Nintendo's latest from GDC

Earlier today, legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto took the stage at the 2007 Games Developer Conference in San Francisco. With thousands of eager eyes on him, Miyamoto encouraged developers to free themselves from the constraints and inhibitions. If you have an idea for a game, no matter how out there it is (or unprofitable it may seem), do it. Take the risk. Turns out the phenomenal Mii creation idea started on the Famicom more than 20 years ago and ever-so-slowly evolved into the pop-culture sensation we all know today. The lesson being, even though the idea didn't work at first, or even after 10 years, he kept it in the back of his head until technology caught up with his vision. In a time of relentless sequels and year-to-year upgrades, innovation is the key to making successful software. The Mii Channel is just one of his ideas to come to light after years of uncertain executions.

Miis have become so key to Wii's success, there's going to be a new channel added to the console dedicated to comparing and sharing Miis with players all over the world. There's no name or timetable for it, but let's hope it comes bundled with a new set of haircuts and noses.

So, after an hour of developerspeak, Miyamoto finally showed us the goods - a fresh, new look at Super Mario Galaxy. You can see the trailer on the next page, plus new screenshots by clicking the Images tab above. The main point to take away from Galaxy is the overall cleanliness of the visuals - they're uncluttered yet busy, clean yet breathtakingly vibrant. It's easily the best-looking Wii game we've seen so far, and will no doubt jump start our slowly ailing hearts after five years with no new Mario adventure.