square and Enix see how the N64 sells they will want to make role-playing games for it. Role-playing games are peaking, the audience for them is shrinking. They are working on Mother 3, Pokémon, and Paper Mario. Paper Mario will be good for new players, it looks like a 3D picture book.
The Kirby team is trying to get him on the N64.
They have a system where Mario and Luigi are both playable in Super Mario 64 2, but they need to finish Ocarina of Time before working on that.
Cabbage will use the Nintendo 64 Transfer Pak, you’ll be able to buy data.
The most amazing N64 game of 1998 will be Ocarina of Time, or the one that comes after it.
Famimaga 64 (reported on by IGN)
Publication Date: November 26, 1997
Subject(s): The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Reported on by unnamed IGN staff member, unnamed Famimaga 64 interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto
Links: https://www.ign.com/articles/1997/11/27/the-z-files-4
https://www.ign.com/articles/1997/12/02/the-z-files-3
https://www.ign.com/articles/1997/12/03/the-z-files-2
https://www.ign.com/articles/1997/11/27/the-z-files
Archive Links: https://web.archive.org/web/20220810084635/https://www.ign.com/articles/1997/11/27/the-z-files-4
https://web.archive.org/web/20221219165749/https://www.ign.com/articles/1997/12/02/the-z-files-3
https://web.archive.org/web/20230111181500/https://www.ign.com/articles/1997/12/03/the-z-files-2
https://web.archive.org/web/20221206082359/https://www.ign.com/articles/1997/12/04/the-z-files
Notes: Famimaga 64 asked Mr. Miyamoto 100 questions. Since the source for this interview was one article, I am combining all 4 of IGN’s articles on it. I’m mostly focusing on summarizing things that changed during development.
Summary: In The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time the Z button is the attention button, which will be fundamental in 3D action games. You can use it to lock on to enemies.
You can hold your sword in two hands, but you can’t use your shield.
You can use magic, items, arrows, pachinko balls, hammers, staffs, and hook shots to attack.
Ocarina of Time will have fully automatic jumping and will depend on your speed and the topography. You can press the action button to jump.
Link will be slower when he has low health.
Navi will show Link the correct path and carry things for him.
The hammer does different things than in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, it’s a great weapon.
The rooster is used for something secret. It’s so realistic it’s scary. It would be bad to bully it.
Adult and child Link use different items.
There are about 16 items, like medicinal herb-like items.
Child Link is 7 or 8, but maybe he should be 6 or 7. Adult Link is maybe 15.
It would be unbecoming for Link to smirk at someone he defeated.
There are no Kokiri parents. When the children reach a certain age they disappear and the next generation is born abruptly.
You can only use magic as adult Link and he can climb in different places.
Someone chose the name Hyrule from the many sent as suggestions.
Cowboy movies had some influence on the era in Zelda games.
They combined a crab and a bear to design Goma.
It would be fun if small enemies came out of the wounds of large enemies.
There won’t be blood but there may be green fluids.
Link’s shadow alter ego will not appear.
Link is not human, he’s an elf. That’s why his ears are so long, it was decided from the beginning.
Navi is jealous of Zelda, she feels something for Link.
Famitsu (reported on by IGN)
Publication Date: December, 1997 (approximate, translated December 10, 1997)
Subject(s): The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, F-Zero X, 64DD, Cabbage
Format: Transcribed Interview
People: Reported on by unnamed IGN staff member, unnamed Famitsu interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto
Link: https://www.ign.com/articles/1997/12/11/64dd-pet-projects
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20221129053025/https://www.ign.com/articles/1997/12/11/64dd-pet-projects
Summary: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time will release before it gets hot. The 64DD will be released June or July 1998. Once Ocarina of Time has been out for a while on cartridge he’d like to release the 64DD version, he doesn’t want both for sale at the same time. Same for F-Zero X. F-Zero X for 64DD will add new courses and cars, and you can share custom made tracks with your friends.
He is working with Shigesato Itoi on a virtual pet game called Cabbage for the 64DD. You can give your pet food and use the Nintendo 64 Transfer Pak to enjoy it anywhere. He has been thinking of connecting the Game Boy to consoles since the Super Nintendo.
Nintendo Power – The First 100 Shots of Zelda 64
Publication Date: December, 1997
Subject(s): The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Shigeru Miyamoto
Scans:
Notes: This preview of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time has a few quotes from Mr. Miyamoto scattered throughout. It is unknown the context of where they came from. I have only included the pages with quotes.
Summary: It’s difficult to compare The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time to other The Legend of Zelda games since it’s in 3D. To avoid frustration there is a new camera system and Link has secret moves.
The horse is for transportation and it is fun to ride on it. There are also warps.
They are using music and sound effects to convey emotions.
The 64DREAM, December 1997
Publication Date: December 1997 (translated March 29, 2013)
Subject(s): Nintendo 64, 64DD
Format: Transcribed Interview
People: Unnamed The 64DREAM interviewer Shigesato Itoi, Shigeru Miyamoto
Link: https://yomuka.wordpress.com/2013/03/29/itoi-miyamoto-interview-64dd/
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20221206075552/https://yomuka.wordpress.com/2013/03/29/itoi-miyamoto-interview-64dd/
Translator: Lindsay Moore for Yomuka
Summary: He first met Shigesato Itoi when he came with a group from an advertising agency he worked for. Mr. Itoi congratulated him for Super Mario Bros. He was willing to work with Mr. Itoi from the start, if he took it seriously.
[There is an image showing Mr. Itoi and Mr. Miyamoto’s answers to a true/false quiz. Mr. Miyamoto plays his own games, has not thought about quitting game design, and would not like making a movie.]
On the subject of slow sales of the Nintendo 64 he says you can’t release a game once the window of opportunity has passed. He’s not in a hurry about anything but PR campaigns. They were supposed to have games lined up last summer, but they are running late. Their commercials aren’t individually uncool, it’s uncool that they are being seen as uncool. He has thought about how games as a whole will deteriorate if the thinking doesn’t go beyond “Sony is cool, Nintendo isn’t”.
He finds Mr. Itoi’s clear perspective amazing, even when working quickly, Mr. Itoi is one of the few people who can explain what they’re doing.
It would be a mistake for Nintendo to release more titles, 20 is enough. The Nintendo 64 lacks diversity in genres, there are several soccer games.
[In another true/false quiz Mr. Miyamoto says he is a good husband and he’s not sure if he’s liked by his staff.]
The 64DD was meant to be an alternative to using CDs. Nintendo will continue to use cartridges. The 64DD can drastically increase the number of genres on the Nintendo 64. Almost all new Nintendo 64 games involve the 64DD. He is worried about the video game industry dying due to price wars. They planning on using the 64DD for “tune-ups” to games, changing their structure. You can have your own unique set of data. F-Zero X will be released on cartridge and then you can buy new courses and cars for the 64DD. He wants to make the 64DD into a strange toy.
It’s too early to talk about 5 to 10 years in the future. He encourages readers not to be on team N64, who knows if he’ll make a PlayStation game some day.
They’ve retained a lot of Zelda items in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. He likes the boomerang best. Time is a fundamental element. Luigi is in Super Mario 64-2, but they haven’t worked on two-player gameplay yet.
Getting into college might be the happiest moment of his life, but he failed the first time. Relationships with others is the most important thing to him now, the Analysis and Development division has over 100 people and it’s hard to remember everyone’s names. He has been swimming lately, and stopped playing pachinko. When he practices guitar his kid yells at him for interrupting piano practice.
1998
64 Mario Stadium (untranslated from Japanese)
Publication Date: 1998
Subject(s): The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Format: Interview
People: Unknown 64 Mario Stadium interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto
Archive Link: https://archive.org/details/ZeldaOcarinaOfTimePrereleaseInterview1998WithShigeruMiyamoto
Notes: Super Mario Stadium was renamed to 64 Mario Stadium and was Nintendo’s weekly TV show. This probably aired close to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time’s release.
Commercial for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (untranslated from Japanese)
Publication Date: 1998
Subject(s): The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Format: Commercial
People: Shigeru Miyamoto
Video: https://archive.org/details/ZeldaOcarinaOfTimeShigeruMiyamotoInterviewLateDevelopment
Notes: This commercial aired for some time in 1998 after the release date had been decided.
Unknown (The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, untranslated from Japanese)
Publication Date: 1998
Subject(s): The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Format: Essay
People: Shigeru Miyamoto
Japanese Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20120621110724/http://www.geocities.jp/bgrtype/gsl/words/zeldaokarinatime/zeldatokinookarina.html
N64 Magazine – Ahead of the Game?
Publication Date: January, 1998
Subject(s): 64DD, nurturing games, Cabbage, Nintendo 64 Transfer Pak
Format: Presentation
People: Shigeru Miyamoto
Scans:
Notes: This is a report on a presentation Mr. Miyamoto gave at Space World 1997, which took place November 21–24, 1997. There is also a very brief statement as he signed an issue of the magazine.
Summary: [As he signs an issue of N64 Magazine.]
He’s glad he’s not responsible for Lylat Wars. He reads N64 Magazine every month.
[Summary of a presentation.]
Their plans for the 64DD require a writable medium.
Tamagotchi-style games, role-playing games, and the Maker trilogy are nurturing games.
You will be able to fly around a city you made in SimCity 64 in SimCopter on the 64DD.
F-Zero X was made with the ability to make new courses with the 64DD.
The Nintendo 64 Transfer Pak will allow players to play games on the Nintendo 64 and Game Boy. You could download a war simulation game from the N64 to the Game Boy, or solve a puzzle and load your game back into the N64.
Cabbage will be like Tamagotchi. The game will be active while you’re not playing it, and you’ll be able to look after your character on the Game Boy. There will be toys and data available to buy that you can trade with friends.
Children who grew up with computer games are losing interest in them. The children at Space World are interested in a new type of game that they weren’t excited about five years ago.
Nintendo Power – A Miyamoto Moment
Publication Date: January, 1998
Subject(s): 64DD, Paper Mario
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Unnamed Nintendo Power interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto
Scans:
Notes: This interview took place at Nintendo Space World 1997, which ran November 21-24, 1997.
Summary: With the 64DD Pokémon trading can go deeper. In SimCopter you’ll be able to fly through a city you made in SimCity 64. You can draw something in Mario Artist and put it on a building in SimCity 64.
They need to add more puzzles and surprises to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time still.
They are not working on a Metroid game.
They want to do something different with Paper Mario and not make it look like Super Mario RPG. Something along the lines of looking like a story book, as Yoshi’s Story does.
The 64DREAM, February 1998 (untranslated from Japanese)
Publication Date: February, 1998
Subject(s): Space World, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Unknown The 64Dream interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto
Scans:
Notes: This interview has been translated, but not released publicly. Parts of it are discussed in this DidYouKnowGaming video.
Famimaga64 (reported on by Time Extension, partially untranslated from Japanese)
Publication Date: February, 1998
Subject(s): Game Boy Camera, Super Mario 64 2, 64DD, Luigi, Mario Artist, Disney
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Reported on by Jack Yarwood, Unknown Famimaga64 interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto
Scans:
Translator: Liz Bushouse
Notes: Time Extension commissioned Liz Bushouse to translate this interview, released two articles with small excerpts of the translated version, and then a third article with the full translation. This interview took place at Space World 1997, which ran November 21–24, 1997. Scans were uploaded by Internet Archive user ozidual.
Summary: He’s not working on the Game Boy Camera directly, it’s part of Nintendo’s plans to develop other things.
The 64DD and Mario Artist games will allow players to enjoy the act of creation, to be able to express themselves. People who weren’t good at drawing can now draw. The 64DD will expand communication and connect things.
It takes two to four years to make a The Legend of Zelda game. A Second Quest 64DD game would take less time, it would be like an expansion or a Zelda 1.5. No changes to the story, but maybe a new dungeon.
Luigi will be in the Super Mario game for the 64DD.
A lot of people at Nintendo grew up with Disney, so they are an influence. Like Disney they want to make games that are high quality and that parents feel safe giving to their children.
GamePro – Inside the Mind of Shigeru Miyamoto
Publication Date: March, 1998
Subject(s): Transfer Pak, Pokémon, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, 1080º Snowboarding, Kirby’s Air Ride, fighting games
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Ken Ogasawara, Shigeru Miyamoto
Scans:
Notes: Super Smash Bros. was released less than a year after this interview and Mr. Miyamoto was likely aware of it at the time.
Summary: He’s working on The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, F-Zero X, 1080º Snowboarding, and Mario Artist as well as following the development of other games.
The Transfer Pak is being made to trade Pokémon with Pokémon Stadium. Pokémon is a headache, it’s slowing Nintendo 64 sales.
They want to release 1080º Snowboarding while there’s snow on the ground, probably February in Japan. He likes skiing and was going to make a skiing game, but you can go more places on a snowboard so it’s more of an adventure.
Yoshi’s Story was delayed from summer to winter, causing The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time to also be delayed, possibly to the spring, followed by F-Zero X.
Ocarina of Time’s system is 90-95% complete, but the monsters and puzzles are being worked on, and then there will be balancing and bug testing. All the old weapons will return. He worries about the difficulty, he wants it to be easier than Super Mario 64. He feels there are fewer good players and wants to make sure everyone enjoys it.
The 64DD will have Mario Artist, which is made up of 3 games, and Pokémon. No other system will be able to do what Mario Artist does. Nintendo always wants to do things first. The ideal gamer is creative. Creative software’s acceptance will bring a new level to video games.
The Zelda game on the 64DD will have new places to explore. Zelda’s game system makes it interesting, not its story. The difference between Zelda games and role-playing games is that role-playing games keep their systems the same and change the story.
Kirby’s Air Ride has changed a lot during development and they have stopped working on it to make 1080º Snowboarding. The developers didn’t want to just make a game with Kirby sliding around, they have added a lot more.
They have to depend on other developers to make fighting games for now. Namco should make one, and maybe they will. He tries to make games that have an impact on children and are fun to play every time, and he doesn’t think fighting games are like that. Nintendo was the first to make these kinds of games with Urban Champion and Punch-Out!!, but Virtua Fighter beat them to the punch in 3D. He doesn’t want to make something seen as a copy.
Nintendo wants to expand the game market. Sometimes they have to take a loss on a game that solves issues with the industry. It’s their responsibility to break new ground.
Sajber
Publication Date: Recorded March 20-22, 1998 or October 9-11, 1998. Air date unknown.
Subject(s): The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, inspiration, the Internet
Format: Interview (subtitled)
People: Unknown Sajber interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3KVTJCe68Y
Notes: Sajber was a Swedish TV show. I could not find whether this was from the Spring or Fall Tokyo Game Show in 1998. Uploaded by YouTube user gamingdumpster.
Summary: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is based on his childhood. He does lots of sketches but doesn’t remember where he gets his ideas from. He gets ideas from talking to people and he writes them down on small cards. Online gaming is a trend and he doesn’t join trends.
Famitsu (reported on by IGN)
Publication Date: Unknown (reported on April 17, 1998)
Subject(s): Lack of games, Nintendo 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, F-Zero X
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Reported on by unnamed IGN staff, unknown Famitsu interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto
Summary: He once said to Famitsu that if players wanted to play CD games, they should go to PlayStation. People misunderstood and thought he was going to make PlayStation games. Nintendo may not have had enough variety or games the last 2 years. The Nintendo 64 isn’t doing well in Japan, but games are selling in the U.S.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time has Mario-like elements, drama, dynamic scenarios, and looks better than Resident Evil or Final Fantasy VII.
F-Zero X’s strongest characteristic is speed. There will be 30 racers and you can tune up your car.
The Electric Playground – Tekken 3 / MDK / Shigeru Miyamoto & Yoshi’s Island 64
Publication Date: May 2, 1998 (E3 segments filmed June 19-21, 1997)
Subject(s): Number of games he has worked on
Format: Interview (live translator)
People: Unnamed interviewer, Yasuhiro Minagawa (translator), Shigeru Miyamoto
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9uZZNYCs78
Notes: The segment preceding the interview where Tommy Tallarico talks to an unnamed person about Mr. Miyamoto is longer than the interview itself, which is just one question. It also contains footage of the 1999 Computer Game Developers Association Spotlight Awards, but only the “thank you” at the end of his acceptance speech is audible. This is from the same interview The Electric Playground had with Mr. Miyamoto the previous year, just a different part.
Summary: He has made 64 games, including games where he was a producer.
Nintendo of America – Mr. Miyamoto’s Press Briefing (E3 1998)
Publication Date: May 27, 1998
Subject(s): The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Format: Demonstration
People: Takashi Tezuka, Shigeru Miyamoto
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/19980530122629/http://www.nintendo.com/home/features/e3_98/miyamoto.html
Notes: This is an official summary of a demonstration, it’s not clear which parts Mr. Miyamoto said and which parts Mr. Tezuka said.
Summary: In The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time you can use the sticks from defeated enemies as weapons. There are puzzle elements. There are 8 dungeons and 8-9 outdoor levels. Movie-like sequences are seamlessly integrated.
Nintendo of America – Mr. Miyamoto’s Press Briefing/Miyamoto Shows Off Zelda 64
Publication Date: May 26, May 27, 1998
Subject(s): The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Format: Demonstration, Transcribed Interview, Q & A
People: Unnamed members of the press, Takashi Tezuka, Shigeru Miyamoto
Links: https://nintendo.fandom.com/wiki/Electronic_Entertainment_Expo_1998
https://www.ign.com/articles/1998/05/27/miyamoto-shows-off-zelda-64
Archive Links: https://web.archive.org/web/19980530122635/http://www.nintendo.com/home/features/e3_98/mqna.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20000306042957/http://ign64.ign.com/news/234.html
Notes: This took place immediately after the press briefing above. There are quite a few typos in Nintendo’s official transcript. I have combined IGN’s and Nintendo’s summaries of the event.
Summary: They are trying to avoid making big games, but want to make interactive games with realistic styles.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time has been in development for 3 years. His involvement has gone from 20% of his time, to 50%, to 100%. 30% of the core ideas are his and 50% of the scenarios. A feeling of being a Zelda game is still lacking.
He tries not to think of the business side, or the competition.
The game will take about 40 hours, but the testers can do it in 5-6 hours.
He doesn’t like Navi’s voice, and she will speak less in the final game.
They are working on a 64DD Zelda game and on The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX.
Jungle Emperor probably won’t be released this year.
About 70% of the game content is required to beat Ocarina of Time.
The more realistic a game is, the more you have to help the player, which is why jumping is automatic.
He tries to avoid long stretches of dialog where you’re not doing anything. There are 800 communication patterns.
He never brings home test games for his kids to play, but he may make an exception for Pokémon Stadium.
He hopes he can make a game with Rare some day, and that the Super Mario 64 sequel can approach Banjo & Kazooie.
Nintendo of America – The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Showcase (E3 1998)
Publication Date: May 28, 1998 (assumed)
Subject(s): The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Format: Presentation
People: Howard Lincoln (reading), Shigeru Miyamoto
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPhRVmFMlQU&t=644s
Notes: Howard Lincoln reads a prepared statement from Mr. Miyamoto while a video teaser for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time plays at E3. This was Mr. Miyamoto’s first time on stage at E3. This video was uploaded by YouTube user Retro Techno.
Summary: The world of Zelda was imagined as a world where you can do and see things you couldn’t in the real world. The N64 let him realize this goal. He hopes you feel like you have become Link, along with his curiosity, fear, and sense of danger.
1st Annual Interactive Achievement Awards
Publication Date: May 28, 1998
Subject(s): Hall of Fame
Format: Award ceremony (spoken English)
People: Unnamed presenter, Shigeru Miyamoto
Video:
Notes: This was the 1st Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, which would eventually become the D.I.C.E. Awards. This award ceremony took place in the same venue as E3 1998, on E3’s opening day. After an unknown man briefly speaks about Mr. Miyamoto there is a video talking about him and Nintendo’s history. Uploaded by YouTube user Retro Techno.
Summary: He appreciates being given the first Hall of Fame award. He’d like to thank everyone who has worked with him. He wants to keep challenging himself to come up with new ideas and better games.
Nintendo Power – The Mind Behind the Masterpiece
Publication Date: June, 1998
Subject(s): The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Unnamed Nintendo Power interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto
Scans:
Summary: You’ll need 3 Spiritual Stones and the Ocarina of Time to open a door to a sacred place.
There is an automatic camera that he called the Zelda Camera. Holding the Z button allows you to choose your opponent.
The world is huge and there are 6 races with their own territory.
The 64Dream, June 1998
Publication Date: June 1, 1998
Subject(s): The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Unknown The 64Dream interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto
Link: https://www.zeldadungeon.net/wiki/Interview:64_Dream_June_1st_1998
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20221007102913/https://www.zeldadungeon.net/wiki/Interview:64_Dream_June_1st_1998
Summary: The Japanese Nintendo 64 market has to have momentum before they release NBA and F1 games.
He is overseeing production of Mario Artist and Paper Mario as well as expansion discs for F-Zero X, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and Pokémon Stadium.
There is an atmosphere at Nintendo that prevents you from doing something new, but they are changing. He’s telling people to go for making a game in 6 months that sells 1 million copies.
Super Mario 64 2 was left on his desk, they haven’t gotten around to working on it, but it shouldn’t take long to make. When Ocarina of Time is done some will work on the sequel and others on a new game with its engine.
Game Hihyou (July, 1998)
Publication Date: July, 1998
Subject(s): The Legend of Zelda, game design, game difficulty, realistic graphics
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Unknown Game Hihyou interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto
Link: https://shmuplations.com/miyamotodesign/
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20150912130326/http://shmuplations.com/miyamotodesign/
Scans:
Translator: shmuplations
Notes: Game Hihyo (Game Criticism) was a Japanese magazine dedicated to being independent from publisher’s ad money and honestly covering game news. You can read more about it on Gaming Alexandria, who are responsible for the scans. I’m not entirely sure I got the entire interview, and just the interview.
Summary: He wants his games to feel right, make players happy, and allow you to explore the experiences of life. The Legend of Zelda games have an epic story, but it’s about hiking to him.
The original virtual reality was the worlds children created, and they had lenient rules. Computer games are run by a strict judge, sometimes too clinical. Game designers decide whether games will be generous or severe.
No matter how advanced graphics become they won’t be trying to make them completely realistic. If you try to make something real, then everything is a technical contest. Developers are asking if making a satisfying game relies on being realistic. Tamagotchi doesn’t involve advanced technology.
Making a game easier allows more people to play it, but ignores dedicated fans who may have played previous games from the series. If video games were just about killing time they wouldn’t have lasted so long. Their immersiveness has allowed them to endure. Games have mostly relied on being replayable to immerse players, which usually means they are difficult. The other way is making players want to see what’s next with lots of content. There’s few games that make you want to play them over and over without being difficult or having lots of content.
His ideal game would present an experience he’s never had before.
Nintendo Power – The Legend of Miyamoto
Publication Date: August, 1998
Subject(s): The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, 1080º Snowboarding
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Unnamed Nintendo Power interviewer, Giles Goddard, Takashi Tezuka, Hideki Konno, Shigeru Miyamoto
German Archive Link: https://archive.org/details/zines_club_nintendo_1998_de/page/26/mode/2up
Scans:
Notes: This interview originally appeared in a The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time supplement for Club Nintendo subscribers. The scans of the German original are by History of Hyrule. This interview took place at E3 1998.
Summary: It’s an honor to be the first person inducted into the Academy of Interactive Arts’ Hall of Fame.
70% of a game should be about the objectives and the rest should be secrets and exploration.
When working on The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time he had to listen to 4 directors, it was difficult to coordinate everything.
Ocarina of Time is at least as large as The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, it’s at least 40 hours long. There are at least 40 minutes of cinema scenes.
His biggest challenge was deciding how much realism to include. Meeting characters is more important than the story, as is simplifying the controls.
The magic system isn’t finished yet, but you’ll be able to apply magic to weapons.
They built a motion capture studio for Ocarina of Time, and had to build a mock horse. They hired an actor who is not famous to do the motion capture. They had a professional sword stunt actor do the sword fighting animations.
It’s his dream to make a totally realistic game, where you can tell the difference between hot and cold water.
They spent a lot of time refining the attention mode.
Ocarina of Time is the biggest development team he’s ever had, with 40-50 people, 120 if you include the programming company helping them.
If they make a sequel to 1080º Snowboarding they’d like to release it during snowboarding season in the fall.
A story alone can’t make a game exciting. It’s not that he doesn’t value stories, it’s that his focus is on the gameplay. The story is another way to interest a player, akin to the enemies or puzzles. Zelda games are about the system rather than the story.
They’ve talked about an online Zelda game.
He’s been working on Mario Artist and Paper Mario but most of his time has been spent on a game that could last players a year. It may not be a game, but it will be a new way to enjoy the Nintendo 64.
Nintendo Online Magazine
Publication Date: August 1, 1998
Subject(s): The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, transitioning to 3D
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Riko Kushida, Shigeru Miyamoto
Link: https://www.angelfire.com/games5/makzelda/interviews/nom_oot.html
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20190801093942/http://www.angelfire.com/games5/makzelda/interviews/nom_oot.html
Japanese Link: https://www.nintendo.co.jp/nom/9811/p06/index.html
Japanese Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/19990824223633/http://www.nintendo.co.jp/nom/9811/p06/index.html
Translator: Zethar-II for The Adventure of Hyrule
Notes: Nintendo Official Magazine was a section on Nintendo’s Japanese website styled as a magazine.
Summary: This is the first adventure Link has, he is 7-8 years old. They tried to create realistic scenery, one source of data they used was pictures of German castles.
Perhaps in the next game Link will do detective work, in a peaceful Hyrule.
It was difficult to adjust to 3D, but they wanted the player to feel like they were in the game. From a top down view you can see enemies at a glance, but not in reality.
Music is key to the game. It starts events and solves problems, it takes the role that magic would in other games. They made an environment CD with sounds of the ocean or a river. There are religious-sounding songs and songs without a melody.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is set to release in Japan and North America at the same time, and Europe slightly later.
Working on this Zelda was like losing his virginity, in that it was completely new. It may be an adventure role-playing game, but when you beat it you’ll say you didn’t waste your life. Looking at guides before playing can cause problems.
The Electric Playground – Ion Storm! / Zelda Ocarina of Time! / Mortal Kombat 4! (E3 1998)
Publication Date: September 12, 1998
Subject(s): The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Format: Q & A (live translator)
People: Victor Lucas, Yasuhiro Minagawa (translator), Shigeru Miyamoto
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjRTaqsernM
Notes: This appears to be a press Q & A session during E3 1998.
Summary: Sometimes it is better not to be closer to reality. For example, you can get a good score in a golf game much easier than in real life. They are working on a Game Boy Color version of Zelda.
GameSpot – The Miyamoto Tapes
Publication Date: November 11, 1998
Subject(s): The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Emperor of the Jungle
Format: Transcribed interview
People: James Mielke, Yasuhiro Minagawa (translator), Shigeru Miyamoto
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/19990117020827/http://headline.gamespot.com/news/98_11/11_vg_miya/index.html
Notes: This entry was originally filed under April 28, 2000 due to this article.
Summary: He hopes players of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time feel like they are visiting Hyrule. The idea of Zelda has remained the same since the beginning. They came up with many new ideas and discovered a lot about Nintendo 64 hardware while working on Ocarina of Time. Super Mario 64 used about 60% of what the N64 was capable of, Ocarina of Time uses about 90%.
Emperor of the Jungle has been stalled because Makoto Tezuka has been busy with the movie.
He concentrated more on Super Mario 64, with Ocarina of Time he gave ideas and watched over the project. Ocarina of Time may be difficult, but don’t look at cheat books, you’ll enjoy it more if you are surprised.
Nintendo Power – Interview with Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto/Mr. Miyamoto Speaks
Publication Date: November 13, 1998
Subject(s): The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, favorites, the Zelda timeline
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Unnamed Nintendo Power interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20010710092355/http://www.nintendo.com/games/gamepage/developerinfo.jsp?gameId=147
Scans:
Notes: Different parts of this interview appeared on Nintendo’s website and in a Nintendo Power subscriber bonus.
Summary: He hopes The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time will teach other games they shouldn’t be delayed.
They wanted to make a virtual world for Link to live in, the story was supplemental and added later. They used motion capture to show Link’s development from child to adult. They thought players would want to be adult Link, but included child Link for those accustomed to the older games. The Legend of Zelda games often had a parallel world, in this case the worlds are separated by time.
He comes up with ideas while relaxing or watching a test program. But he only comes up with ideas after a day of work.
Ocarina of Time is an experiment in interactive media, it’s not a movie. The camera is a stage performer. No one who made the game has experience in movies.
He likes Raiders of the Lost Ark and Alfred Hitchcock, Tim Burton and John Waters. It’s important to make the theme understandable in all forms of media.
The Nintendo 64 Expansion Pak wasn’t ready in time for Ocarina of Time, but it would have been convenient. It was made with the 64DD in mind.
They didn’t do anything special with Ocarina of Time, they just used the Nintendo 64’s technology.
He really wanted to include the hookshot and it and the ocarina are his favorites. He also likes the Deku Scrubs, you can’t tell if they are friendly or not. He wanted to include more characters. He likes the Spirit Temple, it’s like Egypt. The Gerudo Fortress is unique.
You can make butterflies follow you with a Deku Stick and something may happen.
Ocarina of Time is first chronologically in the series, followed by the original, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening could be anytime after Ocarina of Time.
They started with the Super Mario 64 engine, but changed it so much that it’s a different engine now. About half of the 3 year development time was spent on the engine so they want to make use of it again.
He hopes someone else will make the sequel. He thinks the next Zelda will be the one that connects to the 64DD and replaces all the dungeons.
For a year now he has had a prototype of Mario and Luigi running around together on his monitor. It may work on a different game system.
They’ve been thinking of making a four-player game, but each screen would be small, and they’d have to figure out the camera.
They may be able to release Mother 3 by the end of the year.
Super Smash Bros. is a “hitting” game, like sumo. There will be at least 10 characters.
His favorite video game is Donkey Kong or Pac-Man.
If you want to be a game designer it’s important to come up with things on your own and to surprise people. Show others and have them critique your work. Don’t quit if you get criticized.
1101.com – Miyamoto Talks Zelda (Part 1)
Publication Date: November 16, 1998 (translated June 2, 2007)
Subject(s): The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Hobonichi, Shigeru Miyamoto
Link: https://glitterberri.com/miyamoto-talks-zelda/
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20230127062448/https://glitterberri.com/miyamoto-talks-zelda/
Japanese Link: https://www.1101.com/nintendo/nin1/nin1-1.htm
Japanese Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20000413125658/http://www.1101.com/nintendo/nin1/nin1-1.htm
Translator: GlitterBerri
Notes: 1101.com is Shigesato Itoi’s website. This was the 1st of 21 Ocarina of Time articles on 1101.
Summary: Nintendo was a card shop when he got hired, it was interesting to make things no one understood. The organization of games and movies is similar, but the presentation is different. He disagrees with Koichi Sugiyama’s idea that game music is a parody of movie music. Games are becoming more like movies. The over 50 people who worked on The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time did not act like a movie studio.
Mario sizzles with heat and cold, but Zelda is putrid. He wanted to make a game entwined with scent. He didn’t write the Zelda story, he has no interest in it or talent for it. He was interested in what kind of people there will be. He looked after the 8 dungeons and bosses, decided on using an ocarina and horse, monster weaknesses, and what you have to do to ride a horse. He brings things to a close and fixes small problems.
1101.com – Looks Like You Can Use a Horse in This Zelda
Publication Date: November 17, 1998 (translated June 2, 2007)
Subject(s): The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Eiji Onozuka, Shigeru Miyamoto
Link: https://glitterberri.com/links-horse/
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20230128175940/https://glitterberri.com/links-horse/
Japanese Link: https://www.1101.com/nintendo/nin1/nin1-2.htm
Japanese Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20000407102715/http://www.1101.com/nintendo/nin1/nin1-2.htm
Translator: GlitterBerri
Notes: 1101.com is Shigesato Itoi’s website. This was the 2nd of 21 Ocarina of Time articles on 1101.
Summary: It was his idea to add a horse, so it was his responsibility. He went to a riding club for photographs on his days off. He would look at something, sleep on it, and write the specification the next day. He looked at Hakuji Horii’s works for inspiration. A game with horses has to have horseback archery and races, but it took half a year.
1101.com – Looks Like This Zelda has Minigames
Publication Date: November 19, 1998 (translated June 2, 2007)
Subject(s): The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Shigesato Itoi, Shigeru Miyamoto
Link: https://glitterberri.com/minigames/
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20230128174558/https://glitterberri.com/minigames/
Japanese Link: https://www.1101.com/nintendo/nin1/nin1-3.htm
Japanese Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20220708071057/https://www.1101.com/nintendo/nin1/nin1-3.htm
Translator: GlitterBerri
Notes: 1101.com is Shigesato Itoi’s website. This was the 3rd of 21 Ocarina of Time articles on 1101.
Summary: The thirteenth song is the scarecrow’s. There are two scarecrows, Pierre and Bonooru. Pierre will remember a melody, while Bonooru has a poor memory but will be important.
1101.com – Looks Like You Can Play an Ocarina in This Zelda
Publication Date: November 21, 1998 (translated June 2, 2007)
Subject(s): The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, music
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Shigesato Itoi, Koji Kondo, Shigeru Miyamoto
Link: https://glitterberri.com/playing-the-ocarina/
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20130514004651/http://www.glitterberri.com/ocarina-of-time/1101-interviews/playing-the-ocarina/
Japanese Link: https://www.1101.com/nintendo/nin1/nin1-4.htm
Japanese Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20000618000309/http://www.1101.com/nintendo/nin1/nin1-4.htm
Translator: GlitterBerri
Notes: 1101.com is Shigesato Itoi’s website.
Summary: He likes Latin music. Playing an instrument is more interesting than casting a spell. Some people thought it was too tiresome to play the ocarina. He likes country music and Emmylou Harris so he insisted on there being a songstress in the game.
1101.com – Looks Like the Animation is Incredible in This Zelda (Part 1)
Publication Date: December 2, 1998 (translated July 21, 2007)
Subject(s): The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Yoshiaki Koizumi, Toshio Iwawaki, Shigeru Miyamoto
Link: https://glitterberri.com/animation/
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20230128055004/https://glitterberri.com/animation/
Japanese Link: https://www.1101.com/nintendo/nin1/nin1-9.htm
Japanese Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20000618133154/http://www.1101.com/nintendo/nin1/nin1-9.htm
Translator: GlitterBerri
Notes: 1101.com is Shigesato Itoi’s website. This was the 9th of 21 Ocarina of Time articles on 1101.
Summary: They’ve been figuring out how Link should open a chest for three years.
Some were against using motion capture, but they ended up using just a little. They were met with questions about how much the equipment would cost. They started with wireframe motion capture but ended up with their own solution which was twice as expensive. Rather than bring a horse into the studio they used two footstools and a plank.
When he saw an iron-frame treasure chest in the studio he was told that you had to kick the hinge first to look realistic.
1101.com – Parts They Want You to See (Part 1)
Publication Date: December 8, 1998 (translated February 18, 2008)
Subject(s): The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Naoki Mori, Eiji Onizuka, Toru Osawa, Yoshiaki Koizumi, Shigeru Miyamoto
Link: https://glitterberri.com/parts-they-want-you-to-see/
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20230128030914/https://glitterberri.com/parts-they-want-you-to-see/
Japanese Link: https://www.1101.com/nintendo/nin1/nin1-12.htm
Japanese Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20000413205639/http://www.1101.com/nintendo/nin1/nin1-12.htm
Translator: GlitterBerri
Notes: 1101.com is Shigesato Itoi’s website. This was the 12th of 21 Ocarina of Time articles on 1101. It seems like the interviewees were given the prompt “we want you” and had to fill in the rest.
Summary: It’s often said that using the controller is difficult, but he thinks the controls in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time are the best yet. Children can’t use the Z button very well while using the control stick, so they put in the hold option.
On the Nintendo Entertainment System players would see something suspicious and test it for secrets. It was hard to make mysteries like that in Ocarina of Time, but mysterious things will surprise players.
1101.com – Looks Like This Zelda Was Half Done by Mario
Publication Date: December 13, 1998 (translated July 15, 2008)
Subject(s): The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Shigeru Miyamoto
Link: https://glitterberri.com/half-done-by-mario/
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20230127003204/https://glitterberri.com/half-done-by-mario/
Japanese Link: https://www.1101.com/nintendo/nin1/nin1-14.htm
Japanese Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20000414033505/http://www.1101.com/nintendo/nin1/nin1-14.htm
Translator: GlitterBerri
Notes: 1101.com is Shigesato Itoi’s website. This was the 14th of 21 Ocarina of Time articles on 1101. Everyone in this interview has one section and Mr. Miyamoto’s is the shortest.
Summary: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was about half done when they were working on Super Mario 64.
Entertainment Weekly – A conversation with Shigeru Miyamoto
Publication Date: December 18, 1998
Subject(s): Being recognized, American movies, bluegrass music
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Unnamed Entertainment Weekly interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto
Link: https://ew.com/article/1998/12/18/conversation-shigeru-miyamoto/
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20201025050655/https://ew.com/article/1998/12/18/conversation-shigeru-miyamoto/
Notes: This interview may have appeared in the October, 1998 issue of Entertainment Weekly, but I am putting this under the date it was posted online until I can be sure.
Summary: It’s flattering to be admired, but he’s not recognized by children in the street, even in Japan.
American movie advertisements are impressive, but the movies themselves disappoint him. Raiders of the Lost Ark is excellent because of the editing.
Bluegrass music helps him relax. He plays the banjo.
He didn’t know Les Paul was still alive. He’s going to see Blue Man Group tonight.
1101.com – Looks Like This Zelda Has the Rumored Miyamoto Magic
Publication Date: December 31, 1998 (translated November 9, 2010)
Subject(s): The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Toshio Iwawaki, Makoto Miyanaga, Eiji Onozuka, Takashi Tezuka, Toru Osawa, Shigeru Miyamoto
Link: https://glitterberri.com/miyamotos-magic/
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20230127055221/https://glitterberri.com/miyamotos-magic/
Japanese Link: https://www.1101.com/nintendo/nin1/nin1-20.htm
Japanese Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20000407125218/http://www.1101.com/nintendo/nin1/nin1-20.htm
Translator: GlitterBerri
Notes: 1101.com is Shigesato Itoi’s website. This was the 20th of 21 Ocarina of Time articles.
Summary: He was a dedicated employee up to 37 or 38, but when he turned 40 he started thinking that he can’t do this forever.
He didn’t play guitar from about 30 to 40, but started again.
He was serious when he first met Mr. Itoi, but he was told he had to play around more.
He admires delinquent employees.
1999
The Daily Telegraph – The Unsung Hero of Video Games
Publication Date: 1999
Subject(s): His start at Nintendo, ideas, Nintendo’s childish reputation
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Daniel Pemberton, Shigeru Miyamoto
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20070713071015/http://www.danielpemberton.com/shigerumiyamoto.html
Notes: Daniel Pemberton is a professional musician and the source is from his personal website.
Summary: He was hired by Nintendo around the time Space Invaders was big and he designed art for arcade games.
They made games designed to keep people putting coins into the machine. With the console business they had to take a new approach.
It’s important that games are kind to the player. For example, the save function has to be handled carefully so that players don’t feel bad about making a mistake.
New ideas are very important to Nintendo. A short conversation could to something that changes your job for the next five years. That’s why he doesn’t have plans for the future.
Donkey Kong and Super Mario Bros. were not meant to be children’s games, but children ended up playing them the most. They now have to deal with children whose parents grew up playing the Nintendo Entertainment System. They have to ask themselves how to appeal to people who don’t like the family-friendly atmosphere they create.
Sony proved that others could sell 10 million units of hardware. He spent a lot of time making new games from old series with the Nintendo 64, but he hopes to ask younger developers to work on those as he makes new series for the GameCube.
He receives no royalties, just a salary.
The 64DREAM, January 1999 (untranslated from Japanese)
Publication Date: January, 1999
Subject(s): The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Unknown The 64Dream interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto
Scans:
Notes: This interview has been translated, but not released publicly. Parts of it are discussed in this DidYouKnowGaming video.
Videogames.com – The Legend of Miyamoto
Publication Date: 1999 (on or before January 28, 1999)
Subject(s): Starting at Nintendo, Donkey Kong, computers versus game consoles
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Moira Muldoon, Shigeru Miyamoto
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/19990128223751/http://videogames.com/features/universal/miyamoto/
Notes: There is a link to another page, but if it ever existed it was never archived.
Summary: He wanted to make some unique toys or industrial designs when he joined Nintendo. Sometimes he was asked to make designs for video game characters.
He was given a programmer and full discretion about what to make, which ended up being Donkey Kong.
At first he thought that game design might be an interesting thing he just did with some of his time, but it’s been 20 years now.
They start with a game system and build that into a complete game.
They thought a game where a character had to climb and dodge obstacles would be fun.
His rival is the Rubik’s Cube.
Computers are designed to do many things, so there’s a lot you have to take care of when making a computer game. Game consoles are designed just to play games, and he always tries to use their full capacity. You can play a game within 10 seconds of starting a console.
There may be games just for adults in the future, but appealing to 18 year olds should reach a broad audience.
1101.com – Miyamoto Talks Zelda Once More
Publication Date: January 3, 1999 (translated January 1, 2011)
Subject(s): The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, 1080º Snowboarding
Format: Essay
People: Shigeru Miyamoto
Link: https://glitterberri.com/miyamoto-talks-zelda-once-more/
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20230127003154/https://glitterberri.com/miyamoto-talks-zelda-once-more/
Japanese Link: https://www.1101.com/nintendo/nin1/nin1-21.htm
Japanese Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20220708071101/https://www.1101.com/nintendo/nin1/nin1-21.htm
Translator: GlitterBerri
Notes: 1101.com is Shigesato Itoi’s website. This was the 21st of 21 Ocarina of Time articles on 1101 and it doesn’t appear to be an interview, just something Mr. Miyamoto wrote.
Summary: Hitting a rock with your sword made a thud sound, but he had it changed to a clang. It’s tough to double-check all of the details. He doesn’t have any particular emotional attachment to any place in the game, but he’d like you to notice the things that are incomparable to any other game. The base play time is 20-30 hours.
The second half of development was about sub-events and the ocarina. He told the designers to put in a terrible enemy for the final boss, that’s his involvement. No one can agree on what exactly makes something Zelda-esque. The people working together for the first time didn’t get any instructions from him.
He’d like to work on a game that isn’t part of a series. Few teams are completely carried over to another game. Usually about half are kept.
He’d like to recommend 1080º Snowboarding to everyone who bought a Nintendo 64 for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. It didn’t sell well since it was released after the Nagano Winter Olympics. The boards are 1999 models from LAMAR.
TechTV
Publication Date: January 8, 1999
Subject(s): The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Super Mario 64
Format: Interview
People: Lauren Fielder, Shigeru Miyamoto
Link: https://www.zeldadungeon.net/wiki/Interview:Tech_TV_January_8th_1999
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20130426180651/http://www.zeldadungeon.net/wiki/Interview:Tech_TV_January_8th_1999
Notes: This interview took place before the release of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, which was in November, 1998. The video footage of this interview seems to be lost.
Summary: The game magazine people have enjoyed The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Ocarina of Time has been the hardest game to develop, so he hopes it will be the best one too.
Super Mario 64 used about 60% of the Nintendo 64’s power, Ocarina of Time uses about 90%.
They are always trying to make something new and more interactive. Some people are used to beautiful pre-rendered graphics and Zelda games might not look good enough to them, so they encourage the development of further interactivity.
Super Mario 64 is a new type of game with new camera actions. Ocarina of Time has the same themes as other Zelda games, yet there are new elements. You don’t play as Link, you become Link.
He usually comes up with ideas while talking to programmers and creators.
The ideal number of people working on a game is 15. Ocarina of Time started with 25 and grew to 50, which is too much to take care of.
His favorite part of Ocarina of Time is riding on a horse and watching the sun set and rise. He also likes the events that aren’t necessary to beat the game, like fishing and playing the ocarina.
He is currently working on Mario Artist, Paper Mario, and Mother 3, and they are experimenting with connecting the Nintendo 64 and Game Boy.
He doesn’t know the future of games, there’s a new discovery every day. Graphics will get better but they should emphasize new ideas.
IGN – Sensei Speaks: Shigeru Miyamoto Interview
Publication Date: January 29, 1999
Subject(s): Super Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, 64DD, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Master Quest, Super Smash Bros.
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Matt Casamassina, Peer Schneider, Shigeru Miyamoto
Link: https://www.ign.com/articles/1999/01/30/sensei-speaks
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20130820235938/https://www.ign.com/articles/1999/01/30/sensei-speaks
Translator: Minagawa-san for IGN.
Notes: The “Mr. Yawara” referred to is most likely someone mishearing “Iwata”, as in Satoru Iwata.
Summary: He was the principal director of Super Mario 64, with assistant directors. With The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time he was the producer with many directors under him. Around 50 people were working on it by the end, he learned a lot from managing a team that size. They are still amateurs at making 3D games.
The biggest question was whether they could be called games, and whether players would like them. Many game developers are turning their games into movies. They don’t intend to make movies, but they are trying to make their games more cinematic, and to use technology from movies. Moving the camera and letting characters move in real time gives the feel of a movie. Other games use pre-rendered cutscenes.
He tries to have a theme for every game. He doesn’t play many games, but the idea for Star Fox came to him after playing PC games. Camera angles in games tend to be chosen by game creators, but Super Mario 64 is different.
Ocarina of Time was made with the 64DD in mind. He has ideas they didn’t have time to add. If they aren’t able to release 64DD version of Zelda they may have to release a special edition through a contest or something.
Resident Evil would have been better on the Nintendo 64, but that was an idea he wanted to do himself. PaRappa the Rapper comes close to his ideals, too.
He hopes Zelda is the high point of the N64. It can appeal to 8-70 year olds if they did it right.
In Ocarina of Time he wishes they could have fine tuned the synchronization between the music and sound and the actions more. He’s not totally happy with the 3D system.
There are many more Miyamotos, Ocarina of Time can be claimed by many of the people who made it, and they can make their own games. Newcomers were supported by oldtimers.
Game designers need to be creative and to be able to stand up against the marketing people at their company.
There has been a display on his desk of Mario and Luigi for a year now. The plan was for Super Mario 64 2 to be a 64DD game.
1999 will see the release of the Mario Artist series. Paper Mario and Mother 3 may release then as well.
Super Smash Bros. is being made by Mr. Yawara, who created Kirby, and his group. It should release in January. Hudson is also making Mario Party, a board game. Banjo-Kazooie had a better 3D system than Super Mario 64, there can be lots of enemies on screen at once.
The Ocarina of Time engine was almost made from scratch and it would be a shame to not use it again. There are about 5 modes for making 3D scenes, which are to show game designers the potential of the N64.
He hopes Ocarina of Time isn’t too influential since it took so long to make. Consumers are getting more critical, and making something on that scale takes a long time. Game creators should understand and appreciate smaller experiences.
He’s not sure anyone at Nintendo is being trained to make 2D games. He’s always telling himself he should make something new. He’s working on several projects, but it remains to be seen if they will be fun.
The Nintendo 64 Expansion Pak is necessary for the 64DD, so they will be making use of it. Games converted from the 64DD to cartridge will likely need it. They are also working on high resolution games that will need it.
If he had to be locked into one of his games it would be Zelda because Hyrule is relaxing. He’d choose a SCUBA diving game if they had one.
Shogakukan Link’s Awakening DX Strategy Guide
Publication Date: February, 1999 (translated March 1, 2011)
Subject(s): The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX
Format: Q & A
People: Shigeru Miyamoto
Link: https://glitterberri.com/staff-questionnaire/
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20230128004312/https://glitterberri.com/staff-questionnaire/
Scan:
Translator: GlitterBerri
Notes: Scan by Lavacopter. The prompts were what they did on the game, a recent dream, what they liked about the DX version, and a message.
Summary: He was the producer, he had a dream he found a progression-blocking bug in the game, he likes walking Bow-Wow, and he didn’t write anything for this game but he tested it.
Next Generation – Minitalk: Shigeru Miyamoto
Publication Date: February, 1999
Subject(s): Super Mario 64, camera systems in 3D, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Unnamed Next Generation interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto
Scans:
Summary: People knew it was possible to make a game like Super Mario 64, but no one knew how to do it. When he makes a game he tries to make something unique. When playing computer games he realized that cameras were key to 3D games. Many used fixed angles because it was convenient for the developer, rather than the player. He wanted the camera to be free for Super Mario 64. In The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time the focus is the world, so the camera angles show the environment.
Ocarina of Time was made with the 64DD in mind. He didn’t have time to implement all of his ideas. They may release a special edition cartridge instead of releasing it on the 64DD.
He’s not completely happy with some of the animations in Ocarina of Time. Many ideas that weren’t used will make their way into other games.
Other developers were an important part of Ocarina of Time, they will be able to be directors on future games.
He competes with himself more than with other developers. Being creative and being a marketer are different things, and it’s rare for someone to be able to do both. You have to push for creative independence. People could make better games if they were unhindered by the marketing department.
Super Mario 64 2 has remained a prototype on his desk. Luigi and Mario are together.
Game Developers Conference 1999 Keynote Speech
Publication Date: March 15, 1999
Subject(s): Game development, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Format: Presentation (spoken English, live translator)
People: Jennifer Pahlka, Jim Merrick, Bill Trinen (translator), Shigeru Miyamoto
Video:
Notes: Jennifer Pahlka, who I assume works for GDC, and Jim Merrick talk about Mr. Miyamoto before his speech. There is a short video going over some of his biggest games. IGN has a full transcript.
Summary: It would make him happy if what he talks about helps games be consistently fun to play. He would like to talk about three things today: the history of game design, the development of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and the future of game design.
Programmers and engineers used to design games, they even did the music and graphics. When, as an artist, he got involved in game design, he said he was one of the five best in the world because there were so few. With Donkey Kong we saw stories accompany games. Due to Dragon Quest and The Legend of Zelda, scenario writers started to lead game design. With arcade games the goal was to get people to spend their quarters, but paying a quarter for an inning of baseball, or getting to play less Mario Bros. because you did well started to become unacceptable to players. The Famicom allowed them to make games not for the arcade.
Though he is not an engineer, he designs games that consider the technology. People have told him that he should make movies, but he believes his strength is his pioneering spirit to make interactive games. He has been able to learn game design from scratch, slowly over time. Sometimes the idea for a hit game comes from a conversation with an ordinary person.
Sometimes he hits a wall with development, and sometimes developers have to release a game that isn’t ready. Sometimes it is because the developers don’t grasp the technology. When a game’s fun hinges on its technology, it can be difficult to judge how good it is until it is complete. Game developers are to blame when these games are not fun, but since there is no concrete definition of game designer, he can’t say for sure it is their fault. Painters and scenario writers can have an incomplete understand of the technology involved. Because he has been developing games since the dawn of the industry, he sees that game designers must envision a complete game system by understanding the technology involved. Games are entertainment, so he places great importance on the user’s reaction.
Things like how high Mario can jump are easily changed, but even a small change can greatly alter the feel of the game. At Nintendo, all designers undergo technical training. Good design requires management of the memory map and estimating the processing speed. Players and non-technical workers may make the mistake of thinking that the game behaves like the real world, but the laws of nature have to be put into the game. When developing Super Mario Bros., they used Excitebike sounds as placeholders, Mario would make an engine sound when jumping. Sometimes they misjudge how long part of a game will take to develop, especially veterans. Only about 1/3rd to 1/4th of the programs and sequences in a game may be unique to that game.
We can’t forget human ingenuity when it comes to game design. Recently a number of titles have led with their technology, rather than the personality of their developers. Game creation to him is like music or poetry. He places great importance on tempo and sound effects. Developers tend to boast about the technical aspects of their work, but it’s important that technology inspire from the background.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time started with four or five teams experimenting. The scenario and planning team discussed the game’s position within the series. He was on the team responsible for Link’s actions and items. He also worked with the team experimenting with cameras. They worked with background virtual boxes and fixed-camera modes. Another team worked on the items Link touches and uses. There was a team working on motion capture. They continued to form new teams as needed. There was a sound team, a special effects team and a team working on the flow of time.
They have uncovered a number of ways of stimulating the player’s emotions. Cinematic sequences are one such method. There are over 90 minutes of these sequences in Ocarina of Time. The staff was for these was kept small, from three to seven people. There is a limit to how much work a team can do, including him. They decided not to spend their limited time making pre-rendered sequences, but to polish the game. He changed the scenario three months before release, but they were able to make changes quickly because of the lack of pre-rendereed sequences.
It’s not time to start work on the next generation of Zelda because the things that were praised about Ocarina of Time were in the game a year before it was completed, when he thought they game wasn’t fun to play. The reason it has received so much praise isn’t because of the N64, the unique camera, the auto-jump, the cinematic sequences, or the boss fights. Even with better hardware, he can’t guarantee the game will be fun. He wants to come up with new ideas without worrying about costs. More people are playing video games, but he worries they are all just repeating the same experiments. He did not feel the same freshness with Ocarina of Time that he had with Super Mario Bros. He wants to convey the charm of video games to the general public.
He’s working on a game called Talent Maker where you can create your own characters with the Game Boy Camera. They will be working on combining the Game Boy, Game Boy Camera, Rumble Pak, and others with the N64. They are working on Pokémon Channel, which will use voice recognition, and using the Game Boy as a controller for the N64. While working on Super Mario 64 they saw the huge popularity of Tamagotchi, and he thought they had lost. Let us create unique, fun software with new appeal. Let us take on new challenges so gaming does not become closed off, and let’s make some money.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Encyclopedia
Publication Date: April 1, 1999 (approximate)
Subject(s): The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Unnamed interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto
Link: https://shmuplations.com/ocarinaoftime/
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20220126130937/https://shmuplations.com/ocarinaoftime/
Translator: shmuplations
Notes: I am using a machine translation of the title of this Japanese official guide.
Summary: In The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time you will learn where the Triforce came from. The order of The Legend of Zelda games goes Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to The Past.
He’s not satisfied with some of the unanswered questions in the story, such as how did Ganon become that way, is Link from Ocarina of Time the father of the Link from the original game?, and was his mother Zelda?
You can think of Ganon as resurrecting for each game.
Their focus is to make an interesting game, he wanted Ocarina of Time to feel connected to the original game, but sometimes things don’t line up perfectly. The player’s aftertaste is more important than the continuity between games. He doesn’t want a huge break in canon, though.
He was worried the action portion of the game was too difficult, but he got postcards praising the difficulty, and his 5th grade daughter was able to reach each of the dungeon bosses with one continue. People haven’t liked easy games lately, they got a lot of feedback that Yoshi’s Story was too easy.
Navi giving you advice is the weakest part of Ocarina of Time. It’s difficult to make a system that gives advice tailored to the situation. They made Navi sound a bit stupid so that the repetition wouldn’t stick out so much. He wanted to remove the whole system. There’s no consistency to where people get stuck.
People don’t praise Dragon Quest’s designers for its balance, the tough difficulty in places makes it memorable.
Ocarina of Time took three years to make.
He was 70% involved with The Legend of Zelda, 50% for A Link to the Past, and 40% for Ocarina of Time. In the second year it felt like they’d never finish if he wasn’t there. He had to consolidate everyone’s work. He can’t exert control over everything with a team this large.
He told Toru Osawa to focus more on the characters and less on the story.
He focused on two things: the first 30-60 minutes of the game, through the Deku Tree Dungeon, and the aftertaste, giving it a Zelda vibe, making sure the traps and puzzles felt like a Zelda game. It’s not easy to describe the Zelda vibe, but it includes novelty and mystery.
It was heartbreaking removing things from previous Zelda games, but then if they had included them all it wouldn’t really be a new game. The team was mostly different from other Zelda games, and they wanted to add their own things, too. Chain Chomps were removed at the last minute, they were going to be in Gerudo’s Fortress.
At one point there were five or six magic spells, but he decided they would be better as items or songs. Magic is like taking the easy way out.
The first thing they did was make the ocarina a usable musical instrument. There were 6 songs initially, but that rose to 13.
Dungeons have to be remade several times, bringing the team to the verge of tears. They spent less time on dungeons this time, though. They decided it wasn’t fun to go through a linear labyrinth. The sense of dread and pressure is more important.
The sword combat didn’t come out how he’d hoped. He wanted something you could improve at steadily, but also wanted the action to be easier than Super Mario 64.
The biggest difference in expression between Mario and Zelda games now is that Zelda has more emphasis on lighting. The textures and colors are different, too.
He thought that adding jumping would make for too many gameplay elements.
Games that do something historically new create a new grammar or etiquette for basic movement and action. He created platformers and if someone is going to change jumping, it’s going to be him. They programmed what kind of jump Link would do at each location and encoded it in the terrain data. They’re building a new grammar of interactivity.
They know of the trend of role-playing games with lots of movies, but don’t plan on making games like that. They can’t make a hit game by appealing to that audience.
They don’t set out to make their series accessible to cosplayers. Their games need to be simple to explain, they depend on word of mouth.
He promises you’ll be able to ride the cow in the next game.
Time Digital
Publication Date: April 23, 1999
Subject(s): Mario Bros. and Donkey Kong inspiration, violence in games
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Unnamed Time Magazine interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto
Link: https://www.zeldadungeon.net/wiki/Interview:Time_Digital_April_23rd_1999
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20200612012303/https://www.zeldadungeon.net/wiki/Interview:Time_Digital_April_23rd_1999
Summary: It would take a lifetime to perfect the look of the wind, water, and dust in Zelda.
In making Mario Bros. he wanted to make a game where enemies moved from the top to bottom and back. Turtles and crabs seemed like a good fit. He imagined a huge world under New York.
For Donkey Kong he wanted it to be difficult to move upward, so he chose a construction site and a ship’s gangway. It was also inspired by King Kong and Popeye.
He would like his games to encourage children to think of alternative ways to succeed rather than finding a single correct answer.
They try not to use violence as an easy means of expression, it’s easier to make someone cry than laugh.
If video games didn’t exist he might make educational toys.
The 64DREAM, May 1999 (untranslated from Japanese)
Publication Date: May, 1999
Subject(s): The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Japan Media Arts Festival
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Unknown The 64Dream interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto
Scans:
Notes: This interview is partially about The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time winning Japan Media Arts Festival’s 1998 Digital Art (Interactive Art) Division Grand Prize. You can read more about the annual festival on Wikipedia.
2nd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards
Publication Date: May 13, 1999
Subject(s): The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, 1080° Snowboarding
Format: Award ceremony (spoken English)
People: George Sanger, Chris Roberts, Zachery Ty Bryan, Nicholle Tom, David Perry, Jez San, Sid Meier, Peter Molyneux, Bruce Shelley, Takashi Tezuka, Shigeru Miyamoto
Video:
Notes: The Annual Interactive Achievement Awards would eventually become the D.I.C.E. Awards.
Mr. Miyamoto gives the acceptance speech for all six awards that The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time wins: Outstanding Achievement in Interactive Design, Outstanding Achievement in Software Engineering, Console Role-Playing Game of the Year, Console Adventure Game of the Year, Console Game of the Year, and Game of the Year. Takashi Tezuka joins him on stage for the Game of the Year acceptance speech.
He also gives the acceptance speech for 1080° Snowboarding winning Console Sports Game of the Year.
Uploaded by The Video Game History Foundation as part of their 25-day Holiday Countdown Calendar.
Summary: [Outstanding Achievement in Interactive Design award speech.]
Thank you for playing the game.
[Outstanding Achievement in Software Engineering award speech.] [He bows.] [Console Sports Game of the Year award speech.]Thank you on behalf of Giles Goddard, who programmed the game.
[Console Role-Playing Game of the Year award speech.]
Thank you.
[Console Adventure Game of the Year award speech.]He’s very lucky to work with talented people, thank you.
[Console Game of the Year award speech.]Thank you.
[Introducing the Hall of Fame Award.]
The Hall of Fame Award was made to honor those who make groundbreaking contributions, who pioneer influential games and have the most creativity. The 1999 recipient of the award is Sid Meier, who meets every criteria. Sid Meier made F-19, the first successful flight simulator, he made the first god game with Civilization, and he became a leader in real-time strategy games with Sid Meier’s Pirates!, Railroad Tycoon, and Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri. These games have grown the audience for interactive entertainment.
[A video about Sid Meier plays.]
He and the Academy of Interactive Arts and Science are honored to give the 1999 Hall of Fame award to Sid Meier.
[Game of the Year award speech.]Takashi Tezuka has been working with him since Super Mario Bros. More than 50 people worked on The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and he is honored to accept the award.
Electronic Gaming Monthly – Miyamoto on Nintendo’s Future
Publication Date: June, 1999
Subject(s): 64DD, Nintendo 64 Transfer Pak, sequels
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Unnamed Electronic Gaming Monthly interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto
Scans:
Notes: This interview took place at GDC 1999, on March 15.
Summary: He’s been training younger game developers and being more of a supervisor. He’s also been asking himself what makes a game appealing.
They’ll have announcements about the next The Legend of Zelda game this Spring. They usually finish a game and then start making the next game in the series for the next system right away. It’s a new experience to keep working on The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
The maker of Derby Stallion is working on a Game Boy version that will allow players to move their data to the Nintendo 64 version. Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development is working on using the Game Boy as a controller. All 151 Pokémon will be available in Pokémon Stadium 2.
He is working on Nintendo’s next console, but their policy is to support a system for at least 5 years, so the Nintendo 64 has several more years left.
He will make a Super Mario 64 sequel, and it will appear on the Nintendo 64.
1101.com – Pokémon Snap (untranslated from Japanese)
Publication Date: June 20, 1999
Subject(s): Pokémon Snap
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Satoru Iwata, Yoichi Yamamoto, Shigezo Kawase, Koji Inoguchi, Masanobu Yamamoto, Kazuki Sekimori, Hirotaka Kato, Takeyuki Machida, Hirotaka Kato, Shizuka Higashiyama, Akira Takeshima, Shinohara, Shigesato Itoi, Shigeru Miyamoto
Japanese Link: https://www.1101.com/nintendo/nin5/index.htm
Japanese Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20000123030436/http://www.1101.com/nintendo/nin5/index.htm
Notes: 1101.com is Shigesato Itoi’s website.
Famitsu (reported on by IGN)
Publication Date: August 23, 1999
Subject(s): The Legend of Zelda: Oracles of Seasons and Ages
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Reported on by unnamed IGN staff member, unnamed Famitsu interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto
Link: https://www.ign.com/articles/1999/08/24/miyamoto-speaks-on-zelda-gbc
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20131012005144/http://www.ign.com/articles/1999/08/24/miyamoto-speaks-on-zelda-gbc
Summary: Yoshiki Okamoto of Capcom and Flagship wanted to make The Legend of Zelda games every four or five months. Instead Nintendo had Flagship do the scenarios for Game Boy Color Zelda games.
Mr. Okamoto asked if he could port The Legend of Zelda to Game Boy Color. It worked well so they decided to make three games that could be played in any order. He’d like to release the first one this year and release the sequels every three or four months.
IGN – Mr. Miyamoto Speaks
Publication Date: August 27, 1999
Subject(s): GameCube, the future, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Master Quest
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Matt Casamassina, Peer Schneider, Yasuhiro Minagawa (translator), Shigeru Miyamoto
Link: https://www.ign.com/articles/1999/08/28/mr-miyamoto-speaks
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20140119200633/http://www.ign.com/articles/1999/08/28/mr-miyamoto-speaks
Notes: This interview took place at Space World 1999, which was held August 27-29.
Summary: He’s not sure if Paper Mario will be the last Mario game for the Nintendo 64.
There is an experimental game on the GameCube that could turn into a Mario game or a Zelda game.
A better looking Super Mario 64 or The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time could not be called a GameCube Mario or Zelda. With the GameCube they can focus on their ideas rather than making special effects work.
Nintendo is always making what only they could make. They are trying to expand on the Nintendo 64 and Game Boy’s connection.
Most of his time is spent thinking about Nintendo and the gaming industry 5 years from now. He’s trying to avoid working on any game.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Master Quest is a parody of Ocarina of Time with new dungeons.
The 64DD and GameCube can coexist.
Giles Goddard was a contract employee and not currently working with them.
Japanese players say the N64 controller is too big, but Americans say it’s the right size.
He’d rather have something unique for the GameCube launch than a nicer looking Mario or Zelda game.
GameSpot – Miyamoto Talks Dolphin at Space World
Publication Date: August 27-29, 1999
Subject(s): Being a producer, GameCube development, online play, Pokémon
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Chris Johnson, Shigeru Miyamoto
Link: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/miyamoto-talks-dolphin-at-space-world-and14599/1100-2460819/
Notes: This article is incorrectly dated.
Summary: He is getting older. When he says he is a producer, his involvement is deeper. He is focusing on a GameCube game.
He’s not as involved with The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask as usual.
When you’re the director you can touch each phase of the game. As a producer he asks the directors to reflect on their touches. You’ll be able to feel the Nintendo touch on future sequels, even if he’s not very involved with them.
They realized the Nintendo 64 wasn’t powerful enough for a game like Wave Race 64.
They had to pay close attention to games on the N64 to make sure they would run, but with the GameCube they can focus on details. There are so many 3D fighting games because there’s just two characters, they are easy to make. The GameCube can handle 5 or 10 characters.
He’d rather not be involved with any Disney branded games because they are a competitor.
Cartridges are still the best medium for games, DVDs have some inconveniences. However, using them will stabilize costs since they don’t have to consider what size each game is. It will be easier to implement artificial intelligence.
They can’t make entertainment without thinking of online, but they also have to consider the cost and who will use it. There isn’t a big market for it now. They also have to make parents feel secure, so online play won’t be a big concern with the GameCube.
The used movie technology in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, but they didn’t make it like a movie. He’ll study movies, but not make games that are like movies.
When he started work on Pokémon he was told it would never appeal to Americans, so he assumed there would never be an English version. He realized he shouldn’t believe the conservative marketers. They said the characters look like Japanese animation, so they can’t be sold to Americans. Satoshi Tajiri is why Pokémon is popular. Mr. Tajiri made something he wanted to play, there was no business sense.
Nintendo Power Source – Talkin’ Zelda with Mr. Miyamoto – Space World ’99
Publication Date: August 27-29
Subject(s): The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Master Quest, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Unnamed Nintendo Power Source interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/19991127104439/http://www.nintendo.com/home/features/spaceworld/99/miyamoto.html
Notes: Nintendo Power Source was Nintendo’s old website. This interview took place at Space World 1999, which was held August 27-29.
Summary: They are working on two follow ups to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Master Quest uses the 64DD to change the dungeons, and The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask is a whole new game.
He was 100% involved with the original The Legend of Zelda, about 60% with Ocarina of Time, 20% for Majora’s Mask, and 10% for The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and Ages. If Majora’s Mask is fun there will be less time in between Zelda games. He’ll probably have less involvement in them, he trusts his teams.
The Electric Playground – Spyro 2 / Grand Theft Auto 2 with Dan Houser / Wizard World 1999
Publication Date: October, 1999 (E3 segments filmed June 19-21, 1997)
Subject(s): His family, Mario’s origins, The Legend of Zelda influences, people he respects
Format: Interview (live translator)
People: Victor Lucas, unnamed translator, Shigeru Miyamoto
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2Xv3FtbVmc
Notes: This is the fourth time footage from this interview appeared on The Electric Playground, I have not included one occurrence which had no unique footage.
Summary: He is 46. He has a 13 year old boy and 11 year-old girl. They somewhat like video games, and they recently beat Zelda.
When he was designing Mario he had to work under restrictions.
The world of Zelda games has to do with his childhood. As for Link, everyone at some point wants to be strong. He may be too serious, and some people find it hard to work with him.
He still rides his bike to work, and swims. He only swims to work during typhoons.
When he joined Nintendo he thought he would be able to make whatever he liked.
He thinks Steven Spielberg is wonderful. George Lucas supports young talented people. He respects Gunpei Yokoi.
1101.com – Shigeru Miyamoto Speaks: About his current thoughts and five years from now.
Publication Date: October 13, 1999 (translated January 20, 2014)
Subject(s): Being a director and manager, Seaman, Nintendo and its kiddie image, Nintendo 64, beating games, GameCube, Donkey Kong 64, Rare, Mother 3
Format: Transcribed Interview
People: Shigesato Itoi, Shigeru Miyamoto
Japanese Link: https://www.1101.com/nintendo/nin8/nin8_1.htm
Japanese Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20210412224211/https://www.1101.com/nintendo/nin8/nin8_1.htm
Translator: Danny Bivens for NintendoWorldReport
Notes: 1101.com is Shigesato Itoi’s website. Mr. Miyamoto was supposed to leave after 30 minutes.
Summary: Working as a project manager or director feels like stopping fires from starting, and you don’t get credit for it. When he speaks at seminars he tries to sound well-spoken and there is no warmth left. Nintendo’s CEO don’t like celebrating anniversaries. He changed his flight back from England from September 9th to September 10th because it’s unlucky. The Nintendo 64 isn’t doing well in Europe. Even without his name tag he was constantly asked for autographs. He met a lot of new people and everyone was nice.
People say that kids grow out of Nintendo, but they just leave for a while. He saw a kindergarten-aged girl playing Perfect Dark and that made him think. He got a letter from a parent whose child plays games all day and who wants to make games someday. The child is wrong, but there’s nothing a parent could say to dissuade him. He questions how much his games are really his. His children have friends over and play competitive multiplayer games, if they’ve having fun he can’t be upset. He feels like grinding for hours in a role-playing game to raise a stat is a waste of time. When someone says the story in a game is interesting he wants to ask why they don’t read a novel. Perhaps 30-50% of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time players stop at Dodongo’s Cavern, the Fire Temple or the Shadow Temple. He wants 80-90% of players to beat a game, even if it has to be very easy. Products aren’t cool just because they are electronic games anymore. He used to be so into Space Invaders but any kid today wouldn’t find it fun. You can’t just make games that appeal to people who will sit and get better at it.
He was the first person Yutaka Saito showed Seaman to and he gave advice. He wishes Nintendo could have published it. He doesn’t go to bars or drink. People say games fall into patterns, they are thrown into genres. They’ve gotten efficient at categorizing in that way and he wonders if they’ve hit their limits. He feels lucky to have a latent power drawn out of him by being a developer. He thinks some people with power aren’t noticed because there are so many people. He has been having younger employees do the creating. He’s a nagging older brother. He needs to make it clearer to people that he’s not making games with them, he’s introducing people.
Before he knew it Mario was following a pattern of becoming more aimed toward children as younger people joined Nintendo, as outside companies licensed him, and as marketing aimed him at small children. He made Mario when he was 27 and he was in no way embarrassing, he was an older uncle type. It makes sense for Yoshi, but he thinks Mario is different. Takashi Tezuka likes Mario doing the peace sign, but he wants to ban it. People say kids graduate from Nintendo in middle school, but it doesn’t seem like it used to be that way. When asked about the PlayStation 2 he has been saying Nintendo plays on a different field. They didn’t feel like they were in a console war during the Nintendo 64. He’s trying to imagine what the game industry will be like in 5 years. They are past the point where gaming is a fad. The PlayStation is creating more wonder, but its makers don’t realize that. Nintendo’s CEO is quick, even if he doesn’t play games.
The GameCube has a lot of power, they are still figuring out what it can do. He’d like Super Mario 128 to be an interesting toy that will make people buy GameCubes. He tries to make sure ports are done externally so that they don’t get hung up on porting Super Mario Bros. to every system. He had make sure they don’t spend much time making movies or cutscenes. The GameCube will be faster than the PlayStation 2. He wants the next Mario game to make people say they’ve never seen anything like it. They’ll make something new, and if Mario doesn’t fit they’ll switch him out. There aren’t players that won’t play a game because Mario isn’t in it.
Donkey Kong 64 is an old fashioned, standard game. It’s a 3D action game and he’s been questioning whether those are fun. They are a pain to make, they aren’t that much more fun, and they’re hard to play. Rare has perfected 3D action games, Donkey Kong 64 is beyond what Nintendo is capable of making. He bets it’s the best one on any hardware, including the Dreamcast. It won’t attract anyone new to gaming, though. Rare are independent and don’t always listen to outsiders. It’s more fun to limit the number of levels in a 3D game and include multi-layered gameplay and gimmicks. Mother 3 is about 80% done and feels fresh. It has graphics in a different class entirely.
Game Informer – An Interview with Shigeru Miyamoto
Publication Date: November, 1999
Subject(s): The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, 64DD, third party developers
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Unnamed Game Informer interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto
Link: https://huguesjohnson.com/scans/random/
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20220602160504/https://huguesjohnson.com/scans/random/
Scans:
Notes: Scanned by Hugues Johnson. The Legend of Zelda: The Continuing Saga was an early name for Majora’s Mask.
Summary: They were planning on making something other than The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask for the 64DD. Games that can make use of writeable data would be unique to the 64DD would be unique.
It is up to Nintendo of America if Mario Artist is available as a cartridge. They are working on a system that will allow 64DD games to be released on cartridges.
The people working on Cabbage have also been busy with other projects and they aren’t sure if it will be a cartridge, 64DD, or GameCube game. He has been trying to get Seaman to come to the Nintendo 64.
He has been involved in developing 10 games at once, but he is trying to keep it under 5 now. He wasn’t considering a Zelda game for the GameCube but is now due to so many requests. He has had many questions about Metroid for the Nintendo 64.
Left Field Productions are close to Japanese craftsmen. Konami are also knowledgeable and experienced.
Nintendo is making fewer first-party titles and doing more collaborations. The results will be apparent in 5 years.
Electronic Gaming Monthly – Shigeru Miyamoto: Swimming With Dolphin
Publication Date: November, 1999
Subject(s): The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, a director’s touch, Wave Race 64, the GameCube’s potential, cartridge versus DVD, online gaming
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Unnamed Electronic Gaming Monthly interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto
Scans:
Notes: This interview took place at Space World 1999, which was held August 27-29.
Summary: He’s not as involved with The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask as he wants to be, he’s stopped himself from making specifications for it.
There will be more Nintendo games that he won’t be deeply involved with. The sequels that come out will make you feel the same way as when he worked on them. A director checks each part of the game to make sure it’s still their game. F-Zero and Yoshi games have the touch of other directors. He wants to oversee the process and make sure the directors reflect on their touch.
They realized while working on Wave Race 64 that the Nintendo 64 wasn’t powerful enough for detailed wave movement.
Though the Nintendo 64 was powerful for the time, they had to pay attention just to get games to run on it. They can focus on details with the GameCube, which allows them to try new things. They also had to get used to making 3D games.
Other game systems had lots of 3D fighting games because they were easy to make when there were only two characters. Super Smash Bros. could handle four characters, but they were simpler than a game with two characters. The GameCube could handle five to 10.
He starts games with experiments. If Mario is riding a wave, it’s a Mario game, that how he decides what game to make.
Cartridges are the best medium for games, using DVDs is inconvenient. However, it’s important to stabilize the price, so that bigger games don’t cost more to produce. The GameCube will have more advanced technology, like artificial intelligence. It’s easier to use AI because the CPU is stronger.
The GameCube has to have something online since they can’t think of entertainment without considering online communication. There is not currently a big market for online GameCube games. Nintendo also has a responsibility to make parents feel secure with allowing their children to play games.
GamePro – Miyamoto Speaks!
Publication Date: November, 1999
Subject(s): The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, 64DD, GameCube
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Unnamed GamePro interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto
Scans:
Notes: The Zelda Gaiden mentioned eventually became The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
Summary: They thought of making parody games based on The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, but also wanted to use the Expansion Pak to do more than they could before.
Ocarina of Time includes code that makes it ready for the 64DD.
He’s not the director of any Nintendo 64 games in development, but he is helping some producers with N64 games.
They worked with Silicon Graphics on the N64, but they had no experience with video games. They’ve learned a lot that will be useful for the GameCube.
DVDs will reduce the cost of making games. They won’t need to be as concerned about RAM.
Other than games he made, he enjoys Super Smash Bros., International SuperStar Soccer ’98, and Rare’s games.
Next Generation – Still Swimming with the Dolphin?
Publication Date: November, 1999
Subject(s): GameCube, ideas, the Nintendo 64 in Japan
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Unnamed Next Generation interviewer, Hiroshi Imanishi, Shigeru Miyamoto
Scans:
Notes: This interview took place at Nintendo’s Kyoto offices.
Summary: He thinks Dolphin should be the name of their next system, but others disagree.
The hardware team is asking the software people if there’s anything they’d like to have added to the GameCube. Maybe it can be $99 if they leave out the DVD drive.
He’s laying the foundation of several games right now. Rather than focus on the improved graphics people should be paying attention to how the GameCube will be played.
He’s interested in doing what no one is thinking about. Everyone knows about online play so it’s not interesting. There’s no point to a new generation without ideas.
When you add more polygons to a racing game’s scenery the developers are happy, but the player becomes accustomed to it and it becomes unimportant. They don’t have to worry about technological hurdles as much with the GameCube.
The reasons the Nintendo 64 didn’t do well in Japan include his way of doing things and how it was advertised. They also didn’t have a role-playing game from the start, and they are as much as half the market in Japan. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time came late, and they didn’t have a 3D fighting game even though those were big. Nintendo tried to make its own boom.
He had no involvement with creating Metroid, that was young people working with Gunpei Yokoi.
Donkey Kong was never called Monkey Kong, he thought donkeys were considered silly.
Nintendo Official Magazine – The Legend of Zelda The Continuing Saga / A Genius Speaks
Publication Date: November, 1999
Subject(s): The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Unnamed Nintendo Official Magazine interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto
Scans:
Notes: The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask is referred to as “The Continuing Saga” throughout this feature. In Japan this game was known as “Zelda Gaiden” before release, so this is either an early English version of that name, or Nintendo Official Magazine is made up an approximate translation.
Summary: In The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask you’ll mostly play as child Link. There will be parts where you can play as adult Link.
He’s pleased with the masks, you use them rather than objects to solve puzzles.
The clock is always ticking down.
The Nintendo 64 Expansion Pak means the enemies are smarter.
Staflos skeletons are back, but they are stronger and smarter.
He is a producer on Majora’s Mask.
Characters from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time return and you’ll get to know more about them. The enemies are back, but stronger.
People 30 hours into Ocarina of Time were about halfway done. The size of Majora’s Mask depends on how you play it, a new idea to role-playing games.
It’s great that people think of Ocarina of Time as the best game of all time, but he’s trying to make even better games.
The Legend of Zelda can be a violent series, but his favorite aspect is making friends with characters.
He doesn’t know what the 64DD The Legend of Zelda game will feature.
He hopes the GameCube controller design he has been working on will become the standard in the future.
Nintendo isn’t trying to make something new or better, they are trying to make something original that is unique to Nintendo.
Game Hihyou (discussion with Toshihiro Nagoshi)
Publication Date: November, 1999 (translated June 28, 2023)
Subject(s): Game design, jumping, arcade games, controller design, the Rubik’s Cube, timing
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Unknown Game Hihyou interviewer, Toshihiro Nagoshi, Shigeru Miyamoto
Link: https://shmuplations.com/miyamotoxnagoshi/
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20230628020438/https://shmuplations.com/miyamotoxnagoshi/
Scans:
Translator: shmuplations
Notes: Game Hihyo (Game Criticism) was a Japanese magazine dedicated to being independent from publisher’s ad money and honestly covering game news. You can read more about it on Gaming Alexandria, who are responsible for the scans.
Summary: At Nintendo they do what seems obvious, but there are a lot of games that don’t get that kind of attention during development.
What does the word “jump” really mean? How is it handled in the game? Expressing everything that goes into a jump in numbers is game design.
The media talked a lot about how good Dragon Quest’s story was and since then people think that a good story makes a game great. He likes the rhythm and how it is paced.
Arcade games have the premise of trying to get someone to insert a coin, it’s a very clear declaration of intent.
They are jealous of F355 Challenge’s three monitor setup; they are chained to the console format. Having three screens increases the sense of speed, and arcade games can have force feedback, too. They can only make the controls feel cool on a console.
There used to be a tendency to make controllers as cheaply as possible, but now there’s a lot of focus on how they feel to use.
There were many Nintendo 64 controller prototypes. The future will have a merging of console and computer games that can connect to the Internet.
Fighting game developers used to tell them that their games required six buttons, which was a non-starter. He can’t call the N64 controller a success when people tell him that it feels like it was made for Super Mario 64.
He thought puzzle games would use the d-pad, and others could use both the d-pad and analog stick. It would be more user friendly to have the analog stick on the left in the future.
He thinks the analog stick should be on the right, since most people are right handed.
With the N64 controller the B button is placed so you can press it with the flat part of your thumb while still being able to press A with the tip. You can’t do that with the Game Boy since the buttons are horizontal.
Watching someone play Prop Cycle is always fun, there’s a timelessness to it when what you physically do matches what happens in the game.
When the buttons are above the screen in a handheld gaming system the jump button feels wrong, like you’re lifting the character. He doesn’t like computer games, they can’t reach a broad audience. It’s his job at Nintendo to tell the younger developers about the visceral feel of controls.
Since the gaming industry was new when he started he had a lot of freedom. Now there is a lot of specialization.
Many people call someone who comes up with ideas a game designer, but a game designer has to turn those ideas into numbers.
Everyone at Nintendo has to have a certain level of knowledge about their hardware. They look at flowcharts early in development and discuss whether there will be enough data for various sections. It’s easier than correcting things later. He worries about things changing at the last minute.
Three games is the most you can oversee at once.
He decides on fonts and the layout of the user interface. A lot of people are just copying interface elements like score and lives remaining from other games.
He stills likes to go to arcades, he’s probably spent more money on Outrun than any other game.
Some kinds of games are more fun with other people, but he doesn’t want to focus on multiplayer games.
They gave the Nintendo 64 four controller ports because it encourages socializing. When four kids are playing one will suggest going outside.
The last phase of game development has an appeal. When he’s a supervisor on a game he is hands-off on the controls, one person should be responsible for those.
He’s never believed that you have to make a totally unique game. Making ports is fun too. Seeing a game you worked on being enjoyed is more important than name recognition.
Nintendo is keeping a close eye on mobile and handheld gaming.
The Legend of Zelda Oracle games came about more because they had a relationship with Yoshiki Okamoto than Capcom. He’d like to create more bonds of trust with other companies.
Making a game is more like molding clay than carving. He likes to look at games about 90% complete and give them pointers.
Rubik’s Cube is his eternal rival. His notion of games started with the arcade.
His sense of timing in games is inspired by Yoshimoto Shinkigeki, rakugo, and manzai.
If you only focus on making games your family will fall apart.
Incite – Gettin’ Shiggy with it….
Publication Date: December, 1999
Subject(s): The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Master Quest, The Legend of Zelda: Oracles of Seasons and Ages
Format: Transcribed interview
People: Unnamed Incite interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto
Scans:
Notes: Scans by Computec Media USA. All four (or five if you consider the original plan of a Game Boy Color trilogy) upcoming The Legend of Zelda games that come up in this interview would release with different names.
Summary: He’s thankful that The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time sold well. Selling eight million copies is difficult. Everyone expected it to be perfect and he wishes he had another three months.
Nintendo rarely reuses a game engine, but the next The Legend of Zelda game will. It won’t be a sequel, but it will have a deeper story and more layers. It will use the Nintendo 64 Expansion Pak to let players do more, make it denser, and make enemies smarter.
He’s the proudcer of The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask and it’s being made by the same people who made Ocarina of Time. Flagship is working on Game Boy Zelda games.
He wants to portray each character sufficiently with Majora’s Mask.
The Legend of Zelda series is compelling because you can control Link. He doesn’t like games where the story is fixed and you’re just going along with it. He changed The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past so that instead of just pressing a button to pull an object, you had to move backwards yourself. That is what the Zelda series is about.
The camera was the hardest part of moving to 3D. It needs to be easy to play with, but also needs to be able to encourage certain emotions. Majora’s Mask’s camera is improved to be more dramatic and feel more like a movie. They’ve also improved jumping. The masks will allow you to transform into other creatures.
They are also working on a Zelda game for the 64DD, but development has been suspended for now. It will use Ocarina of Time as a base. The dungeons will be different.
They aren’t planning on an online Zelda game.
There will be three Game Boy Color Zelda games: Tale of Power, Tale of Courage, and Tale of Wisdom. With their link system you’ll be able to play them in any order and use your data to affect the others. Yoshiki Okamoto contacted him about the idea. Capcom are making the games, but he has the final say.
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