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[Shikamaru Ninja]

Nintendo has been hosting a series of fascinating interviews with some of the legendary creators responsible for some of the classics games featured in the Mini NES. Unfortunately, they have not been officially translated (list most of the topics.nintendo.co.jp interviews), but here is a good run down of some the information revealed so far.

Part 1 (https://topics.nintendo.co.jp/c/article/cb4c1aca-88fb-11e6-9b38-063b7ac45a6d.html) Miyamoto on Donkey Kong
- Miyamoto was a designer on the Famicom launch sports games like Baseball, Tennis, and Golf.
- The Famicom versions of Mario Bros. and Donkey Kong ported by another team. He wasn't involved much.

Part 2 (https://topics.nintendo.co.jp/c/article/d2425573-9043-11e6-9b38-063b7ac45a6d.html) Sakamoto on Balloon Fight
- Sakamoto worked on Snoopy, Donkey Kong Circus, and Mario Bombs Away for Game & Watch (Panorama Vers).
- Sakamoto worked with Miyamoto on Donkey Kong Junior. Sakamoto worked on the logo, title screen, and drawing Donkey Kong trapped in a cage.
- Sakamoto worked on Vs. Wrecking Crew
- Sakamoto worked on Vs. Balloon Fight (arcade) and home version (famicom) of Balloon Fight with 2 different program teams at the same time.
- Sakamoto designed Balloon Fight on Famicom with Iwata in a special room prepared by Nintendo.
- For Balloon Fight - the bubbles coming from water, and balloon trip were ideas that Gunpei Yokoi had. Sakamoto drew them, and Iwata programmed in 3 days!!!

Part 3 (https://topics.nintendo.co.jp/c/article/5470f000-967b-11e6-9b38-063b7ac45a6d.html) Tezuka, Kondo, Miyamoto on Super Mario Bros.
- Miyamoto and Tezuka worked together on Devil World, Excitebike, and Super Mario Bros.
- Super Mario Bros. 2 was the first game Tezuka directed solo (co-director previously)
- Tezuka also director of Super Mario Bros. 3
- Miyamoto says early Famicom games, the team size was 7-8, by Super Mario Bros. 3 it increased to about 30!

Part 4 (https://topics.nintendo.co.jp/)
- The Legend of Zelda Coming Soon

 

[axisofweevils]

Thanks for this. I'm really surprised there's no English equivalent of Nintendo Topics yet. It would go a long way to fill the massive hole left by Iwata Asks.

 

[Grok4Spock]

Really hope Nintendo translates those interviews, I'd really like to read them without Google translate butchering them...

 

[Sir_Crocodile]

cheers for posting these

 

[Shikamaru Ninja]

Donkey Kong Circus

Mario Bombs Away

 

[sixteen-bit]

Is this is a success I wonder if they'll make a NES Remix classic mini

 

[Shikamaru Ninja]

Is this is a success I wonder if they'll make a NES Remix classic mini

NES Remix Switch might make a great pack-in title though!

 

[The Omega Man]

Thank you for this OP, this are the kind of stories I like to read and that sadly are very difficult to get.

 

[Peltz]

So amazing that these guys were able to produce so many charming games in such a short time period.

 

[Glowsquid]

The Sakamoto interview also mentions that he proposed a "Famicom shaped Gameboy Advance that played games on the television". Nintendo Everything posted a partial translation of that one

 

[Boney]

I love how all these legendary designers were artists and engineers and everybody did everything.

 

[Orakio Rob]

This is really cool! Thanks a lot, OP. Hope you come back later to tell us about the Zelda one.

 

[AntMurda]

I hope they do one for Metroid, Kid Icarus, and Excitebike. What other classic first party games are on the NES Mini?

 

[alf717]

I look forward to a full translation.

 

[javadoze]

Always love these interviews they put up. Though I wish they actually translated these and did more of them to fill the gulf left by Iwata Asks.

Is this is a success I wonder if they'll make a NES Remix classic mini

NES Remix Switch might make a great pack-in title though!

NES Remix 3, but this time with 3rd party games? Sign me up.

 

[AntMurda]

The interviewer does ask good questions. Nintendo just has no interesting in publishing these world wide. There was a good Star Fox Zero one as well.

 

[@MUWANdo]

The interviewer does ask good questions. Nintendo just has no interesting in publishing these world wide. There was a good Star Fox Zero one as well.

Prima's NES Classic book is set to contain developer interviews and while I don't know for sure, I suspect they may end up being translations of these blog posts.

 

[AntMurda]

Prima's NES Classic book is set to contain developer interviews and while I don't know for sure, I suspect they may end up being translations of these blog posts.

When is that due for release?

 

[@MUWANdo]

When is that due for release?

November 11: https://www.primagames.com/games/nintendo-nes-classics/products/playing-power-nintendo-nes-classics

 

[VLQ]

official translations
https://www.nintendo.com/nes-classic/donkey-kong-developer-interview
https://www.nintendo.com/nes-classic/balloon-fight-developer-interview

 

[Bitch Pudding]

Mario Bombs Away

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccz8q2xxmAM

Well, Italy was one of the Axis Powers, so maybe that's why that Mario IP didn't have a future...

 

[AntMurda]

official translations
https://www.nintendo.com/nes-classic/donkey-kong-developer-interview
https://www.nintendo.com/nes-classic/balloon-fight-developer-interview

Hopefully the Zelda one gets uploaded soon, and more of the nes games get developer interviews as well.

 

[Hermii]

Who is doing the interviews? Itoi?

 

[giant_frying_pan]

Many thanks for this. Still praying for a printed compendium of Iwata Asks!
TQUOTE=Boney;222291959]I love how all these legendary designers were artists and engineers and everybody did everything.[/QUOTE]
Things are trending back towards this with indie development. I love that bedroom coding is essentially back!

 

[VLQ]

Who is doing the interviews? Itoi?

Akinori Sao

 

[JB2448]

official translations
https://www.nintendo.com/nes-classic/donkey-kong-developer-interview
https://www.nintendo.com/nes-classic/balloon-fight-developer-interview

Yep, Nintendo put up a what's new article about them for some exposure.

 

[Living the Dream]

These are fantastic.

I wish Devil's World would be brought to the States.

 

[Shikamaru Ninja]

https://topics.nintendo.co.jp/c/article/4c71577f-9ca2-11e6-9aaf-063b7ac45a6d.html

Zelda is up! Japanese version only at the moment. But equally as exciting is that Metroid is the next one up.

 

[Luigiv]

How did I miss these? These are great. Really hit's that Iwata Asks nostalgia button.

Edt:

Balloon Trip is a single-player side-scrolling game in Balloon Fight. Apparently, Iwata-san made it in just three days.

Sakamoto: That's right. It came from an inspiration Yokoi-san had. He told us what kind of vision he had for the game and Iwata-san basically made it in three days. About the time the game was reaching completion, Yokoi-san came up to Iwata-san and myself. He and Iwata-san were acquainted by that time, so after a brief greeting he started playing Balloon Trip. And as usual, he played for a long time.

Of course! (laughs)

Sakamoto: Then, after playing through, he told Iwata-san a bunch of things he'd like to have fixed, but they weren't easy fixes. I say this because at the time, programmers would put out on paper what they had programmed and then do corrections while consulting a stack of paper as thick as a phone book.

Those were difficult times.

Sakamoto: Just fixing a few places would take at least an hour, so Yokoi-san must have intended to go back to his desk and have a cup of coffee or something until the revisions were finished. But when he stood up to leave, Iwata-san said, "Just hold on a sec," and began typing away on the keyboard. Then he said, "All done!"

Whoa!

Sakamoto: I was amazed that he could make the revisions so quickly, and even today I remember how Yokoi-san exclaimed, "Already?!"

That's incredible…I'm speechless!

Sakamoto: Iwata-san had memorized the program.

Everyone considered Iwata-san a genius programmer, but hearing that story makes me realize it all over again.

Sakamoto: Yes, it really does.

This little anecdote was great.

 

[DaV]

Metroid interview is up:

https://topics.nintendo.co.jp/c/article/8835bb6f-a0bb-11e6-9aaf-063b7ac45a6d.html

Really looking forward to any official or unofficial translation of the Zelda and Metroid interviews!