I remember E3 2006 vividly. By that point, Nintendo had already unveiled their new console and controller, and started talking about what this new console would do.   

Those were exciting days, so full of promise.

 "The games won’t look as good," Iwata said, "but they’ll be different."

"That’s ok! That’s exactly what we want!" nerds everywhere responded.

"The whole point of this console is innovation," Iwata continued.

"Yes, innovation! We like innovation!" gamers frothed.

Being one of the throng at that point, I completely understand why everyone was so excited. What I can’t understand, however, is where all that enthusiasm went. The Wii is here, and it’s done exactly what it was said to do. Where did all of that tolerance and excitement about new ways to play games go?

My only disappointment with the console came from its limited sensitivity of motion control. As it is now, any motion control could easily be mapped to a button -- but MotionPlus looks to remedy that qualm. Asking around, that’s not even the chief concern. Gamers largely intone the same mantra; "I haven’t turned my Wii on in months. There are no games coming out. I haven’t played anything since Smash Brothers Brawl." Am I the only one that sees an amusing contradiction in this line of reasoning?

Gamers are used to being force-fed information about video game releases. Advertisements, viral ads, high-profile teaser trailers -- all of these things create that coveted "buzz" that elevates games in a potential player’s perception. Wii games get none of this, so gamers are largely blissfully unaware of their presence. These games then become owned by Schrodinger -- existing but not existing. They are on the shelf, but if a gamer hasn’t heard of them, obviously they aren’t worth playing. Obviously.