Nintendo talks BAFTAs

This must feel like a brief break from all the 3DS furore?

Ha! The last comparable hardware was Wii, so its good to get back into that frame of mind, launching hardware.

And it's not far away...

23rd March.

And is everything on track?

Yea, I think it's looking good and we are really pleased from the reaction from people. We've just started to do some consumer sampling events across the UK. We've done London and Manchester. We're doing Bristol and Newcastle at the weekend, and Edniburgh the week after...we're really pleased by the reaction.

A lot of people that have the opinion of 3DS haven't seen or played it, so it's really important for us to get it out there and for people to see it.

It needs to be done. It really doesn't translate to video feed, and the hands-on approach worked wonders at the E3 conference where you let the audience see the unit in action.

I think people in the back of their mind, don't really believe it works and then when they see it, they like it.

UK launch line up has been announced, and you've got Pilotwings and Nintendogs there, but are the other first party titles still being trailed out across the year?

Yes, we announced at E3 that launch window, that will come between now and E3, and then atop of that we've a raft of titles that will come out between now and the end of the year. Those titles you're looking forward to...they're still in development. [laughs]

Its just at some point...for launch days its important to bring a) the right number of launch titles to market so you don't swamp it. But also, with 3DS especially, about bringing stuff that's new to everybody and different.

So you know, you have Rayman, Street Fighter, Nintendogs, Pro Evo...it's very important to us to offer something for every sort of taste out there and yes, people are always going to criticise and it's very hard to please everybody, but I'm really confident, we're really confident that there is something out there for everybody.

The reaction to Pilotwings online has been phenomenal. And it is a fantastic game and I hope people go and pick it up on day one. because it is fabulous.

So, Super Mario Galaxy 2. How does it feel to be the gaming choice, even though its an obvious question?

It is obvious, but it is a huge honour and we're very proud that we're on there. I think its not unfair to say that Mario Galaxy 2 was the highlight of many people's year last year, and it's great to see it included on that list alongside so many amazing games.

It's got as good a chance as any other to walk away with that prize (if that's not too arrogant to put out there). But, and its a question I fieled earlier - "why do you keep bring out Mario games" - I think every game that Mario has been in for the last 25 years has always brought, and pushed, the boundaries of not only hardware but of gaming.

With Galaxy 1 and 2 we're talking physics, game universe - how that looks and feels - and it's a challenging game. I don't care who you are - it is a hard game.

I think a lot of gamers responded to that. People think sometimes Nintendo don't make games for us any more, they don't make games for gamers. Nothing can be further from the truth. Games like Galaxy 2 prove that. We still make fantastic games.

Every time a Mario title has come out -Super Mario Bros, Mario bros 3, Mario 64 - it feels like there's been a seismic shift in gaming. Yet with Galaxy, it could be argued it hasn't had that industry-wide impact. Is it because gaming's needs are now different, or is is it simply new trends dominating, which the character will overcome and still be relevant twenty years from now?

It's an interesting question, and an interesting question for Nintendo.

Because we as a company always, we've always forged our own path, that we believe is right for us, and at the right time to do so. So rather than looking at where trends are going and what people are doing, we've always just went along with what we thought was the right thing to do. But I think its interesting.

What i think is different now with gaming is the shear choice. The shear ability to dip into it (it's wrong to call it superficial, maybe light level is better) or you can go for a Zelda or a Starcraft or whatever you want. Coming back to the point I made about there being something for everyone, I think people have realised, publishers and developers have realised, there's a huge diverse audience out there who want different things.

There are over five million people in the UK who want to play Wii Fit, and that's how they want to play video games. Seven million that want to play Brain Training. And a lot of people will balk at that, and say "that's not playing a game". But then equally there's plenty of people that want to play Red Dead or Mario Galaxy 2. So I think it's healthier.

What we see certainly is people get into titles like Brain Training, and those are stepping stones - those people then go on to buy a Mario title, buy a Zelda title, so actually they're dipping their toe into the water then getting into gaming in a big way.

It sounds awfully cheesy but it can only be a good thing to get more people playing games.

Do you ever hate this, that you feel you need to be on the defensive, and explain yourself in fielding these questions about not catering for 'real' gamers any more?

Yea, it's a good question. It comes back to: "what is a game"? So there are one in three households that have a Wii, there's millions of DSes out there. So many people have Nintendo consoles in their house...so that kind of makes it that everyone is a gamer. So there isn't that idea of what a gamer is. That's certainly changed in the last few years.

I don't necessarily feel like we have a pressure to defend ourselves. I think what it is more what we're trying to do is open up gaming and show how it can be enjoyed by as many people as possible. On one hand you can have a Mario Galaxy 2, on the other a Brain Training or a Wii Fit. We can all happily live in the same universe.

What's the long term plan for DS, DSi and such now with 3DS coming?

We see no reason why DS, DS Lite, DS XL, DSi and 3DS can't coexist together. Consumers have shown that with MP3 Players or TVs, or gadgets, that people often like to have the choice of different functionality and prices depending on what they want to do with it. As long as there's consumer demand for it, and retailers continue to place orders for it it, we'll keep supplying them. There's absolutely no reason why we'd want to stop producing those machines.

I'd assume by asking you as a Nintendo representative what title you want to win this GAME Award. But how about as a gamer?

With the Nintendo Hat on I'd have to say Mario Galaxy 2, but with a gamer hat on...[looks over list]...in terms of achievements, as to what the game has sought to achieve, certainly Galaxy 2 is up there. As a gamer, I certainly enjoyed Red Dead, I love Need for Speed, I thought Heavy Rain was very interesting, a very ambitious title, and deserves to be on that list as well. So...[shrugs]

I can't get you to commit can I?

I think I'll have to give you the politician's response. [laughs]