Mario Kart | Nintendo DS | general producer | controller

-1997
Mario Kart 64 is an instant classic, bringing white-knuckle racing to the masses.

-2001
While playing in his garden, Miyamoto creates the concept for the quirky GameCube real-time strategy title Pikmin.

-2002
Animal Crossing (GameCube and Game Boy Advance) challenges players to interact with living worlds filled with minigames and memorable personalities.

-2005
Miyamoto acts as general producer on virtual pet sensation Nintendogs for Nintendo DS.

-2007
Super Mario Galaxy for Wii will debut. It's set to reaffirm the designer's legendary status.

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The Wii Revolution
Nintendo's latest cutting-edge, interactive gaming
system lets players really get in the game.

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The new Wii console has a lot going for it: top-tier titles (Elebits, Excite Truck), a sleek all-white look, and a low sticker price. Plus, playing the system burns - not builds - calories. No joke: Unlike contemporary set-top diversions, a two-piece, motion-sensitive TV-remote-style controller gives couch potatoes the chance to channel their inner athlete or gunman, tracking and translating physical prompts into on-screen movement. For the first time, you can truly experience how it feels to swing a sword in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess or to wield an arm-mounted laser, courtesy of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.

Hands-on tests with the ultraresponsive unit's control scheme - divided into a nunchuk-like thumb-stick attachment and a stereo speaker/­vibration sensor-equipped pad - reveal the action isn't all blood and guts either. Players can swing the handheld device to send balls soaring during a round of Wii Sports tennis or conduct entire orchestras with a wave of a virtual wand. Rather than high-definition graphics (a key selling point for Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation­ 3), the emphasis here is squarely on novel play mechanics.