The line in the sand has been drawn by LostWinds, a WiiWare title that was created by a small group of people and is about 40 megabytes. This game trumps many retail Wii games in design, graphics, presentation and, most importantly, gameplay. I've been a very serious gamer since 1992 and this is one of those games that reminds me of what drew me to this hobby in the first place.

The sheer imagination in this game is baffling. The graphics are simple but the art design is beautiful. The decision to use flutes and wind instruments as the soundtrack is nothing short of brilliant. The use of the Wiimote is perfect. The gameplay, which basically blends platforming with environmental puzzles, is, no pun intended, a breath of fresh air. I love that the cut scenes are short, to the point and use in-game graphics. The only change in appearance during cut scenes is that the background blurs into a collection of soft, vibrant colors.

All of this for $10; hell, I didn't even have to leave my home or mail order it either. So, the next time you ask me to spend money on your game, it had damn well be up to snuff. This little gem has exposed your laziness and/or ineptitude. It's time to step up.