Looking Back on 2003
My goodness, another year has gone by already. As we look onward into 2004, let’s discuss some of the key aspects of Nintendo’s 2003 year that will ensure its place in videogame lore, and how these news items rank against others.
10 Nintendo Website Redesign
Nintendo finally put away that boxy, illogical layout in favor for a more streamlined, professional, and user-friendly website design. There’s nothing much more I can add except to visit it at www.nintendo.com.
9 Mario on Display in Wax Museum
Our most beloved videogame character, who some might say is more fact than fiction, finally received his dues when he was immortalized in wax at the famous Hollywood Wax Museum. I hope in the coming years he can also have his face immortalized beside the four presidents at Mount Rushmore; no one deserves it more.
8 E3 2003
Way back in May 2003 there was a little gaming exposition called E3, which showcases the newest games and hardware in the industry for the coming year. Nintendo had some excellent games to showcase, but sadly there was nothing new or groundbreaking to blow us away. We wait in eager anticipation for E3 2004, where we’ll hopefully get a glimpse of each company’s new systems.
7 Super Mario Advance 4 Releases
Nintendo’s masterpiece Super Mario Bros. 3 was released as SMB4 for the Gameboy Advance, and is now available for all those young boys and girls who missed out by a decade and a bit. The graphics have been marginally improved, and although much hasn’t changed from its debut, it’s still a worthy buy for older gamers who want to reminisce, while still providing younger gamers with something new.
6 1080: Avalanche Released
Five years later and we finally have a sequel to 1080! There was much anticipation for this game over the years, and now that it’s released I can rest a little easier.
5 Crystal Chronicles Announced
A major ice-breaker between Nintendo and Square occurred when Square-Enix announced Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles for the Gamecube. Most, if not all, of the gaming world thought that the title “Final Fantasy” would never appear alongside a Nintendo console again, and seeing these two songbirds singing the same chorus again has restored my faith in humanity. God Bless.
4 N-Gage Released
While this may not seem Nintendo related, the launch of the N Gage, coupled with Sony’s announcement of their portable handheld means that Nintendo will have some work to do to ensure their dominance in the hand-held market. I seem to recall a situation almost a decade ago when Sony launched their PlayStation; let’s hope Nintendo does not make the same mistakes and give Sony the edge.
3 Mario Kart: Double Dash Releases
The critically acclaimed driving franchise Mario Kart made its Gamecube debut, and us consumers esponded well to Nintendo’s remake: Double Dash lead in software sales this past holiday season, and with two characters for the price of one kart, how can you go wrong?
2 Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker Releases
The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker made its debut on March 24th, 2003, and not only did it quickly take Gamecube gamers by storm, it shut up all those critics (including myself) who thought that the Zelda series wouldn’t be the same due to the cel-shading. Miyamotyo once again proved everyone wrong and delivered a sensational masterpiece which shouldn’t be missed out by anyone.
1 Nintendo Pulls Ahead in Console Race
The last two months saw Nintendo gain a tremendous increase in sales as it ousted Sony and Microsoft for top selling videogame system. This was undoubtedly due to Nintendo’s price drop of the console and special bundle deals. While it was not known if Nintendo actually made any profit on selling tons of consoles at rock-bottom prices, they sure gave Sonny and Billy a run for their money.
There’s my Nintendo 2003 roundup. I realize that there are probably many other special events which I missed, but you can email me at webmaster@gamequbed.com with any suggestions which you thought should have been on the list.