In what I hope is a regular feature, I will dissect the week's major sporting events using Nintendo games and products as a point of comparison. Games color and shape the way we see the world. So do sports. By viewing sporting events through a specific gaming lense, my intention is to combine these interests in a way that hopefully sheds light on each.
Secondary goal: To make strange, often ill-fitting connections that may or may not cause you to chuckle or ponder deep existential queries or question why I just compared Scott Boras to Suda 51. Follow along if you wish. And I welcome your responses or alternate takes on the weeks' topic.
Special thanks to community member T. McReynolds for the inadvertant suggestion.
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Week of June 6th - June 12th
Australia Loses Again
The French Open is won on the women's side by unheralded Italian Francesca Schiavone, who defeated Australian Samantha Stosur to become one of the oldest women at 29 to win a major. Coincidentally: Twenty-nine years after his unofficial debut in Donkey Kong, the Italian stereotype "Jumpman" Mario demeans Australia by releasing his latest masterpiece, Super Mario Galaxy 2, over one month after it comes out in Japan and the U.S., and nearly three weeks after France and the rest of Europe.
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Soccer: The Quest for Relevance
The World Cup began officially on Friday, with matches between... well, I'm not sure. And neither are you.
A regular event that's hugely anticipated the world over, yet ignored by Americans? Yes, another Dragon Quest game has arrived. In a switch for the series, the next numbered sequel releases on a handheld, with Dragon Quest 9 coming out for the DS after a long hiatus on Sony's platform. Last July in Japan, mobs of gamers stormed store-fronts and cashed in paychecks to play Enix's latest. Over 4 million copies have already sold. A year later, in the US, one Best Buy employee will pick up his copy while the rest sit quietly, watching as their shelfmates Mario Kart DS, Professor Layton, and Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver get snatched up at full price.
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A Rare Rookie
Steven Strasburg, a pitching phenom who was the number one pick in last year's MLB draft, finally debuts with the Washington Nationals. He goes 7 innings, strikes out fourteen, and walks none in a dominating performance that exceeds high expectations.
In a way, the kid reminds me of Rare circa 1994.
From this... ...to this
In the 80s, they began making games for 8-bit platfroms like the ZX Spectrum and NES, with gems such as Battletoads, R.C. Pro-Am, and Snake, Rattle and Roll. Excellent games, yes. But that was the minor leagues. Now Nintendo was promoting them to the Bigs, and the pressure was on to perform. Soon the spotlight was on this smalltown crew from the country (Twycross, in rural England). A new arcade fighting game called Killer Instinct melted faces with CGI animation and ultra combos. But Rare wasn't all 100 mph fastballs. Throughout the next few years, pitch after varied pitch flew by critics and gamers alike: Donkey Kong Country, Goldeneye, Banjo-Kazooie. They even had a nasty curveball to throw you off once in awhile -- Conker's Bad Fur Day.
The Rare we see in Microsoft's corner now is a sad look into the future for Mr. Strasburg: One day, fifteen or so years later, he will not possess the vim and vigor of yesteryear. But we will always remember his early grace and dominating performance.
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