It has been, largely, one of those weeks where the biggest news was that the Game Boy Player accessory is apparently only going to be available in black (which itself is quite ridiculous).

But, thankfully, there was one fantastic piece of news to warm up the cold days of February- Shigeru Miyamoto, game designer extraordinaire, is coming to London! In this, Miyamoto's first ever European public appearance, he will be visiting the Virgin Megastore in London's Oxford Street on Friday 21st February at 1pm. It is another delirious high in Nintendo's roller-coaster-like treatment of Europe. Its also a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet someone who has contributed to the video games industry more than anyone.

Miyamoto has been the lead man behind such extraordinary franchises as Mario, Zelda, and Donkey Kong- over 70 games over the past 20-odd years. Miyamoto's creations have largely been responsible for the success of Nintendo the last two decades; his characters have an enduring appeal which hasn't waned a bit.

Mr. Miyamoto is perhaps best described as a games visionary- his games represent the best gaming has to offer; surely, there aren't many who can disagree with that.

Miyamoto-san is a hugely likeable and warm character who has had a massive role in shaping Nintendo's glorious past, having had a hand in development of all of Nintendo's consoles of the past few years. Known variously as Shigeru Miyamoto, Shigsy, and Shiggy, he has many admirers; he is, without a shadow of a doubt, the most respected and revered figure in gaming- the embodiment of the company he represents. (He has apologised many times for Nintendo being slow to release games in Europe; he has made it clear that he wishes to make amends for this.)

His many interests include playing air guitar and playing video games with his children, invariably losing to them (!).

In a nutshell, what I'm saying is this- if you have an interest in gaming, get yourself down to Oxford Street on Friday 21st . I encourage anyone who lives in the UK or who has transport to London to go. Oh, and don't forget to bring something to sign. Can I recommend taking your GameCube to be signed, with perhaps A Link to the Past for the SNES, Super Mario 64, or something more recent like Super Mario Sunshine? Not only will it fill your heart with a warm feeling, having met the undisputed king of gaming, but on a side note, anything you get signed will doubtless be worth a lot of money on internet auction sites. Just a suggestion.

If you do go, take a camera, and send us any good shots you happen to take- we'll be pleased to display the best on our site. Some of our staff members will be there, and if you happen to spot one of them, a free game will be yours. That last point was a lie.

So go and be happy- on February 21st, the ordinary people will finally have an opportunity to meet the person who has instilled in every one of us on this site a love of gaming- Mr. Shigeru Miyamoto, a video gaming legend if ever there was one.

"Video Games are bad for you? That's what they said about Rock 'N' Roll. "

-Shigeru Miyamoto

Mark Cullinane

[Add me to your MSN contact list at [email protected] if you want to talk, or for comments, [email protected] is your man.]