Ben-DutkaFor a kid who grew up during the dawn of gaming and gazed upon Super Mario Bros. with fascinated awestruck eyes, this is a heartbreaking moment.
It's difficult to do. It's the end of a love affair. The end is long overdue; it has been in the making for a very long time (really, since the latter days of the N64 and the onset of the GameCube). And now, with the emergence of the Wii U, I'm afraid we must go our separate ways. I desperately tried to love Super Mario Galaxy 2 . I wanted so badly to desire every Nintendo system produced since the Super Nintendo and only now do I realize I've been deluding myself; I've been living in the past.
A couple days ago, I found myself watching the unveiling of the Wii U with that old-fashioned kid-like glee, and for a while, I was saying things like, "Hmm…that's kinda cool" and, "Yeah, that definitely has potential." And I would let all my favorite mascots work their way into my head; there's my buddy Mario, who was always there for me, there's Link, who was one of the first memorable heroes, and oh yes, even Samus in her nifty hi-tech futuristic suit. She sure can move. But then the presentation ended and cold hard reality set in.
I no longer care. Truthfully, there isn't anything about Nintendo's new machine that even remotely interests me. I understand they went a different direction with the Wii and they totally lost me, but for some reason, I've always believed Nintendo would recapture me as a fan. And the bottom line is that Nintendo has clearly chosen a path…and it's a path I don't wish to follow. I've chosen another path now, and you can call me what you want; "graphic whore" or whatever. I've long since decided I want the best of the best in gaming and sadly, I don't see the Wii U having any part of the "best of the best." It's just not what the avid gamer wants, in my opinion.
Honestly, it's a completely different form of entertainment now. It isn't Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception and it isn't Gears of War 3 and it certainly isn't Heavy Rain . …maybe I've finally grown up. But I'm sure all those hardcore Ninty fans out there would just take that as an insult, so I shouldn't say that. Trust me, I would want nothing more than to love Nintendo again. We always try to lie to ourselves and rationalize, and give ourselves a hundred different reason to return to our first love. But sooner or later, you have to understand you've grown apart.
'sniff' Goodbye, Nintendo. You'll always have a place in the form of the SNES in my bedroom. But that'll have to be good enough.
