Miyamoto begins Wii Fit media blitz
by Christopher Grant 
{ Apr 18th 2008 at 3:44PM }
Our drinking buddies at GameDaily were invited to an exclusive, two-hour roundtable with Mr. Wii Fit himself, Shigeru Miyamoto yesterday, along with several other industry outlets like IGN. But Miyamoto also stretched his way over to 1UP and MTV News in what we can only imagine is the warmup of a pretty significant Wii Fit media blitz. While there isn't much you haven't already read in the Wii Fit installment of Nintendo's Iwata Asks series, there are a handful of interesting comments. Iwata discussed a Wii Fit game modeled after Sumo wrestling, called "Ultimate Balance Test." It was pulled from the final product for being "too difficult" but, lucky for you Sumo wrestlers out there, will be available as a hidden game. While there's talk of a Wii Fit channel to bring additional content to the game, Miyamoto mentioned they've been "tinkering" with the idea of DS connectivity. He also talked about other uses for the Balance Board peripheral, suggesting they may incorporate it into other games – he pondered a rhythm game where you tap your feet – or even a Mario game, though it wouldn't likely be a requirement in that case.
A seemingly innocuous comment to 1UP – intended to assuage worries that Nintendo has gone totally casual – has curiously generated the most internet interest though: "The Zelda team is forming again to work on new games!" So, a team of developers that recently shipped a game are working on a new game? Incredible. But seriously folks, we're heartened to hear that too.
Read – Shigeru Miyamoto on Wii Fit [GameDaily]
Read – Creator Demos Wii Fit [IGN]
Read – Miyamoto on Wii Fit, Hardcore Gamers [1UP]
Read – Shigeru Miyamoto MTV Interview Preview [MTV Multiplayer]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
xFenixKnightx @ Apr 18th 2008 3:51PM
Shame on you Miyamoto for bringing us crap like this. I thought we were cool. Im taking you off my XboxLIVE friends list! All you ever play is Viva Pinata anyway. Ass!
SillyShiggy WSN (if it had one): lovsatan @ Apr 18th 2008 4:10PM
I don't play competing consoles. I don't want to accidentally be influenced by outside sources.
Schmobu @ Apr 19th 2008 5:33AM
on the contrare Shiggy only plays competitors consoles, it's how he does research for what makes games good, (that was not a joke on the quality of nintendos console games)And yeah I could see shiggy playing viva pinata, he has that sorta higher sense of games, sure Viva pinata has a great idea but it was fucked up, by limited landscaping abilities, I think that it could have been my personal game of the year if it had good landscaping abilities.
Markez @ Apr 18th 2008 3:54PM
Tinkering around with the idea of DS connectivity? Well I just got a pretty loony image in my head after that comment and a headline as well! "Boy falls off Nintendo peripheral, stylus buried in nasal cavity, lawsuit pending"
Can't imagine what'd make sense with DS connectivity, altho I'm sure Nintendo wouldn't have a problem cooking something up.
Mr. Picklesworth @ Apr 18th 2008 7:56PM
@RobLink: I had high hopes for that one over here. Sadly, I, for one, do not consider a recurring, endless dungeon grind to be "new stuff".
tmacairjordan87 @ Apr 18th 2008 3:56PM
"The Zelda team is forming again to work on new games!"
seriously don't even bother if it's just gonna be another link to the past clone. Have the balls to change the series up and innovate a little and then I will shut my mouth...about this franchise
Mr Khan @ Apr 18th 2008 3:59PM
That is, in fact, precisely what they plan to do
I forget when, but the last time they talked Zelda, they were saying that the ground-up Wii Zelda would be the series' first major overhaul since Ocarina of Time
RobLink (MKWii code : 0989 1866 6646) @ Apr 18th 2008 4:02PM
You didn't like Phantom Hourglass then? Despite the viewpoint being similar to LttP and the graphical style being similar to WW, I think it brought some new stuff to the table that, for me anyway, was good fun.
samfish @ Apr 18th 2008 4:26PM
You should wear gloves, that way you would be able to keep some of the skin on your knuckles.
Victor @ Apr 18th 2008 3:57PM
"The Zelda team is forming again to work on new games!"
Why, thank you.
Mr Khan @ Apr 18th 2008 4:04PM
Apparently they are gearing up something to the media blitz they staged before the launch of the Wii a year and a half ago
Eh, not a bad game though, just not worth what they're asking yet
caustic @ Apr 18th 2008 4:05PM
no fatties.
Jhongerkong @ Apr 18th 2008 7:39PM
Way to exempt 98% of Joystiq's traffic.
FOXHOUND @ Apr 18th 2008 4:07PM
Shigeru is stretching in the picture, for only he can bear the exhausting burden of heavy lifting his wallet filled with a staggering share of the money earned from Nintendo Wii console sales. If you wait five minutes more, he'll look at an inanimate object or shape... add eyes... and call it a new Mario villain.
...he could sell a bag of Sand as a Wii game and I'd buy it. :]
tmacairjordan87 @ Apr 18th 2008 4:10PM
Dont give them any ideas, cause they'll do it
SillyShiggy WSN (if it had one): lovsatan @ Apr 18th 2008 4:12PM
We already have a sandbag character. His name is Sandbag. He's in Smash Bros.
FOXHOUND @ Apr 18th 2008 4:16PM
See? Genius proven. I bought that game. :o
Nate @ Apr 18th 2008 4:09PM
See.... instead of using the butt-ugly creator of the thing show it off, they really need some hot little asian chicks... every other Japanese product uses them, why does this one not?
Nate @ Apr 18th 2008 4:11PM
http://images.nintendolife.com/articles/2007/07/11/e3_2007_wii_fitness/attachment/0/large.jpg
Ahh, much better.
samfish @ Apr 18th 2008 4:27PM
What the Hell? Why isn't she dressed up like a maid?!
WiiSports Machine...Fernandos in disguise PSN: Killjebus @ Apr 18th 2008 4:44PM
Because she is not CLEANING the WSM Jack Lelane Stepper. If anything she should have the schoolgirl outfit on...mmnnn, schoolgirl outfit, short skirt...yeah, I went there.
Vegeta (aka Ska Oreo) @ Apr 18th 2008 4:47PM
And with that, KJ has revealed himself to be a pedophile.
Ya hear that? It's Chris Hansen asking you to take a seat.
Benny @ Apr 18th 2008 5:12PM
Between this and the 'my first push-up bra' comment on the 360 update, I'm starting to worry about the users of Joystiq.
I hope you guys didn't join here just because "gaming's for kids"...
JakubK666 (Ninja Defence Force) @ Apr 18th 2008 7:36PM
I like kids...they're tasty.
Deez @ Apr 18th 2008 4:35PM
Hows this: Time Crisis. Use the balance board as the dodge pedal. I've already got Wii pistols and HotD, need more lightgun games!
Mr Khan @ Apr 18th 2008 4:47PM
They might as well port Time Crisis 4, looks no better than a higher-end Wii game anyway
(Not a slight on the PS3, or on the thrill of Time Crisis, but come on, look at it)
GRANTED @ Apr 18th 2008 4:47PM
i feel like lifting for 20 minutes twice a week will get you twice as fit than swaying on a scale for an hour a day.
i cant believe people are falling over themselves about how innovative this is. what a waste of time.
vgxtremist @ Apr 18th 2008 4:48PM
Shiggy = next Richard Simmons(??)
I could see Miyamoto WiiFit games similar to those exercise videos or info commercials you see.
Dio @ Apr 18th 2008 4:48PM
Sometimes I wonder if this is all a plot to recruit for Miyamoto's Army =/
Benny @ Apr 18th 2008 5:13PM
Zelda is the surprise Nintendo Christmas game!
ComicShaman @ Apr 18th 2008 5:24PM
I don't get how the Sumo balance game would work anyway. Sumo relies on a wide stance to keep your center of gravity low, and the WiiFit only accommodates a narrow stance. Maybe it would require you to buy two WiiFits and stand with one foot on each. That would certainly be a strategy for milking the profits.
I guess I have a hard time visualizing most of the proposed functions of this product.
Joeshie @ Apr 18th 2008 5:33PM
You know what, I've never really been a Nintendo fan, but I have to hand it to Miyamoto. While the Nintendo software has been somewhat stale and unimaginative recently, save for a few examples, they continue to push new directions for gaming. While some of these directions might not always be quality, that's a risk they are willing to take.
It would really be nice to have some more Miyamoto's in the industry who are willing to try out something new, even if there is a high chance that it won't be that good.
Sure, I personally think that the WiiFit is kind of dumb, but it could very well surprise me. Even if it does end up being pretty dumb, at least they tried to do something new and inventive, unlike a large majority of the video game industry.
Vegeta (aka Ska Oreo) @ Apr 18th 2008 8:33PM
WHY CAN'T ALL ANTI-WII PEOPLE TALK LIKE YOU!!!!
Seriously, that's a logical answer taht people should be saying instead of HUUUUUURRRRRRR IT'S KIDDY!!
Joeshie @ Apr 18th 2008 9:32PM
Well, I've found that a large majority of gamers are only concerned with their console winning and not what is good for the video game industry as a whole.
So many gamers, especially on Joystiq lack the ability to see the big picture. It's kind of sad really. So many would rather see the industry suffer than one of their consoles preform poorly.
M @ Apr 18th 2008 8:40PM
Making other games for that board add on would be a good idea,like,to increase that casual market N already has and alos make use of it in more than 1 game.
Its actualy a very interesting piece of hardware it should definetly be sold alone and have more games work with it.
Id guess that Wiiware could be a good medium to have more games get to the people who got it already,IF the Wii could handle that data...
Alright N theres the nice board how about a HardDrive now ,that would really be useful.
mr mobius @ Apr 19th 2008 1:20PM
The mystery Nintendo Christmas game = 1080 snowboarding or wave race?
Schmobu @ Apr 19th 2008 5:21AM
So that explains Shiggys escellent physique, that proves Wii fit to work 100% for sure, all my Running every single day, for like 3Ks was for nothing.