Games have come along way. From the simple, white blocks of Pong's paddles we have now to come to a point where games are so technologically advanced that they more or less look photo-realistic, ala Crysis. But, have we lost our grasp on games that can be truly classed as classics?

In the past, titles such as Super Mario World, Space Invaders, Sonic the Hedgehog; these were truly classic games. But at the moment, they are unappreciated by the majority of today's "generation".

We live today, in the GTA generation, where a game can only really be good if it has some sort of weaponry in it, along with lots of blood and violence. You only have to look at Gamespot's top-ten viewed at the bottom of it's home page, San Andreas is there all the time.

So am I writing this blog? Is it because I'm an old-school gamer who would prefer to play Sonic 3 over Half-Life 2? Well, yes and no. I'd love to play Sonic 3 over Half-Life 2, but at the same time I appreciate both games for their greatness. No, the reason I'm writing this blog is because today the gaming demographic has seemed to lost sight of what truly makes a great game.

As every true gamer/geek/nerd should know by now, Super Mario Galaxy is being released on Friday over here in the UK. Also, as every gamer/geek/nerd should be, I'm seriously excited about getting my grubby hands on it. Now, it's not every day a true Mario game comes out. In fact it's been close to 5 years since Mario Sunshine was released, so it's a pretty big deal. Yes, I know that there've been other Mario games such as New Super Mario Bros, and Mario Kart DS and whatnot, but what gamers have been really looking for is a proper sequel to Mario 64, undoubtedly one of, if not THE best, game of all time. And even though Mario Galaxy is nearly upon us, it seems as though the majority of retailers couldn't give a rat's ass.

I rang up Gamestation on Lord St. in Liverpool earlier to find out whether they were having a midnight launch or not. I expected them to; I mean, seriously, a spiritual sequel to Mario 64? Yes please! But, no, it turns out they're not. A little put-back and a little confused I rang the other Gamestation in St Johns shopping centre. But they're not either. This is where I really got pissed off. Both of these stores did a midnight launch for Halo 3, which was a good game yes, but honestly, there've been 3 Halo games in the same amount of time as there has been 1 Mario game. Mario Galaxy surely is a bigger deal then Halo 3?

But apparently not. No, it seems as though the majority of retailers will only do special midnight launches for games if they appeal to the GTA generation, not whether they can be considered true classics or not. And yes, some Fanboys will argue all night long that Halo 3 can be considered a classic, but I just fail to see how Mario Galaxy can be any less of a deal then another FPS.

Now don't get me wrong, I went to the midnight launch for Halo 3, and I love the game, but it angers me at how much people are losing sight of great games. DK Jungle Beat, Kirby Power Paintbrush, both great games yet under-appreciated because they don't involve guns or overt violence, or were too hard for the little kiddies to play.

Games can be considered an art-form. There have beena million FPS' released this year, and another infinity of them to come. Mario Galaxy is the sort of game that comes round only once in a blue moon. And you can be damn sure it'll probably be another 5 years, if not more, until another 3D Mario game is released. Now if only retailers took it's release more seriously. I give props to the few GAME stores around the country who are doing something special to celebrate Galaxy's launch. The rest need to get a grip.