From the moment that those Nintendo Power scans hit the Internet, a sea of retro-loving hearts were thawed. But right around the same time, opposition arose. And thus began the 54 trillionth entry in the "graphics vs. gameplay" debate. Though this argument isn't strictly Wii-specific (since Mega Man 9 was the first original game to be released on all three major download services), Nintendo fanboys seemed to make up a large number of the game's supporters. Unlike item number 5, this conflict was fairly easy to understand. To say that it was purely generational would be an over-simplification. Yet that assumption is not entirely without truth.
Imagine the year is 1997 and you're 8 years old. The Nintendo 64 is your life. The vast open spaces of 3D represent a frontier which fans the flames of your vast imagination. You've never heard of an Atari 2600, but someone is apparently making a game for your beloved 64-bit machine that's completely in the style of something like Adventure. Unless you're an incredibly open-minded 8 year old, your reaction would probably fall somewhere between indifference and "WTF?!?"
I'm certainly not implying that all who weren't impressed by Mega Man 9 have the intelligence and tolerance of a young child. Instead, I'm merely suggesting that perhaps such individuals don't have the active appreciation for NES games as do those who devoured the blue bomber's latest adventure. That's not to say that they're incapable of acknowledging the significance of 8-bit classics. Instead, they would rather play 2004's Ninja Gaiden than 1988's. Again: to each their own. It sounds really simple when you put it like that. Now if only we could all draw-down on one another.
