Well, I figure I should review almost every game I have for the Wii before I really get into it, and I have, just before November flies out the window.

I'm going to do it this way, so follow along if you know the words.

Nintendo as a business is absolutely brilliant. They sold a million Wiis in November. They are at 12 million sold, already surpassing the 360 with a year lead and by far the PS3. The DS has sold, according to Wikipedia, 53.64 million units. So, having said that, Nintendo knows how to make a great amount of money. And I am very happy for them, they make profit right out of the box for their systems, something Sony and Microsoft couldn't say.

However, we must look at WHY this is the case.

1.) Nintendo has traditionally been behind in the technology war, eschewing disc formats, online capability and now this generation, high definition graphics. The components in a Wii basically couldn't be GIVEN away if they were in a PC or Laptop. A 733 MHZ processor and 96 MB ram (yes, I know this is a relative term compared to PCs), but statistically, it is neck and neck with the Xbox of last generation.

While the 360 Has a 3.2 GHZ tri core CPU and a powerful graphics card and half a gigabyte of ram and the PS3 has the Blu-Ray disc, Cell Processor and a half gigabyte of XDRAM, they are leaps and bounds ahead of the Wii in terms of performance and cost.

Now it doesn't mean graphics should be the be all end all, but when you are playing games that look like they are Gamecube or prior in terms of quality, that says something. But what about the gameplay? We will get to that.

2.) Nintendo is a marketing genius. Pander to the lowest common denominator while claiming you remember those of us who supported them through the dark times (namely N64 and Gamecube). I've had every Nintendo system aside from the Virtua Boy (which is conveniently swept under the carpet). Now the point is that they eschew the hardcore Nintendo devotee for the most part in favor of last gen crappy graphics games and minigames and a multitude of licensed products (which everyone knows almost always suck).

So while they can market to families, grandparents, etc, they for the most part forgot their original supporters.

Yes, you have your Zeldas, Marios and all of that, but why do they not have the same charm or power they used to for the most part?

1.) I saw the same game last generation graphically.

2.) I don't even bother with the Virtual Console... 8 dollars for something that should have been free or a dollar? 5 Dollars for THIS?

That isn't the only other atrocious game put on there. For every Link to the Past or Super Mario World, there are 12 absolute stinkers. Besides, this is only good to people who weren't there in the beginning. I have my copies of SNES and NES masterpieces still.

3.) With the exception of replacing a button press with a wiggle of the Wiimote, I saw the same gameplay. I hate the Wiimote. It is an overly sensitive POS that does not make games more realistic or immersive, and heaven forbid, better. I was envisioning playing a swordfighting game (Such as the upcoming Force Unleashed) and being able to guide my sword stroke a certain direction and with a certain force and such.

Nope... you get wiggle waggle. Basically you can swing the sword fully, or just snap your wrist. If the accelerometer moves then you get motion. And motions are not tagged very well to sweeping arcs or thrusts or quick slices, nope, just look at Twilight Princess.

Racing games are over sensisitive but if you turn the controllers more than half a turn, the controls reverse and everything goes haywire.

That being said, I don't think for the most part Nintendo or other companies can accurately use the Wii to it's fullest. When it is used properly, its not as if it is a new feature, it's just using motion instead of a button press rather than actual concerted motions that go beyond mere depression of a button.

It has been only a year since the system was released, I'm hoping the system will become evolved past the "Wiggle Waggle" fest it is right now.

Another downer is the supposed "Wii Ware Channel". So far it has 4 items in it. What happened to the new innovative games that independent developers were supposed to be able to add? A year since the release and we see none? C'mon, where are the new versions of Double Dragon and beatemups or other dead genres?

While Nintendo has made a lot of money with promises of the newest Pokemon, Zelda and a quirky game like Brain Age (which doesn't make you smarter, just good at repeating things) and Wii Fit, it hasn't delivered its promise to the hardcore gamer that made them what they are.

What have they offered?

I wish I had this game on the Gamecube to be honest... The controls were frustrating as my review said (click on the link).

Click the box... I gave this game a 7.1 I think. I was mistaken. This should be worse. The core gameplay, which actually was good and would be acceptable... except for the fact that I actually returned this game for the full value it was SO bad graphically. I'm serious. I was extraordinarily generous with giving it a 3. This was PSone level graphics, which at this time makes a NEW 50$ game atrociously unplayable on a system that should be capable of much more. This game deserves a like a 4.0 that the graphics hamper the game that much.

That brings me to this point.

Remember this?

Yea, that's back when Nintendo was good.

This is what it says now. Notice something different? Like the "Of Quality Part?"

Nintendo traditionally allowed for almost no games to come out on their system. Now it's anyone who will develop a cashin crapbox game and pay royalties to Nintendo can do it.

My point being...

Smackdown Vs. Raw 2008 = 4.5

Spy Games : Elevator Mission = 2.0

Anubis II = 1.5

My point is, just look. Proportionately for every game thats AA or AAA on Nintendo systems, specifically the Wii especially, you get a dozen stinkers (wow, doesn't that sound familiar...)

Even one of my favorite GBA games can't be accurately or rather, better updated on the Wii. Yes, 8.3 is a great score... but man, this game is SHORT and nothing new, it didn't wow me like the original.

Again, another amazing game from a generation ago. This game plays a lot like the original predecessors, except it's a platformer. The difficulty is completely missing and the graphics look like they were swiped from the Thousand Year Door. Also, this DID NOT take advantage of the Wii controller. The original NES controller was probably sufficient to play it.

While I gave it an 8.0, I expect more from a game series that I rated in the 9.6 to 10.0 range...

But it's not all bad:

While I haven't been playing it that much recently due to work and that my Wii is back at my parents house an hour away from my school, this game IS good, rather superb. It has a lot of the magic you were looking for to be in Sunshine that wasn't there. The graphics are actually fantastic and DO take advantage of what the Wii can do. The controls are spot on, and this game even allows a 2nd player to help Mario out.

Finally, something that uses the Wii properly (although I wish this was in HD, that would truly be a sight to behold).

And now for why I really still have my Wii (no, not Wii sports, althogh that is a fun game to play drunk with friends, it's VERY boring by yourself... as are most other Wii games).

Considering I gave a 10.0 to Melee, this game has a lot to live up to, and since it features Solid Snake, Zero Suit Samus and online play with a full game mode beyond a mere 30 minute run, this game should be the epic that the hardcore community wants. My play time will be devoted to this game for a LONG time.

I must have blew a good number of study hours in undergraduate study in my senior year playing this with my friends on my floor. Yep... amazing game.

Mario Kart for the N64 was possibly my favorite game of all time on that system, even more so than Ocarina of time or ... well, Mario 64 was the bomb. Anyways, I can't wait to see how this turn out. And this is also coming out in Q1 2008.

There are a few other things I'm keeping my eyes on, but I'm not going into that.

If I didn't sell my DS to fund my PS3, I'd be looking for these two games personally.

Probably due to the fact they aren't either Pokemon, a brain training game or some licensed junk, that's why they appeal to me.

So like Sony, Nintendo has made some bad choices in terms of games in the past few months and year I believe, but they are turning it around. So while being a phenomenal business machine, get your act together Nintendo and make it so most of us hardcore gamers and Nintendo fans aren't so disenfranchised with you. You're starting to see the light, now open that window.