Everything I’ve seen lately about Nintendo’s new Wii and all the new games they are putting out for both it and the DS are getting me totally pumped. At first I wasn’t a big fan of the Revolution’s new name, Wii, but it has already grown on me. Though it does make for some grammatically awkward sentences, “Wii Rocks,” “I Love Wii.” And of course thats aside from the bathroom humor.

So lets recap some of the features of the Wii we already know. Revolutionary (not ment as a pun) new motion senseing controller, wireless connectivity (pretty standard at this point), ability to play a huge selection of old Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, GameCube, Sega Genesis, and TurboGrafix games along with lots of downloadable content.

Features recently reveiled include the WiiConnect24 service which allows the console to be connected to the internet and serve up content along with allow other people to interact with you EVEN WHEN THE CONSOLE IS TURNED OFF. They also released information about a more conventional controller which works along side the original that plugs in similarly as the joystick ’nanchaku’, presumably for retro games. A new Light-gun has also been shown, but little has been said about it. Shigeru suggested a lot of very interesting ideas that Nintendo is working on for making the Wii and DS play together and also that the Wii’s controller will have allow for customized experiences based on who is using it, that each member of the household could have their own personal controller.

As for games, a total of 16 Wii games have been announced and around half of them already have trailers available. There ones I’m anticipating the most are: Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Metal Slug Anthology, Wii Sports, Super Mario Galaxy, WarioWare: Smooth Moves, and of course Smash Bros. Brawl. These games are so awesome, I dont feel I have to give them much description as the titles pretty much speak for themselves. And it is my understanding that most of these games will be using the new controller in new innovative ways too.

The DS has a long list of awesome games that are either out, or will soon be out, some of which I have already seen on the shelf here in Kyoto. The New Super Mario is absolutely fantastic looking and is now the guarantee that I will buy one very soon. Nintendo’s dedication to pulling new gamers into the arena can definitely be seen here in Japan. There are a number of new ‘brain games’ that can be found, from learning English, to studying math and playing intellectual games like Sudoku. If they had a Kanji game I would buy it in a heart beat.

Nintendo may have its critics, but I think they will come out on top in the current console war. It’s not a question of faster processors, and flashier graphics; it’s a question of playability and enjoyability.