“This time we’ve got a difficulty level the player can enjoy,” Nakago says. “I’d really like people to experience this for themselves. There are times when you’ll think “This game’s a pretty tough nut to crack!” That said, the team were also careful not to go overboard with the difficulty levels, while Iwata also says that he hopes the new game will encourage people to join in with the game who may previously have just observed. “A hugely appealing part of the “Super Mario Bros” franchise titles is that they can be enjoyed both by the person playing as well as by the people watching,” he says. I think of that as a kind of tradition that has been upheld ever since the very first “Super Mario Bros” title. Now with this game, anyone who is watching can simply pick up a Wii remote and join in. That’s why I say you should start off by watching the game. Then, if you think it looks interesting, go ahead and join in… I think lots of people who never thought they would have anything to do with a “Mario” game will become absorbed in “New Super Mario Bros”.”

“Nintendo has become one of those companies that graduates from colleges and good universities really want to work for,” he said in an interview with Edge Magazine. “Because of that, the competition’s really become so fierce for positions. And that means that a lot of the recent recruits for Nintendo have tended to have the higher degrees from the prestigious colleges and universities and whatnot.” Miyamoto went on to note that, as a result, “I often say to Mr. Iwata, “If I was applying for a job here today, I, with my actual college degree, would probably not have been employed by Nintendo.” He adds that, personally, “I might pick up on and try to find out something really different within them which you can’t just judge by a college degree…. That’s one of the special little jobs I set myself.”

In the same interview, Miyamoto also notes that his involvement with the industry has changes surprisingly little, except in one area – that of hardware. “A long time ago, my role in designing the actual hardware was really limited – mostly it was down to designing the controller, or the controlling interface… but I think, probably from around the time of the DS, my involvement with hardware has significantly changed… I’ve been able to significantly oversee the overall development of the hardware as well as keeping an eye on the software side of things.”

Nintendo’s decision to pursue the unusual Wii Vitality Sensor pulse-monitoring peripheral program – which was unveiled at this year’s E3 Expo was also addressed. “At this year’s E3, there was a danger that we were being perceived as a company that creates many sequels,” Iwata noted. “As a time frame, we would like to bring this to (retail) not too late into next year, but as mentioned before, in software, the last bit of effort is very important so we’d like to withhold an exact time frame.” Fans wondering what lies beyond the Wii need not expect to see the next generation of Nintendo consoles any time soon, either, Iwata saying that the company does not believe that they “are currently approaching the end of a cycle and must start thinking about the releasing the next piece of hardware at all… this is not something that will happen at any time in the near future.”