Metroid Database.com

EDIT: This same translated interview was actually published last year on Siliconera.

Glitterberri has just posted up a newly translated interview with Sakamoto from 2003. During that time, Sakamoto was developing Zero Mission. Her blog claims it was taken from a site called the Game Staff List Association Japan.

Notable quotes:

That's how I came to admire [Gunpei Yokoi]. Thinking back on it now, the NES, for Yokoi, was more of a device used for projecting images on a TV than a game system. I believe he was always thinking about what he could do with it in those terms. We'll never know the truth, though.

One day, however, Shigeru Miyamoto wandered over to our room and asked "Is there anyone here willing to lend us a hand?" That's how I ended up doing sprite art for Donkey Kong Jr., which turned out to be my first real experience with video games.

The original Metroid first came into being as our desire to create a game that took place in a gloopy, alien-like world. In early development, there were only rows of blocks, and the backgrounds didn't give you the sense that they were alive. The Chozo were also something that resulted from this process. The game was headed up by then-newcomers Hirofumi Matsuoka and Hiroji Kiyotake, but when it came to representing the civilization of an undiscovered planet, I'd hand what I'd written to Matsuoka and tell him "Put this in," and he would. *laughing*

Sakamoto's decision to make Fusion more story-driven as well as altering the game's play control was due to him wanting to not frustrate or confuse players that were new to the series.

I think the true fun of Metroid lies in spending time searching for secret passages and getting yourself hopelessly lost. That's why I started out by choosing to emphasize the story in Fusion, and now I'm showcasing Metroid's roots in Zero Mission. If I don't continue releasing games that feature Metroid's origins and games that feature Metroid's story, I won't get any ideas about where to go next.

Sakamoto also notes the following games have made impression with him over the years: The Portopia Serial Murder Case, Gradius, Xevious, Star Fox, Super Mario Bros., and The Legend of Zelda. The whole interview is worth a read if you're interested in finding out more on one of Nintendo's most eccentric designers, so check it out.

--Infinity's End