Takahashi: Noby Noby iPhone is 'bait' for increased PS3 budget

by JC Fletcher { Apr 28th 2009 at 1:00PM }

We almost don't want to summarize this Eurogamer interview with Noby Noby Boy creator Keita Takahashi, and instead just tell you to go read the whole thing. Takahashi's disregard for video game convention and complete openness always make for an entertaining read. There are a few items of note that are worth pulling out, which are worthwhile even out of the context of "weird stuff Keita Takahashi said."

For example, he reveals that Trophies won't be included in the new multiplayer update. "As this a free update, we can't add any." He also classifies the upcoming iPhone version of Noby Noby Boy as "bait:"

"We used too much time and money to develop Noby Noby Boy, and there won't be any major updates in the future. However, I am trying to use the iPhone version in order to get more money from our top executives in order to keep updating the PS3 version."

He hopes that the iPhone and PS3 versions will help GIRL grow faster, but Takahashi doesn't think he made her progress too slow. He told Eurogamer, "I don't think it is right to put an ending just for the sake of it. I believe that it is alright to create a stupid and irresponsible game, I really do."

Tags: keita-takahashi, namco-bandai, noby-noby-boy, psn

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Letters2Kay @ Apr 28th 2009 1:15PM

Game sucks. Don't bother updating or pouring more money into it, it'll be forgotten about before that...

Suck it, Takahashi.

required @ Apr 28th 2009 2:19PM

I don't think I'll ever buy it. Maybe if there was a demo and it was fun. What I've seen certainly doesn't look fun.

Haohmaru @ Apr 28th 2009 2:34PM

Really? I find it hilarious fun, especially for the price.

Suck it, Letters2Kay.

Letters2Kay @ Apr 28th 2009 3:28PM

See I felt burned by spending $5 on it after Takahashi mouthed off a GDC about how he put it on PS3 because he "didn't want it to sell very well." I thought, "Why the hell did I buy it then?" I wanted to take that five bucks and shove it up his ass. Now he wants a bigger budget? Maybe he's trying to be funny, but it's coming through as pure crazy to me. Crapping on your platform and its users isn't going to win you very many fans- and he certainly lost one in me.

My opinion. No need to get personal, Haohmaru.

required @ Apr 28th 2009 3:46PM

His ego just might be obfuscating his creativity. He wants more money in order to not sell?

Wow purple bubbles. Sing song see saw cut me tooth pick dig?

Haohmaru @ Apr 29th 2009 9:56AM

No offense intended, L2K, it was meant to be just a good-natured ribbing. Sorry. :)

Letters2Kay @ Apr 29th 2009 10:27AM

Thanks, I guess I deserved it a little... I didn't really do the best job of expressing how I felt in my original comment. Before GDC, I'd have probably defended Takahashi from a similar comment myself. Can't blame you. :)

X-singular @ Apr 29th 2009 5:15PM

Game looks......well....original.
I'll give it a try...nothing to lose here($5 don't count when you buy a $400 console :-) ).

[/off-topic]
When I saw the first comment that Letters2Kay wrote, it thought:here comes another flame war... but it turmed out fine...
@Hoahmaru and Letters2Kay:
after reading 18 articles and all their comments today,i can see that Joystiq needs more people like you! :)
[/end off-topic]

Letters2Kay @ Apr 29th 2009 6:20PM

Thanks, X-singular. I was thinking the same thing about Haohmaru. I was prepared for a flame war myself and was pleasently surprised. I'm usually all rainbows and sunshine on the net, but Takahashi really got to me. I felt the need to say something...

And BTW, I spent $600+ plus on my PS3 and another $150 to fix the optical drive, not to mention almost $200 on Sony brand accesories for it. Yet I still feel burned by that damn $5. ;)

axe911 @ Apr 28th 2009 1:19PM

Nobi Nobi Boy bores the f##k out of me.

eNrique @ Apr 28th 2009 3:06PM

^ boring

InFaMoUs1- @ Apr 28th 2009 1:21PM

I find the game enjoyable enough to play once or twice a week, especially when family comes over, kids love this kind of game. For $5 it was well worth it.

Heyyou27 @ Apr 28th 2009 2:34PM

And now that the 1.10 patch is available you can play with 3 other people. For those interested, the patch weighs in at over 530MB so it will take awhile to download. It also replaces the old icon and background on the XMB.

elmer @ Apr 28th 2009 1:26PM

I see Devs are now treating the iphone as the new Wii: The cash in money maker to subsidize their untenable vanity projects. I'm glad to see the new world order of thrift and economic sense has taken root (end of sarcasm).

Ed @ Apr 28th 2009 1:30PM

Keita Takahashi: I believe that it is alright to create a stupid and irresponsible game, I really do.

Words of wisdom.

JDHexen @ Apr 28th 2009 1:33PM

The game was good for the first few days but then it got boring, well not as boring as watching friends but boring enough.When kids come over they play it like crazy.

InFaMoUs1- @ Apr 28th 2009 1:37PM

yup I know what you mean I think this game should have been on the Wii also.

BananaBoat @ Apr 28th 2009 1:43PM

To Quote TFA: "If the head of the BOY of player one and the bottom part of the BOY of player two are combined, the BOY of player one can eat the BOY of player two, poop it out,etc"

Try to wrap your headmeat around that sentence.

343 Guilty Fart @ Apr 28th 2009 1:45PM

The game seems boring at first, but before you know it half an hour has gone by. It's just goofy, silly fun. Like playing with toy cars when you're a kid going "vroom, vroom!" There was no point to it, but it doesn't mean it wasn't fun.

j.howlett @ Apr 28th 2009 1:50PM

i get lost stretching boy now and then for long periods of time. i haven't played in over a week because i have other games but i think it was $5 well spent

Courtney @ Apr 28th 2009 1:50PM

Reading the source article actually made me want to buy Nobi Nobi Boy, just to support someone as crazy as that.

Courtney @ Apr 28th 2009 1:51PM

Crap, the i in iPhone crept into the y of my Noby.

tboy123 @ Apr 28th 2009 1:59PM

That last sentence makes me want to buy this game on the PS3 and iPod (iPhone sux)...

But alas, I am broke... but I do have an iTunes gift card I could use on it!

Queso @ May 1st 2009 2:25AM

he reveals that Trophies won't be included in the new multiplayer update. "As this a free update, we can't add any."

Why the hell cant they add trophies via free updates?
Why must they follow the PAIN model?
Buy the core game and get a few trophies but all other trophies have to have paid DLC to unlock.

Adramelech @ May 2nd 2009 11:22PM

noby noby boy doesn't have enough active users to reach mars - it'd take like 5 years or something apparently, setting that aside, there is no goal at all, takahashi needs to implement some form of objective, rather then just having some useless retard engine, because atm i can't come up with any justification for my 5 dollars

jpeg91 @ Apr 28th 2009 2:43PM

It's gonna take 820 years at this pace for the game to finish?!?!?!?!?
It's not gonna keep going on at this pace for long.
what a waste of atleast 60% of the game.
Also: The Update Is Now Live!

Letters2Kay @ Apr 28th 2009 3:27PM

Tez @ Apr 28th 2009 4:28PM

I like the game. I'll dick around in it using Picture in Picture while watching mah shows.

KinjiroSSD @ Apr 28th 2009 5:20PM

The moon killed it for me. It was pretty much the same shit on earth but with helmets and everything gray.

FoxHoundADAM @ Apr 28th 2009 5:23PM

I LOVED KD and really wish I had a PS3 to play this. Ah well, still looking forward to the iPhone version.

Can someone explain what happnes once the GIRL reaches the moon? Anything?

meatee @ Apr 28th 2009 7:54PM

The moon is selectable as a place to play, with new levels that have different characters like guys wearing space suits, etc.

Haohmaru @ Apr 29th 2009 9:01AM

The moon became selectable after all online-ready users reached a combined length equal to the moon's distance from Earth. Next stop is Mars I believe.

digiboi @ Apr 28th 2009 5:48PM

My 3 year old loves this game...she wishes she could have as much fun with LBP. She can sit there and wiggle the controls and occasionally eat things without frustration. For $5, that alone is worth it to me. Getting the multiplayer is going to make her week.

Lil_Mermaid_Girl @ Apr 28th 2009 8:18PM

The problem with this game is that after you have collected all the trophies there really isn't much incentive to keep playing. They should have made the trophies much harder / time consuming to keep people playing longer and then that would of helped girl grow more.

Nobledevil @ Apr 28th 2009 10:55PM

I just read the whole linked interview - that guy is f*ckin nuts. He's so completely honest about his game making NO sense and being purposely confusing that it made me laugh out loud several times.