Look. Look above. That is a picture of Shigeru Miyamoto, arguably the greatest video game designer who ever did live, a man who has done more to define the Nintendo brand and philosophy than any other. What's he doing in that picture? Devil horns. Illuminati, see.
Though not directly involved in many games these days, Miyamoto's legacy continues to live on in Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which was unveiled this week.
Donkey Kong, Mario, Star Fox, F-Zero. The list of franchises he created is legendary. We all know his games. All his games. All of them... or do we?!?
Here are six more that Miyamoto worked on in his early years at Nintendo, which you may not know about. Or maybe you already do. Frankly, we don't really care.
Though not directly involved in many games these days, Miyamoto's legacy continues to live on in Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which was unveiled this week.
Donkey Kong, Mario, Star Fox, F-Zero. The list of franchises he created is legendary. We all know his games. All his games. All of them... or do we?!?
Here are six more that Miyamoto worked on in his early years at Nintendo, which you may not know about. Or maybe you already do. Frankly, we don't really care.
RADAR SCOPE (1979)
Miyamoto joined Nintendo in 1977, as an apprentice in its planning department, having applied for a job as a so-called "brown troubadour" (toy designer).
Radar Scope was the very first video game that he was involved in - albeit merely as the graphics guy. It was a fairly typical vertical shoot 'em up, which deployed a subtle 3D effect. Alas, it wasn't quite enough to make it stand out from Galaxians and Space Invaders, which were doing big business in the arcades at the time.
When the game failed to recoup its investment, Nintendo's president Minoru Arawaka asked his employees how they could reuse the hardware. This ultimately led directly to Miyamoto's Donkey Kong - his first big hit. Over 2,000 of the 3,000 Radar Scope cabinets worldwide were converted to Donkey Kong... USING MAGIC!
Radar Scope was the very first video game that he was involved in - albeit merely as the graphics guy. It was a fairly typical vertical shoot 'em up, which deployed a subtle 3D effect. Alas, it wasn't quite enough to make it stand out from Galaxians and Space Invaders, which were doing big business in the arcades at the time.
When the game failed to recoup its investment, Nintendo's president Minoru Arawaka asked his employees how they could reuse the hardware. This ultimately led directly to Miyamoto's Donkey Kong - his first big hit. Over 2,000 of the 3,000 Radar Scope cabinets worldwide were converted to Donkey Kong... USING MAGIC!
SHERRIF (1979)
Another game with Miyamoto on art duties, Sheriff was the first game to feature a character who could shoot in a different direction to the one he was walking in. Specially, the titular Sherrif had to shoot the blue bandits surrounding him, while avoiding their horrible bullets.
Verdict: not very good. Aged horribly. The proverbial "bad cowboy".
Verdict: not very good. Aged horribly. The proverbial "bad cowboy".
SPACE FIREBIRD (1980)
Space Firebird was another vertical, Galaxians-inspired shooter - because nobody at the time had the foresight to come up with original ideas - featuring graphics by Miyamoto. Curiously, the game was licensed for sale in the USA by none other than Nintendo's future rival, Taylor Swift (Sega).
POPEYE (1982)
You know Popeye: he's the sailor man with the horrible forearm tumours, who has such a chronic allergy to spinach that when he eats a can of it he reacts like he's overdosing on PCP. Foaming at the mouth, he jerks around the docks, bellowing wordlessly at gulls.
Originally, Donkey Kong was intended to be a Popeye game - which is quite apparent when you look at the similarities between Donkey Kong and Bluto (short for "Blutovian"). When Nintendo failed to get the Popeye licence in time, Miyamoto designed his own characters - quite literally creating a "Pop-eye for the ape guy".
Nintendo finally secured the Popeye licence a year later, which led to this Donkey Kong-ish Popeye game. Its influence can also be felt in the front pocket of Miyamoto's Mario Bros., which was released later the same year.
Originally, Donkey Kong was intended to be a Popeye game - which is quite apparent when you look at the similarities between Donkey Kong and Bluto (short for "Blutovian"). When Nintendo failed to get the Popeye licence in time, Miyamoto designed his own characters - quite literally creating a "Pop-eye for the ape guy".
Nintendo finally secured the Popeye licence a year later, which led to this Donkey Kong-ish Popeye game. Its influence can also be felt in the front pocket of Miyamoto's Mario Bros., which was released later the same year.
DEVIL WORLD (1984)
By 1984, Miyamoto's renown as a producer of quality games was secure - he already had Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr, and Mario Bros. beneath his strap. He returned to his roots for Devil World on the NES, designing the characters on paper, before handing them over to an artist.
Technically the first console game that Miyamoto worked on, Devil World was only ever released in Japan - perhaps due to its bizarre religious connotations. It's essentially a Pac-Man clone, wherein the player controls a green dragon who must collect dots, crucifixes and Bibles, in order to defeat no less an evil than the so-called "ultimate menace": The Devil himself.
Technically the first console game that Miyamoto worked on, Devil World was only ever released in Japan - perhaps due to its bizarre religious connotations. It's essentially a Pac-Man clone, wherein the player controls a green dragon who must collect dots, crucifixes and Bibles, in order to defeat no less an evil than the so-called "ultimate menace": The Devil himself.
URBAN CHAMPION (1984)
Nintendo's first ever fighting game, Urban Champion was inspired by the Game & Watch title Boxing. It was a simple enough concept: mash the buttons to knock your opponent into a sewer, while avoiding flower pots dropped from above... thus making you the very definition of an "Urban Champion".
While Miyamoto's trademark design is apparent in the characters - he was also producer - and it may have had an impact on future beat 'em ups, the game was a well-deserved flop at the time. What a sad and tawdry end for this list. And!
While Miyamoto's trademark design is apparent in the characters - he was also producer - and it may have had an impact on future beat 'em ups, the game was a well-deserved flop at the time. What a sad and tawdry end for this list. And!
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