I've always considered myself a 'Nintendo Kid.' I was born the year that the NES came to America and like many, my youth was defined by that magical gray box. I witnessed firsthand the triumph of the SNES in the 16-bit era as well as the miserable failure of the Virtual Boy. So yeah, Nintendo and I... Well, we've been through a lot together.

It's because of this that I simply can't shake this nervous feeling I get when I think about Nintendo at this year's E3.

For the past few days, I've been mulling over the details of the initial success of the Wii and Nintendo's apparent triumph in the realm of so-called 'casual gaming.' Doing so brought me to one startling realization: Nintendo's recent success has not been generated by selling games or systems - Oh no, sirree. I've come to realize that Nintendo's true secret to success is one thing only: PERIPHERALS.

Think about it - The Wii Fit balance board, the Mario Kart wheel... Nearly every single thing that Nintendo has been seriously cashing in on lately is tied to some sort of kitschy, pseudo-innovative novelty device. And let's not restrict our use of the term 'peripheral' so much to forget that the Wii Remote itself is, in essence, one of the most successful peripherals Nintendo has ever conceived. I look at the NES Power Pad and the infamous PowerGlove and almost immediately, I have no doubt in my mind that if Nintendo really wanted to, they could have made Wii Fit in 1988. The difference between these devices and the peripherals of today is all about marketing - Nintendo has now successfully tapped the proverbial goldmine of soccer moms and other non-gamers, which is quite evident from watching this crap.



Now then... Knowing that Nintendo's focus is peripherals, what do I expect from them at E3?

-Another peripheral
-More games that use the Wii Fit balance board
-Maybe another Donkey Kong Jungle Beat
-New Animal Crossing
-Various WiiWare titles
-A new Zelda game

Aside from the possibilty of that new Zelda which possibly-maybe might not suck, I can't say any of this excites me, and I think the reason is simple: I'm a gamer. I want games with groundbreaking narrative and innovative gameplay; Games that exist outside the realm of taking care of virtual pets, perfecting my fitness routine or waggling an electronic stick to throw blocks into other blocks. Oh yeah... I also want Mother(Earthbound), an RPG series that is continuously ignored by Nintendo of America in lieu of Fire Emblem, despite the latter having a virtually non-existent fanbase in North America from what I can tell.



It doesn't have to be a revolution or a second golden age... I just want Nintendo to make games for GAMERS. I'm sure that isn't too much to ask... Is it?