Shigeru Miyamoto Turns 60

Miyamoto-san at E3 2012.

The father of modern video games turns 60 today, a noteworthy life achievement for a man who has brought so much joy to millions of people. Shigeru Miyamoto, a long-time Nintendo employee, currently manages Nintendo EAD (Entertainment Analysis and Development), which is responsible for many high-profile games in the company. Miyamoto is best known as the creator of some of the most successful video game franchises of all time, including Super Mario, Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, Star Fox, F-Zero, and Pikmin. He was born in Kyoto where he spent much of his childhood exploring nearby fields, woods, and caves; he said afterward that this exploration inspired his later work. Miyamoto is the recipient of many awards, including Spain's Prince of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities. He has a wife, Yasuko, and two children.

Happy Birthday, Miyamoto-san!

Microsoft Celebrates 10 Years of Xbox LIVE

Microsoft celebrates the tenth anniversary of Xbox LIVE today. LIVE is the online matchmaking and digital download service on the Xbox 360. It first debuted in November 2002 on the original Xbox. It is the only online service on home video game consoles to charge a fee to play multiplayer games.

In honor of a decade of service, Microsoft is rewarding its customers. Over the next 48 hours, users can download a copy of the Xbox Live Arcade game Wreckateer (for Kinect) for free. Microsoft has also halved the prices on several other games, include Battlefield 1943, Castle Crashers, Fruit Ninja Kinect, Geometry Wars Retro Evolved 2, Bastion, Peggle, and Full House Poker.

In addition to game discounts, Microsoft is offering US users the option to download a 10-year gamerpic, which will enter them into a drawing to win a custom Xbox LIVE Anniversary Xbox 360 console along with additional prizes.

Microsoft Corporate VP of Xbox Live Marc Whitten released the following statement:

"We are proud to announce that during the week from 6th November to the 13th November, our members spent more time on Xbox LIVE (gaming and watching entertainment) than any other week in the history of our service: a total of 442 million hours. And Halo 4, which broke entertainment industry numbers, resulted in the LIVE community unlocking 43 million achievements in just the first five days of gameplay.

This year, we had an average of 9.4 million people a week using multi-player gaming on Xbox LIVE and in the 10 years of LIVE, nearly 14.5 billion Achievements have been unlocked worldwide, accumulating a total combined Gamerscore of more than 270 billion." 

But that's not all. Microsoft plans to further celebrate its anniversary by rewarding long-term users with a free Xbox 360 system. The tailor-made console includes a new color scheme, a custom controller, a logo on the console that reads "decade of entertainment," and a plate on the disc tray door that reads "XBL10."

Still no word from Microsoft how many free consoles will be delivered to long-time users, but Xbox staffer Larry Hryb stated that the majority of these systems will be sent to the "members that have been with us the longest."

Report Predicts Wii U Sales

The Wii U hasn't even launched yet, but research firm IHS Screen Digest thinks it knows how well the console will sell in its first four years. According to its report published today, the Wii U will sell 3.5 million units between November 18 and the end of December. That 12 percent more than the original Wii sold during a similar sales period in 2006.

Said the report:

“Pent-up demand from Nintendo evangelists, many of which were introduced to the console market through the success of the Wii, is predicted to drive this explosive start."

That's the good news for Nintendo. The not so good news is that after the fast start, sales will slow down, reaching about 53.2 million units in the first four years after release. That's roughly 70% of the 75.9 million Wii units sold in the first four years after its release.

Said Piers Harding-Rolls, senior principal analyst and head of games at IHS:

“This time around, Wii U’s pure innovation, coupled with a limited volume of high-quality Nintendo software, will not be enough to drive the ongoing sales momentum we witnessed with the Wii console, especially at a higher price point. Long-term success depends on ongoing consumer engagement delivered through the constant release of high-quality content from both first and third parties, a competitive non-games entertainment proposition and a sound digital and online strategy to go along with such innovation. Nintendo is still some way short of delivering a comprehensive engagement-led value proposition at the launch of the Wii U."

If the report is accurate, sales for Wii U will not reach the stratospheric level the Wii achieved in its first four years, but the console might just have longer legs. Over the last 18 months, Nintendo stopped supporting the Wii, and sales have suffered. Perhaps the Wii U will be better supported for a longer amount of time, earning its sales in a less spectacular but more evenly-distributed way.

Pikmin

Small soldiers.

Shipped along with Super Smash Bros. in 2001, Pikmin was part of a second wave of Gamecube launch titles. And while games like Smash Bros. and Animal Crossing sold more copies, Pikmin was perhaps more important. Built from the ground up by Nintendo godfather Shigeru Miyamoto, Pikmin represented an entirely new IP from Nintendo, one that brought much-needed diversity to its portfolio. Pikmin is a real-time strategy game where the hero commands a small army of plant-like creatures on a mysterious alien planet.

Miyamoto, the genius behind Donkey Kong, Super Mario Bros., and The Legend of Zelda, reportedly found inspiration for Pikmin in his garden. He imagined a small-scale world where blades of grass towered above like skyscrapers, and tiny puddles appeared as endless oceans. It is this world in which the hero, Captain Olimar, crash lands his spaceship. His suit has only 30 days of breathable air left in the tank, so he must engage in a frantic life-or-death pursuit of his ship's missing parts before time runs out. Luckily for Olimar, help comes in a most unlikely form: hundreds of carrot-shaped creatures, part animal and part plant, all of them willing to fight and die for Olimar.

Olimar and Pikmin fight off a snagret.

Pikmin plays out across 30 days, during which Olimar must recruit and grow his small and loyal army, survive encounters with local fauna and other environmental dangers, and reclaim his missing parts. Players must think strategically throughout the game, making sure to divide and conquer: a group of blue Pikmin (who flourish in the water) can build a bridge across a river, while Olimar leads a group of red Pikmin (the strongest variety, and immune to fire) against a fearsome enemy. When the sun sets, players must make sure all Pikmin on the map are returned to their bases; otherwise they will be lost forever.

Losing even a single Pikmin is almost unbearable. Miyamoto succeeded in Pikmin in creating some of the most memorable and interesting Nintendo mascots of all time, and when one perishes it is always a sad moment. Luckily, with enough practice and patience, players can develop tactics that minimize losses.

Red Pikmin build a bridge over troubled water.

Apart from its gameplay, which is excellent, Pikmin boasts some magnificent graphics that really demonstrate how powerful the Gamecube was in 2001. It's one of the best looking games on the system, along with Rogue Squadron II. The background environments are especially good -- and stunningly realistic.

Pikmin was followed by a sequel in 2004. A third game, Pikmin 3, is due to release for Wii U in Spring 2013.

Score: 9.0

Vote for Video Game President!

***UPDATE***

Nintendo Wins!! Mario and Link Claim Victory With 42% of the Vote
PC/Mac Claims Second Place with 28%

First of all, if you are registered to vote in the United States, go out and vote if you haven't.

OK, with that out of the way, let's move on to the main attraction. IGN recently hosted a poll on its site for the next video game president, a fun exercise meant to parody the American presidential election. I've stolen the idea (sorry IGN!) but I've reduced the event to a single day instead of several drawn-out weeks.

Unlike the system in the United States, there are more than two politically viable parties in the world of video games. They are as follows:

Nintendo
Sony
Microsoft
PC
Third-Party (Independent)

After a long and grueling primary season, several nominees have emerged, including a presidential and vice-presidential candidate for each platform. The primaries were bruising for many high-profile characters who couldn't escape from controversies, gaffes, and debate errors. Who could possibly forget when, during a debate with other villains, Ganon couldn't recall the third part of the Triforce?

"...it’s three pieces of the Triforce when I get there, that are mine. Power, Courage, and ahh, what’s the third one there, let’s see...I can’t – the third one I can’t sorry oops."

But other candidates prevailed, including two fan favorites from Nintendo, the oldest platform, and two from Microsoft, which is a relatively new platform but one that is very popular with independents.

So, without further ado, please join me in welcoming the candidates for president and vice-president of video games. Please cast your vote in the poll located in the top-right of the page.

Party: Nintendo
Year founded: 1889
President: Mario
Vice-president: Link

Mario and Link have great track records when it comes to rescuing damsels in distress, and also when it comes to the economy -- Mario has been collecting gold coins for years. Some conspiracy theorists have demanded to see Mario's long form birth certificate, claiming he was born in Italy.

Party: Sony
Year founded: 1946
President: Solid Snake
Vice-president: Kratos

Although both have proven themselves capable of overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds, Solid Snake and Kratos carry around some baggage. For one, some video gamers claim that Snake is too old to take office. Also, Kratos' polytheism doesn't play well with the Christian right.

Party: Microsoft
Year founded: 1975
President: Master Chief
Vice-president: Marcus Fenix

Both Master Chief and Marcus Fenix have years of military experience, something that will surely go over well with voters concerned with national security and decision-making. Plus each is so heavily armored that there's really no need to pay for a Secret Service detail.

Party: PC/Mac
Year founded: 1965
President: Gordan Freeman
Vice-president: Guybrush Threepwood

Critics scoffed when PC paired a theoretical physicist with a pirate, but the results have been quite successful. Voters balked when Threepwood declared the number one geopolitical foe to be "ghost pirates," but enthusiasm for the PC ticket surged once Freeman saved mankind again. Note: sales of crowbars have tripled since Freeman was nominated.

Party: Independent
Year founded: ????
President: Lara Croft
Vice-president: Leon S. Kennedy

The Independent party hopes to win over women voters and zombie haters with its pairing of tomb raider Lara Croft and police officer turned special agent Leon S. Kennedy. Voters chose Croft as the candidate they would most like to have a beer with by a staggering 100% of the vote. Kennedy maintains a good relationship with the sitting president, although some reports claim he has recently become a zombie, too.

First Wave of Wii U Advertisements

The Wii U launch in North America is only two weeks away. And finally, Nintendo has begun its advertising campaign, mostly in the United States and the United Kingdom. The campaign includes short videos and print ads.

Below please find several launch videos.

The commercials don't do much for me personally, but I think they hit the right notes in terms of a successful advertising campaign. The ads show lots of kids playing with friends, and families crowded around the TV. I think the family-friendly, living room experience is the way to go with these early ads. Later ads can focus more on specific demographics, and more adult-themed games.


This is the first UK commercial:

The first US commercial:

The first New Super Mario Bros. U commercial:

Big News: Star Wars Episode VII, Ouya Updates, Wii U Rewards Program Detailed

In light of the unstoppable juggernaut that was my top 100 video game list, it was impossible to post updates over the past ten days. Yet some very big news broke, most notably the story that George Lucas had sold Lucasfilm to the Walt Disney Company for $4.05 billion. According to the agreement signed by George Lucas and Disney President Bob Iger, Disney will acquire ownership of Lucasfilm and its operating businesses -- this includes the video game developer LucasArts. Kathleen Kennedy, current co-chairman of Lucasfilm, will stay on as president, and will report directly to Disney chairman Alan Horn. Kennedy will also serve as brand manager for Star Wars, and as Executive Producer for future Star Wars movies. George Lucas will serve as creative consultant for upcoming Star Wars movies.

So this is HUGE news for several reasons:

1) George Lucas has sold the company he founded in 1972, a studio that produced Willow, Labyrinth, and all the Star Wars and Indiana Jones movies.

2) Disney now has a film portfolio that includes Pixar, Marvel Studios, and Lucasfilm.

3) Star Wars Episode VII, the first of a brand new movie trilogy, is set for release in 2015. Avengers 2 and Justice League are also scheduled for 2015.

Another important piece of news related to this story came from LucasArts, which stated that the Disney acquisition of Lucasfilm will not affect its development of Star Wars: 1313, an upcoming action-adventure game set in the Star Wars universe.

LucasArts says development on 1313 is "business as usual"

Aside from the Lucasfilm bombshell, a few other news items emerged over the past week. Nintendo finally released details on its digital rewards program, for one. As was previously reported here, Nintendo is offering with the Deluxe version of Wii U a "Nintendo Network Premium" that provides 10% back on digital purchases. So this is how it works: when you purchase a game from the Nintendo eShop, you earn 10% back in points. For example, a $59.99 game earns 599 points. For each 500 points earned, you will receive a code worth $5 in Nintendo eShop credit that can be used for future purchases. The rewards program commences in December and will run until November 2015, and is only available with the $349.99 Wii U Deluxe bundle.

Some relatively big news appeared on the Kickstarter page for Ouya, which was previewed two months ago here. After weeks of relative silence, Julie Uhrman, CEO of Ouya, released a big hardware update: Ouya received its first development run of PCBs (Printed Circuit Boards). "This is the heart (and we believe the soul) of the OUYA experience," wrote Uhrman. The circuit boards, pictured below, are now in the EVT (Engineering Verification Testing) phase, during which OUYA employees will test the controller and console with OUYA software. According to Uhrman, the company is set to complete the EVT phase on time, and expects to meet its December target for developer kits.

The OUYA circuit boards are out, and they're tiny.

Finally, digital distribution platform Steam continues to host its Halloween sale, with scary titles at reduced prices. A total of 80 spooktacular games are on sale, including The Walking Dead, F.E.A.R., BioShock, and Left 4 Dead. The sale ends today at 10 AM Pacific time.

Steam is a slasher! A slasher of prices.