I've received several responses to my opinion piece last week. I'd like to clarify something for you. There's nothing wrong with productive criticism, which is what I offered. I want to see Nintendo succeed. That said, my worries are not hollow and I feel it's important Nintendo hears them.
I've had a weekend for things to sink in and I'd like to again present my thoughts -- not a business view but the perspective of a gamer.
Love at first sight.
The past few days have left me with a permanent case of goosebumps. It started on Wednesday evening and spread across my body. Nintendo has literally cultivated my dreams and transformed them into the Wii. I've long argued that in addition to increasing visuals, increases in interaction are necessary. The Wii remote accomplishes that. I've also argued that online distribution is the future. The Virtual Console accomplishes that. Finally, I've argued for a sense of community and continuity between the game world and real-life. The Wii Channels and WiiConnect24 accomplishes that. In my eyes, the Wii is perfection.
Some were surprised by my prior comment of Wii dominating this coming generation. You know, I just have this feeling in my gut. And when that feeling involves Nintendo, I'm rarely wrong.
People are quick to argue that Wii can't possibly compete with the visuals of PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Graphics matter to me. However, their worth is comparable to the hair on my nipples. Now, you behave. Has the average-graphics of the Game Boy, PlayStation, Nintendo DS, or PlayStation 2 taught us nothing?
It's about the games -- fat, tall, black, white, and small. Wii games, GameCube games, N64 games, SNES games, Genesis games, NES games, TurboGrafx games, MSX games and more to be announced. Nintendo delivers. Nintendo absolutely delivers.
This is why Nintendo will dominate and also why I offered the word of caution. "When you're finally at the top again, don't make the mistakes of Sony or the past Nintendo -- don't forget how you got there. Take care of those who make the 'games' and likewise take care of your customers."
Some of you might laugh at my prediction as nothing more than fanboy fluff. If you've read my past articles, you'll know I have no problem throwing criticism at Nintendo. N-Sider was one of the first to point out that Nintendo lacked a clear direction and strategy with GameCube. We were the first to question Nintendo's lack of new game styles and genres at E3. And we'll be the first to let you know if Nintendo has steered off course with Wii. Yes, we have worries. But it doesn't mean they won't or haven't been addressed. Our concerns mainly stem from our lack of information. However, as I've conveyed multiple times already, the comfort gained from the lineup of Wii games far outweighs our small worries -- within a year of launch we'll have Super Mario Galaxy, Zelda: Twilight Princess, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Paper Mario, and Metroid Prime 3. Wow.
I love what Nintendo has done with Wii, creating the console I've always daydreamed of since my youthful viewings of Saturday morning cartoons. I'm confident in the future of both Nintendo and this industry. And the Nintendo fanboy in me won't deny, a goosebumps cure is something I hope to never see.