Nintendo has never been number one on my must have gaming console list. I have been a SEGA man since the Master System days, then an Xbox guy after the Dreamcast faded away. But recently with all the bickering between XB1 and PS4 fanboys about resolution of games, graphics and game length, I have found myself playing less. Maybe I was just reading too much social media or maybe I hit the Destiny bottle too hard. But for whatever reason I wasn't having that much fun, I was just going through the motions. But that changed last month when I picked up the New 3DS XL.

I have owned a DS whatever since they first launched. First it was the original DS, then when the DSI launched, I upgraded and it was the same when the 3DS launched. I liked my 3DS but the system was just too small for me to enjoy. Not just the screen but with very large hands, it was not comfortable for me to hold. When the 3DS XL first launched I thought I would upgrade, but every time I decided on a color another special edition came out, then another and another. So my 3DS sat and got played once in a blue moon. When the 2DS’s launched, my wife bought one for herself and I used mine a little more because we would play games together. When the New 3DS was announced I had decided I would upgrade when the XL versions came out. Lucky for me here in the US it was the only version to come out. Since I have had the console I play it every day. I'm loving games like New Super Mario Bros and Pokémon. I now can get more enjoyment out of the system because it’s more comfortable for me to hold and I can see the screen better but it’s not just that. I have more fun playing it then I have had playing my PS4. Plus, wife time and playing games together? That’s a win.

I have had so much fun on the 3DS I went out and bought a Wii U and you know what? I am having fun on that too. I’m not shooting aliens, robbing banks or fighting a war. I’m collecting coins, enjoying remixes of games from when I was a kid and other fun games. I was playing the Wii U the other night and it hit me, Nintendo has become video game comfort food to me. You don’t hear people bickering of buggy games, lack of content, video resolution or connection issues with Nintendo games. You just hear about people having fun. That’s what being a gamer is all about. It’s not your kill death ratio or how many hours it took you to play whatever, it’s did you have fun. I have logged almost 400 hours in Destiny since launch. That’s a lot. Did I have fun? Sure, but I never felt satisfied. Like most MMO style games, there is always something more for you to level up or try and find. It also has to do with the guys and gals you play with that adds to the fun. But even with games like The Order, I did enjoy but was not satisfied with the game and wanted more. I find with Nintendo games even with short half hour play sessions I have fun, feel relaxed and enjoyed myself. This is also why I have been an avid retro game collector. Classic games give me that feeling of fun and enjoyment that I first got when I was just a young gamer.

People (even me) have said that Nintendo has lost their way. They don’t know what the modern gamer wants anymore and they are out of touch with their audience. But are they really? In the day when Nintendo was king and Sega was trying to get into the video game market with flashy system add-on’s and games for a more “mature” crowd, Nintendo did what they always did. They made good games that were fun, and in the end they came out just fine. They will this gen too. With embracing the mobile platform and making a unified ecosystem, I see great things for Nintendo in the next few years. So if you are feeling like I was: tired of all the graphics this, short games that, maybe you are just getting burned out on newer games right now. Fire up a Nintendo system, it may just make you smile and have fun again.

Nintendo Has Become My Comfort Food of Video Games