Here's why you can be confident that there are no money hats or outside influence at Nintendo World Report.

We have used the same process for reviews since our very first reviews of import GBA games in early 2001. I oversaw the development of this process (although not the review format itself) and gained more and more influence as time went on, because my ideas seemed to work and make everyone happy. I know this is a good system, because I hear praise for it from our staff members who worked at other websites before coming to NWR, and I also hear praise from former staff members who have moved on to work at professional websites and magazines.

Take a look back at Nintendo's triumphs and stumbles in the new generation.

The one year anniversary of Wii's launch seems like the perfect time to take a look back and assess how the console has performed in its early life. I'm not only talking about sales – obviously, the system has performed spectacularly in that respect. I would like to praise some of Nintendo's choices that may not be so obvious, and also point out some areas where the company could improve in the coming years of Wii's dominance. Let's start with the biggest, smartest decision of all…

Hit #1 - Wii Sports Pack-In

If publishers want to stay in it for the long haul, the answer is to lower game prices, not raise them.

When EA CEO John Riccitiello said that the $60 video game won't work in the games industry of the future, it reminded me about something Nintendo President Satoru Iwata said at an investors' briefing last year:

"The real value of the software must be judged with its contents, not with the medium on which the software is stored. Our business has been based upon the fact that we are asking consumers to appreciate the value of the contents, not the material cost of the optical discs, which are much cheaper. ... Once the suggested retail price is announced, we should stick to it. Of course, we should be flexible. If the software was first introduced five or ten years ago, we don't need to stick to the original price. However, if the suggested retail price of any and all software is marked down in six months or nine months, the customers will learn the cycle and wait for the discounting, which will simply aggravate the decreasing sales of new software."