A few months ago, my brother and sister decided to bless our home with a Nintendo Wii. It was a nice surprise and a gift I would not have bought for myself (having the pre-conceived idea that the Wii had little to offer me as a hardcore gamer).

I have not played a Nintendo since I was kid. When I was little, a neighborhood boy had an NES and I would go over to his house everyday to play.  Then my brother got a Nintendo and I quickly became addicted to organizing falling colored pills, collecting coins, hunting ducks and saving princesses. But eventually I out grew it and my interests reached far beyond anything Mario or Luigi could offer. 

(Oh my gosh! My husband is playing GTA4 Lost and the Damned DLC and I just saw a computer-generated peen!!! Wow. I almost spit out my coffee. I looked up from writing my blog and BAM! Full frontal digital male nudity.) My goodness, times have changed. Games have changed. Gamers have changed. So how does my new Wii measure up…no pun intended?

I always thought the Wii was for casual gamers or guys who want their girlfriends to play video games and parents who don’t want their kids assaulted with mature content. I think the Wii is for babies…. babies with incredible dexterity. Using a Wii remote and nunchuck is not as easy as one would think. How do little kids do it?  The Wii has definitely cornered the market on the casual gamer, but, if they are to compete in the console “war” effectively, they are going to have to start producing content for the hardcore gamer. But what does that mean exactly? Better graphics, mature story lines, advanced online play, blood and guts, nudity?

I never thought I would utter the words “Thank God I have a Wii”, but at E3 this year, I said it and I meant it! I got a chance to play Red Steel 2 and I tell you what… that game is going to sell the Wii to the hardcore gamer. Wii Motion Plus is coming bundled with Red Steel 2. Therefore, allowing you to slice and dice enemies with the graceful accuracy of 1:1 recognition. Having that kind of control over your character’s moves is the coolest feeling, coupled with the games artistic graphic novel feel, playing this game is like nothing I have ever experienced. Red Steel 2 is beautifully awesome! I can’t wait to own it!!

Dead Space Extraction is a Wii exclusive and brutally scary game that is definitely not for babies.  I got to play the demo at E3; it doesn’t offer Wii Motion Plus gaming, but it looks amazing and I could see myself committing large amounts of time to it.

As Wii games begin to offer better graphics, engaging stories and employ ground breaking game mechanics in their attempt to reach a more sophisticated gamer, they will succeed. My perception of the Wii is changing. With games like Red Steel 2 and Dead Space Extraction on the horizon, I think that this year marks the coming of age for the Wii.