The GamerSushi Show, Ep 40: A Pile of Lies and Shadows

This podcast is just a tad late this week, but I figured we’re doing good if we managed to get it up early in the weekend. Hey, at least it’s better than leaving you guys podcast-less for almost half a year, right? That’s what I thought. Also, Mitch and Anthony start things off with an extra special intro they worked up for all of you. It’s fairly entertaining.

In this edition of the GamerSushi Show, we chat about the Mass Effect 3 Co-op trailer, Final Fantasy XIII-2 and Saint’s Row 3. On top of that we play a game of Fill in the Blank, where we grade a variety of topics like Miyamoto taking a backseat at Nintendo, no next gen consoles in the near future and Zynga’s supposed shady dealings (on which this podcast derives its name). All in all, it’s a pretty decent show, and hey, we even fit in 6 more minutes of Resident Evil 6 talk – because why the heck not?

In next week’s podcast (which we recorded last night), I drink through most of a bottle of wine while we talk even more about Final Fantasy XIII-2, Double Fine and Kingdoms of Amalur. Stay tuned, gents and ladies.

Listen. Rate. Enjoy. Continue reading The GamerSushi Show, Ep 40: A Pile of Lies and Shadows

Miyamoto: Searching for Nintendo’s Next Big Hit

Miyamoto

Nintendo has been in a bit of a bind lately, compared to the massive successes they’ve seen in the last few years. Wii sales are dropping off, the Wii U hasn’t generated the buzz that they wanted (they’re even considering a re-brand of the whole system), the 3DS was a certifiable flop in its early months and they are sustaining significant losses with each new quarter. There are a number of theories circulating about how Nintendo can right their massive misguided ship, but Nintendo has its own: Shigeru Miyamoto.

Several months back, there was a bit of miscommunication that made the Internet rounds about the famed developer retiring. However, it turned out that Miyamoto was actually going to be taking a step back from overseeing development teams to train younger staff. His other job? Idea-ating Nintendo’s next big hit. Here’s what he had to say on the matter in a recent Q and A session:

“I am acting with the understanding that one big hit title can change multiple phases of a situation in the entertainment business, and I feel that finding such one big hit is my basic job.”

It’s interesting to think that Nintendo is putting so much stock in finding that one big idea. It smacks of the way Hollywood thinks in a lot of ways, where studios will sink all their energy into finding that one box office smash year in and year out. The problem is, lightning doesn’t always strike like that, especially in a time where Nintendo might be finding themselves at a disadvantage when relating to core gamers.

We talked about this very topic for the upcoming podcast release, but I wanted to hear your thoughts on it, too. What do you think it means for Nintendo to use Miyamoto in such a way? Will it make a difference? Do you think the man that built Mario, Zelda, Nintendogs and Pikmin has one final swan song left within him? Go!

Source – SiliconEra

Miyamoto Says No to Digital Distribution

miyamotoAs more companies are turning towards digital distribution, the face of gaming continues to change. Heck, Steam is making forward progress in this realm all the time, while services like XBox Live and the PSN prove that new huge games can be released digitally like Battlefield 1943 and Fat Princess. Even Nintendo delivers some great old games on the Virtual Console.

While many point to digital distribution being in gaming’s future, one Shigero Miyamoto says this is not so. In a recent interview with Mercury Evening News, the man behind Zelda and Mario says that one thing you can’t do online is the distribution of new and exciting hardware. Uh… duh?

Entertainment is something that will not just become digital. If I look at Wii MotionPlus, this is something that you’re not doing via digital distribution.

Basically, digital distribution can’t be the future because you can’t give people new peripherals to waggle with over the Inter-tubes. Ah, Miyamoto-son… a pillar of ingenuity, he is. What do you guys think? Is digital distribution the future of gaming? Or is it just part of gaming’s future?

Source- VG247 and Mercury Evening News

Miyamoto Announces New Zelda for Wii

evolution-of-linkNintendo had a pretty good showing at E3, but one thing was missing that irked some people: a new Zelda for the Wii. Well, irk no more, because 1UP has revealed that during a roundtable discussion, Shigeru Miyamoto unveiled plans for a new Legend of Zelda game for the Wii, due out in 2010. The reason it was not shown at E3 is the team wanted to focus on defining the concept of the new Zelda game rather than waste time on a demo.

1UP also reports that

During the discussion, Miyamoto briefly showed an image from the game featuring a mature Link barely visible through a broken wall. Although the picture only showed Link from behind, a short girl in a long robe stood in full view at Link’s back. Wearing a crystal necklace and emanating a blue aura, she gave off an otherworldly look

Joystiq adds, in their own report, that it could possibly be a Motion Plus exclusive, but that the details are not finalized.

Excited? Dismayed? It sounds like they are trying to make Zelda fresh again, which would be welcome news, especially after seeing the footage of the new Metroid game.

Source: 1UP

Source: Joystiq