3/23/2010

Is Nintendo cannibalizing itself?

That's the question I really have to be asking. We are mere days away from the launch of the DSI XL, aka a DSI seemingly for octogenarians due to the significantly larger screen, which makes a total of 3 Nintendo portables on the market. And yet they just announced what is hopefully the real successor to the DS, the 3DS. Now, the features sound great. A analog joystick? Awesome. 3D on the go without goofy shades? Fantastic. Backwards compatible? I'm pretty much sold. And probably so is anyone who has not yet entered the portable market or not yet upgraded their DS. Why would you bother with a flashy new 3D model on the way in just about a year? Admittedly, I have no desire to upgrade from my current DS as is. I got my fiance a DSI and we barely use the extra features (we've downloaded Oregon Trail, that's really it), making me think it certainly was not worth the extra money. And to be fair, the DS took a long time to really find it's footing, I'm willing to bet the 3D version will have similar struggles the first year.

Red Steel 2, arguably the only release this week worth caring about, is an interesting beast. The original was a half-baked launch title, a rallying cry for Nintendo haters to point at and say the Wii remote didn't work as promised. This new one wisely ditches nearly everything about the original with the exception of the concept of using both a sword and gun, and from all reports is markedly improved thanks to the use of the Wii Motion plus (one of the few games so far to use that). It makes one wonder why they would have it bear the original's name, given the negative connotations that go with it. Yes, the discerning Wii gamer finally has something to play this year besides No More Heroes 2, but the more casual audience that makes up a large majority of Wii owners will most likely remember their unfortunate experience with the original and pass it by. I certainly plan on picking it up as soon as I get around to finishing NMH2 myself, but FFXIII is pretty much dominating my gaming time atm and will continue to do so til its done (which at the rate I'm going will be another month or so).

That's it for today but look for another post tommorrow. Til then, here's your TRAILER OF THE WEEK: MEGAMIND

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