PixlBit

You're probably talking about the inward-drifting bikes. They are indeed broken, as combined with wheelies they are vastly overpowered. That means it takes a lot of skill with a kart to beat them, and I've met some people who definitely got into a competitive spirit due to that. Though trying to win with an inferior vehicle is a different story.

I'd say that the timed mini-turbo mechanic demands tighter racing lines than snaking. Since you need to drift for a specific amount of time for each turbo boost, if you mess that up, there's no second chance to get the boost. Since the boost can be done so quickly in Mario Kart DS, racing lines don't matter as much since if you mess one up, you still have plenty of time to do several more.

I don't think you gave Mario Kart Wii a chance. I definitely discovered that rethinking of the game thing that you experienced with Mario Kart DS after I experimented with the new drift mechanic and understood how it works. There's definitely skill to it, even though it may not seem like it at first, it's just a different kind than before. To me, it sounds like you saw the mechanic had changed and didn't even bother trying to learn it.

I don't disagree about having options, though. I've always felt that many games, including Mario Kart, need more gameplay variations and choices. I'm still waiting for the day when Nintendo realizes that true accessibility lies in providing many options, not this "one size fits most" mentality.

Chrono Chross would have been a terrible gift suggestion.

I'm so behind with the site that I thought this already happened.

Honestly, if you were to ask me again, I'd probably pick a different five games to highlight here. There were a lot of good choices to write about, and just because I didn't doesn't mean I think any less of even the ones that weren't mentioned in the Honourable Mentions. I could have easily expanded this and wrote about each and every one of those games, but for the sake of readability, I couldn't make it longer than the average attention span. I had to put a limit somewhere, and trust me, it wasn't an easy decision.

Though I can't believe I forgot to mention the Nimbus Land music for Super Mario RPG. That isn't just one of my favourites, it's probably my most favourite. How it slipped my mind I'll never know. The volcano music is another worth mentioning, as it also had enough bass to rattle the speakers.

It's about time.

It looks like the blue Wii doesn't come with a game. Interesting.

I still don't understand the appeal in these games that makes everyone and their brother rush out to get it on day one. They're solid shooters for what they do, but I wouldn't say they're anything special, and could certainly name better shooters.

Or you could get a real PS1. They're like $5. ;)

I don't know what price these games are going to be on the PSN, but on Amazon, you can still buy these games brand new. Chrono Chross is $13 at the time of this comment, and Final Fantasy Anthology, which contains both Final Fantasy V and VI, is also $13. I'm pretty sure that most PS1 games work on a PS3, plus this way you'll have actual physical copies and won't have to worry about the murky waters of digital games.