Miyamoto: 'Ratchet & Clank' who? Lombax what?

by James Ransom-Wiley { Dec 14th 2007 at 2:57PM }

Coy or truly confused, Nintendo's maestro has disputed Insomniac's cry for attention, firmly denying that Super Mario Galaxy's spherical worlds were torn out of a page from the Sony developer's Ratchet & Clank book. Miyamoto claims he and the gang were working to disprove the 'games are flat' theory back on N64, when Insomniac was merely taking its first baby steps into the industry (and, Ludwig, years before Sonic Adventure 2 pulled off 'the rounded level' – FYI). "I'm sorry but I have to admit that I've never seen the game in question," Miyamoto told Official Nintendo Magazine UK when questioned about Ratchet & Clank, "Is it a PC game?"

Tags: insomniac, miyamoto, ratchet-and-clank, RatchetAndClank, super-mario-galaxy, SuperMarioGalaxy

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)

-thisjustin... @ Feb 8th 2008 3:44AM

All I have to say is that Inxomniac DID develop a non-standard gameplay feature - deciding how to work projectiles & enemy tracking on self-contained worlds. But their 3-D platforming wouldn't even have a foundation without starting off on Mario 64's shoulders. (stars = gold/platinum bolts). Their two sidekick-helper system has been around since Banjoe-Kazooie, Earthworm Jim (& Snott), & Sonic & Tails. -Who, by the way in Sonic 3 (a sprite-based, game no less) HAD 3-D Spherical Bonus levels. So, there!

Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Dec 14th 2007 3:01PM

Miyamoto just said "yo mamma".

samfish @ Dec 14th 2007 3:16PM

BUUUUUURN!

boo-urns!

Shagittarius @ Dec 14th 2007 3:28PM

hes lying of course hes played it. If he doesnt play competitors games hes just stupid.

Fernando Rocker @ Dec 14th 2007 3:29PM

You are the stupid. Plain and simple.

samfish @ Dec 14th 2007 3:36PM

"If he doesnt play competitors games hes just stupid."

And yet, many of Nintendo's game and ones Miyamoto was directly involved with in particular, are often praised as being some of the most original titles to be released year after year.

Meanwhile, development funds were just green lighted for "WWII Shooter #24: The Roosevelt Bros. vs. The Isle of Nazis- Part 2: Episode 3".

Phranctoast @ Dec 14th 2007 3:37PM

Sony has pics of him playing eyetoy kinetic. very similar to wiifit now isnt it?

Shagittarius @ Dec 14th 2007 3:38PM

I know its hard to think logically with Miyamoto's wii in your mouth guys.

Vidikron (FU) @ Dec 14th 2007 3:42PM

Wether or not he actually got any ideas from R&C, I think it's pretty clear he's lying when he says he's never seen R&C. How could anyone as deep in the industry as he is never have seen a title like R&C? Especially when R&C is part of a genre that is his commonly working in. That would be like Carmack saying he's never heard of Epic's Unreal Engine. It's a obvious and blatant lie.

faqfan @ Dec 14th 2007 3:43PM

how is that fools games original?? hasnt mario saved that same moron 100 times. hasnt link saved zelda 27x's how many more donkey kongs. metroid prime. and pokemon games do you morons need? and those are original? 14 mario karts later. 4 smash bros. 8 mario parties. stop me if iam getting warm. how in god's name does that show any originality. but you cant expect people who take joy in being a fat plumber jumping down pipes trying to save the most kidnappable character known to man. i take my hat off to you nintendo you are original

Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Dec 14th 2007 3:43PM

I know its hard to think logically when you're name is "Shaggitarius"...

Fernando Rocker @ Dec 14th 2007 3:47PM

faqman

get your information rigth:

Mario Bros
Mario Bros Lost Levels
Mario 3
Super Mario World
Mario 64
Mario Sunshine
Mario Galaxy

Since the Super Nes, only 1 mario per system. Only 3 Metroid Prime principal games. Only 1 Mario Kart per system.

samfish @ Dec 14th 2007 3:50PM

Yeah, because it's SO hard to believe that a game that no one knows about in Japan that hasn't ever done anything particularly worth noting on the competition's system would go unnoticed by a guy who readily admits he hardly ever actually plays any games.

Also!
SIX Ratchet & Clank games in FIVE years.

Who is pumping out sequels, again?

Its all too tedious @ Feb 2nd 2008 4:21PM

Well Fernando, I think he's not just including console games developed by Miyamoto in that statement of lots of Mario games, but the handheld games and other games in which mario saves the princess. You have to admit that Mario's been in a whole LOT of games throughout the years. Nintendo makes fun of the princess saving occasionally, but it still ends up being a main goal of almost every game...

Also, I guess Mario Kart's gone under the least amount of evolution since its second release (64). Oh well, if nintendo strays too far from a proven formula it's often criticized by its user base...

(Also, first comment on Joystiq)

Vidikron (FU) @ Dec 14th 2007 3:57PM

@samfish

Haha.. you're utterly naive if you actually believe that. How could he not know the main competition's premier platformer? The idea is simply absurd. Any developer is going to be aware of what the direct competition is doing.

samfish @ Dec 14th 2007 4:04PM

You're believing your own opinions to be facts again, Vidikron..
That's a nasty, ignorant habit to be into, but not one I'm terribly surprised at.

Vidikron (FU) @ Dec 14th 2007 4:09PM

Sorry, but it's clearly a lie. You have to be utterly stupid to buy it. Even if he's just seen it at trade shows or listed in awards categories or whatnot, he's too entrenched in the industry to have never even heard of it. I could buy that he's never seen the spherical levels in R&C, there are only a few of them... but to claim he's never even heard of the game? Haha.. yeah, and I've got beachfront property in Arizona. Wanna buy it? It's right up your alley.

Gun Barrier @ Dec 14th 2007 4:12PM

lmao in responce to PS3 is infinity more fun than wii.

FidliousWong @ Dec 14th 2007 4:12PM

I hate to jump into a thread so obviously going downhill, but I do have to say this to samfish. Ratchet & Clank is an established franchise in Japan. He's one of Sony's more recognizable characters. Just as Crash broke on through to the other side, so did Ratchet. So to say R&C is unknown in Japan is like saying World of Warcraft is unknown outside the US.

Just thought I'd throw that out there...

Dale @ Dec 14th 2007 4:17PM

@Shag: Why exactly is he stupid for not playing competitors' games?

Vidikron (FU) @ Dec 14th 2007 4:17PM

IMO, he may have just said that as a shot at R&C and Insomniac and not meant to be taken literally. But it's amusing that people are actually buying it. If Sony Ericsson came out and said they have never heard of the iPhone people would be tearing them a new one... it's just too absurd. This is just as absurd, but people are actually buying into it... LOL.

samfish @ Dec 14th 2007 4:36PM

Aww forget it. I'm not in the mood to argue with ya today, Vidi. I'm going home.

Have a good weekend.

Marty @ Dec 14th 2007 4:42PM

I've been playing games since the Master System days, and I've owned 5-6 consoles over the years... and I can honestly tell you that I have never played Ratchet & Clank, and hadn't even heard of it until about 2 years ago.

I know that a lot of you people are younger and whose first console was a Playstation, and have probably grown up on pretty much all PS games for your whole lives, but you have to understand that gaming was around long before the Playstation, and will be around long after it as well... so there are a lot of us out there who haven't played all your games, especially not in the same way most people have played a Mario Bros. game.

required @ Dec 14th 2007 4:42PM

Fernando, you are wrong and I'll keep it short, mario pinball

josh @ Dec 14th 2007 4:51PM

@faqman and everyone else who confuses reusing the same IP/characters as a lack of originality:

You can make 20 games featuring the same characters and still be original in terms of gameplay and features. Yes, Super Mario Brothers and Mario 64 both feature Mario. But are they the same game? No.

I'm not saying every game that features Mario is breathtakingly orginal, but stop assuming just because a game features Mario it's the same as every other Mario game.

@Vidikron

"If Sony Ericsson came out and said they have never heard of the iPhone people would be tearing them a new one... it's just too absurd."

I agree with your sentiment but Rachet and Clank is not the iPhone... Ratchet and Clank is not a huge series, at least from what I can tell. I only have one friend who has ever talked about Rachet and Clank to me. I've never played it or even noticed it before I started reading Joystiq. No one else I know has ever mentioned the series to me. It is not as hyped as the iPhone is... the iPhone is a Big Deal in the phone industry. Ratchet and Clank is just a modest (though from what I read on Joystiq, fairly successful) franchise.

Mr Khan @ Dec 14th 2007 5:03PM

Miyamoto is notorious for being very out of touch, despite the fact that he's a trend-setter

I would believe him, because its just well-known that he doesn't game for pleasure, and he's generally too busy to get out and actually experience things

Now if someone like Iwata or Reggie said this, that would be a lie, they're executives, they're well aware of the competition

And before the reply police get me, this is relevant to this mini-thread

Slaziman (B-B-BRUSHED WITH FAAAAME) @ Dec 14th 2007 5:14PM

What you don't realize Vidikron, is that Miyamoto is an oddball, seriously, I doubt he is very involved in the game industry and the competition aside from his own game design. Besides, maybe with the hardcore the game is known, but to your average guy it's not, as evidenced by horrible sales of the new game.

Yoshi Likes Boys @ Dec 14th 2007 5:16PM

Not despite, because of. Miyamoto's real world life is what inspires his games. He doesn't look at what everyone else is doing and worry about that. When you're the best, you don't need to, you go your own way. Go on, make a game about gardening!

neoalec @ Dec 14th 2007 5:25PM

I'm pretty sure when he said he had never seen the game in question, he was talking about the particular installment in the R&C series, not the entire franchise. That's very possible, considering most gamers probably haven't played half the R&C games.

Marty> A Sega gamer who started in the 8-bit era and missed out on the Saturn and Dreamcast days. That's a pity.

Vidikron (FU) @ Dec 14th 2007 5:43PM

I don't guys... it just seems obvious to me. I mean, the whole "Is it a PC game?" is an obvious jab at Insomniac and Sony. That should really clue you guys in. The fact some of you are taking that literally is truly amusing. Time to take your mouth off Miyamoto's ass.

hvnlysoldr @ Dec 14th 2007 9:58PM

Miyamoto already has made a garden game! Pikmin and Chibi Robo

Grey Acumen @ Dec 15th 2007 12:51AM

There are people who follow trends, and the people who set them. People rarely ever succeed in doing both.

Guess which one Miyamoto is.

PS. Any attempt to answer that he's the former is required to first slap themselves until they can't feel their face before hitting the submit button

rainking187 @ Dec 15th 2007 4:28AM

"How could he not know the main competition's premier platformer?"

Ouch, I feel bad for Sony now. Is it really the premiere platformer? Cause I honestly don't know a single person that plays the series. I've played it before, and to be honest with you I thought it was quite crap.

Brad Lee @ Dec 15th 2007 4:24PM

@ Mr. Kahn

Yeah I think people are just either ignorant of who Miyamoto is exactly or they're just absentminded about it.

Miyamoto is a game developer, and considering how awesome most of his games are, it would be no surprise to me that he doesn't get out and play lots of other games. The types of people who are a bit "out there" like Miyamoto are usually the ones who create brilliant work because they're less concerned about what other people are doing and more concerned about perfecting their unique vision.

And don't even call me a Nintendo fanboy peoples. The console I've gotten the most play out of thus far is definitely the 360. The Wii is great, but I find far more amusement introducing new people to it than actually playing it myself. "Oh my God! I got a strike! I'm even better at this than REAL bowling!" Classic.

brandon @ Dec 14th 2007 3:01PM

Is it a PC game? that is awesome.

The Artist formally known as Jesus @ Dec 14th 2007 3:03PM

Is it really that great to be ignorant for the competition?

Though I would hardly consider Ratchet and Clank competition for Mario

FOXHOUND @ Dec 14th 2007 3:06PM

It's obvious Ratchet'll never be on the same popularity level as Mario. The character's just too well-known and established. But admittedly, I do give praise to the R&C series for being really amazingly done... and in that aspect, it's memorable.

Zoesch @ Dec 14th 2007 3:11PM

I guess no one is immune to coming across as arrogant anymore but Miyamoto was probably the last person I'd expect to throw out such a jab at the competition.

Yeah, I'm sure someone thought about non-flat worlds before the Vectrex even, but it all boils down to who implemented (Or patented) it first and that wasn't Nintendo for sure.

Fernando Rocker @ Dec 14th 2007 3:15PM

Well... actually, it doesn't matter who came with the idea first. But one thing is for sure: Nintendo made the best videogame to date using little spherical worlds.

And you can't deny that.

faqfan @ Dec 14th 2007 3:27PM

who are you kidding? what in this planet can you compare to mario? everyone has atleast played one mario bros. game. that was just a cheap shot by a egotistical nut job. he know damn well who sony and who rachet and clank are. they were the ones ripping mario and friends new A$$ holes back in the ps2 vs. the world era. dont give me no. sony who? B.S. give credit where credit is due. if you remember nintendo flubed big time with the virtual boy. but no ones remembers that. its all about the old folks little white box now right?

Jake @ Dec 14th 2007 3:31PM

Miyamoto likely made the comment as an intentional burn. But don't automatically assume that he knows what the hell Ratchet and Clank is. Most people don't.

Chris @ Dec 14th 2007 3:32PM

I don't play Ratchet so I might sound ignorant, but I think Galaxy is mostly amazing for how it uses gravity as a game play mechanic. The spherical worlds are just part of that.

If Ratchet has you jumping off spherical worlds onto another playing with gravity then I'll shut up, if it doesn't then I would said it's artistic direction vs. creative gameplay.

Vidikron (FU) @ Dec 14th 2007 3:47PM

@Fernando

"Well... actually, it doesn't matter who came with the idea first. But one thing is for sure: Nintendo made the best videogame to date using little spherical worlds."

I'd agree with that. R&C used the concept before Mario, but Nintendo took the concept a lot further than R&C ever did. In R&C there were only a few levels (small moons) that were like that. Galaxy is an entire game based on the concept and throws in more factors like changing gravity and the ability to move between small spherical objects within the same level.