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Miyamoto to produce 'fresher' Mario and Zelda, upcoming Punch Out

• By Jack Loftus
• October 30, 2008 11:07 AM PST
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Nintendo savant Shigeru Miyamoto got frank in a recent interview with MTV Multiplayer about hardcore gaming, producing Punch-Out for the Wii and 'fresher' Mario and Zelda IP.

Miyamoto's latest baby (click for Punch-Out Wii screens)

According to a surprisingly frank Shigeru Miyamoto, Nintendo's main mascots are in need of a fresh start following the modest success of Super Mario Galaxy and Twilight Princess. Oh, and he's personally overseeing development on next year's Wii Punch-Out title too.

The remarks were made in a quirky, wide-ranging interview with MTV Multiplayer. Eventually, the interviewee became the interviewer, as Miyamoto also quizzed the reporter, Stephen Toltilo, about fresh "hardcore games."

But first, new Mario and Zelda commentary from the man himself.

"What I've been saying to our development teams recently is that Twilight Princess was not a bad game, by any means. But, still, it felt like there was something missing. And while, personally, I feel like Super Mario Galaxy was able to do some things that were very new and were very unique, at the same time, from another perspective, certain elements of it do feel somewhat conservative in terms of how far we branched out with design. And so this is something I've been talking to both of those teams about," Miyamoto said.

Miyamoto then pulled out the Nintendo industry line about not announcing new games before they're ready. He said, however, that work continues by the Mario and Zelda teams, and he hoped both titles would feel "newer and fresher than their most recent versions" when they arrive... well, he didn't say.

It was a frank admission by one of gaming's most revered developers and visionaries, but if you know Miyamoto's track record as a perfectionist and strict team leader, it's really no surprise.

Then, the discussion got turned on its head, as Miyamoto quizzed Totilo about what he believed was a "fresh" hardcore game. That led the conversation to a recent fan favorite, and a cool admission by Miyamoto:

"Yeah, I think Portal was an amazing game, too," he said.

Finally, talk drifted to Punch-Out for the Wii, which was teased at Nintendo's recent autumn press event.

"I'm working on that game as a producer," Miyamoto said. "I think people who are fans of the original will be very thrilled to see the kind of style we've designed the game in. It will feel very classic. But at the same time, with the 3D polygons and the polygonal rendering of the characters, I think is going to make for some very nice cut-scenes and a little bit deeper story."

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