Retro Killer App

The rumor is Nintendo is finally going to pony up details about the Revolution this weekend at the Tokyo Game Show. Something that Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony fans alike have been waiting for.

Nintendo has revealed close to nothing about the Revolution. We know nothing about the controller, which is supposed to be different and will "revolutionize" gaming. We know nothing about graphic capabilities, except that it will support 480p. And we know nothing about new games, other than it's a sure bet there will be a Mario, a Zelda and a Smash Bros. But we know a whole lot about old games.

With the Revolution, you'll be able to download games from the Nintendo back catalog, spanning the NES through the N64 (for a fee). We'll once again be able to play retro titles like Super Mario Bros, Super Metroid, Clu Clu Land, Mario Kart 64, and countless others. Publishers, such as Konami and Capcom, will most likely also try to get in on the action.

But there is one game in particular that might seal the deal for the retro gaming crowd: Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!

Ever since Nintendo started releasing NES games for its Game Boy line, fans have been begging Nintendo for Punch-Out. I think Nintendo has purposely been holding the Punch-Out card close to their chest, waiting for the right time to play it. That time has come. It is my prediction that Punch-Out will be the retro killer app that will sell Revolutions to the fanboys of yesteryear.

Selling retro games as downloads is a brilliant move for Nintendo. Here are four reasons:

1) Retro games are like classic movies. There will always be a market for them.

2) Games have become much more complicated in recent years. A person like my dad could never play Resident Evil 4, Halo 2 or GTA:III. He easily becomes frustrated with a controller loaded with fifteen widgets. A return to the classics means a return to two buttons and a d-pad. Games will be accessible to the masses, once again.

3) Instant gratification. No driving to the store. No over night shipping. You play now.

4) People will buy these games as if they were pumping quarters into Street Fighter II.

I leave you with this Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! flash movie parody. It's in bad taste. So you know it'll be funny.