14 DAY TRIAL // Probably half of the gaming world will hate me for saying this, but somebody has to do it. Mario, Sonic, Luigi, Wario, Dr. Eggman and all the other arcade/platformer icons should retire! Each and every one of them should be put in a museum and locked there. That's the only way to do it, that's the only thing that should happen if we want to let nature follow its course.
There are two main reasons why this is the right thing to do - and it has to be done ASAP. First, all these characters are obscenely old - Mario was born in 1981, Sonic is 10 years younger but it's still much. They're both old, their friends are old and the game concept that made them famous is dead. I saw Rambo 4 and Rocky-Whatever and it was enough. There is a time when you should retire. Even Michael Jordan learned this lesson.
Second, these two demonic characters, together with their friends have appeared in over 300 games. We all bought over 300 games, meaning tens of million of game units and hundred million dollars. Still, we're the ones who explode when EA announces another sequel. And the poor lads probably don't even have half of the titles Mario does. Hell, not even XXX actresses have as many movies as Mario and Sonic have games (even though the concept's a bit different here).
So, think for a second: aren't you bored already? Didn't you get tired of seeing the same strange, face-lifted characters over and over again, instead of receiving some brand new ones to love, to care about, to cherish and so on? Let's face it now: the reasons we're receiving sequels after sequels is because we buy them, because we buy Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games (5 million), because we're mad about Super Smash Bros. Brawl - games that do nothing else but bringing together gaming icons that should've actually retired years ago. Of course game developers prefer this kind of titles: their success is guaranteed and they don't have to do much about them. Just imagine: Mario and Sonic Go Fishing - 10 million units sold; Mario and Sonic Watch Tv - 6.5 million; Mario and Sonic Just Stay There On Your Screen And Do Nothing - 3.8 million. And I'm not overreacting - this is what will most likely happen if these oldies don't retire, allowing the youngsters to come, take their place and prove their value.
Now don't get me wrong: I do agree with the fact that these are the characters that together wrote the history of gaming, I do agree that these are real icons and they should always be remembered accordingly. But, as I said at the beginning, they should be remembered in a museum, because that's the only place where they should be. Will this happen anytime soon? No, because we love them. So get ready: sometime in 2010 we'll be playing "Mario, Sonic and Megaman Start the War Against Lara Croft and Duke Nukem in Liberty City". Meanwhile, I will just cry.