I’m all about starting traditions. So, in lieu of this idea I thought I would start a tradition of doing “Top 5 Fridays”. From now on every Friday, I will be providing a Top 5 list about anything relating to the Nintendo Wii. I’d also like to see your ideas of different lists, and feedback on ones that I provide. So I hope you enjoy the first Top 5 Friday list.

My Top 5 Ideas For The Nintendo Wii:

5. - Hard Drive Add-On

If you frequent any kind of Nintendo Wii forum, you’ve probably stumbled onto this topic. The Wii comes with standard 512 MB of flash memory, which can hold quite a bit of saved games. The problem is, the more Nintendo keeps offering by way of downloadable content (Virtual Console, WiiWare), the less spacious 512 MB seems. Sure, you can delete channels to free up space and re-download games at a later time, but why should we have to?

Many of the rumors floating around seem to point to Nintendo announcing a HDD (hard drive disk), at E3 later in the summer. Let’s hope this turns out to be the case, because if more games like LostWinds come out. I’m going to need all the space I can get.

4. - Head Tracking

If anyone that is in charge of hiring at Nintendo is reading this, remember the name Johnny Chung Lee. Not only is that a really cool name, it’s the name behind some of the most ambitious technical advances for the Wii. If you haven’t seen his videos yet, do yourself a favor and look him up on YouTube. Easily my favorite idea of his is the use of “Head Tracking” for the Wii. Instead of trying to explain it, and fubar it up in the process, I’ll provide a video on the greatness that is head tracking.

3. - More Games Utilizing The Balance Board

Most of you who are reading this, and purchased Wii Fit are probably still sweating from your morning workout routine. I waited a bit too long before deciding on making my Wii Fit purchase, as alas no where in town had one the day after release. While I still don’t think Wii Fit will stay fun all that long for me, I’m more interested in the future capabilities of the balance board.

If the Wii remote and nunchuk can add so many interactive possibilities, imagine what can be done with the balance board. Imagine if you will a spy game where you sneak around using minimized pressure of footsteps on your balance board. One of my favorite shooters, Time Crisis, is perfect for the balance board. In the arcade version, there was a pedal which you used to duck in and out of cover. The balance board could easily act as the pedal, and could provide my very own arcade Time Crisis experience.

The ideas are quite plentiful for the balance board, and there have already been a few titles announced for it. There is Skate It, We Ski(already released), and Rayman 3 Raving Rabbids.

2. - Better Online Gameplay

If Mario Kart:Wii is the direction that Nintendo, and other developers are going to take, then it looks like we’re going in the right direction. Nintendo has never been known for their online gaming capabilities. The problem with this, there are so many Wii users, that online is becoming a must. Super Smash Bros. Brawl tried to bring online more to the forefront, but with lack of options, and stability issues, it left us wanting.

Mario Kart: Wii easily has the best online play from a Nintendo game so far. The presentation is slick, and is the most stable online experience I’ve had on the Wii so far. The VR points give a heightened sense of purpose and make online karting more competitive.

I won’t even go into all the problems behind “Friend Codes”. Needless to say, Nintendo really needs to look into alternatives for adding friends, because it can be a real pain. If you have a large group of friends you play Wii games online with, then I’m sure you share my pain with adding Friend Codes to every different game you play.

1 - A New Franchise

I might actually step on a few toes with this idea. First off let me say that I love all of the Nintendo franchises. From Mario, to Zelda, and all of the rest have provided some of the best gaming in history. With the release of the Nintendo Wii, which is built on “new” dynamics, and different ways to play, it’s perfect time for them to release a new franchise.

Disaster: Day of Crisis could potentially be this franchise, but only time will tell if it has the longevity to last. I understand that Nintendo wants to hold onto their brand, and releasing games using the characters people love is the smart move. At the same time though, it would be so amazing to see a new franchise, or character arise from the greatness of the Wii.

New and fresh ideas are becoming harder to come by with games. Much the same way that movies are becoming less and less original. It’s important that new ideas and concepts be brought to light. I’m sure if anyone can pull it off, and do it with style, it’s the House Of “N”.