"Every time I make a series, I want to make a completely new game. Especially when the younger you are as a director, you want to make something completely different. When we made Mario 1, 2, and 3, we always started from zero. The evidence of that is that new hardware became necessary. This time with the Cube, we put in a lot of effort from the frontline. When we announced Mario 128, we were already working on Super Mario Sunshine. At that time, the basic actions were completed; however in the eyes of a Mario player, it was not enough. To go beyond Mario meant using actions to discover new things. Understanding that and retaining elements from Mario 64 was how we passed this year. The most important goal was when players start playing, Mario can move like it was a part of them. Another thing is that I had confidence in the N64 controller, but when I felt the two controllers recently, the GameCube controller felt much more comfortable. I hope the players will get use to the controller. After 10 years, I am confident in the controller such that I can say that in 10 years, the controller will be the standard of the world. So please give it a try. "

"I think we may have raised the bar of 3D action games again. It is apparent that it is quite difficult to jump around in a 3D environment. By hovering, the player can go here and there freely. It is a good fit with 3D jumping games. "

"I am 50 years old this year. The Mario series has pretty much become my lifework. From now on every year I will still work on it; I hope more people will play it. "

Thanks to Planet GameCube for the translation!

Source: Nintendo of Japan, Planet GameCube