Miyamoto: "Angry Birds Would Have Been Better on DS"

Is that a typo in the caption?

Excuse me, Mr. Miyamoto, but how could you have made Angry Birds better if it was on the DS?

it is a cartoony game with addictive gameplay, deceptively simple controls, and characters that don't match up (pigs versus birds? wtf?). Of COURSE Miyamoto likes it!

@Lan Miyamoto's English isn't very good

@TimboBaggins what about Plants versus Zombies? Now THAT'S a weird concept...

I've always thought this game would be ideal for 3ds, and the fact Angry Birds isn't on 3ds is why I've hardly played it. It's throwaway fun while it lasts I suppose.

With the boss hog resume' Miyamoto-san has I'd believe him if he said he could make a game better or if a game would've been better on his console.

Miyamoto is bitter. There's nothing that the DS has that could have made Angry Birds better.

And in fact the whole appeal of Angry Birds is that it's a casual game for a device that isn't designed just for playing games. It would have missed the point entirely on the DS.

Errmm, wouldn't call it "bitter" but I agree with the above point - sort of. It sold a mammoth amount, but it isn't a breath taking game now is it? Good, but..... Anyway, resistive touchscreen stylus control trumps capacitive touch control every time for me

Agreed. Anything where I can use a stylus instead of my finger would make for better controls. I can see what he's saying.

With that said, I find Angry Birds to be a very boring game. Flick, flick, flick, flick...

Lol @ how this story is tagged as 'cheeky' ahaha!

Hey guys. Remember Cut The Rope? Yeah, proof the DS actually does worse at iPhone games than iPhone games right there.

Miyamoto does sound bitter. It sounds like he appreciates that game and I think the DS would be a great platform for the Angry Birds. in fact I would prefer using a stylus

I haven't played iPhone games with good touchscreen controls yet. Some are bareable (like simple one button games).

The device always reminds me that the controls in almost any iPhone game would be much better when it was running on DS instead.

I guess that's not a problem for mobile players. They always had the worst controls to cope with and got used to it.

I agree about the controls for Angry Birds. Also Cut the Rope... well Ben already filled in. It just couldn't work out the way the game is played. Though Angry Birds I think would have worked very well, if not better.

@Ben I hate Mario games with a passion, but I'm not going to pretend that the millions of people who like the games are all wrong.

You don't like Angry Birds. Great. It's a good game. A game doesn't become massively successful like Angry Birds has without being good.

The quality of the game isn't up for debate. What is is whether it would be better on DS. And no, it wouldn't The point of Angry Birds is to make public transport or board meetings bearable. The point of Angry Birds is not to sit down for extended play sessions.

Just like a Mario game wouldn't work on an iPad, people need to realise that the iPhone and iPad are different kinds of gaming devices. They're not BAD, they're actually quite good. They're just different. And the assumption that an iPhone game would be better on the DS is, frankly, completely missing the point.

But hey, it's not like Nintendo to misunderstand and underestimate the iPhone.... oh wait.

Stylus is to flicking as finger is to touching. Yes, I'd have play it as DSiWare or 3DSWare. Not all iPhone games would fail on the DS systems. With that said, I WANT MY ANGRY BIRDS SPACE 3D!

@16 or to put it in a more realistic, less negative perspective:

Phone and Tablet gamers have had enough practice to get comfortable using a touch screen. Pretty mind blowing, huh? Kinda like how non-gamers struggle with lots of buttons, but in reverse.

Who would have thought that different people prefer different controls?

I am only speaking control wise. I don't think it would have been as successful as it it just being on the DS, I think everyone knows that.

Btw Chocobo if Final Fantasy had a representative in new Smash Bros game, do you agree a good character to represent the series is a Moogle riding a Chocobo?

I was bored watching someone play it, then I had a go of it, flicked the dumb bird a few times then gave the iphone back to the boring chump that enjoyed it for some strange reason. If you buy the merchandise then you are even dumber then the game.

@DrCruse what are you smoking? Resistive touch screens (old-scool PDAs, DS, Wii-U tablet) are far more accurate than capacitive touch screens (most tablets, phones). Do your research, please.

Angry Birds may or may not have been better on the DS, but I can't fathom how it hasn't made its way to the 3DS eShop or DSiWare yet. Then again, I'm not sure how it would work with touch controls being limited to the inferior/smaller screen.

I literally only played the game for about 4min. I can see how people like it, but it isn't a game you play for hours. It's something you whip out during waiting for the bus or play while on the pooper. So not so good as a retail game, DSiware is where it's at (if it was released on DS).

@22 Yeah people buying stuff around games they like is so dumb and all.

Not like Mario, Zelda and every other Nintendo franchise has merchandise... oh wait.

@Kaiser: Moogle. If Chocobo was in the game no one else would stand a chance.

I can see how it would be better for DS: no slowdowns, no adds, no loading times... Maybe it's just that my phone is ageing, but I'd LOVE it for the DS. Plus, the touch controls are very responsive, not like on tactile phones (not the ones with stylus, but that only work with fingers, see what I mean?)

@20
DS isn't just for extended play.

'Nuff said.

Srsly though... I wanna play as a damn Chocobo. People always argue which one is the mascot. Mostly they say Moogle. But Chocobos have been in the series longer and have had more important roles.

ANGRY BIRDS

Also, wasn't there a Mario inspired level in Angry Birds: Space?

Kaiser - Well, Chocobo has his own range of games, and Moogle doesn't. So Chocobo is clearly the mascot.

Also in Japan Chocobo is more popular than Moogle

I want my Angry Birds, in space, in 3D, with my stylus, on my 3DS NAOW! X3

yeah for 2$ on the ds, indeed miyamato!

The game sold 550.000.000 times on a phone, would they earn as much money when they put it on the ds for 49.99$ ,.. hmm i do not think so.
But maybe it would if the price was 2$ on the ds though.

@defrb $2 on 3DS, yes. Don't forget the troubles of the DSi Shop.

Which needs an update.

@Chocobo damn WELL he has his own range of games. Dice de Chocobo, Chocobo Dungeon and Chocobo Tales being ones I loved. I want a Chocobo do be a main party member in a game though. Not being a summon or pet. Boko...

@KaiserGX @ChocoGolfish Can we keep this on-topic please?

Sorry James.

Angry Birds is cool.

Agreed with the precision part and all, but in the DS it wouldn't have been such a hit (probably for good, it is way overhyped). Still waiting to see if they release a 3ds eShop version that includes all iPhone games.

Hmmm, some very good points on here. Think Miyamoto's trying to talk up the DS' ability to play iphone stlye games.

I couldn't get past the first level of Angry Birds. D: D: D:

It could have been better, but it would needed to be on the DSi to keep the low price. They could port all four of them to the 3DS in an eShop bundle, throw in a couple feature (Gyro controls, 3D, etc.) and sell it for $7-$10 and make a huge profit.

It's like a war in here, everyone vs. Mr. Goldfish...

I've played Angry Birds and I have to say that game is the biggest waste of space I have ever seen in my life. All you do is pull, aim and flick. It's neither interesting or very engaging, you're just flicking birds and hoping you hit a pig.

Would it be good on the DS? Uhm... not entirely sure how it would be different? You'll be doing the same boring flick action again... only this time with a stylus. And if it did go on the DSi Shop or eShop I'm pretty sure you'd have to pay for it... I'm sorry, but this game isn't even fun when it's free!

It's not good for me but I'm sure it's good for someone else.

I think Mr Miyamoto is making a joke.

soooooo....
when will it come out on 3ds eshop ?

I like Angry Birds but I only whip it out in situations where I don't have my 3DS around I believe it could be done better on the 3DS. Nintendo just needs to turn the 3DS into a phone and conquer the world.

Ok ChocoGoldfish...

@7 - Yes, it would have missed the point in being on a DS, but the same applies for when it comes to the 3DS; the system is in no way more suited.
@13 - One bad DSiWare port and you're convinced? Of course it did worse - it wasnt designed for the platform! Just as if DS games came to the iPhone.
@18 - Well actually the quality of the game IS up for debate. It sells well for 69p on a platform that wasnt designed primarily for gaming, but how will it fare when it is sold at 20-30 pounds on a gaming console?

Angry Birds is a good casual game. I play it when I'm going out with just my iPod Touch, but I would never play it instead of a game on my DS or 3DS. It's alright, but casual gamers who purchased and played Angry Birds a lot in the first place were mostly those who didnt own a gaming console (Console designed primarily for gaming - not an iDevice).
Putting it on the DS or 3DS is a silly choice in the first place. I own loads of DS games, and a few 3DS ones, but I wouldnt buy Angry Birds on either platform. It's a time killer. It's arguably one of the best casual games out there, but the hype around it is undeserved on gaming consoles, and its reception will no doubt show this.
I understand that you obviously like the game a lot, but you're trying to defend it while it enters territory it wasnt even made for. You cant expect people to all think it's good when they're comparing it to other 3DS retail games, and to be honest what's it really going to add? Theres a reason Angry Birds sells a lot - it costs close to nothing and works for killing time in certain situations. How do you REALLY think its going to handle with 3D slapped on at retail pricing?

The DS(i) Would Have Been Better with Angry Birds

If it was on the DS, it might have been too easy, assuming they included traditional controls. The iOS controls aren't perfect, but it's that imperfection that keeps it challenging. I doubt the touch controls on either system would've made a difference, though, but we'll find out with the 3DS version.

@James you do have a point, I mean, he made a joke before he said that, so that could also be a joke, too. Miyamoto's a smart man, so I'd think he'd see that the controls wouldn't have actually improved by being on the DS, and I doubt he'd say something like that just to be pompous.

If only Rovio had thought of it first... (its a carbon copy of many other games, just with a different coat of paint. Sincerely, good on them though - I'd certainly like that kind of success!)

I quite like Angry Birds - it's a good game to pick up and play for a couple of minutes while waiting around - but I really think it would have lost something in the translation to the DS. A big part of the Angry Birds charm is the distinctive graphical style, with high-resolution cartoon graphics. The DS simply could not pull that off, and I think that would be disappointing.

Angry Birds was good on mobile devices, but it wouldn't be on DS, simply because they are both trying to appeal to different audiences. Gaming Consoles and iOS games do things in different ways.

@28 I suggest reading what I've written again before correcting me on stuff I already said. Like how completely inappropriate Angry Birds is for the DS.

I've never played Angry Birds (not an iZombie), and I probably never will. Still, it's cool to see Miyamoto admire a game on a device that people said Nintendo 'didn't get'; though I wonder if Angry Birds was one of those games that Iwata said was 'devaluing' the philosophy of game making...

I still laugh when Miyamoto said he could've made Halo, but "didn't want too"

Everyone who bought this game on an iOS device don't know what a 'true game' is.

I can make sweeping generalisations too!

@ChocoGoldfish
"There's nothing that the DS has that could have made Angry Birds better."
Except more accurate button controls along with touch controls.

"Hey guys. Remember Cut The Rope? Yeah, proof the DS actually does worse at iPhone games than iPhone games right there."
That's not a very good comparison to Angry Birds. The biggest reason Cut the Rope was better on the iphone was because it uses multi-touch, which the DS lacks. As far as I know, Angry Birds doesn't. It uses sliding and tapping one thing at a time, which would work perfectly on the DS, whether we're talking button control, touch control, or both.

"The point of Angry Birds is to make public transport or board meetings bearable. The point of Angry Birds is not to sit down for extended play sessions."
And how is that not in line with the DS? The ability to close the DS and automatically pause any game makes it as good as anything for quick gaming. In addition to this built in feature, there are games on the eshop (if you're using a DSi or 3DS) just as suited to quick play as Angry Birds. Or maybe you're referring to the size of the iphone, or the fact that people almost always have their cell phones with them? That doesn't really reflect which system a game would be better on.

"I hate Mario games with a passion, but I'm not going to pretend that the millions of people who like the games are all wrong."
What was the point of saying that? Are you seriously comparing the popularity of a free phone game to that of a full price DS game?

What I think Waltz was trying to say was that although he dislikes Mario games, he still respects those who enjoy the games, rather than simply outcasting them.

Also, let us clarify something. Angry Birds costs 99c, and yet, it is still able to provide hours and hours of gameplay. When you consider value for money, compared to a full priced retail game, you're getting an absolute steal with amazing pick up and play games, such as Angry Birds.

@Aviator - Are you replying to me?

Since when did I say Angry Birds wasn't a 'true game'? I just don't like Apple.

U mad miyamoto?
Not that I've recently had much respect left for Miyamoto anyway, but I think he just lost what little respect I had left for him.

E: Also I don't see what's so great about angry birds, playing tetris or practically any variation of pyou pyou is way better way to kill little time.

If I were replying to you I would have used @Kage_88

And I never said you said it wasn't a 'true game'. I was simply commenting on the large amounts of generalisations many have made.

Oh, that's cool. My mistake.

EDIT: @expa0 - Are you serious? You have no 'respect' for Miyamoto? Why, because he made Wii Music?

I have angry birds on my HTC and tbh it's not that great. It's a game I play for 5 minutes at most then I get bored. Miyamoto should be thinking about better games with more potential.

@Kage_88
Well that's one reason, but It's mostly because nowaday whenever I see Miyamoto in the news it seems that about 90% of the time it's him saying something facepalm worthy. I think it's at least partly because he's getting senile though.

@Aviator
You may be right about Waltz, but even so, comparing Angry Birds fans to Mario fans is a bit of a stretch.

Angry Birds can cost $1, or it can be free. As for value, it's in the eyes of the beholder. Time spent in a game doesn't necessarily equal value. I would generally find far more value in a 10 hour Mario game than in 100 hours of Angry Birds.

Angry Birds? For shame, Mr. Miyamoto, for shame.

@expa0 - Oh yeah, I've also seen some facepalm worthy comments today...* cough *

im sorry, but angry birds just isnt fun, and i dont understand why people love it so much. i wouldnt even call it a game.its more to me like an app because its so simple. and its that simplicity that ruins the game for me.

He does have the best create video game works in my opinion.

@Retro_Hype yay! contradictions!
"i wouldnt even call it a game."
But wait...
"its that simplicity that ruins the game for me."

@TrueWiiMaster Wait, I don't get it. So Mario fans are allowed to dismiss Angry Birds, and yet Angry Bird fans aren't allowed to dismiss Mario?

Also, I doubt someone wouldn't have put in 100 hours into a game if they didn't enjoy it. If your hypothetical situation, of 10v100 hours was true, I would bet that you found more enjoyment in Angry Birds as you played it for 10 times longer than you did Mario.

@Kage_88
Here I'm for once trying to have a peaceful debate yet you immediately attack me with your witty insults, hmphh.

I guess nintendolife ain't no place for debate.

Not even Rovio came up with the idea of Angry Birds (or the mechanics at least).

But hats off to Rovio for marketing it and milking the franchise dry (theme parks!? Space Edition Electric Boogaloo!?)

Navi's doing a fine job of backing up everything I've been saying.

The main point here is that Angry Birds doesn't belong on Nintendo consoles. It isn't build for them and it won't work as well on them as it does on the phones and tablets. The very reason the game is so popular (it's not like it's the only cheap iOS game after all) is because it is in many ways the perfect game for that platform.

Mario games wouldn't work on iOS. In fact, every time someone mentions that Nintendo should make smart phone games a whole legion of fans cries out "no! Nintendo needs to make games for the right hardware." Works both ways, folks.

Angry Birds was built to suit the iPhone (and iPad, let's not forget that they're very different gaming experiences) hardware, and more importantly, it was built for iPhone users. It wasn't built for hardcore Nintendo people who hate the very idea of playing a game without using buttons.

Usage models count for a lot with good game design. iPhone usage is different to DS usage, yes? Ergo a good game on the iPhone will be look and feel different to a good game on the DS.

As for who invented Angry Birds.

Since Nintendo fans are so gung ho that Nintendo made the idea of touch screen/ dual screen gaming popular, or motion control gaming popular, despite these things existing before the Nintendo products, you would think that, assuming they didn't want to be hypocritical, they would give Rovio the credit for turning the Angry Birds formula into a commercially successful idea, no?

Nah, it doesnmt work that way, of course. Nintendo has the Midas Touch and everyone else is just a dirty ripoff artist.

^ speaking of sweeping generalizations, ffs one person brought that up. I'd never even known about it before, but thanks for including me anyway.

Is it possible to have a thread partially based on Apple/Apple products without you turning into some sort of martyr over it, Waltz? :/

As to the article at hand — I don't think he's bitter, I think he's just messing around in a genial interview situation. To me, his words are of respect for the Angry Birds devs and what they've done with such a simple concept; ffs one of the jobs I work is at a retail store, and over the holidays we sold Angry Birds toys, t-shirts, towel sets, etc., and we're still currently selling boys' and young men's t-shirts even after the holidays have ended. Can many (or any?) other App Store or eShop game devs say they've had such a successful title both inside and outside their digital storefronts? Not by a long shot, i'd wager. tbqh I'd be worried if he wasn't wishing he'd been the one to come up with the idea, because that would be bitterness to me, and to have him close himself off to something entirely would make me wonder what other possibly ingenious ideas he's also dismissed.

And no offense to those who love their iDevices, but the touchscreens have always been pretty hit-or-miss to me. If Angry Birds had been a DS title, the controls would likely by their very stylus-using nature be better in terms of precision. Does the game require that kind of pinpoint precision to be successful, though? Of course not, but it kinda makes me wonder what exactly he's got in mind in terms of 'better' if 'precision' wasn't what he meant by it... who knows how Miyamoto's brain works, though :3

I think if Nintendo was given the rights to make an original Angry Birds game on the DS, then they'd do some amazing things with it.

The problem I had with the original is that — while fun in spurts — it was just a glut of the same thing over and over again. And I definitely think it would have suffered on the DS since the screen resolution and size is quite a bit smaller, and you already have to squint to see anything on the iPhone.

I can't say I like Angry Birds but my friend's little brother has autism and he loves this game. The way he plays it is completely different. He'll take forever lining everything just right and if everything isn't perfect then he'll reset the stage. Actually quite fascinating to watch.

Anyways, 3DS don't need no Angry Birds! We have Bird Mania coming soon to the Eshop for $2 USD!

While I'd like to see Angry Birds on DS (aren't they working on that?), it would have flopped if that was its first platform. The cutsie web/phone/tablet game app players are very different from the DS/3DS pool of players. You're reaching a lot more "light" gamers (ie don't play many games, are easily amused by basic games) with a cheap product, whereas on DS the development cost is higher and usually people who own a system like that are more discerning. They wouldn't want to pay the price of what it cost them to produce for the DS for what's basically a simple flash-style game. But again, I'm not against us getting some of the better iDevice games for eShop. Why not?

I think he's saying this because he feels like he has to appeal to the internet hivemind. I got Angry Birds back in 2009 the day it came out. Within a week I kind of just forgot about it. About a year and a half later the whole world goes ape for it for no reason, and it all seems so fake.

I don't believe people actually like Angry Birds; people are just so addicted to constantly using the internet that they end up in a sort of collective hivemind where they just automatically like whatever the largest number of other people like.

I have independent thoughts, and that can screw up the whole angry birds fanaticism thing. I've played Worms so the basic artillery mechanic in angry birds feels like a very limited trial and error thing. I've played all kinds of adventure games and platformers with great characters so the newgrounds looking characters and art in angry birds just aren't special in any way.

But the borg collective of society has arbitrarily decided it likes angry birds, it so we keep going on like a broken record. Here's another public figure namedropping it in the hopes that people don't say mean things on twitter.

@DrCruse
It's the other way around buddy, smartphone and tablet touchscreens are much less accurate than the DS's resistive screen.

@edhe What was that game? That was a terrible game. I can't believe I played it. You have milliseconds to time that freakin' catapult swing. It's barely playable and certainly isn't fun. If he really did get the idea from that game, then at the very least he figured out how to improve a bad game (sort of like a lot of games that end up becoming popular).

From a simple sentence to a iDevice vs. DS war. Did I miss something?

Angry Birds is just a game people grew fond of for whatever reason and now it's simply got over-hyped. It's a game you play for 5-minutes and leave, some people will like this, others won't.

I hate it and I wish people would shut up about it if I'm brutally honest.

I think Miyamoto was just giving them some credit... and hey you need to give credit to the guys who were able to make a crap 5-minute game sell!

I did buy it out of curiosity last year, and will say I wasn't terribly impressed. I personally found it to get dull rather quickly. I did complete it (or at least the levels they had at the time, as I know they periodically release more), but it just wasn't for me.

If you can get passed the extremely dull gameplay, I will say that there is a lot of content for what you pay (free - $1). I think it's good for the hoards of casual gamers out there, since it's very simple and not confusing, but it's not deep enough to interest most gamers, like myself.

Miyamoto is going too far...

@mickeymac
And props to Rovio for that as well. They were never going to get a good physics engine with a flash game. Rovio saw that idea, and capitalised on it.

@Vallu Your avatar is amazing. I just wanted to say that.

I haven't even seen the gameplay of this game in action. I've decided to keep it that way for if it ever comes to the eShop

I can understand why Miyamoto likes the charm of Angry birds. You cannot say that team Rovio didn't have a blast throwing birds into walls while trying to squish pigs into dust during development.

Though due to the overdose of hype this game has become one of my least favs. I mean yeah its a great game but its not the best game ever that some people to this day still swear it is.

But if Nintendo and Rovio decided to work on one made for the eShop... I could see where that might end up to be awesome.

The problem is, is that whether or not Angry Birds would've been better as a DS game is up to personal taste. Me, I always found the iPhone's touch screen to be a little imprecise, especially with my fingers always obscuring the screen. For me, I think Angry Birds would've been a better game on the DS. You could place the slingshot controls on the bottom, and the action on the top, using the d-pad to scroll the screen sideways and zoom it in and out.

Whether or not it would SELL is another question, and what some people seem to love to confuse with the prior. No. I do not think Angry Birds would sell on the DS. The target demographic for DS games is different from that of the iPhone. The casual gamers that eat up iPhone games want clever little distractions from their daily lives, like Cut the Rope, Angry Birds, Canabalt and Jetpack Joyride. Those types of games will always excel on the iPhone, because it's just that; a smart-phone.

Slap iPhone games on the DS, retail or download, and they won't perform very well compared to on the iPhone. Aside from the probably inflated price that comes with the platform change, they just don't fit in with the very nature of the device itself. Also, the install base will almost always be lower for a dedicated gaming device than a smart-phone.

Oh Miyamoto you awesome little troll, you.

@ChocoGoldfish: Bitter? I'd say you're the bitter one here.

On the note of DS games being ported to iOS, go play Phoenix Wright on the system. It works bu it's nowhere near as elegant. I can't even fathom how hard it is to play Ghost Trick (only in Japan ATM) on an iPhone.

@Advancedcaveman: Well, thank goodness we have you here to save us from our delusional ways... Sure, there's a lot of hype surrounding Angry Birds, but it's not a bad game. Sure, it's not everybody's thing, but it has a lot going for it (extremely polished, likeable characters etc).

@Mickeymac: Did you play the second game? (Crush the Castle) It's much better than the first one edhe linked. (Although I'm still of the opinion that Angry Birds is better)

I'm surprised to hear him say that, I must be the only person that don't care for that game.

@Aviator
just because i dont call it a game does not mean other people dont.

@Aviator
I don't recall ever mentioning anyone dismissing anyone. All I meant was that it's hard to compare someone who picked up a game for free for their phone to play in the elevator to someone who payed $30 plus for a game on a dedicated gaming device that offers more meat. I understand that many people play both Mario and Angry Birds, and being a fan of one doesn't translate to hating the other, but that doesn't change the fact that one of the options requires actual investment while the other doesn't. In other words, you don't have to care about Angry Birds to download it and play it when you're bored (especially with its incredible word of mouth), but if you go out and buy a Mario game, you probably wanted to get it. For example, I downloaded Angry Birds free on my iphone, mainly because of all the hype. I don't hate it or disrespect it for what it is, but it hasn't seen too much play. If I hadn't had the option of getting it free (or even for $1-3), I never would have gotten it at all. I think that applies to many Angry Birds fans; they wouldn't pay much for it because they wouldn't find it worth it. Mario fans, on the other hand, often pay full price for their Mario games, because they do find it well worth the money. That's the difference I was talking about.

"Also, I doubt someone wouldn't have put in 100 hours into a game if they didn't enjoy it. If your hypothetical situation, of 10v100 hours was true, I would bet that you found more enjoyment in Angry Birds as you played it for 10 times longer than you did Mario."
First of all, I never said anything about not enjoying it, and secondly, like I said, length doesn't necessarily translate to value. It also doesn't translate directly to enjoyment. Just because a game takes a long time to beat (not saying Angry Birds takes 100 hours to beat; I'm not sure how long the average player takes to finish the game) doesn't mean the player enjoyed it more than a short game. For example, it took me less time to beat Donkey Kong Country Returns than Galaxy 2. I had fun with both, but I definitely enjoyed DKCR more. Another example would be RPGs, especially turn-based RPGs. They often take 60+ hours to beat, plus side-quests. I love a good RPG, but I can't say I enjoy one more than New Super Mario Bros. Length can add value, but how much is relative to the player.

@Advancedcaveman
"I don't believe people actually like Angry Birds; people are just so addicted to constantly using the internet that they end up in a sort of collective hivemind where they just automatically like whatever the largest number of other people like."

I love this statement. So tragically true nowadays. Nice one

@ChocoGoldfish
"The main point here is that Angry Birds doesn't belong on Nintendo consoles. It isn't build for them and it won't work as well on them as it does on the phones and tablets."
Why? The DS touch controls would work perfectly. They could even add a second set of controls for those who prefer buttons.

"Mario games wouldn't work on iOS. In fact, every time someone mentions that Nintendo should make smart phone games a whole legion of fans cries out "no! Nintendo needs to make games for the right hardware." Works both ways, folks."
Of course Mario games wouldn't work on the iOS. They lack buttons. The DS, however, has both buttons and a touch screen. It may not be the same kind of touch screen as the iphone, but many iOS games would play fine on it anyway, including Angry Birds. Also, how do Angry Birds exclusivity and Mario's exclusivity work the same way? Nintendo makes consoles to make their games on, knows those consoles inside and out, and often has big ideas for them before they even get released. Rovio makes games for another company's platform. They're a 3rd party (unless Apple bought them...). That's a pretty big difference.

"It wasn't built for hardcore Nintendo people who hate the very idea of playing a game without using buttons."
Correct me if I'm wrong, but hasn't Nintendo made several great games that make more use of the touch screen than the buttons? Like the 2 Zeldas on the DS? And Pokemon Ranger? And Warioware? These games might make use of buttons to a degree, but the focus is on touch control. Besides, most of Angry Birds could be controlled perfectly with buttons. D-pad for aiming, A button for firing, A button again for extra features that the angry bird might have.

"Since Nintendo fans are so gung ho that Nintendo made the idea of touch screen/ dual screen gaming popular, or motion control gaming popular, despite these things existing before the Nintendo products,"
You even said it yourself. Nintendo made them popular. As far as I know, nobody had used them like Nintendo before Nintendo, and if they did, there's probably a reason I haven't heard of them... The tech might not have been new to the world, but the way Nintendo used it was.

And who said Angry Birds was a rip-off? I give the Angry Birds creators full credit for creating Angry Birds.

Hey remember when Nintendo said something mean about "Garage indy devs" or whatever and people actually thought it was said for any other reason other than making fun of their Apple competition? Yeah, there is still no other believable interpretation of that.

Likewise outside of being a somewhat odd joke, this is just Miyamoto talking about a popular non-Nintendo game he really enjoys, while still making Nintendo look like it's the best because he realizes Nintendo would look awful if he did anything else. Does he genuinely believe it would be best on DS? I dunno. And honestly, I don't care.

Angry birds sucks.......ah but wait, a lot of people like it so it must be awesome.NEWSFLASH: The majority of people are easily pleased!Take a look at the movie and the music singles charts for proof, games aren't no different.
A lot of people like Lady Gaga, doesn't mean she ain't s**t though.
Miyamoto is taking the p**s.

Good Show OldBoy! Quite so what what.
Sorry, just needed to do that.
Also Aviator's going to kill you now.

I actually enjoy Angry Birds on my iPhone when I'm bored and out of the house, but it doesn't have the same appeal on the PSP or PC for me. It's the fact that it's portable and completely playable in short spurts on a device that's nearly always in your pocket (purse for you ladies). I think had this been a Nintendo developed product on a Nintendo device, it'd have nowhere near the success that it currently has today.

@Slapshot: no, i'd imagine more than a few of us ladies keep our phones in our pockets too. I know i don't put anything that I don't want scratched or lost into my purse :3

Angry Birds? What's that?

Sincerely disagree. Sorry Miyamoto but I think you were getting over yourself there. Haha, you could flick Goombas and make it like mario that would be cool!
I'm kinda of the DS anyways. Occassionly I go on it but I think it's personally going downhill :S

P.S FluxOwl its this thing where you have to flick birds to get rid of pigs, look it up

@OldBoy Actually, unlike other forms of media, Video Games actually require a certain level of competency to become successful. There isn't a single game I can think of that actually became popular that wasn't technically sound, which is really all that's required for a game to be "good". How much you enjoy it is down to your personal tastes, but there's nothing really wrong with almost any game with a sizeable audience.

it wouldnt be better on ds it would be the same, boring but addictive

@Mickeymac Ah that must be why that new Star Wars Kinect game has shot to the top of the charts in the UK and why Just Dance et al are so successful.Such competent games.....oh wait........

just because a game sells well doesn't mean its good, look at ET the game it sold a ton and its crap, the same can be said about books and movies, just see if angry birds is as big in 20 yrs'

@OldBoy I did say almost. Just because you can come up with an exception doesn't instantly mean the rule is invalid. Star War won out because it's Star Wars, and once word of mouth reaches people that it's not that good, it'll stop doing well. Just Dance on the otherhand is actually a competent series. I suggest giving it a proper look over for once.

Hmmm...I suspect AB is successful because of a combination of factors. It's certainly not the first "knock-over-the-tower" type of game. Steven Spielberg was sure he had a hit on his hands with Boom Blox. And of course, the Worms games, and the games that inspired it (Scorched Earth, etc.) must have been some inspiration to the designers. I suppose I would rather play this game with a stylus, but I don't really want to play this game at all. Something about it's ubiquitous marketing blitzkrieg is unsavory to me. I'm tired of looking at it.

Crap, I forgot about Blethesda's game being riddled with bugs, so I guess there are more exceptions than I though. Off to do more research...

@Mickeymac Believe me, I have a wife and 2 daughters, I've played Just Dance, Zumba Fitness ,the lot. And while I'm not denying they can be fun, a competent Video Game they are not.The Wii has no clue whatsoever as to how well your dancing.My best scores come from sitting on my a88 on the sofa
I'm not implying that all popular games are incompetent but popularity does not immediately equate to quality.

@OldBoy That might actually be the fault of the hardware. Wii Sports for instance can be played just as well sitting down using small movements as you can the way it was designed to be played.

And thanks for clearing that up, but at least in Angry Bird's case, it is actually pretty good for what its meant to be. It's only popular because it's a simple game with regular updates than can be played in short bursts. I know they're pushing it with the extreme push for brand recognition, but it got to where it is now simply by word of mouth, based on it's own merits. You seem to be implying otherwise, and I just don't get it.

All I'm trying to say is that yes, the most popular games are not the best, but they are usually good at least. Games are still games, and games don't usually last long unless people find them fun.

I'm not ENTIRELY sure it would have worked better on the DS... but the 3DS? Now we're getting somewhere.

I've played angry birds. Its a pretty OK game but not all that great,well at least not great enough to have its own hats,shirts,toys,and even candy. It does seem like it would be easier to control on the DS.

A story about Angry Birds and Waltz getting the rant machine going. What a surprise.

There is no reason why it couldn't have worked on a Nintendo machine. I disagree with Miyamoto about it being possibly better on the (3)DS but it wouldn't have been horrible. There are a couple of minigames in New SMB on the DS that have a similar sort of idea, they work fine. It would have worked. WiiWare would have also worked but the real system to put it on would be the WiiU.

Think about it, bird on the touchscreen and the whole scene on the TV in full 1080p glory. The best way you can possibly play that game, a tablet, combined with a full display of the damage on your TV. Perfection.

@TrueWiiMaster You tell'em!
@ChocoGoldfish I know a smartFONE game/app that would play better on the DS(or a piece paper)… Drawsmthin!

Why can't they just release it for DSiWare? I don't own any Apple products, so I never got to try this little gem of a game. I'd like to play it, but I can't...

Maybe they will someday release it as a download, to be played on the Wii-U tablet?

Angry Birds didn't go on NDS because of Nintendo's strict policies, also Angry Birds is like 99cents, on DSiWare download it would have porbably costed like $8-10 with Nintendo. Yay....simple truth behind Nintendo on that one...but Sony and Microsoft do it too...

@Stardust
You don't necessarily need any apple products to play, you can get it (for free) on Android or just download it here if you use Chrome.
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/aknpkdffaafgjchaibgeefbgmgeghloj?utm_source=chrome-ntp-icon
I have the game on my droid, played it for ~half an hour and got bored to it, I don't really get all the fuss around it.

I dont really have an interest in angry birds. I mean it is a good game, I just play other games because I only own 10 handhelds =). I wouldnt buy it but im sure many people would 'coz angry birds is angry birds', right? Anyway I think it would be good to have an option where you can use the buttons.

Angry Commenters!

Of course he'd say that. He works for Nintendo.

Boom Blox is a 3D angry birds. In my opinion it was better.

@hydeks What strict policies? It's not like the game has any content in it Nintendo would consider objectionable. I've even seen Angry Birds Plushies at various retail stores, so it's obviously popular enough if they're worried about sales numbers. Just release it for DSi and score a little bit of extra revenue off it. Then give the DSi version some exclusive levels not found elsewhere to give people who already own it for other platforms the incentive to download it again. Even a budget-level retail DS release would likely sell boatloads. I would definitely buy it in a cart format.

@kyuubikid213 Think about it, having it on DS or what ever version of DS would've been better. There is two screens, one to launch the birds and another to look at hitting the pigs/forts.

@hydeks You're very right about that. But, they maybe would've put it for like $1 or less. It does seem like a rip off taking a game that's 99 cents on Apple and such, and then put it into DSIware/Eshop for $8.

Well, we will actually get to know soon, angry birds are coming to 3DS. Maybe he is right? And maybe he said this ("angry birds would have been better on DS") just to make people discuss the matter, so they would be more interested in trying the 3DS game when it gets out.

Touch screen devices only took off because the DS showed everyone how they could be used. And most of the tablet games have been ripped of various DS games most notably Wario Ware Touched!

there are more tablet owners than DS owners. the game is much cheaper (and some are free for the first level) on the tablets and iOS. who wants to pay $50 for a five dollar app? most games on the DS are also worth no more than $5 to $10 as they are junk shovelware or flash game upgrades. so no, it wouldn't have been better on the DS for the company because nintendo would make it exclusive and the publisher would lose lots of money. miyamoto is an idiot. oh and jealous too. sounds like his bitter days when grand theft auto vice city lit the ps2 on fire and n64 and gamecube were kiddy systems (the new wii systems are just as kiddy).

Miyamoto: "Angry Birds Would Have Been Better on DS" - True that, amen.