What is the Revolution?
By Okibi

You may be wondering what's up with all the talk about the Nintendo Revolution here lately at Rated O. You're also probably asking yourself "why does an old school gaming site care about next-gen gaming so much?". Well, now we're gonna answer those questions and explain what the "Revolution" truly is.

Let's start with the best feature of all, backwords compatibility. We're not talking about it's ability to play GameCube games, but rather it's ability to play classic games from the NES, SNES, and N64. You'll be able to download tons of games online from Nintendo's collection,as well as third parties' collections. Rated O has the list of downloadable games at launch, but we won't be releasing that list just yet. You'll have to wait for the second coming of the Revolution.

This brings me to my next point, how the games will be played. Nintendo President Satoru Iwata said the Revolution will be "...the greatest gaming machine ever." Nintendo wants to change the way we play games, not just make them "prettier". The system itself isn't much different, but the controller has been upgraded to create a better gaming experience. While no consumer has yet to see the new controller, in-house developers have and they seem to love it. The controller is suppose to be a wireless one that senses it location. It's set up that way to let you move the character or camera by simply moving the controller. The new controller and backwards compatibility is not Nintendo's "ace up their sleeve" for the next console race, though.

So, after 2 rounds of defeat, what makes this next console so "revolutionary" besides it's controller? That's simple, the launch. Nintendo believes that the worst thing a company can do when releasing a system is releasing it with no big name games to go with it. Nintendo themselves have done this with their previous releases, but this time their ready. They plan to release big name games at launch, along with downloadable games, to make this a launch to remember, or a "revolution". If you look at the current list of launch games for the Revolution, you'll agree it seems to suggest that Nintendo is set on launching the new console with an invincible line-up. They want to have all their key franchises ready for the system's launch. The current list of Revolution launch titles include Mario (perhaps 128?), Super Smash Bros., Zelda, Metroid 3, PilotWings (confirmed to be in developement by Factor 5, and a new RPG developed by Camelot (Golden Sun?). These, along with the download classics, almost guarantees a successful launch.

What is also amazing is the third-party interest in the new Revolution. Companies such as Square-Enix simply can't wait to develope for this new system. According to Square-Enix in a recent interview, they will be developing the next Crystal Chronicles game for the Revolution, along with the next game in the Final Fantasy series. It's just like everyone else says about Nintendo. Know your roots. Square-Enix is doing just that. They aren't the only company returning to it's roots. Many other third-party developers are on board to support the new system. Expect to see gaming at it's finest with the release of all three of the next-gen systems.