Yeah, so I updated my games, and they won't change from now until a LONG time. Just so you know, my plan is to leave on a two-year religious excursion...going on a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I would invite any of you who want to learn more about this to check out www.lds.org or www.mormon.org. It's great, you may learn something. Who knows?

But yeah, so my plan is to try to get my mom to buy my Wii from me, because my family enjoys it. I'm putting money in an account right now for the Xbox 360. I want to get that in a couple of years. They're bound to have less hardware failures, cheaper SKUs, and everything. Plus, all the big-ticket games I really, really want to play will be out. These include (but are not limited to) Resident Evil 5, Bionic Commando, Bionic Commando Rearmed, and Banjo-Kazooie 3.

ANYway, if you're interested in where I'm going, I may post something once I actually get my call and know where I will be serving my mission for the church. I won't be on here much, but if you send me a message, I may see it. I'm changing a lot of my habits right now. Yep.

I must admit it - I really, really hate the approach Nintendo has been taking this generation. Sure, their focus on a more casual audience has paid off big time as far as their sales go, but I just can't stand how many awful limitations they really have with the stupid Wii. It pains me to say it, being the big Zelda, Mario, Metroid, Star Fox, and Donkey Kong fan that I am, but I am just hating the Wii!

My biggest beef with them is that the games I really should be anticipating and enjoying end up disappointing me. They all fail for the same reason: they WORK BEST WITH THE GAMECUBE CONTROLLER. Anybody see something wrong with that? With Super Mario Galaxy being the only notable exclusion, every single first-party game has been better with the old controller. Zelda: Twilight Princess is generally preferred on the GameCube, Super Smash Bros. Brawl is no contest, and even early hands-on previews of the upcoming Mario Kart Wii are touting the GCN controller as the best option. This is so wrong!

So I say that next generation, Nintendo does something unprecedented. I submit that they should have a cheap casual system for all the people who care about that kind of thing, and have some unique and interesting control scheme there (like the Wii 2 or something like that). This system would have all the WarioWare, Wii Sports, etc. etc. type of games. It would be unique and interesting, and certainly worth a buy for those who enjoy lighter fare. But then, they should have another console - one that competes neck-and-neck with the big powerhouses. They could have sleek, awesome processing power, a great online community, and all the AAA Nintendo titles with a solid, regular gamepad! They wouldn't have to ditch innovation, but that's where they'd put their core games, and third parties could place their awesome multiple-console titles on it too (such as Call of Duty 4, The Orange Box, etc. - the equivalent, anyway).

So what would the downside to this be? It could be difficult to create a rift between your own fanbase. I'm sure if they made each of them appealing, there wouldn't be TOO big a problem. The issue of third party support is also a problem. You wouldn't want the one system being a dumping ground for awful shovelware.

I really like this idea of a dual-console generation, though! Tell me what you think could improve this. Let's face it: Nintendo has been neglecting its hardiest of fans, even if it does throw a bone every now and then.

Wii Golf, eat your heart out.

The only other viable option I can see is them making a completely unique (but powerful) new system next generation. They could still have some tilt in the controller, but take out the IR and instead have that awesome Z Camera. They're not going to be able to appeal to a casual crowd again with another Wii. The casual crowd, by definition, is not totally into getting every new bit of hardware. So there.

So. I have a lot I want to vent about. First off, Super Smash Bros. Brawl. It's...great, I guess. As far as Super Smash goes. Don't know quite what I was expecting, but I do think I knew that I wasn't going to be totally in love with the game. I never have been terribly infatuated with the series, so it comes as no surprise. I've unlocked every stage and character, and most of the music tracks. It's ridiculous how much I've played it in one week, but I'm about done with it now. I completed the Subspace Emissary, which was okay, and I decided that I'm already sick of the Wii. Sorry folks. I love Nintendo games, but I'm sick of putting up with their crap for now. Maybe next generation.

I'm currently trying to complete the professional mode of Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition. MAN, it's hard! It took me over an hour and a half to defeat Krauser, and I had to do it THREE TIMES because of the stupid timed bombs that blow up afterwards. Annoying. I'm almost through with it though. Then I'll be back to my apartment after spring break to play Ninja Gaiden Black on my roommate's Xbox. I'm pretty dang far in it, and I'll definitely see it through. I like challenging action games, as long as they're not straight-up shooters. Which are really too tough for me.

So that's what's going on right now. Feel free to comment and whatever. As an update, I'm going to attempt to convince my mom to buy my Wii from me so I can stick the money in a savings account to get a 360 in a couple years. That's what I really want to do. Adios.

Well, I've been playing Brawl to death since I got it at the midnight launch. It's pretty darn good, so I'm fairly satisfied with it. I mean, disappointments aside, it's not a bad game, and I'll certainly never run out of things to do.

Anyone who wants to lose hardcore can take me on. My friend code is 1075-0390-2702, with my nickname being CHEEZ. Yeah. So please, feel free to PM me or something if you want to take me on. It IS Spring Break for me, so...yeah.

I was just reading IGN's Mario Kart Wii Preview, and I've got to say I'm completely disappointed by what I've seen. The game looks WORSE than Double Dash (which didn't exactly push the GameCube's power to its limit either), it seems to move slower, and it's completely tailored to a casual audience. I'm not sure what to think about this...I always thought that Mario Kart was a decent franchise that Nintendo really wanted to capitalize on by maintaining good quality. Well, I guess my decision to make the 360 my core system in a few years is set in stone. Nintendo, what the crap is wrong with you?

It just seems to me like Nintendo is totally butchering what they have. Brawl could have been twice as good in its new areas if they'd actually try to cater to a hardcore audience, with solid online leaderboards and stat tracking. But no...it'll discourage younger players and the grandmas who don't ever play online. Now Mario Kart Wii is showing some shoddy production values, even for the Wii. I thought Super Mario Galaxy was an indication of where Nintendo was going, but it seems to have been their ace in the hole, and now they're just resting on their laurels.

And unlucky for us fans who are disappointed by this turn of events, Mario Kart Wii will sell like mad regardless. I'm not saying it'll be the worst game ever, but don't expect a 9.0+ average. That's all I'm saying.

I just finally wrote a review on the N64 game Super Smash Bros. I mean, everybody seems to love it, but...well, read my review. In case you think I'm just anti-SSB, also read my older review for Super Smash Bros. Melee.

I don't really know how excited I am for Brawl, but I'm picking it up at midnight this Saturday. So there. I guess we'll see how much I enjoy it.

I've always been puzzled by the descriptions reviewers use as to the length of games. I heard Twilight Princess described as a "60-hour adventure" from 1UP.com, and much longer than that otherwise. There are so many games that are described as being insane amounts of hours too, from Final Fantasy to Mass Effect and so on. However, is it just me, or are these often careless exaggerations? I beat Twilight Princess in less that 27 hours, and I was taking time to explore a bit too and savor the experience. I beat Final Fantasy VII in a dedicated week only using a good...30 hours or so, maybe less. Final Fantasy VIII ultimately racked up 75 hours from me, but only because I completed every side quest. The only games that really seemed to really take as long, or longer, than reviewers say are the Pokemon games. I think I dedicated well over 100 hours to Yellow, Silver, Ruby, and LeafGreen versions. That's probably why I won't ever play the games again unless the sequels are vast improvements, which they haven't been.

Anybody else puzzled by this? Maybe I'm just too good at games...

I cannot believe that it is still about two and a half weeks until Brawl is released. The more time that passes, the harder it is to keep from information that's right at my fingertips. The more interviews and everything I read, though, the more disappointed I am by certain features in the game. Sakurai-san, the lead producer/director dude for Brawl, has gone on record stating there will be no downloadable characters or anything of the sort, he will not personally make a DS iteration, and he made the online modes like they are because he's an idiot. That's about it. There is no stat tracking because it's so intimidating to new online players. You know, when you realize you are terrible at Super Smash, it hurts your stupid feelings. Who the crap cares?

Anyway, beyond that, I'm finding my anticipation for the 360 almost too much to bear. I plan on buying one in a couple of years because, hey, I'm going on an LDS mission fairly soon and I don't want to get it yet. By then, hardware revisions will make it more reliable and the games I really want will be out. I'm talking Banjo-Kazooie 3, Resident Evil 5, Bionic Commando...it's all so awesome. But they won't be out before I'm gone. Oh well. They'll be cheaper by then.

And...I've realized I really, really hate the Wii. Sure, there's really neat things on it (that's why I still have one...Brawl, Super Mario Galaxy, and Mario Kart are the only reasons...) but I have started to loathe the Virtual Console, I despise Nintendo's approach on anything resembling technological trends (especially with online stuff), and I'm sick of GameCube games, so I never play them on it anyway. In a couple of years, it will be my secondary system that I use only for the must-have titles exclusive to the console, but nothing else. Ugh...Wii is good for Nintendo but bad for me...

Now that Super Smash Bros. Brawl is out in Japan, and it will be gracing US shores in less than four weeks, now my mind is turned to the issue that's been bothering me all along: is there a possibility of downloadable content in the future? I can see it working incredibly well if they incorporated the SD cards better. See, they could have theme packs, such as a "Non-Nintendo Pack" that has a few new characters like Cloud, Leon Kennedy, Mega Man, Simon Belmont, and others, plus a handful of new levels themed around these characters' games.

Frankly, why wouldn't they do this? Fans would pay through the nose to get even more characters and levels. They could also offer a pack that includes all of the missing stages from Melee, slightly updated visually and otherwise. I have a hard time understanding why Nintendo kicks against what is becoming an industry norm so much. Mario Kart would benefit similarly. Imagine being able to download ALL of the past stages in the Mario Kart series on the Wii, downloading a Double Dash mode, and even having new items, characters and courses. Do you know how much it would rock if Nintendo would actually start incorporating this stuff into their strategy? They certainly have the service to do all of this...and it would expand the lifespan of their already-impressive titles dramatically. C'mon, big N! Satisfy your core players!!

Well, happy February, everyone. I hope everything's going well. The winter blues are finally starting to subside a little bit...but I'm still having trouble enjoying things as much as I want to. I'm SO going to enjoy myself with Brawl, though. I'd better. I've got my new Wii all set up, and it's going fine. I played about six or seven hours of Resident Evil 4 on Saturday with a friend (we're trying to get through professional mode) and I am just trying to get through this week alive. Ugh...

For those who missed it, my new Wii number is 1453 6173 3362 0523. I've already PM'd all of you who I had previously added, but if you want to newly add me, be sure to alert me. I want to beat up as many of you as possible on Brawl. So there.