Nintendo needs spice to their bland pastry known as video games.

Do you remember that on Zelda game? You know, the one where you go into the dungeon, get those keys and kill that pig boss guy? Wait, that's every zelda game...
Well do you remember that one Mario game? You know, the one where you collect stars and save the princess? Wait, that's every one....

How about the Punchout series? Metroid? Are you begining to pick up what I'm putting down? Nintendo is guilty of repetition; although it's not necessarily a crime. George Lucas of Star Wars fame has oftern compared his series to poetry due to its repetition. What makes Nintendo in need of updating their properties and not Star Wars is because repetitive gameplay is rarely a good thing.

Everybody who has ever played a Legend of Zelda title shudders whenever someone mentions the Water Temple. The torure and confusion of raising and lowering water levels still gives players nightmares. Although the Water Temple in Ocarina of Time is a brilliant and confusing level, it doesn't need to be remade in the next Zelda game (the next Water Temple being Great Ba in Majora's Mask).

The Mario frinchise is in trouble from repetition also, but in a defferent way. Marios level design in varrying and brilliant in every new title. but its storyline and gameplay has been the same for thirteen years. Nintendo has even tried to remedy this with Mario Sunshine, but-- oddly enough, Sunshine is often known as the black sheep in the series and rejected by fans. Every mario title effectivley starts and ends the same way/ This will ultimatley lead to the franchisses downfall. How many tributes and homages to itself does Mario really need?

Now, E3 is coming soon and all my Nintendo qualms may end. I love Nintendo, I think the Wii has the potential to change the way games are played, but with Wii music and Wii Play, Nintendo seems to want to broaden their audience and wallets instead of broadening their library of games.

Nintendo has a legendary ammount of franchises, but they are starting to suffer grom blandness. As a gamer, I hope these franchises star fresh-- like Salad, and not stale and tedious-- like Dynasty Warriors..... er... I mean cheese...