Try to put yourself back in 2005. You were probably rocking an ironic T-shirt, listening to classic tunes like Hollaback Girl by Gwen Stefani on your iPod, talking to friends about the new Star Wars movie, and playing some good video games with your wired controllers. Life seemed like it couldn’t get any better…
Then Nintendo changed everything.
In 2006, the video game magnate decided to take a big swing and make a console the world had never seen before, one that freed its users from the confines of the couch and actually let them move. It was an absolute hit.
The Wii shook up people’s perception of the gaming industry and what the future of video games could look like. So here’s a look back at what made the Nintendo product so great and why the Wii could be the pinnacle of human creation.
Games
At the Wii’s launch, the platform came out guns blazing with some great big-name options like Madden 07 and Call of Duty 3 to show it could with the likes of Xbox and PlayStation, but its Nintendo-exclusive games showed it was playing in a league of its own. Titles like Wii Sports, Super Mario Galaxy, and The Legend of Zelda: The Twilight Princess, were all huge successes out the gate and were only the tip of the iceberg in the console’s repertoire of great games.
Mario
When you think of Nintendo, you think of Mario. So it was great to see him in all different formats like: New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Mario Kart Wii, Mario Super Slugger, and many more. So many people spent hours making great memories with friends playing Mario games and the Wii is responsible for making that happen.
Movement
I touched on this earlier, but the freedom the movement option gave you was perfection. It allowed users to feel like they were really driving that car or swinging that golf club. It made games against friends more competitive and made you more invested in these worlds. Plus, it really was a great workout.
So sure, some of you may argue that the “pinnacle of human creation” is a stretch for a console. That Eli Whitney’s cotton gin or Gutenberg’s printing press did more for mankind, but I say this – if Gutenberg had the opportunity to play Mario Kart Wii and got to feel the emotions of red shelling his opponent right before he crosses the finish line to seal the victory on Rainbow Road, I’m pretty sure he’d even agree with me.
So what do you think? Does my statement go too far or is it possible that I’m right? Share your reactions below or join the conversation on the Boss Rush Discord!
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Nintendo Pow Block: The Nintendo Podcast of Boss Rush Media and the Boss Rush Network
Nintendo Pow Block – Nintendo Pow Block is Boss Rush Media’s Nintendo Podcast. Each week, Edward, Corey, and their friends from around the internet come together to talk about the week that was in the world of Nintendo, including news, rumors, games, fun facts, and more, including fan favorite segments like Snacktendo, Playing with Power, Game Fact Advance, and Question Block. Look for the question thread in the community Discord.
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