With the release of Wii Fit this week, Nintendo continues its quest to crucify the game industry on a cross of sensationalism and hype. Instead of pushing the boundaries of gaming with innovation, storytelling, and design, Shigeru Miyamoto and his crew have now chosen to lump game consoles in with the Thigh Master, Ab Roller, Soloflex and all of the other home exercise equipment that is now sitting and collecting dust in basements across America. It’s too early to tell yet, but both the game industry and gamers will be feeling the negative aftershocks of the Wii for years to come…

It’s easy to create a novelty. It’s hard to create art.

Everything that’s been in the media the past week or so – the killing, the sex, the crime, the prostitutes, the drunk driving – the naughty thrills you get from those things are all short-lived. Once you’ve done it a few times, it just becomes standard operating procedure in the game.

After spending some quality time with GTAIV, the thing that continues to blow me away is the phenomenal writing. Niko Bellic’s journey through Liberty City isn’t defined by an endless spree of killing and sex (although those things are a part of his story). It is defined by the richness of the characters he meets – from Roman’s bottomless optimism to Dimitri’s conflicted sense of reality. You’re blown away by the depth of each new character you meet – you want to get to know them, their story, and how they make it in the rough world.

The most powerful thing in the game is this basic human connection that Niko makes with all of the people he encounters along the way. Yes, the game has a lot of horrible stuff – killing, sex, whatever – but anyone who can get past that savagery is rewarded with a beautiful story and the great sense of humanity that each character in that story brings.

“You can change the game, Niko Bellic, but you can’t change the rules.” – Dimitri

The question is, what does this mean for PS3 sales? 2007 was year of the Wii – could 2008 be PS3’s turn? And where does this leave the 360? This might be just the thing Sony needed to prompt consumers to take that jump with their wallets.

• Brain Age (DS). Definitely one of the most unique games ever created, Brain Age proved that video games aren’t just for kids – they can appeal to a much wider audience. It was the first game and probably the best example that really embodied Nintendo’s new mass-market casual-gamer strategy. The sales figures and media coverage sent the strong statement that, hey, even though the company has really failed the past couple generations, maybe they’re on to something here. While I estimate that most everyone got bored with Brain Age about a month after they bought it, the game has its place in history as a significant step in game design for non-traditional markets.

• Okami (PS2). Imho one of the most visually stunning games ever created, Okami was the counterpoint to all of the fanboys who had then jumped on Nintendo’s bandwagon of “graphics don’t matter.” The beautiful art and unique visual style showed us that graphics indeed do matter, and, when done right, can elevate the gameplay experience to a whole different level. The celestial brush and use of a wolf as the main character in a RPG were contributions in the area of incremental innovation in game design.

• World of Warcraft (PC) While a lot of the gaming world was distracted with the excitement over the new consoles, WoW continued to chug along, gaining massive amounts of subscribers and pretty much kicking everyone else’s ass. I’m not sure what I can say that hasn’t beed said about this game already. It just dominates the video gaming at the moment.

• Pocketbike Racers, Big Bumpin’, and Sneak King (Xbox/360) Funding quite possibly the greatest advergames ever made, Burger King took a risk and was rewarded with sales of over 2 million copies of these games at $3.99 a piece. I played Pocketbike Racers as much if not more than any of my other game purchases this year. These titles were an example that video games are an ideal medium for branding and advertising, and can facilitate a more intimate relationship with your target customers. Simplicity, fun, and silliness.

• Gears of War (360) With all of the hype and media coverage surrounding the Wii and PS3 launches in November, the Xbox 360 could have been very easily lost and forgotten. It needed something big, something epic, something truly badass. That something was Gears of War. Gears made it apparent that the 360 wasn’t going down without a fight. The fight didn’t come in the form of AARP-approved motion-sensitive controls, massive computing power, or blu-ray. It came in the form of chainsaw bayonets, torque bows, and copious amounts of splattering blood. And it came in the form of flawless execution. Gears sent a strong message: it’s hardcore gamers who have brought this industry this far, and companies who work hard to serve the hardcore will be rewarded in kind.

... so those are my picks – what are yours?

If I can work up the motivation to actually turn on the Wii, I’ll report it up.