Give Nintendo props: Between the 'New Super Mario Bros.' big launch, reams of positive Wii press and killer sales on its iPod-inspired DS Lite, all's currently rosy in the Mushroom Kingdom. But as the DS Lite's ($129.99) June 11 launch -- two-thirds the original brick-sized handheld's dimensions, 20 percent less heavy and only half as likely to incite public ridicule -- illustrates, not every Nintendo launch has ranked so high in the public opinion.
Don't get us wrong. The same visionaries who delivered 'Metroid,' 'Star Fox' and Captain Lou Albano as a certain portly plumber know a hit when they see it. Still, for every innovation the legendary manufacturer has rocked our world with, there's an equally dirty skeleton in its closet that Nintendo's Reggie "Kick A$$ and Take Names" Fils-Aime and co. wish you’d forget.
In the spirit of love and remembrance, we recap the Big N’s rollercoaster of a resume. Here, you'll find Nintendo's finest (and not so fine) contributions to the interactive entertainment biz.