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 Shigeru
Miyamoto is easily the
world's most famous
video games creator. The
father of Super Mario,
Donkey Kong, and The
Legend of Zelda,
Miyamoto has
consistently been the
most influential
designer within
Nintendo, directing and
producing games like
Super Mario 64, Super
Mario Bros. 3, Ocarina
of Time and A Link to
the Past.
He joined the company in
1977 as an artist. His
first major job was in
1980, and he was tasked
with creating a hit
arcade game. It had to
run on Radar Scope
hardware, as this game
was an arcade flop in
America, and Nintendo
needed to recuperate
losses by modifying the
fewest number of parts
in these cabinets as
possible. The game that
would save Nintendo was
Donkey Kong, a
genre-defining smash-hit
that inadvertently
spawned Nintendo's later
mascot, Mario (only
known then as the
functional "Jump Man").
This success was
followed by a string of
ground-braking
creations, with Super
Mario Bros. setting the
platformer paradigm, The
Legend of Zelda creating
the action adventure
template, and F-Zero
defining fast futuristic
racers. He hit a
technological brick wall
with the SNES - the
SuperFX chip stopped him
from fully realising his
visions for Star Fox and
Stunt Race FX, but the
Nintendo 64 and his
revolutionary use of
analogue controls and
rumble motors enabled
him to create AAA titles
like Wave Race 64, Super
Mario 64 and Lylat Wars.
Miyamoto has gained a
reputation for helping
create controllers
around his game concepts
- the D-Pad, shoulder
buttons, analogue stick
and the rumble pak were
all designed to
accommodate his
envelope-pushing ideas.
The latest innovation to
come from Nintendo was
spearheaded by Miyamoto
too, and the Wii
controller is the next
step towards breaking
down the barriers
between player and game.
He's currently acting as
director, rather than
producer, on his latest
Mario game, Super Mario
Galaxy.
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[1981] |
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Donkey Kong was the
world's first platformer,
and spawned two of
Nintendo's biggest
stars. As Jump Man
(later renamed "Mario"),
you had to navigate your
way to the top of
ever-growing,
ever-complicating
towers. Donkey Kong
stole your damsel in
distress Pauline at the
start of every level,
and it was your job to
rescue her.
Unfortunately for you,
Jump Man, and your
wallet, Donkey Kong
through barrels down the
stages to hinder your
progress.
The game spawned many
sequels based on this
game mechanic, including
Donkey Kong Jr (who
confusingly grew up to
be just Donkey Kong,
while the original DK
grew into Cranky Kong),
and Donkey Kong 3. As a
franchise, Donkey Kong
spawned countless
sequels, including bongo
spin-offs Donkey Konga
and Donkey Kong Jungle
Blast. There were also
more traditional
platformers in the form
of Rare's Donkey Kong
Country series, and the
clunky Donkey Kong 64
which failed to live up
to the high standards
set by their earlier
Banjo-Kazooie. |
Donkey Kong [NES]
Donkey Kong Country [SNES]
Donkey Konga [GCN]
Donkey Kong Jungle Beat
[GCN]
Donkey Kong Bongo Blast
[GCN]
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[1996] |
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After Mario's
appearances as Jump Man
in the Donkey Kong
series, Miyamoto's
favourite sprite
received a name, a
brother, and a starring
role in the first Mario
Bros. game. A 2-player
mini-platformer, it
provided simplistic
gameplay that set
arcades on fire. The
series evolved through
Super Mario Bros. 1 and
3 on the NES, games that
set the standards for
all platform games,
formulas that were
perfected in Super Mario
World.
The game that really set
the world on fire was
Super Mario 64 on
Nintendo 64. It taught a
stunned gaming audience
how to use the
revolutionary new
analogue stick to exert
control never before
seen in video games. The
game featured
wonderfully diverse
worlds that held secrets
and intricacies that,
when learned, could be
exploited with all of
Mario's new moves to
perform acrobatic
miracles.
Super Mario Sunshine,
the 2002 sequel, tried
to improve on this
formula, but could
barely replicate it
thanks to uniform
worlds, samey missions
and glitchy controls.
However, New Super Mario
Bros. for Nintendo DS
imported some of Mario's
abilities from the 3D
games and in the process
set another new standard
for 2D platformers,
while Super Mario Galaxy
does the same for the 3D
series, using the Wii
controller to manipulate
Mario's world in ways
never thought possible. |
Super Mario Bros. [NES]
Super Mario Bros. 3 [NES]
Super Mario Land 2 [GB]
Super Mario World [SNES]
Yoshi's Island [SNES]
Super Mario 64 [N64]
New Super Mario Bros. [NDS]
Super Mario Galaxy [Wii]
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[1998] |
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Inspired by Miyamoto's
childhood adventures in
the magical land behind
his home, The Legend of
Zelda is possibly the
biggest gaming franchise
in the world. It sells
as well as Super Mario
Bros. and Final Fantasy,
and its as much of a
household name as Grand
Theft Auto and Pokemon.
Two games in the series
have been repeatedly
heralded as the greatest
of all time.
While the game started
with humble beginnings
on the NES, the series
really took off on the
SNES with A Link to the
Past. It was a vibrant
world with a fantastic
lore that held secrets
tantalisingly out of
reach until you expanded
your arsenal.
The land of Hyrule was
about the change forever
- it was to gain a whole
new dimension. For four
long years, the world
waited for the purist
slice of Miyamoto
goodness, and it came in
1998 under the title
Ocarina of Time. It
innovated at every turn,
setting the standards of
3D action adventure
games that still serve
as the benchmark today -
Eiji Aonuma's mission
statement with 2006's
Twilight Princess was to
create a Zelda game even
better than Ocarina.
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The Legend of Zelda [NES]
A Link to the Past [SNES]
Link's Awakening [GB]
Ocarina of Time [N64]
Majora's Mask [N64]
Twilight Princess [GCN/Wii]
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[2005] |
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The Mario Kart series
takes the best Mario
characters and throws
them into wild vehicles.
The series debuted on
the SNES in 1992 with
Super Mario Kart, a game
that introduced Mario
fans to amazing new Mode
7 sprite-rotation
technology that created
dynamic race tracks
without which this kind
of weapons-based game
would be impossible to
realise.
Mario Kart 64
disappointed many
purists because of
regenerating weapons
boxes and looser
handling, but it was a
faster, frantic, fully
3D version that
introduced four-player
battles to the series.
Super Circuit was more
of the same and Double
Dash!! introduced an
innovative buddy system,
but the battle mode held
the multiplayer back.
When Mario Kart DS was
released in 2005, it was
widely regarded as the
perfect Mario Kart. It
provided 20 original
tracks, as well as a
"best of" selection
featuring 20 of the best
tracks from past Kart
games. It provided a
solid engine that topped
64's and found a happy
medium between the
tightness of SMK and the
looseness of Double
Dash!! Add a great, if a
little limited, Wi-Fi
mode, and its clear that
the series had reached
maturation. |
Super Mario Kart [SNES]
Mario Kart 64 [N64]
Mario Kart Super Circuit
[GBA]
Mario Kart Double Dash!!
[GCN]
Mario Kart DS [NDS]
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[2001] |
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Pikmin was Miyamoto's
first and only attempt
at creating an original
franchise on the
GameCube, though more
were promised. He was
inspired to create the
Pikmin games because of
his love of gardening,
and he spent his days
imagining what kind of
adventures were
happening in the soil.
It plays like you'd
imagine a Nintendo spin
on the RTS genre would -
simple, clear, and
quirky.
You play as Captain
Olimar, a spaceman who's
crashed on an alien
planet. Unfortunately,
he's only got enough
oxygen for 30 days, so
he must find enough
parts to repair his
spaceship before it runs
out. Each Pikmin has a
different ability
depending on its colour,
so he has to plant them
and use them wisely. The
GameCube controller
slows the game down a
little, so a Wii or
Nintendo DS version
would be perfect for a
new instalment in the
Pikmin franchise. |
Pikmin [GCN]
Pikmin 2 [GCN]
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