I've constantly had second thoughts about posting this topic, before you start sending me "HOW DARE YOU CRITICIZE THE NES!!!" and "WHAT'S YOUR DEAL NINTENDO RULES" messages, hear me out.

First I'm not attacking the NES's game library or it's legacy, which I have a lot of respect for. However, just because it has Super Mario Bros. and has a huge fanbase, doesn't mean it should be above the level of being criticized.

In terms of criticism I'm refering to the Grey Box's HARDWARE!!!!!!!!!

I've had my 3rd NES for a few weeks now and the problems are getting worse, it's taken me 5-10 minutes to get a game working properly, and when I do it freezes or crashes after only a few minutes of play, and sometimes I can't even get passed the start up screen. My 2nd NES was referbished, and it worked fine for a few months before it too started glitching out. Dirty cartridges were only part of the problem, however they weren't the cause. The true flaw was in the system's hardware.

There are three major problems with the NES's hardware.

1. The ZIF (Zero Insertion Force) Cartridge Socket: When you push down on the cartidges after their inserted, and remove them it will bend the conector pins out of alignment. This problem was made even worse by the Game Gene, which would actually bend the cartridge slot.

2. The 72-Connector Pins: Nintendo used sub-standard materials when it came to the connector pins, and as a result they are highly prone to dust and corrosion, especally with heavy use, like the ZIF, the use of the Game Gene cheat cartridge only made the problem even worse.

3. The 10NES Chip: The 10NES Lock Out Chip was designed to keep the kinds of games that doomed Atari off the NES, and helped create Nintendo's monopoly on the game industry in the late 80s and early 90s. The chip however is the reason behind the NES's most irritating flaw: the Flashing Red Light of Death. The problem is that if the connector pins are dirty, damaged, or corroded it will cause the lock-out chip to go haywire resulting in: Freeze ups, Crashes, and causing the game to not load, all of which were represented by the power light blinking red, a messed up picture, or a flashing grey or blue screen.

While Nintendo offered cleaning kits and repair stations, they failed to address the cause of the problem, and continued using the defective parts for most of the system's lifespan. It wasn't until the NES line was ready for retirement in 1993 that Nintendo finally fixed the flaws with the release of the top loading NES 2.

In an effort to distance itself from it's competitors, and to make sure only Nintendo games could be played, Nintendo created a system that was essentually a Jekyll and Hyde. When it works properly the NES is one of the best systems ever made. But when it starts malfuctioning it becomes a battle between user and system just to get the game working for five seconds.

If there was ever a system that has left an endellable mark on the history of Video Games it is the legendary Grey Box, better known as the NES. Even today the NES tops many lists as the greatest home console of all time, thanks in no small part to it's simple controls, and more then anything a game library that has yet to be equaled, having introduced the world to such favorite series as Super Mario Bros. Zelda, Ninja Gaiden, Metal Gear, Contra, Metroid, Double Dragon, and Castlevania. All of which helped revive the struggling North American Console Market.

But in the long run, there is one thing that keeps the NES from becoming the greatest game system ever: Techincal Problems. Today the 360 is known for it's malfunctions, especally the Red Ring of Death, but compared to the amount of problems the NES has, the 360 is a breath of fresh air. While they don't require the system being sent in for repairs (usually) they are without a doubt one of the biggest headaches any gamer can experience, especally if you love Classic Nintendo Games.

Over time, some times a few weeks or a few months, dust can build up in the game cartridges and even within the system itself, causing everything from load problems to lock ups, to the famous flashing red light or blue screen of death, and because the console is a front loader, you have to pull the cartridges out, and at times this can cause parts inside the system to come loose or break. While blowing into the cartridges helps somewhat, it's only a temporary fix. These are with out a doubt major design flaws, and make finding a Grey Box in mint condition, or working order, all but impossible. Between me and my brother we've owned three Grey Box NESs the two we have currently suffer from all of these glitches and our third had aged so poorly that it was unplayable. Because of this I really feel Nintendo should have done something about the NES's design flaws as soon as it became apparent there was a major problem.

Over all the NES is a must have for any game collecter. Neither Xbox LIVE Arcade or Nintendo's Virtual Console can compare with playing the original game on the console it was designed to be played on. However if you wish to avoid mechanical problems I would recomonend trying to find the Top Loading NES.

Latley I've been finding the Wiimote to be a huge let down. It works great for certian kinds of First Party games, like Wii Sports, and a few Third Party Wii games like House of the Dead, but the majority of the Wii's library I've been finding don't take full advantage of the Wii Mote's motionsensing, turning otherwise great games into giant let downs, especally after the packages the games come in lead you to believe that you'll be using the Wii-Mote for a wide varity of moves.

The Wii-Mote is a vast improvement over it's predicessor, the Power Glove, and is actually functional with all of the Wii's games, but this time Nintendo has failed to take full advantage of the Wii Mote's potential, instead treating it as little more then a cheap novelty.