Since 2006, the Wii has hosted major 1st party releases that not only managed to take top honors on the sales charts, they did it for far longer than competing mega-titles with multimillion dollar budgets and equally marketing campaigns. Case in point: Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Wii Fit, and Wii Play, as eclectic a mix of software as there ever was, are currently the . Only one "hardcore" title, the critically acclaimed Grand Theft Auto IV, managed to crack the top 5 with a third place finish. Metal Gear Solid 4? A distant memory in #2 seller Mario Kart Wii's rear view mirror.

Other titles, such as , , and a spate of Wario titles, have proven that the past two years have not seen the typical first party "Nintendo Drought" made infamous on the GameCube.

Third parties have seen successes both large and small too, although you might not think it when reading popular Internet opinion. Resident Evil 4 sold well, as did the Wii version of Guitar Hero 3. Ubisoft is in the ascendancy thanks, largely, to the early bet it made in 2006 on the Wii's chances. Even games that didn't sell well out of the gate, like Steven Spielberg's Boom Blox, found legs over the long run as an evergreen title. In fact, it did so well EA confirmed Wednesday that .

However, it's not all puppies and rainbows. Just as LittleBigPlanet has struggled to meet expectations on the PS3, so too have other great games floundered on the Wii. Zack and Wiki, No More Heroes and de Blob were also met with much love from the reviewers, while enjoying only modest sales. And the storage issue, ever an elephant in the room for a Nintendo, remains woefully under addressed. A could help, but details are scarce as to what this magical SD card fix might entail.

As for future birthdays, next year could see a concerted effort from Nintendo to expand the Wii base even more. Wii Sports Resort launches in the spring, and with it will come a whole new level of motion controls, thanks to . 1:1 sword fighting--hell, 1:1 anything you can think of--will all be a reality.