What I'm Playing: Not the Wii

I'm not really sure what the deal is. Mario Galaxy is one of the most creative and fun Mario experiences ever. It's certainly the best title on the Wii right now (with Metroid Prime 3 on it's heels). But I'm not totally sure why I've been so nonchalant about playing it.

Getting Rock Band definetly put a hurt on the Wii. My underlying desires to be a drummer have put many hours into the game. I'd say I'm pretty efficient and sight reading is second nature now. I think I could play a real drum set playing some basic stuff and getting used to real drum set notation .

Puzzle Quest also still has Nicole and I deeply entrenched in it's RPG-Puzzle goodness. The idea behind the game is probably one of the best gaming mashups ever. A card game (Magic the Gathering), a puzzle game (Bejeweled), and an role playing game (Dragon Warrior). If you like even one of those games or genres, you'll like playing this along with the other two.

But there's Mario, sitting in the Wii in low-power mode. I don't know if it's the fact that it's in the back room. If it's because I'm jaded on Mario-collecting-star games, or what. Mario Galaxy definetly deserves some more love than I'm giving, but when your at the point of forcing yourself to play a game, does it then lose it's purpose and meaning of existence? A game you HAVE to play. A game you HAVE to enjoy?

And that's just it. I'm not enjoying it. It's levels are entertaining bits at a time, but the overall goal of the game, to earn enough stars for a chance to fight the final battle, has permeated through the many layers that make up a video game (graphics, sound, fun, controls, etc.) and I'm seeing the forest for the trees.

Metroid Prime 3 suffered the same fate. Since it's graphics and gameplay are merely rehashes of the past two games with a different story and humans, it feels like a repetitive chore. Like the third chapter in the longest game ever.

I'm starting to think that it's because they are games made by Nintendo, but I know that can't be true because while these to games are collecting dust in my game room, the newest Zelda was played probably every available day until it was completed. I don't think it was the fact that I bought the GameCube version over the Wii version either. The new Zelda game had such a great new aroma too it. It was the new hearty chicken soup that made you forget about Cambell's version. The same thing, for sure, but energized and given mood and feeling and more character. Spice.

Mario and Metroid have somespice. Maybe it's just the wrong kind for me. Or not enough of what I do like.