Is Nintendo's future its past?

Welcome to my first feature for Cube-Europe. This is no doubt a hard time for many Nintendo writers, as so many people are disappointed - even disillusioned - after Nintendo's performance at E3. Nintendo gamers still don't know why they will want a Revolution in their homes next year, while Microsoft and Sony gamers have buckets full of hype to feed on.

Good games were no doubt shown, but talk always seems to turn back to the underwhelming unveiling of the new console. This will be the system competing against Sony and Microsoft for the next five years or so, but we don't know why. Like in any general election, the candidates with the loudest voices and the blandest platitudes will have the most media attention. Those that bide their time will suffer in the end.

Despite this, we do know one interesting fact about this mystery system... the Revolution is online, and it will allow gamers to download 20 years of classic Nintendo games, from the NES through to the N64 and maybe even the Gamecube. Nintendo has always prided itself on its franchised characters, and this is the ultimate expression of that pride. However, Nintendo will be competing against the illegal emulation scene, and if they want to win that fight then they will have to do something unthinkable, something special... something that will take a little time and effort, but I think will pay off.

Nintendo has to drag the classics, kicking and screaming, online.

Picture the scene. You have a choice between Super Mario Kart on your PC for free, or Super Mario Kart on your Revolution for a small fee. Maybe your morals will not allow you to go for the PC version. Good on you, but you are in the minority. Maybe you just love the gaming industry so much that you don't want to contribute to its collapse. Again, most people are not as lovely as you.

A similar scene. You have a choice between Super Mario Kart on your PC for free, or Super Mario Kart on your Revolution - but with integrated online multiplayer, downloadable scoreboards and Time Trial ghosts, perhaps even new fan-created tracks, with the most popular listed on Nintendo's online service site. You may still want to go for the PC version, but you know you are missing out on the real thing. The Revolution could bring the classics into the wireless age, taking advantage of their new home.

And this is just one example. Picture four-player Tetris Attack, new maps for Goldeneye 007 (a bit of a stretch, but possible), a Unirally tournament, massive Excitebike races, new minigames for Mario Party, new rules for Pokemon Stadium, new dungeons for the original Legend of Zelda, an actual best-time board for Metroid and Super Metroid...

Regional barriers could be dropped: Super Mario RPG and Earthbound could finally be released in Europe, and translations of Famicom Wars, Fire Emblem and Famicom Tantei Club could give Nintendo gamers insight into a more serious side of the "wacky" Nintendo. Why not finish up StarFox 2 seeing as it was nearly completed? And if Nintendo's plans to get third-parties on board works then the possibilities seem endless.

This may all be wishful thinking - the man hours required would be substantial, and may cut into the development of new titles. But Nintendo could use the data to track the most popular games and adapt accordingly. They could use their classics as market research as well as entertainment provision - finding out the kinds of games that are most popular and new Revolution titles in that series, or at least provide new downloadable content for it.

We may not know what makes the Revolution deserve its name, but if the possibilities of online classic gaming are explored then we may not need to watch the horizon for the full answer. Old could be the new new! Viva la Revolution!

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