Why Nintendo? What did Mario Kart do to deserve this?

Like many gamers around the world, I am increasingly becoming annoyed by Nintendo's new found love of the "casual" market. Now whilst I congratulate them for increasing their potential market, I am angry at their apparent view towards gamers. By this I mean the lack of actual games. I'm sorry but Wii Fit (which yes, I do own) and Wii Music are not games! What I and many other gamers mean are games like The Legend of Zelda and Metroid, but I am not asking for their sequals just yet, they are just examples. In other words something with some depth and a difficulty curve, and yet the closest thing Nintendo are offering us this Christmas is, Animal Crossing... Now don't get me wrong, me and other gamers all love Animal Crossing and can't fault it. But that’s the best offer we get? And yet Iwata claims not to have forgotten the gamers. Well we'll be the judge on that thank you Iwata, and so far we disagree.

I think what is causing the negativity towards Nintendo is the fact that us gamers feel betrayed and not thanked for what we did in the last gen. If it wasn't for us Nintendo wouldn't have even made it to this gen with the Wii. And who were the ones who automatically came to your defence when you first announced the motion controls of the "Revolution" and then defended the name!! Do they not realise how many Wii jokes we all endured?! But I will admit that they was some repayment from Nintendo, after all we did get new Zelda, Mario, Metroid and Super Smash Bros games. But then again that is 4 (admittedly awesome) games. You compare that with Microsoft who have given us (these are the exclusives for the 360): PGR (3+4), PDZ, Halo 3, Mass Effect, Dead Rising, Oblivion, Bioshock(Yes the last two went to PS3 also), Fable 2 and then add the non exclusives that can't be found on the Wii: Call of Duty 4, The Orange Box, GTA IV, Burnout Paradise, Battlefield Bad Company and then Fallout 3. Now that’s choice.

But now onto what the title was aimed at, Nintendo's recent UK advert for Mario Kart: DS. First, why are they still advertising this? It came out over 3 years ago! Yes it's awesome, but I think enough people own it. Then again it would explain why the game still costs £30! To the advert itself, guess who are advertising this great respected game, Girls Aloud... Why?! I don't care if you're trying to get a new audience into Mario Kart, that’s what the Wii version was for! Leave the DS version in peace. But no instead you had to scar my eyes with the horror! I can now understand what Stan and Kyle on South Park were on about when they were talking about Indiana Jones 4. Seeing something they love betrayed and abused.

I will leave you now with said advert, so you may also experience the horror. I warn you it isn't pleasant. Seeing a terrible pop group who cheated their way to fame butcher a game of Mario Kart... Why Nintendo? What did Mario do to deserve this?




Please come back again soon. I hope to make a new post each week and comment on something that is happeneing in teh gaming world and put accross my opinion on it.