“Wait... I got it! Let’s make a Samba De Amigo knock off with Donkey Kong!”

What makes one a fanboy?

Often, people try to use the term fanboy to ridicule others who don’t share the same opinion as them; claiming that they’re biased against or towards a certain gaming platform. Anyone who spends time on any internet gaming community knows about this all too well, often being disgusted by the actions of others and their failure to understand that everyone has his or her own different tastes and opinions. A good example of a fanboy can be seen with… me.

I am a Nintendo fanboy, but do I see any faults in that? No, none whatsoever. I am a fanboy because my fondest video game experiences have been with Nintendo games such as Star Fox and Super Metroid. Games like these have caused me to always keep Nintendo close to my gaming spirit; in fact, maybe a little too close…

Gaming is meant to be a fun experience, but some people’s fanaticism and close attachment to game developers and publishers cause them to become more worried about the financial state and market share of a company instead of the quality and overall enjoyment of the games’ they develop. In result people look downwards upon certain companies, like I have with Nintendo recently. Games like Donkey Konga and Pac Man for the GameCube, in my opinion, are wasted efforts by both Namco and Nintendo. While I am sure that both these games will be incredibly fun and addictive, from a business standpoint it’s foolish to develop them. I know it, you know it, and everyone on this god forsaken earth knows that these games will CRASH AND BURN. In fact, I’m counting on it. That’s because, just like the next Nintendo fanboy, I want to see Nintendo on the top of its game and to do that they have to make the right moves. Although, I have to give it to Nintendo. Over the past year or two, thanks to NCL president Satoru Iwata, Nintendo has been taking steps in the right direction… baby steps. Making Resident Evil exclusive to the GameCube was a smart move, tossing Nintendo franchises such as F-Zero and Star Fox was a smart move, and having Nintendo 2nd party Silicon Knights develop Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes was genius. However, just a handful of mistakes can bring you back thirty paces, because our mistakes always overshadow the things we do right. Mistakes such as Donkey Konga, Pac Man… oh and let’s not forget that crap Nintendo likes to call Connectivity.

Am I saying Nintendo is doomed? Not necessarily… But do I think developing games such as Pac Man, Stage Debut, Roll O Rama, and Donkey Konga is bad for their future? Oh hell yeah!

Of course, things can always make a turn for the better. Right now, that’s what Nintendo fans are hoping for. Iwata-san announced weeks ago that around the time of E3 2k4 Nintendo will be unveiling a new product that will basically take the company into a brighter future. Many are hoping for a new console that will take the same direction as the competitors. While that would be nice, you can’t be sure if that’s the case. For all we know it can be the Virtual Boy 2.

Now go play some games! But hopefully not ones that require the use of a Game Boy Advance… Boycott Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles!!!