Mark Cerny Is A Big Pikmin Guy

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Mark Cerny, the lead architect behind the PlayStation Vita, PS4, and PS5, recently discussed his favorite games on the “My Perfect Console” podcast with Simon Parkin. He chose five games he’d want to save for future generations, and a particularly touching moment came when he revealed his fondness for Nintendo’s Pikmin, sharing his deep appreciation for the game.

I was really surprised to hear Mark Cerny talk about Pikmin! Even though he’s known for his work with PlayStation, he said playing the original Pikmin was a totally “transformative” experience for him. He explained how invested he got in Captain Olimar’s journey – really feeling for him as he tried to survive and get back home. It was cool to hear something so different from what I usually hear him talk about!

For about ten years, I mostly played smaller, more casual games – things like Portal, Plants vs. Zombies, Flower, and Katamari Damacy. I mentioned Pikmin because its story really stuck with me. It’s about Captain Olimar, who crash-lands on a planet and has only 30 days to repair his ship before he runs out of oxygen. He sends letters home every day, which adds to the emotional impact.

He explained that he really appreciates a compelling narrative, and he particularly enjoyed how Pikmin 2 developed its story. He admitted he’s easily drawn in by a good plot, but Pikmin 2 was unique. The game takes place on Earth, where you control Pikmin to collect garbage. He specifically remembers a section where you’re even running around someone’s bathroom floor, and another where you’re trying to escape debt collectors. However, he feels a special fondness for the original Pikmin game.

While the discussion of Pikmin was particularly meaningful, Cerny also talked about other games he’d chosen to showcase his ideal console. These included Defender, a classic from Atari that reminded him of his early career, alongside Sony’s story-driven RPG The Legend of Dragoon, the indie hit Firewatch, and the popular action game Hades. His selections covered games from many different eras, demonstrating how game design has changed over time.

Mark Cerny explained he wasn’t evaluating games from a technical standpoint, as if designing new hardware. He clarified he wasn’t designing a console and therefore wasn’t focused on how demanding games like GTA 6 would run. Instead, he was simply exploring a variety of engaging games created over the past five decades.

Mark Cerny has a long and impressive career in gaming, starting with classics like Marble Madness at Atari and later contributing to Sonic the Hedgehog 2 after founding the Sega Technical Institute. While he’s now best known for his work with PlayStation and Sony’s game development teams, many were surprised to see him express enthusiasm for plant-based characters.

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2025-12-02 19:41