Thursday, March 13, 2008

Welcome to Wii Potential



I'm starting this blog as an assignment for a mass communications course. Video games are one of my obsessions and I also happen to be a Nintendo fan, so this blog will focus on that area of my life. I'll be commenting on the latest news concerning Nintendo's two systems, the Wii and DS, in addition to writing essays and reviewing games.
Video games still carry a strong stigma in our society as juvenile, mentally corrosive, or simply a waste of time, so I believe it's important that there be as many sources of discussion as possible for the world of interactive entertainment. That way we can all help communicate a better understanding of what games are and why they need to be appreciated. This blog in particular will look at the Nintendo DS and Wii, which both remain the best-selling current generation video game platforms (among the PSP, PS3, and Xbox 360).
The Nintendo DS is an incredible system, one of the best reasons to start playing games if you haven't done so yet. As the latest in Nintendo's long legacy of successful handhelds (succeeding the Game Boy line), this device offers an enormous value out of the box thanks to a design leaps ahead of its predecessors:
• The most wide-ranging game library in terms of demographics and gaming preferences.
• As of the DS lite, an ultra bright backlit screen that doesn't affect battery performance.
• The innovative touch screen, dual-screen design providing a simple but deep and accessible gameplay experience.
There are many reasons to own a DS, and for those of you who are interested I'll do my best to keep you updated on DS news and recommend games.
The Wii is a system everyone has heard of, even outside of the regular game-playing crowd. This is mostly due to the publicity of the system stemming from its appeal to nongamers and its innovative remote/motion-sensitive controller. While the Wii is enjoying much success currently, I foresee it facing an uphill battle in coming years as the novelty of motion sensing gives way to a more realistic perspective of what the system actually offers and what it can do. 
While the Wii currently houses the greatest game of this generation, Super Mario Galaxy, and one of the most popular, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, it's library is limited and filled with mediocre titles. The Wii also suffers from being underpowered, poor online gaming implementation so far, and limited onboard storage space –among other things. 
Even so, the Wii remains the only place to find Nintendo games (on a console), and that is reason enough to own one.

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