Well, well, it looks like Nintendo finally got back into the console game didn’t they? Last year the Wii was unleashed upon the world, making grandpas everywhere quiver with delight that they could finally bowl in the convenience of their own home. After two troublesome console outings with both the N64 and the Gamecube, Nintendo has now shown that they can be a major contender in the face of technological giants like Microsoft and Sony.

The Wii is blazing a brand new forefront in gaming, making it easier than ever for brand new gamers both young and old to pick up the Wiimote and start playing. But therein lies the question, what does this offer for the solo gamer? There are limited titles on the Wii that lend out that intensive single player experience, at least that are any good. The console has shown its mettle when advocating to the party crowd, but when single player outings come down to old favorites like Mario and Zelda games, it just seems like the same old Nintendo to me.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved all previous Nintendo systems to this point. Yes, even the Gamecube, which wound up being a big disappointment in the number of titles that I wanted to play. This seems to be the same case here. The only worthwhile games that have been released in the past year have been titles starring our old friends Mario, Link, and Samus. While this may be enough to dust off the Wii about once every few months or so, it doesn’t bode well for the lifespan of the system.

Now, it is true that the Wii has nice selection of titles available from its online network. Titles ranging from all the old NES favorites to some N64 titles that were never even released stateside are all there for your pleasure complete with a nice cheap price-tag. It becomes personally gratifying to know that I can still lay down the law in Street Fighter 2 back from my SNES days without struggling through the extraneous cartridge blowing to prove it. But then even this falters when new titles that are interesting are so few and far between. The network is updated weekly, but lately the stream of games has been somewhat lackluster, but I can hold hope that Nintendo can persuade me back in the next few months.

The free portion of the network has been a nice touch. Using the news channel was fun and interesting for a while, as was the weather service. The Mii channel is a nice diversion, as long as new friends keep coming over. The best part is creating someone before their very eyes, and then having them yell at you for making their nose look like that. But the cornerstone of all of this should be the games, which is what Nintendo has always prided themselves on. Not budging in the face of amazing graphical prowess from their competitors, the company has always shown their resolve to appeal to the brains of gamers rather than their eyes. This is what always kept me in the Nintendo camp, and what made me defend them in the face of overwhelming pressure to give up on them. Well, now all those people have been proven wrong, but at what cost.