Countdown to Mario Kart!

[OB1]

I'm the deputy manager at EAD, Software Designing Section, Analysis and Development Department at Nintendo, and I have worked on many projects since I joined Nintendo, starting off with Zelda II: The Adventures of Link on the SNES, Super Mario Kart, Mario Kart 64 and F-Zero GX and also for the Nintendo GameCube, Luigi's Mansion is one of the titles I have worked on.

Zelda II on the SNES, eh? I wonder who made that mistake, CVG or Mr. Sugiyama.

Sugiyama: As you know, the local area network technology is implemented in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! Nintendo will never stop studying and working on the newly emerging technologies. On the other hand, however, current online infrastructures do not allow such rapid-speed gaming to a satisfactory level.

Wha?? Are they all using 56k modems at EAD or something? I've played a bunch of racing games through X-Box Live and I have yet to experience a framerate drop or any sort of lag. Actually, even playing Speed Devils Online on the DC with my 56k modem was pretty damn smooth. Nintendo really needs to come up with some better excuses. This is just getting pathetic.

The saddest part about all this is that the peope behind the Warp Project expect to see 30-60 fps framerates with Mario Kart and Kirby before the end of the month, and that's just from tunneling. If Nintendo had offered an official online mode then it would be even smoother.

Sugiyama: Clearly this has nothing to do with company decisions whatsoever. We have thought carefully in terms of the nature of the gameplay and we thought it best not to include the online ability for the Mario Kart: Double Dash!!.

At Nintendo it is the game designers who actually decide the company policy. So it is always the designers' intention and clearly from the play ability consideration that those kind of decision are always made.

If the whole anti-online thing really is because of the game designers themselves then perhaps the heads at Nintendo shouldn't let the actual designers decide on such important matters. This is a huge mistake on Nintendo's part.

Mr Takahashi: We have taken some consideration into the possibility of a 16:9 video option. However, we thought it best to opt for the best possible way to enjoy the Mario Kart: Double Dash!! in the 4:3 screen size.

Another ridiculous excuse. There's no 16:9 option for widescreen tv owners because having a larger image is bad?? What is wrong with Nintendo??!