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« on: February 02, 2009, 07:36:10 PM »
I believe that it really boils down to how one defines "hardcore". If the term has come to be a synonym for "M-rated", then one could easily argue that Nintendo has most certainly lost its hardcore...ness in the flood of crappy movie-licensed games we've seen being released out the wazoo during the last four or five years. Even though Sony and Microsoft have seen their share of cash-in kiddie titles during the last two console generations, most of it has certainly been loaded onto Nintendo due to its seemingly-unshakeable reputation as a child-oriented label.
However, if one regards the term "hardcore gamer" as one who anticipates, loves and obsesses over quality video games, then it's hard to say that The Big N has lost a stitch of care for them. Zelda: Twilight Princess is just as "hardcore " as Nintendo games have ever been, and Super Mario Galaxy, at least as far as I'm concerned, caters equally to novice gamers and experienced Mario fanatics expecting the utmost in quality the company has to offer. Oh, and let's not forget the triumphal return of an ever-increasing number of Nintendo classics being offered on the Wii's Virtual Console. These may not be new games per se, but their appearance certainly goes to show that our boys back in Japan have not forgotten those of us who appreciate quality games.
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