Defending the Wii

With the Wii U now visible on the horizon, I can already feel the skepticism bubbling under the surface of the gaming public. There’s a lingering shadow of failure over the Wii. Somehow, despite being the best selling console of this generation, people seem to think of Nintendo’s little white machine as an abysmal failure that didn’t satisfy. Somehow, despite providing a long list of some of the best games this generation, gamers angrily accuse Nintendo of giving them nothing to play.

If you bought a Wii and didn’t have anything to play, it’s your own fault. You were clearly one of the brainwashed masses that got caught up in popular sentiment and failed to see the terrific experiences lying on shelves right under your nose. Why do you think third party support was lacking? Because you brushed aside the great games that were given to you and didn’t buy them so developers eventually gave up. Did the system fail to live up to its potential? Oh hell yeah. Did it lack third party support (whatever the reason)? Yup. Was its release schedule spotty enough to keep it from being someone’s primary gaming system? Yes, this too.

But considering its relatively meager cost and the fact that no one I know or have ever heard of actually tried to use it as their primary gaming system, I think Nintendo deserves a lot of credit for what they actually did do right.

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Best of the Decade - The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Platforms: GameCube, Wii

Release Date: November 19, 2006 (Wii version)

Publisher: Nintendo

Developer: Nintendo EAD

The announcement of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess way back at E3 2004 was one of the most ridiculous game reveals of all time. Geeks everywhere basically lost their shit, screaming their lungs out and crying literal tears of joy.

While that level of emotional reaction may seem silly to some, there was good reason for it. There was something about that more realistic take on the beloved Zelda universe that fans absolutely fell in love with. The anger over Wind Waker’s art style largely subsided once people actually got their hands on it, but there was no denying that most were still aching for a return to the vision of Hyrule shown to us by the classic Ocarina of Time.

In that respect, Twilight Princess was a return to form and then some. It combined the realistic art style introduced by Ocarina with the darker tone of Majora’s Mask. By lifting Majora’s Mask’s shape shifting concept and altering it to suit its story, Twilight Princess also provided a hefty dose of something somewhat different from Zelda norm.

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Best of the Decade: Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Platform: Wii

Release Date: March 8, 2008

Publisher: Nintendo

Developer: Nintendo, Game Arts, Monolith Soft

Like many gamers of my generation who grew up on the NES, I have a soft spot for Nintendo. I’ve had plenty of criticisms of the company over the years, but no matter how many times they screw up, I can’t help be drawn back in by their charming titles. Nintendo seems to have a knack for delivering pure, unadulterated fun more consistently than just about any other studio.

That fun comes at a cost however, and that hasn’t ever been more evident than this latest generation of consoles. Nintendo has still managed to produce a steady string of quality games, but thanks to the success of the Wii, those games are now buried in minigame collections and cheap third party swill. Not only that, but Nintendo’s increased focus on the casual market means that the games true Nintendo fans crave are farther apart than ever before. 

But, if you’re willing to persevere and hold out for the occasional gem Nintendo throws your way amongst the Wii Sports sequels and crappy party games, they’ve still got some fantastic stuff up their sleeves. 

Super Smash Bros. Brawl is a celebration of all those good things Nintendo has managed to produce over the years. For a gamer like me, there is no other game that can produce the sheer amount of nostalgia and child-hearted glee that a Smash Bros. game can. After Melee I wondered how they could possibly top themselves and do it again. With Brawl I found out. 

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Best of the Decade: Super Mario Galaxy

Super Mario Galaxy

Platform: Wii

Release Date: November 12, 2007

Publisher: Nintendo

Developer: Nintendo EAD Tokyo

Everybody that buys Nintendo consoles anxiously awaits those rare days when we get to unwrap the plastic covering a precious new proper Mario game. Mario may be in half of the games Nintendo releases these days, but his proper platforming outings, the ones for which so many gamers hold him so dear, are still fairly few and far apart.

There’s a reason for this. Every last one of Mario’s games has been stellar. Some perhaps more or less than others, but more than just about any other franchise in Nintendo’s stable, Nintendo keeps each of Mario’s outings fresh and unique.

The ultimate case in point is Super Mario Galaxy. Nintendo made us wait for this one. Like Super Mario Sunshine, Wii owners were left without a new Mario game at launch. Sunshine, while a terrific game, received an unusually tepid response from the masses, for a Mario title at least. This left people wondering what would follow. Had Nintendo lost their touch? Could they revive the magic of Super Mario 64 two generations after the landmark title had come and gone?

Indeed they could. 

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Best of the Decade: Wii Sports

Wii Sports

Platform: Wii

Release Date: November 19, 2006

Publisher: Nintendo

Developer: Nintendo EAD

As geeks go, I must admit to being a somewhat boring example of the breed. I don’t often stand in lines at midnight waiting for new games. I haven’t stayed up playing a game for 24 hours straight. I haven’t played every game in a series through in a marathon session on a whim. 

At least, it used to be that way. November 19, 2006 marked a turning point of sorts in my geekdom. It was when I decided to head out into the cold winter night and create my first geeky tale. I’ve had others since, waiting in line for Left 4 Dead 2 at midnight, standing in line for countless hours in a packed mall to buy an iPhone 4, but nothing matches the wild, impromptu journey I took that night.

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