My earlier memory is of a Christmas morning, sitting on the living room floor, inches away from the tv screen, playing Super Mario Kart with my Dad whilst my Mom made us bacon sandwiches. The Super Nintendo played a large part in my childhood, as I grew up opposite my Aunt, Uncle and cousins. My cousins used to visit frequently and we all used to play the SNES religiously. There was hours of fun to be had there, just sitting around of a Saturday morning taking it in turns to complete Super Mario World.

So I can sort of see what Nintendo was thinking. The Wii appears to be entirely dependant on you continuously having a group of people to share your videogaming experience with, everyone huddled around the tv, shaking the WiiMote furiously like bumbling idiots. The social experience is what made Nintendo so great for kids in the 90's, it was always so fun to play in groups with your friends.

So what's my problem?

Well, here's the thing. It is a known fact that the way in which we entertain ourselves is constantly expanding as technology becomes more sophisticated and user-friendly. Back in the 90's, a 16-bit machine was enough to have everyone ooh-ing and aah-ing but nowadays something needs to be pretty fucking impressive for it to even get a second glance. It was inevitable that videogames, the strongest selling form of media on the market (whoda thunk it?), were going to push the boundaries moreso than anything else. So whilst Microsoft and Sony went ahead and made logical steps, graphical enhancements etc, Nintendo threw away their leftover notes from the Gamecube and started from scratch. What they came up with, was the Wii.

Again, you can't blame Nintendo for thinking outside of the box, altering the way we play the game rather than the game itself. In fact, we should commend them for such originality. But it didn't quite please everyone, did it?

Today I went to HMV to find a new game for my Wii. It has been sitting here gathering dust, occasionally seeing the light of day when I fancy a quick round or 2 of Brawl. I scowered the shelves, and found nothing but limp-looking quiz games and Sea Bass Fishing. Which was made by Sega. My childhood has been shat upon.

THIS is the problem. I have been out and I have bought ALL of Nintendo's first-party games for this system, and the ones that manage to not be remakes of Gamecube games are brilliant, as would be expected. I'm not saying that Nintendo have lost their magic touch when it comes to making superb videogames, anyone who played Super Mario Galaxy would know that they are still the most imaginative and creative developer in the world today. But what I can't stand is the feeling that Nintendo is becoming another Coca-cola. The Wii Fit, the Brain Training, the endless amount of shitty half-hearted third party support vomiting out useless ways in which to use an equally useless peripheral.

With the Super Nintendo, you didn't need to point four controllers at the screen at once to have a good time with your friends. You didn't even need four controllers. All you needed was one, plugged in, playing A Link To The Past or any one of the dozens of fantastic titles in your arsenal and the family would gather round. That's the sort of stuff that makes memories and captures imaginations. Not Cheggers Party Quiz.