I know I`ve been hating on Nintendo a lot lately, but 2008 was supposed to be a good holiday year for real gamers. Instead, Nintendo is promising titles like Wii Music and Animal Crossing, and a substantial increase in Wii consoles so that the casual mob can play those casual games. Maybe this will be the Christmas where all the soccer moms finally get their hands on the eternally scarce console, and the baffling supply shortages end. At least 09 will be good, with the promise of Punch Out!, Sin and Punishment 2, expanded SD card use, and of course the amazing Conduit. Next year is definitely shaping up to be more satisfying for the hardcore crowd (this year`s E3 was almost as big a blunder for Nintendo as "Riiiiidge Racer" was for Sony in 06), but I`m still waiting for some real surprises. After all, we still haven`t seen any brand new, hardcore-friendly IPs from Nintendo, although The Conduit seems like a worthy substitute. Let`s just hope Nintendo uses WiiMotionPlus for something besides foam bats in Wii Sports 2...Zelda, please? Please?