Our Time in the Sun

Well E3 is just around the corner and a few things are becoming more evident with each passing second. From Red Steel to the nunchuck attachment accelerometer to launch day Mario, things are beginning to brighten up for our friends in the land of the rising sun. You know, there are times when I get in heated arguments over the upcoming console wars and you wouldn't believe how they look at me when I mention that Nintendo is gonna come out on top this time around. To them it seems as likely as one of those other two leaving the market altogether. Nonetheless things are materializing for us and I must say they're looking damn good. I mean, to say that I know that we are in an excellent position leading up to E3 and launch day is an understatement of the highest caliber.

There were plenty of mistakes that led to gamecube doing a measly 22 million worldwide just about. A few of the those are quite obvious and some are hidden within the confines of Nintendo itself. One major issue that a lot of people didn't think much of(actually, according to launch day 'Cube sales they did), was the absence of Mario. The Gamecube was the worst selling Nintendo console to date and it was the first to launch without Mario, simple coincidence maybe but Nintendo apparently isn't willing to give it another shot to test that theory. This new Mario, they've been crafting it for just about six years now. Yeah I know Sunshine launched in '02 but this Mario was what they were working on before they decided to send Mario on a much needed vacation. See, Sunshine was the necessary sidestep they took because in terms of the development process, the ideas they were crafting for the true Mario 64 sequel were literally impossible on Gamecube hardware. Times are different now though and the masterpiece is finally ready to be realized. One reason to rest easy Nintendites.

Another issue was the lack of third party support and more precisely, Mature content. You would not believe the amount of people who still to this day cast off Nintendo as a kiddy system. No doubt Nintendo wants to uphold their family friendly status but at the same time they have wisely decided that garnering a broader audience doesn't come at the sacrifice of family friendliness. Now they haven't completely decided to accept every Mature game on their system but they're moving in a direction somewhat close. They currently have seven Teen rated games in the launch pipeline, so improvement is looking positive. For all you know there might even be a surprise Mature launch title in the mix. As far as third party goes I really don't have to touch on that too much 'cuz in the last few days alone numerous developers have announced their support and some even mentioned games in development. Two reasons to rest easy Nintendites.

The Gamecube, though a great system, lacked an identity. When people looked at what was already on the market and compared it to the 'Cube they really didn't see much that stood out to sway them. Sure the Cube had its bright spots, namely SSBM but that was nearly not enough. This however is not the case with the 'Revolution'. The controller alone has lit the industry on fire and the gas is in Nintendo's hands, and I have a sneaky suspicion they about to feed the blaze. Not to mention those oh so downplayed graphics. Let me just be the first to tell you that 18 of the 20 launch titles look much better than anything currently available out there. A mature looking Link left people in tears at last year's E3 but this year not a soul present will be able to control their jaws; including our damned "I'm so cocky I disgust myself" competitors. Three reasons to rest easy Nintendites.

In terms of the western market, Nintendo has definitely kicked the bucket in the past, but gone are those ever so dark days. Not only have they catered to the western market with the free-hand controller but they have taken it one step further by actually developing a slew of first party FPS'. Two of which will be available at launch. There are so many mistakes that happened with and to all things Gamecube but I don't dwell on the past and you can be sure Nintendo doesn't either. This generation Nintendo is setting their sites on dominating the field and E3 is just the start. This E3 is practically a Nintendo show but don't take my word for it, wait for the show. I haven't even begun to scratch the surface of all that is Nintendo's E3 presentation. Rest easy Nintendites, it's our time in the Sun!

And get ready for the console name, it'll blow your Lites out!!!!