What do YOU think? Nintendo in 2009

With 2009 finally out the door and the 2010 gaming season right at our doorstep, it’s time to take a look at the year that has fully passed and remember some of the most memorable moments from the last 365 days.

Biggest Surprise:

New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Super Mario Galaxy 2 announced!

With the release of New Super Mario Bros. DS, I figured that Nintendo was done with 2D for the franchise; at least for a while. Galaxy seemed to be such a success that there was no reason at all to change the formula around, not to mention that 2 full-fledged Mario games on a single console was unheard of in the recent past. That’s when, at E3 2009, the big N took everyone by surprise and announced New Super Mario Bros. Wii. As a “sequel” to the DS iteration, the game would “take the game into a fourth dimension” by adding simultaneous 4-player cooperative/competitive play to the standard Mario formula. While about half of the Mario fans in the world were in awe over yet another game from the series in the second dimension, the other half were holding their breath: NSMBDS, while good, was nothing compared to the likes of Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World. If the Wii counterpart ending up following suit, then it wasn’t something to be in awe of at all. This is where the game surprised everyone yet again. As it turns out, the game ended up being fantastic, and a true sequel to the Mario games of old, with the ability to play with 4 players being the icing on the cake.

While 2 full-fledged Mario games on a single console was unheard of, 3 could be called simply insane, which is why the announcement of Super Mario Galaxy 2 was such a surprise. Not only did it mean there would be 3 console Mario’s on the Wii, but it also would be the first time there would be a direct sequel to a Mario game, running on the exact same engine. Additionally, the game was already nearing completion by the time E3 2009 rolled around, and would be released just a year later in 2010.

Biggest Disappointment:

No Zelda E3 showing

When Nintendo’s E3 press conference was all said and done, I couldn’t help but wonder one thing: Where was Zelda Wii? It had been 3 years since Twilight Princess was announced, and fans were all eager to get a glimpse at what the next entry in the epic series would look like. When the conference ended, I don’t think I was alone in feeling a little disappointed. Sure, there was Metroid Other M, Mario Galaxy and New Super Mario Bros. Wii, but where was everyone’s favorite hero riding in on his trusty steed? Apparently no where, at least until the Miyamoto roundtable, where a singular piece of artwork was shown. Now, this was enough to satisfy many fans, but I wasn’t sold. They’re going to wait 3 years, and not give us so much as a screenshot? As time went on, more details would be revealed, such as how the entire pacing of the series would be thrown off with this entry, and how it would utilize MotionPlus technology to make sword fighting more accurate, but overall it wasn’t anything we couldn’t have guessed.

Best Game:

Little King’s Story

Of all the games I’ve played on a Nintendo console this year, Little King’s Story is the one that I would put just a notch above the rest. As the birthchild of the creative minds behind Super Mario RPG , Final Fantasy VII, and Harvest Moon, LKS hit all its marks. It was funny, had a great soundtrack, an attractive look, and above all else it had great gameplay. The game clocks in at around 30 hours, and the fun truly never stops. For those that haven’t heard much about the game, the story follows Corobo, a young boy who finds a crown which allows him to charm people and make them follow his orders, after which he is transported to the kingdom of Alpoko to serve as ruler. Corobo is a fun-loving boy, and wants to make everyone in the kingdom happy, even if it means world domination. Gameplay is similar to Pikmin or Overlord in that you play as Corobo and summon your people (be they soldiers or farmers or carpenters or any number of other professions) to help you fight enemies and conquer other lands. To this day I’m still not sure why there was no hype behind this title, but if you haven’t had the chance to play it and see a copy at your local Gamestop or retailer, I strongly suggest you pick it up.

Biggest “Wait… what?” Moment:

Of all the things that caught made us say “Wait… what?” in 2009, one of them stands out as being the most obscure. I’m talking of course, about the announcement of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Reflex Edition. As far as I’m concerned, nothing this year was able to confuse, excite, and disappoint me all within a month’s time. Since Call of Duty 4 is one of my favorite shooters of all time, I couldn’t help but get a little excited when news of a Wii port hit the Internet, but after I learned that WiiSpeak support wouldn’t be included, I counted myself out of the warfare this time around. What didn’t help matters (but did serve in confusing us even more) is that Activision, after releasing the first batch of screenshots, didn’t say anything more about the game. It was as if they simply didn’t want the game to succeed, and perhaps they, or the original creators of the game, Infinity Ward, didn’t. Either way, the game released alongside Modern Warfare 2, received generally positive reviews, and has gone on to outsell games like The Conduit, Muramasa: The Demon Blade, and Dead Space: Extraction.

So here’s the question for this week’s WDYT Article: What were your biggest surprises, disappointments, best games, and biggest “Wait… what?” moments of 2009? Leave your answers in the comments section below!

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Here’s what a few of you said regarding Homebrew on the Wii from last weeks article:

“MIZ” said:

It’s so convenient for me for keep my Wii hooked up to my main TV instead of unhooking and putting in my DVD player.
I also use homebrew for random apps, but lately i’ve been using it to play some of those homemade levels for NSMBWii (they’re awsome)
I think Nintendo should have included this in the game, it extends the play value of the game by miles, i don’t care for online co-op play, however.

“opiumx” said:

I think its great. Also, its kind of like how I feel about xbox1 homebrew, which a modded system could do so many great things, and microsoft could have done it in the original dash but didnt. Custom themes, divx playback and all that, which microsoft did next time around on the 360 (along with other things from homebrew ideas).

Anyway back to the wii, I hate how nintendo could be doing so many cool things. They could be making apps like they have for HBC and releasing them or selling even.

Another thing I like, which you guys will hate me saying, is the emulators for snes and nes. I own everything I want on the VC (legit games), but wheres duck hunt or other light gun games for the snes as well? Its possible to use the wiimote for it, as the emulators do very well, also for the genesis it works.

Thanks for the great answers, guys! We hope to see you next week!