An open letter to Nintendo

Dearest Nintendo,

I have been a long time fan of yours, since the NES days. I've been right there for every hardware launch you've had, money in hand. One of the reasons is I'm a Zelda and Metroid nut.

I just eat those franchises up. I have not played Other M, because I believe Samus is better when she is a silent protagonist. However, this letter is not about me, but rather about you.

Allow me to explain.

I remember during the glory days of the NES, how games were judged on how much bang for the buck you got. How if you bought and subsequently beat a game within 8 hours or so, you felt ripped off.

Yes, the world was a different place back then. Games were designed to be hard, to encourage the player to think, and more often talk to their friends about what secrets, or hints they had discovered. One thing they did not do was hold your hand.

You were dropped off in the game, with the tools being what the game gave you from the beginning, and your brain. Nothing more.

A sense of Mystery if you will. Not knowing what you were going to come up against in your next play session. So far, in this generation there's been only two games that still prescribe to this school of thought.

Demon's Souls, and Dark Souls.

These games do not hold your hand. These games are not cute, nor casual. These games will kick your ass and have you begging for more. This is what Nintendo should be thinking of, new IP's and how gaming was forever changed by the worlds and adventures afforded by the then powerful NES hardware.

The joy of solving difficult puzzles by merely thinking about HOW to accomplish a given goal. Gaming has always been hard, giving us a sense of accomplishment when WE beat a difficult boss. Not getting some hints in a strategy guide, or God forbid, actually just letting the player basically skip through the difficult parts.

Recently, I noticed my Son(12), jumping from game to game to game to game. He would encounter a difficult part, get beaten, and move on to another game. I told him in my day, we didn't jump from game to game, we stuck it out, and unearthed the mysteries and revelations by hand.

Maybe with a pencil and a few sheets of graph paper if needed. I pulled out my NES, hooked it up, and gave him Zelda 1. I told him to beat this game before, going back to the Xbox, or PSP.

He's on his third day of playing Zelda, and I've noticed that he's starting to think more about what he's doing, about how he's going to find and conquer the next dungeon to get the next piece of the triforce of wisdom.

I can see it today, 25 years later, that same burning desire to play, to get further, to figure out something like the lost woods. Today, he found his third piece of triforce.

I've heard him talk about nothing but Zelda for 3 days. This is what you once were Nintendo. A land of magic and fantasy, a realm where we could let our minds overcome difficulties. This is what we need from you again.

To listen to the original gamers out there that long for a true challenge. To show the new generation of gamers that it's not about achievements, or trophies. It's about not only beating a game, but the journey to finally doing it.

Regards,
Sofo