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I am a hardcore gamer, but I do not have any special moments to share with you. Well... okay. There was this one day where I beat Super Castlevania 4 two or three times in a row. Really for no reason other than how much I loved the game. I don't know if that qualifies as hardcore so much as geeking out, but the game is one of my favorites.
de Blob, Lock's Quest, Left 4 Dead, Prince of Persia (2008), Mirror's Edge, Warhammer Online
Super Castlevania IV, Blast Corps, Super Mario Galaxy, and Resident Evil 4
More Phoenix Wright and Apollo Justice! Resident Evil 5, and, as always; the next Castlevania (let Retro make the next one, Konami!) and Final Fantasy (numbered sequels)
Nintendo EAD Tokyo, Smilebit (R.I.P.), UGA (R.I.P.), iNiS, Square FF Teams, Clover/Platinum Games, Blue Tongue, DICE, EA Redwood
I miss EGM and CGW. I still get Game Informer though because of Gamestop.
Innovation. Nintendo has led the pack, nine times out of ten. Touch screen controls. Vibrating controllers with analog controls. Game Boy Camera, Printer, mic, and connectivity. Four controller plugs in the console. The Pokémon phenomenon/concept. A voice recognition game. Zelda, Mario, Metroid-- all imitated in countless ways. The REMOTE. I could go on for quite some time, although I'm still a little surprised it wasn't Nintendo to first deliver an Eye Toy or Karaoke game (shame). I'm not big on the DSi's upgrades but can't wait for the next, real successor to DS and Wii... my hopes are high.
Nintendo now seems to be on a crusade to constantly, and perhaps exclusively, innovate. No more sequels in established franchises, because that's what's expected and not innovation? I remember hearing this same battle cry at the start of the GameCube life cycle, and then we were deluged with lackluster sequels. Now in the Wii generation, things are much different, but that doesn't mean I don't want a sequel to Wii Sports, nor that I want Twilight Princess and Mario Galaxy to be the last time I get to experience a game I love because of its gradual evolution from classic gameplay. I do like the casual stuff they make for playing with my family or gaming parties, but I hunger much more for traditional games or at least novel games that aren't casual'd out, like Katamari Damacy or de Blob. Here's hoping 2009 has that in store.
Nintendo continues to dominate into its third year of Wii. Who would have thought that? And all those killer hardcore titles, already delivered. My concern is making even better, more compelling titles to sustain Wii's lifespan beyond its second year. 2008's latter half did not encourage me on this front. Yeah, Wiis still sell out, but if I didn't have one now, the latest software would not have sold me one. Sure, the already-released Mario Galaxy/Brawl/Twilight Princess/Mario Kart etc. would have sold me... but... now what? Wii Fit and Music? No thanks.
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