The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Preview

"So how many people have actually had a chance to play Skyward Sword since the presentation this morning?" Shigeru Miyamoto asks.

Lots of hands go up.

"Now I'd like to ask a question to those people. How many of you, after playing, realised that what happened on stage was in fact wireless interference and had absolutely nothing to do with the game?"

Lots of hands go up. Then laughter. Then clapping.

"Arigato."

So begins The Legend of Zelda portion of Nintendo's annual E3 post press conference round table session at the Los Angeles Convention Center. And it is a good place to begin, because Miyamoto's live demo of Skyward Sword was, frankly, embarrassing - one of the great E3 embarrassments, in fact. It was as if Miyamoto, the man who created Zelda, was playing the game for the first time.

Twitter, of course, had a field day. As Miyamoto's gestures with the MotionPlus-enabled Wii Remote fell on deaf ears, observers licked their lips and cracked their knuckles. Sarcasm... roll out!

As a huge Zelda fan, Miyamoto's explanation of the gaff is gloriously reassuring. It puts the issue to bed, allowing we fanboys to turn our excitable thoughts to other Hyrulian matters. Well, almost.

"I was thinking of playing the game again myself and recreating that same demo here this afternoon as a form of revenge for what happened this morning," Miyamoto says with a smile. "But it seems that those of you that have played the game have come to understand that it was in fact wireless interference."

During Miyamoto's in-depth round table discussion, the great man comes across as a funny, intelligent and charming man. His words hit the ears of his captivated audience like blown kisses. But he also carried all the enthusiasm of a young boy about to explore his first cave, or plant his first seed, or create his first Italian plumber. Miyamoto is rightly called a legend - and he is aware of his status within the industry - but he has not allowed his success to affect the way he speaks to the press. There is no arrogance. No dismissive sneers. Just a willingness to spread the good word of Wii and, more specifically, The Legend of Zelda.

Which is exactly what we're doing. Below you'll find the transcript of Miyamoto and producer Eiji Aonuma's discussion of Skyward Sword, which the two conduct as the game is being played on a huge television, in full. We haven't edited it, because it needs no editing. It's just two men having a chat in front of at least a hundred wide-eyed journalists who can't believe their luck. Enjoy.