We've had so many great years together, shared so many fantastic memories... Ever since we first started our relationship back in April of 1997 when my father brought home a Nintendo 64, you had always been there for me.
Super Mario 64. Banjo-Kazooie. Ocarina of Time. Pokémon. Mario Kart 64. Super Smash Bros. Wind Waker. Metroid Prime. Twilight Princess. Super Mario Galaxy. Such great and special moments were shared with you over the last twelve and a half years... And that's why this is so hard to do.
I'm breaking up with you. You're not the company I thought you once were. I was like every other fan of your's when the Wii was unveiled. "Really? You're going in that direction? Alright then, I'll trust you" is what I thought. And for a while it was fun. But you have since slipped away from me and have been seeking attention from those who never appreciated you.
You brought the industry back to life in '83 with Mario. An industry that was quickly withering from an abundance of terrible games. You even went so far as to approve the quality of games that were released on your first console, the NES, with the 'Nintendo Seal of Quality' badge on game covers.
Look at you now. Yes, you succeeded in bringing video games to the mainstream and helping to make our beloved industry be taken with less criticism and cynicism. But at what cost?
You tout that casual games are bridging the mainstream consumer to the gaming market, but does that really mean that those who made you what you are today should suffer? I remember the night I lined up to receive the Wii from my local EB Games at midnight thinking "this is it. This is going to change everything". I was right. Too right.
Now, I'm not saying that you have completely forgotten us hardcore fans. You have brought us some fantastic games such as Galaxy, Brawl and Twilight Princess, but to quote Eddie Murphy, "what have you done for me lately?".
Yeah you released New Super Mario Bros. Wii, but look at the lack of effort that game shows - two unnamed Toad characters, no online multiplayer, a visual presentation not unlike that of the DS version... Then there's Wii Sports
Resort. Now my arm-flapping motions are recognised with more accuracy. So what? And to go back to last year, there's
Wii Music and Animal Crossing: Let's go to the City - two titles that I could write an entire spiel about of their own.
Thankfully the DS is equipped with an enormous library of fabulous games... Too bad your home console's is packed with crap. You continue to argue that the consumer doesn't "need" or "want" high definition graphics. Have you not heard the continuous outcry your fans have made since even the days of the Revolution? You also claim that online play is unsafe for minors due to vulgarities by other players. Though this may be true in a lot of cases, was it really necessary to give such a gimped friends system that utilises numbers instead of usernames? What's wrong with leaving it up to the individual to decide who they do and don't want to talk to, or lo and behold, even leave it for parents to do their jobs? This was just the easiest option for you create - lord forbid that you actually enforce and monitor rules regarding good sportsmanship and a fun community of online gaming.
I want to love you again, but I fear you will never come back to us. I'm willing to bet that you haven't noticed that most of us who have followed you for almost all of our gaming lives have left you. Or perhaps you just don't care. Regardless, I can't keep kidding myself. Perhaps we should just be friends, and I can look forward to enjoying your company every now-and-again... Or is that too much to ask?
