10:25 — Feeling tremors...is this my first earthquake??!?
10:25 — Nvm. Just Reggie walking by. I hear babies crying, even though this is supposed to be 18+.
10:30 — Sakamoto takes the stand.
10:32 — Gives self-introduction; says he is most known for Metroid, but he didn't create the series; at least not by himself. Admits to not having much of a role or exposure to the Prime series.
10:33 — He has done many games, but many seem to be "niche" titles in Japan that never saw North America. In Japan, Metroid is considered a niche title, so it would seem that niche games are his...niche.
10:35 — He isn't taking the lead on Other M (but is definitely involved on deep levels).
10:36 — Giving a history of the Metroid series.
10:38 — Metroid came so early in his career; he had so little experience as a designer.
10:39 — Again, refuses to take credit for giving birth to Metroid. He says the Queen Metroid has that honor.
10:39 — Other M immediately follows Super Metroid and precedes the Fusion games.
10:39 — Tells about how one of the final scenes of Super Metroid where they took control away from the player was the inspiration and the transition to one of the opening cinematics of Other M.
10:40 — Showing a video with the two games inter-cut for continuity. Wish I could get direct feed of this!
10:41 — Now talking about WarioWare series. Again humbly refuses credit for its creation.
10:42 — One of the early/test versions of WarioWare, Iwata thought it was "idiotic".
10:43 — WW DIY trailer.
10:46 — Sakamoto made a Metroid-themed DIY microgame and is showing it off.
10:47 — Says his Metroid microgame will be coming to NA; hopes it can help get people excited about Other M ;)
10:48 — Talking about Tomodachi Collection, or "Tomo Kore" for short in Japan. Not a game he can explain in words, so he'll come back to it later.
10:49 — Describing "Famicom Tantei Kurabu", a Japan-only collection of detective stories that he wrote the scenarios. A horror/suspense title.
10:50 — Balloon Fight: Iwata was the programmer. Shows a hilarious graphic depicting he vs Iwata at a conference table with duelling thought bubbles. Iwata was thinking practical, mathematical solutions, Sakamoto was picturing icons of animals as variables in a math equation. Something like a bird + turtle / sheep. And 3x2=7?
10:52 — Onto the business at hand... What to talk about? Iwata suggested he explore the secret to being able to produce such polar opposite titles like Metroid and the WarioWare series, which he dubs games with either a "Serious-" or "Comedy-Touch".
10:52 — Sakamoto thinks Iwata is just surprised that he can even make a serious game (he's a little wacky side).
10:53 — Sakamoto derives a lot of inspiration from movies, especially director Dario Argento's work. Specifically, "Deep Red" has influenced him the most. He admires Argento's technique to control the user experience using mood, timing, contrast and foreshadowing. His use of progressive rock to build suspense is the most effective he's ever seen.
10:56 — After being influenced by so many (especially cult) movies, he noticed himself having strange daydreams.
10:56 — Other strong movie influences: Luc Besson (Leon: The Professional), John Woo (Better Tomorrow series), and Brian de Palma (Carrie)
10:58 — Film opened his eyes about how to bring stories to life.
11:00 — Loves comedy. He's not a comedian, so it requires a lot of time to refine the experience he wants users to have. He noticed comedy requires the same elements of control to communicate to users: mood, timing, contrast, and foreshadowing.
11:03 — So what is the difference between producing such wildly different games? Nothing at all.
11:04 — Again says Tomodachi Collection can't be described in words, so he shows a video.
11:04 — Headbanging, spastic Iwata. Reggie nude save for a grass skirt, doing a hula dance. OMG this is bats**t insane...and totally awesome! I NEED direct feed of this!
11:07 — Tomo Kore was actually 9 years in the making, a game called "Grown Woman's Fortune-Telling Notebook" opened the door...not much explanation how/why.
11:07 — Mii Channel was actually born from the character creation, etc. found in Tomo Kore. Iwata stole the dev team away for a year so Miyamoto could use them and their character tools to create the Mii Channel.
11:04 — Talking about Metroid Fusion, how he had a little different role. Not just the Producer, but wrote the story. A character in Other M, Adam Malkovich, makes kind of foreshadowing appearance in Fusion, in a way.
11:04 — One non-negotiable for Other M was that the game had to be played with the Wiimote in NES style. Team Ninja pushed back and wanted to add the nunchuk, but he didn't budge.
11:17 — Instead, they went back to the drawing board and came back with what they called the "Famicom Game PLUS" control style. Sakamoto said it was absolutely perfect, and surprised nobody had done it before.
11:18 — Says his [iMovie] skills editing videos of his son helped in planning some of the scenes and transitions for Other M; wanted the transitions from game to cinematic to be flawless.
11:18 — Cited director Ryuzi Kitaura with great storyboarding help, and Kuniaki Haishima with the music composition.
11:24 — Calls the amalgamation of Nintendo, Team Ninja, and the countless other partners, "Project M"; they're like a band where each entity plays its own instrument.
11:25 — As a final anecdote, told about how a woman loved one of his games so much that she hand-made him some chocolates...(This is a valentine tradition in Japan). This made him realize that people really can be moved by games, and it makes him more passionate than ever to deliver truly moving experiences, regardless of tone.
11:30 — Time to head out. I'm on the hunt for cookies.

Source

Good to see that they're shooting for seamlessness between the cinematics and the gameplay. That'll be critical for this game

Wiimote n' nunchuk might have been better for Other M, though, to allow free IR aiming while in 3rd person mode, though i suppose that would have detracted from the game's ability to breed discovery through perspective change

Thanks Rhonin. I enjoyed reading what Sakamoto had to say.

I can't wait to play this game. I LOVE the new style of the characters in the cinematics, particularly the way Samus looks now. Retro's style felt a bit generic in this area (don't get me wrong, I love the Prime games, particularly the first).

I'm too lazy to read all that.

Summary of highlights?

I'm with you. Rhonin?

Man, you people are lazy. These are the most important parts:

Says he is most known for Metroid, but he didn't create the series; at least not by himself. Admits to not having much of a role or exposure to the Prime series.

He has done many games, but many seem to be "niche" titles in Japan that never saw North America. In Japan, Metroid is considered a niche title, so it would seem that niche games are his...niche.

He isn't taking the lead on Other M (but is definitely involved on deep levels).

Tells about how one of the final scenes of Super Metroid where they took control away from the player was the inspiration and the transition to one of the opening cinematics of Other M.

One of the early/test versions of WarioWare, Iwata thought it was "idiotic".

Sakamoto made a Metroid-themed DIY microgame and is showing it off.

Says his Metroid microgame will be coming to NA; hopes it can help get people excited about Other M.

Balloon Fight: Iwata was the programmer. Shows a hilarious graphic depicting he vs Iwata at a conference table with duelling thought bubbles. Iwata was thinking practical, mathematical solutions, Sakamoto was picturing icons of animals as variables in a math equation. Something like a bird + turtle / sheep. And 3x2=7?

Sakamoto derives a lot of inspiration from movies, especially director Dario Argento's work. Specifically, "Deep Red" has influenced him the most. He admires Argento's technique to control the user experience using mood, timing, contrast and foreshadowing. His use of progressive rock to build suspense is the most effective he's ever seen.

Tomo Kore(Tomodachi Collection) was actually 9 years in the making, a game called "Grown Woman's Fortune-Telling Notebook" opened the door...not much explanation how/why.

Mii Channel was actually born from the character creation, etc. found in Tomo Kore. Iwata stole the dev team away for a year so Miyamoto could use them and their character tools to create the Mii Channel.

Talking about Metroid Fusion, how he had a little different role. Not just the Producer, but wrote the story. A character in Other M, Adam Malkovich, makes kind of foreshadowing appearance in Fusion, in a way.

One non-negotiable for Other M was that the game had to be played with the Wiimote in NES style. Team Ninja pushed back and wanted to add the nunchuk, but he didn't budge.

Cited director Ryuzi Kitaura with great storyboarding help, and Kuniaki Haishima with the music composition.

As a final anecdote, told about how a woman loved one of his games so much that she hand-made him some chocolates...(This is a valentine tradition in Japan). This made him realize that people really can be moved by games, and it makes him more passionate than ever to deliver truly moving experiences, regardless of tone.

Damn right you bolded Balloon Fight! That game was AWESOME!

Some pictures:

More here.

More here.

Deep Red? Argento? The man has taste.

Now we know just how cinematic Other M is going to be.