When it was first released, Nintendo made the very wise decision to pack the Wii with Wii Sports. This helped demonstrate to core and casual gamers alike that this was a different kind of system. Though it's not a game that most of the hardcore base will acknowledge, you'd have to be one cranky oaf to ignore its fun factor. But while Nintendo was riding the high wave of mainstream acceptance of its sports title, I was concerned. What happens next? Nintendo couldn't survive an entire console generation based on one game alone. At the same time, some innovative titles released near the beginning of the system's lifespan were being unfortunately and unjustly ignored.
Thankfully, Nintendo was prepared. Enter Wii Fit, the shot in the arm that the Wii needed. Again, one won't be getting the single player experience of BioShock, but the game is fun, entertaining, and useful all the same. Once again, I was simultaneously impressed and nervous. How could Nintendo follow this up? When Wii Music was announced, I was joined by many in the gaming community in the opinion that it wasn't terribly impressive. However, I thought that the game still might be a success for the casual crowd. While it's certainly been no flop, it's made nowhere near the waves that Wii Sports and Wii Fit did.
In other words, Nintendo needs another hit sometime over the next year. The bleeding section of my heart would love to see a game that could unite the hardcore and casual into something that both could enjoy: a game that has a pick-up-and-play mentality, appeals to multiple players, but is deep and engrossing enough to keep the attention of the serious gamer. Perhaps this is just baseless optimism, but I don't place many limitations on the folks who have given us the majority of the best games in history.
