A whole 50 Fire Flowers� I feel old. Older than the hills, older than the mountains, older than this Eccles cake I have in my desk drawer. Pretty old, all in all.

When I started Fire Flower over four years ago, it was my intention to challenge readers to think about issues past and present, to make our fans and detractors use their brains once in a while. My other intention was to see how far I could go in cheesing people off with every issue. Well, I don't know how many of you I have made think in these four years, but the regular stream of death-threats, poorly-worded rebukes and indignant emails I receive certainly shows that Fire Flower has fulfilled its second purpose. Success!

An Endless Blue Ocean

Fire Flower may not have changed much over the years, but since its inception there have been a number of changes in the world of gaming. Most notably Nintendo, our favourite Japanese house of video games and mystery have themselves undergone some radical changes in the way they operate. In some ways the company is the same as they ever were, but in other ways they have evolved into something much stronger, much more stable and far more marketable.

Upsetting traditional Nintendo fans, who have since the N64 primarily been the hardcore gaming minority, Nintendo is now embracing a strategy that they like to call Blue Ocean. This strategy is what other companies like to call "Making Lots Of Money" and is an entirely new direction for a former giant relegated to the periphery of the home-console market for almost ten years. Instead of relying on tried-and-tested methods of churning out the latest Mario, Zelda and Metroid games, the company are now producing titles to appeal to the whole family. As well as churning out the latest Mario, Zelda and Metroid games.

This direction has really struck a chord with the general public, largely due to the innovative control methods employed by their current duo of platforms: the DS and the Wii. While it has to be said that Nintendo have always been innovators in the industry, completely revolutionising the concept of how games are controlled was a risk for the company which in past years has seen its previous two consoles outstripped in sales by the upstart Microsoft and the arrogantly complacent Sony. The new methods angered the traditional gamer � myself included, and when the Wii was compared with the PS3 and the DS with the PSP it is easy to see why we were angry. Nobody buys a Porsche because for good mileage and innovations under the hood: they buy the car because it looks good and impresses women. With so few women in gaming it's best to impress friend and fellow gamers, and the only way to do that is with shiny graphics and big noises about how powerful the processor is.

But Nintendo remained obstinate and stuck with their Blue Ocean plan - and are now sitting on top of an amazing success story. Two amazing success stories in fact, with the DS also taking the lion's share of the handheld market. For a console that's only about as powerful as an N64, that's quite a feat. And the touch screen that so many detractors maligned as a gimmick and pooh-poohed as an over-expensive map screen, is now being put to more unusual and interesting uses than ever. While Nintendo's commitment to innovation has not changed, their position in the marketplace because of it finally has. At last being more clever than your rivals is starting to pay dividends.

The Death of Gosen and the Rise of Reggie

During the N64 and GameCube era, Nintendo were also famous for their wraith-like presence in the media and their evasive nature when it came to acknowledging failures and problems. This has now also changed for the better. With the mighty PR-hounding juggernaut that is Reggie Fils-Aime now leading the Nintendo ship across the pond, Nintendo are now far more open to the media and the general public. Advertisements can be found almost everywhere from the internet to women's magazines and even � gasp! The television! The one advertisement I remember from the N64 era was the Diddy Kong Racing TV spot. And the only reason I remember that is because it was the only advert I ever saw. Not to say that there weren't more adverts on the TV, but just there weren't any when people were actually watching. The company is now giving far more interviews, revamping and reassessing website designs and all in an effort to become more accessible to the coveted casual gamer demographic.

But despite this opening up to the general public, Nintendo are still closed in many aspects. One of the most noticeable is their blind terror of piracy and their subsequent insistence on using proprietary media. The N64 and GameCube suffered most with this baffling fear, the former being limited by the expense of the cartridges and the latter suffering supply problems due to the singular nature of the optical discs. The DS is still a proprietary form, and for a handheld this is probably necessary. But why the Wii cannot play DVDs like its bigger cousins is a sticking point amongst a few purchasers, though the sheer force of pester power may override such concerns. Piracy will happen regardless of what media you use, people will find a way to make money from your product without passing it back to you. The trick is to make so much money from your main sales that the percentage of pirated titles becomes insignificant. Piracy is bad, but preventing yourself and allied companies from making money by fear is almost worse.

Europe is now getting a better deal from Nintendo as well: not only do we have regular releases, but we also have a whole new European Nintendo HQ! No longer are we forced to deal with a third party company such as THE Games or put up with morons like the utterly inept ex-Nintendo of Europe marketing head David Gosen running the show.

For your entertainment, I will now relate the story of how I once met David Gosen: It was a sunny day one May several years ago, and as a poor student I was earning my pocket money working in one of the flagship stores of the largest games retailer in the UK. In walked a group of people in finely-tailored suits, among them a smirking man that needed no introduction to me: David Gosen. Some of them sauntered round the shop looking at the displays of the other companies games, while the man himself walked straight up to me and the Nintendo section where I was using my sonic dusting device.

"Can I interest you in a GameCube, sir?" I inquired, feigning ignorance of his identity.

"I hear they're really good." He replied.

"That they are. Shame about the company being almost non-existent in the marketplace at present."

"Excuse me?"

"Well sir, it's a great machine, but the company don't seem to be pushing it that hard here. Look at how many games are available compared to its rivals. We have a Top 20 for all the other consoles and a Top 5 for this one here. Plus only 10 units of shelf space � and we struggle to fill those."

"You're not trying very hard to sell this."

"Neither are you, Mr Gosen."

For a moment he looked taken aback. But he rallied admirably.

"Good consoles will sell on their own merit. And I don't think you're looking at the bigger picture."

"What's the bigger picture?" I asked. "Eventual bankruptcy at the hands of your more media-savvy rivals?"

He laughed and turned a knowing look on me.

"It's not all about who has the best seller, you know." And he walked off.

At that time, it would appear that not only was money unimportant to the European operation, but making a good impression on those trying to make you your money wasn't either. Anyway, those dark days are over for now and we are staring down the barrel of a much better future in Europe. Titles such as Zelda: The Minish Cap and Mario Kart Wii have actually gotten released in Europe before long-time beneficiary the USA � and the uproar from across the pond is suitably satisfying when this happens. Still, it could be better, but for the time being, release dates are getting closer to our fellow gamers in the more privileged nations.

Another factor that has remained the same is Nintendo's success with their handheld machine. The Game Boy was from time immemorial� ok, 1989, consistently the most popular handheld console worldwide until succeeded by the Pocket, Color and finally Advance versions. Now the DS continues that legacy in worthy fashion by proving time and again that gaming is about fun and portability. Not big shiny graphics and the ability to stay within reach of a power outlet at all times.

One of the biggest changes in terms of management has come in the form of Satoru Iwata, the current incumbent of the Nintendo presidency. Replacing the authoritarian and often abrasive Hiroshi Yamauchi, the younger man has done much to change the face of the company. By giving more interviews, encouraging contact between developers and ordinary gamers and generally giving the mouldering company a good kick in the trousers, Iwata has presided over Nintendo's renaissance in the marketplace. Many key franchises (or perhaps we may call them 'B') franchises like Starfox and F-Zero have been farmed out to other companies for production, leaving Nintendo themselves at liberty to create new franchises and come up with better ideas for the long-term.

A Rare Debacle

A sticking point for many people, myself included, was the sale of Rare early on in the life of the GameCube. This sale of their stake in the company brought deafening condemnation from all quarters and howls of dismay from the faithful supporters of the developer. To give Rare their dues, the company was the best ally that Nintendo had during the N64 era. Though their output was limited, they still managed to create the Mario-beating Banjo-Kazooie, Goldeneye � probably one of the top 5 shooters ever made, and other fabulous titles like Perfect Dark, Jet Force Gemini and the under-rated Blast Corps. If it was not for the dedication to quality that Rare pursued, then I firmly believe that the N64 would have been the death knell for Nintendo.

So it is entirely understandable that hardcore gamers such as myself were furious at this seeming abandonment of the staunchest ally that Nintendo had. But looking back on the situation with the benefit of hindsight, it was a good move on the part of Nintendo. First of all the more talented developers in Rare had left to form Free Radical Design. Then many other disappeared to create a myriad of new studios and join bigger developers. The true backbone of Rare had been pretty much ripped out.

Then there was Starfox Adventures, a game that was systematically delayed month after month as the studio failed to complete it on schedule - a bad sign from a business standpoint. But before it was released Nintendo had completed the sale to new rival Microsoft, who were now trumpeting their latest acquisition with gusto to the assembled media everywhere. And when Adventures was released, it was fairly easy to see why Nintendo had given up on their former friends: the game was awful. Graphically it looked wonderful, with just about every effect and mode available to the graphics processor squeezed out and lavished upon the screen. But it was about 5 hours long, controlled like a dead dog in jelly and was boring as hell.

Since then, the sale of Rare by the company has been pretty much justified with every release. Grabbed by the Ghoulies was funny but pointless, Kameowas okay if you didn't mind having your hand held throughout pretty much the entire experience and Perfect Dark Zero was only ever going to be a disappointment and was made more so by its short duration and lack of anything resembling interest. Viva Pi�ata is an enjoyable game, but hardly a system seller. One game a year on average is not a sensible business plan for a company with games as its only means of support. Microsoft can afford to haemorrhage money: Nintendo cannot. [Plus, Nintendo fans still get Rare titles on the DS! - ed.]

Online, Finally

And finally, Nintendo at last has an online strategy, something glaringly absent from the GameCube years. While rivals Microsoft ran rampant with Xbox Live, the Japanese giant was content to let long-time-rival-turned-friend Sega pioneer the online service with Phantasy Star Online. The game was and still is a lot of fun, but one remake of an older game with the need to buy a modem as well does not really constitute a stratagem as much as it does a bad joke. Nintendo seemed to go back to the old "Head In The Sand" mode on this one declaring that online was nothing new as they pioneered this with the Famicom way back when. While it's good to be reminded of history, it's absolutely no comfort to a group of friends separated by a few hundred miles who want to green shell the hell out of each other on Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. Thankfully, the Wii has seen a welcome change in direction with Nintendo hastily embracing WiiWare, online shopping and most importantly multiplayer gaming. It may not be perfect, but it works.

Well, there we are then. A potted history of the evolution of Nintendo since the inception of Fire Flower. A lot has changed, a lot has stayed the same. We have never stopped loving Nintendo, and we never will but it is only now that the rest of the world are seeing exactly why we love them.

- Iun Hockley
N-Europe Staff Writer