I am what is referred to in the vernacular as a "gaming enthusiast". I have owned around eighteen different consoles and handhelds and purchased a staggering amount of games over the years.
The coverage of E3 this week (specifically the unbridled hype for the new Zelda) has forced me to finally admit something akin to bashing Pavement in a room full of Indie Rock fans: I have nothing for Nintendo first party software. I don't love or hate their games. Except for a chosen few, they've just never blown my skirt up.
It's somewhat embarrassing considering how much time and money I put into gaming. I feel like I should be right there cheering along, but for some reason it leaves me empty. Can someone help me understand the boundless enthusiasm the accompanies every new Mario, Zelda, and Metroid release?
Back when it was the only game in town my original NES saw me through many a night, day, and early morning. Ninja Gaiden, Bionic Commando, and RC Pro Am were particular favorites. I owned Mario Brothers of course, but with the exception of a small bit of play it never grabbed me. I never owned Zelda or Metroid but that was more a product of being forced to save my meager allowance for very few games.
The trend continued with the Super Nintendo. I wore out Street Fighter 2, Final Fantasy 6, and Starfox. Super Mario Land was beautiful and inventive, but for some bizarre reason I never played it. I didn't dislike it. It just never held my attention. Ditto Super Metroid and Zelda: A Link to the Past. When conversations regarding those games broke out I would quietly listen and hope to hear something that would finally convert me.
I finally managed to catch the bug with the Nintendo 64. I found that I loved Mario 64 and Mario Kart. Perhaps it was the added dimension or the phenomenal genius of the design, but Mario 64 finally made me understand. Unfortunately it came out after the PSone. As good as Mario was I found myself more drawn towards mature themed games like WipEout, Resident Evil, and Soul Reaver. With the exception of occasional games of Mario Kart, my N64 collected dust.
A couple of years after the GameCube was released I purchased one for the express purpose of playing The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker. I had heard so much praise for Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask that I decided I was going to play an entire Zelda game.
Once again, I was pleasantly surprised. Wind Waker was a beautiful and engaging experience, although without previous Zelda experience the puzzles were incredibly difficult. Metroid Prime was neat in spots but paled in comparison to first person shooters on the PC. The GameCube also presented another problem in that third party support was spotty at best. I ended up selling the GameCube to make space on my shelf.
As far as the Wii goes, I just haven't been that impressed. The Mario, Zelda, and Metroid games just seem to be slightly tweaked versions of the few games I've played over the years. I had the same feeling when I saw the new Zelda footage from E3. It just looked like more Zelda. Not that it's a bad thing, but I just don't have an overwhelming desire to play it.
In all honesty I believe I missed the boat by not getting into the games when I was young. When you have that connection to the games and characters at a young age you feel a connection to them that endures regardless of how many years pass.
It reminds me of a female friend of mine who went to see the original Star Wars trilogy when they were released in the late nineties.
She had never seen any of the films previously, and was curious as to why we were so excited to go see them again. After Episode Four ended she walked out into the lobby and said, "That movie was wretched! The writing was hideous, the acting was awful, and it was corny as hell."
My friend stared at her and asked: "What movie were you watching?"
