Nintendo diehards have been on the ropes as far as the general gaming fandom is concerned. Even though Nintendo’s on top in hardware sales (both on the handheld and home console fronts), the Wii in particular is the target of endless vitriolic hatred from the “hardcore gamer” community.

Any longtime Nintendo fan will admit that it’s been rough over the past few years. The Nintendo 64 and GameCube both plummeted in popularity, but at least we still had great games to play. With the Wii absolutely destroying the competition in widespread appeal, most of us thought we’d see a return to NES/SNES-era levels of quality and quantity. Instead, Nintendo has seen fit to focus more on the “casual gamer.” This business tactic is one that I personally have no real problem with; bringing new fans into the gaming fold, no matter what kinds of games they wish to play, is always a plus.

I knew from the start that when I bought my Wii on launch day, it would just be my “Nintendo player.” I’m not shitting on Nintendo by declaring that the Wii won’t be my primary console; far from it. As annoying as it may be at times, I’m comfortable with the fact that I’ll be starting the Wii up to play new games only a few times per year. Why? Because I know I’ll be playing absolutely top-notch software every time. Just look at Nintendo’s latest offering, Punch-Out!!.

It’s funny because he’s fat.

The franchise has lain dormant for fifteen years, but the new game is near-perfect. Rarely, if ever, do you see that kind of dedication from other publishers. Sure, Nintendo’s had its share of misses, but nowhere near as many as other companies.

And what do they get for their hard-earned comeback? Smear campaigns from the Sony and Microsoft fans. It’s absolutely ridiculous; plus, as I’ve said many times before, many of these haters grew up playing legendary Nintendo franchises like Mario and Zelda. It must be the “in” thing to hate Nintendo now. The anti-Wii crowd just needs to grow up and face facts: the system, and Nintendo itself, are going to be around for a long time. No one’s forcing you to play their software and hardware, so why complain about it?