Reinventing Metroid

Platforms really have changed so much, and the best way of thinking of the newest ones is to think of how it's different from the one preceding it. I'm very much interested in thinking about how to design for the 3DS, starting with that viewpoint of: 3D - what do we do next?

It's too early to start talking about ideas, but I can't wait to tackle that question properly. We're going to need to go for totally new approaches with 3D, just in terms of working with games in which the player can now judge the distance between objects much more realistically. I think I'm going to be learning a lot from the first few attempts people make, and I look forward to making my own forays into that environment.

Thinking about 3D gameplay, having a system where you don't need glasses is a very encouraging development. We really want to avoid any hurdles that stop people from experiencing the content. But in terms of how that pairs up with gameplay, the most important thing is that you have a really good concept that really incorporates all of those features.

I don't think I can say that I have that idea yet, but the basic experience of having things pop out of the screen really seems to make people happy. We're going to see a lot of new ideas emerging. There's something essentially mysterious about interacting with a 3D visual at the moment, and that alone might be enough to create tons of new game ideas.

Well, hardware has changed a lot since the days of the Virtual Boy. That said, I remember at the time one thing I was focused on was really trying to use the sense of space. With Telero Boxer, I really wanted the sensation of punches coming out at you. What we have now, however, is a great depth of field with the 3DS, and that just gives you a lot more to work with.

I'm not necessarily working on a punching game or anything like that at this moment, but I do see a lot of new possibilities there. Not least because we're not only dealing with red and black now. I think this is a really good time for me to take stock of the past and work out how best to approach this new machine.

As creator of the Game Boy and Virtual Boy, Mr Yokoi clearly had very different ways of thinking about game experiences. I think I, in turn, have a different way from him. For Mr Yokoi, I think games were good enough to speak for themselves. They were always good enough on their own, and probably, in his mind, they didn't need the level of story I like to aim for.

3D and portable were definitely his things, though, so I'm sure he would be interested in seeing what we're working with on the 3DS. I can imagine he would have had some really eye-popping ideas, and I really wish I could see them.

Every time we see new hardware, I definitely think about, "Okay, how would Wario's twisted mind deal with this?" I'm not ready to think about it properly just now, but there's almost certainly some fun for him to have on the 3DS in the future.