Last week, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said he regretted going it alone with the Wii, which was an odd regret given the machine's massive success. Was something lost in translation? Today, we get a look at how Nintendo itself translated Iwata's remarks. Suddenly the regret is more clear... and more understandable.

The specific problem, Iwata noted in a Q&A with Investors that has now been translated, is that the Wii didn't have a good networking infrastructure. It won't come to any avid gamer or Web user as news that the Wii, though supported with built-in Wi-Fi and an online shop, was slow to connect to the Web, lacking in online features and nearly barren of any convenient web-enabled social features.

"Honestly speaking, Wii's future could have been different if Nintendo had made better partnerships with outside companies in the field of network services at the early stages of the penetration of Wii," he said. "In other words, Nintendo might have been a little obsessed with the policy "Jimae-shugi" ["doing things by one's bootstraps"] at that time. Although we have already put ourselves back on track, we would like to clearly differentiate what is our true strength from what we can basically do by ourselves but can be done better by more skillful outside specialists in order not to fall into that trap again. You may be aware of some features which I am implying now in relation to the future developments of Nintendo 3DS and Wii's successor system that we announced yesterday. I am sorry I cannot say anything more specific today."

The vague comments confirm that Iwata was dissatisfied with the Internet set-up for the Wii and suggest that new arrangements are underway for the Wii's successor and the 3DS. He admitted that this is just not Nintendo's strength:

"In the field of networks in particular, however, I admit that we cannot do business in pace with the changes in the world and the requests from consumers only within our company and with development companies we have long been in touch with. I am not sure which term suits us as collaborations for this purpose, M&A [merger and acquisition] or partnership. Anyway, I feel that we would spoil the party in a negative way if 'we sticked to create everything by ourselves' based on the policy 'Jimae-shugi,' and eventually it would make our business slow."

Iwata also seems prepped to solve another variation of going-it-alone issue that has sometimes bedeviled Nintendo: support from third-party developers and publishers. On the DS, Iwata said, support was good, but he believes that the Wii struggled to draw that support due to a variety of issues. Taking the lead from a questioner's suggestion that that problem was the Wii's inferior graphics capability, compared to that of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3's, he said: " Wii is good in some areas but not in others, so especially for games like Call of Duty, the Wii version sold pretty well [Note from Kotaku: In some cases, over a million copies], but the unit sales were very different from the versions of other platforms, and I assume that one of the reasons is the issue with the graphical representations which you mentioned before, and also, the consumers who like that kind of game will have other platforms at home as well, which led to this result."

Iwata signaled that this will change for Nintendo's next console, which is slated for release next year: "Of course, we would like to cooperate with software developers for Wii's successor, and as I am repeatedly saying, I don't believe Nintendo can carry out everything alone. I am saying that we are responsible for building up the market, but I don't think that Nintendo can maintain the market alone; We are aiming for creating a situation where software publishers will be willing to cooperate. As for commenting on such things as the performance, I already stated in the beginning that I would not mention any specific plans. Thank you for your understanding."

The Wii was a huge success for many reasons, but its failings in online gaming and in attracting broad, high-caliber third party development have been obvious to Wii gamers and the press for a long time. Clearly, they're crystal clear to the president of Nintendo as well.

Financial Results Briefing for Fiscal Year Ended March 2011 [Nintendo]

Style your hair on your DSi, clean up the streets in the Virtual Console, or gather your crew for a non-stop Bingo Party, all in this week's Nintendo Download.

How many times has one of your parties been ruined by the lack of a circular metal cage filled with numbered balls? The sport of depressingly old people comes to the Nintendo Wii this week courtesy of Ateam Inc.'s Bingo Party Deluxe for WiiWare. The only thing more depressing than playing this with your friends is playing it all alone. There is nothing more soul-crushing than shouting "BINGO" where no one else can hear you.

Unless of course you get ready for this big solo Bingo Party using 505 Games' Picture Perfect Pocket Stylistfor DSiWare, snapping a photo of yourself and applying various hair and makeup styles until you find the look you want reflected back at you on the television during loading screens.

Hopefully the person I described isn't you. Hopefully you're playing something like Jaleco's classic Super Nintendo beat-em up Rival Turf on the Virtual Console. Sure it's derivative, but it came out in the early 90's when that was okay.

It's been awhile since Nintendo has delivered something truly noteworthy in its weekly batch of downloadable games. Come back next week to see if that changes.

WiiWare

BINGO PARTY Deluxe
Publisher: Ateam Inc.
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: In BINGO PARTY Deluxe, play with up to four players in 75-Ball BINGO, 90-Ball BINGO or BINGO PARTY game modes. (Additional controllers are required for multiplayer game play and are sold separately.) The more you play, the more BINGO points you collect. Keep collecting BINGO points to unlock fun goodies such as new game modes and BINGO card patterns. All BINGO game modes can also be played with computer players, and the difficulty setting can be easily adjusted to match your skill level. The exclusive BINGO PARTY game mode adds excitement by having players compete to find and stamp BINGO numbers on multiple BINGO cards, eventually completing patterns to earn big points. Players can also enjoy the classic 75-Ball BINGO and 90-Ball BINGO game modes. There's plenty of fun for everyone.

BIT.TRIP RUNNER (demo version)
Publisher: Aksys Games
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 0 Wii Points; full version available for 800 Wii Points
Description: Race across the moon, kicking down crystal walls and sliding under chomping moon-slugs. Bound through the Robotic Mines and face off against the MinerMech. Dash through the Big City on a quest to find friends and defeat the final boss. BIT.TRIP RUNNER is the fourth entry in the award-winning and critically acclaimed BIT.TRIP series. Players control CommanderVideo as he runs, jumps, slides and kicks through more than 50 levels. Chiptune supergroup Anamanaguchi makes a guest appearance. Join CommanderVideo on his most epic journey yet.

Virtual Console

RIVAL TURF!
Original platform: Super NES
Publisher: Jaleco
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: Take back the streets with RIVAL TURF!, the classic two-player action game that originally launched on the Super NES. Clean up the streets in a fast and furious display of tag-team street-fighting action. Get your licks in with a range of attacks, from body slams and leg sweeps to jabs, hooks and uppercuts. Go it alone in single-player mode, fight alongside another player, or go head-to-head and toe-to-toe in the special Versus Mode. This could be the toughest fight of your life, so you'd better start swinging.

Nintendo DSiWare

Anonymous Notes Chapter 2 - From The Abyss -
Publisher: Sonic Powered Co., Ltd.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Mild Fantasy Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points™
Description: Discover an action-packed RPG set inside an infinitely extending dungeon. Sweep away the monsters wriggling in many places and defeat a strong boss monster lurking in the deepest part of the dungeon. Even after the boss monster is defeated, the dungeon automatically re-creates itself, so players can try new games over and over. Using a skill called Soul Capture, the male character can take magic and other skills away from the monsters, as well as weapons and shields to power up. It's exhilarating to strengthen your character by combining equipment and skills, and then crush the monsters in a sweep.

Ikibago
Publisher: Neko Entertainment
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Alcohol Reference
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Play the role of a pirate and set out to discover the lost treasure of Ikibago in this fascinating puzzle-action game. Differently colored barrels move from left to right. Your objective is to align at least three barrels of the same color in one column before they disappear from the screen. Use the stylus to switch the barrels while anticipating different traps. Bonuses are available – be sure to use them carefully to succeed in the game's 121 missions.

Picture Perfect Pocket Stylist
Publisher: 505 Games US Inc.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Thanks to Picture Perfect Pocket Stylist, your hairdresser will always be with you. Have fun inventing new hairstyles for cartoon characters or for yourself and your friends. Take a picture of yourself and see how you look with a new haircut. When you find the right style, save it to your Nintendo DSi system's photo album. You can also import pictures from the album and use them to create new styles. Enjoy thousands of combinations of styles and makeup.

Today's Speak-Up on Kotaku comes courtesy of revered commenter JesusChrist, who believes the "more upcoming exclusives" argument to determine which is the superior console is not a valid one . Let us pray.
Why do people need to use the "more upcoming exclusives" argument when debating why their console is better? Have we forgotten that it's all about personal choice? While a bigger amount of upcoming exclusives IS a nice incentive for somebody brand new to gaming, for the rest of us who have gamed for years it shouldn't even be considered an attack on another console.

Let's put it this way. The grand majority of releases are multiplatform. And a lot of the times, a multiplatform game ends up being the really successful one. We're far enough into our gaming lives that we have already chosen our favorite exclusives, so why switch to the other console if the other console won't give me the option of playing my favorite exclusive?

I guess what I'm trying to say is that yes. The PS3 has a great upcoming selection of exclusives that puts the 360 to shame in the ratio alone. But why would I switch, when if I did I would no longer be able to play Halo or Gears of War? Hell, even Alan Wake got some Jesus lovin'.

And no I'm not saying that the above mentioned games are the best of the best and put everything else to shame, I'm just saying that for the same reason I keep buying Nintendo consoles SOLELY to play with the same characters over and over again due to love for them I'm not even considering switching my 360 due to my love for these games. And nobody else should ever consider exclusive amounts for a reason why a console is better, if that one special game you love is in your current one.

Now own all current consoles, and problem solved. You won't miss any great games.

I guess that what I'm trying to say is..... I'm better than you. I deserve a Nobel Peace Prize. Nya nya nya nya nya nya.

Aristotle, in the Nicomachean Ethics, plainly states that the aim, end, or goal of a thing is its good. Each thing is directed toward some greater good, and we, as people must seek to understand what that good is. The efforts of the Nicomachean Ethics are to understand the good and attain it, not for an individual alone, but for a whole people or state.

Now, gamers know better than most people, though perhaps game reviewers know it less than others, what Aristotle was talking about. Games are made (despite all of the advertising, the money grabs, the critical review, the theological dissection) to be fun. A woman recently asked me what the point of Portal 2 was. My answer received laughter from some people, perhaps because of who I am, perhaps because of who the woman was, but I stand by it. I said simply, "Joy. The point is Joy." Games have a proper end, they are there to engage, entertain, frighten, excite, sadden, and exalt us. They are there to give us that deeply human experience that all art has the potential to communicate to us...Joy.

Now, it is true that games are seen by gaming companies (I do not say the actual developers, because it is my impression that they know very well that they are making "Joy machines") that the end of video games, like the end of books, or movies, or songs, is profit. Certainly, they say, these things must produce enough pleasure that people will want them and the next iteration when it comes out. But for the company, our joy is a means to the end of capital. For gamers, capital is a means to an end of joy. At first glance it seems a somewhat symbiotic relationship, to be sure.

The problem comes when the two ideas of what games are for come into conflict. The game companies insist that flooding the market with a genera or scads of sequels will be good. The game players insist that it is bad, as games lower in quality, demand more of the player's resources for less joy. This is also why gamers long for innovation in gaming, and game companies are scared. They disagree on what the purpose of gaming is, they debate over the good that it aims toward.

This is, of course, not unique to gaming. Television, movies, music, and books all suffer from the same process of incompatible ends. The purpose of writing is to inform or entertain, to explain or argue. For publishers, this is replaced by the purpose of profit. Of course a writer should be paid for her work, and there are numerous steps to publishing a book, hence the work of publishers. However, the publisher's work is to facilitate the production of books, but the model has been flipped on its head. So it goes for movie studios, record labels, and video game publishers. The original impetus, creating art and entertainment, which benefited from those who could help (producers, studios, publishers), has been turned into the means of profit, and so we come to the sad state of most of western art.

The solution then is to put our priorities right again. A model where play is the thing, joy is the point, is in direct conflict with those who would "take the fun out of making video games." For to create art of any kind is to experience the frustration, ecstasy, tears, and laughter of any great and worthwhile work of human hands. In other words, it is to experience Joy.

For some Christian perspectives, my own included, the point of all creation is Joy. Even views that are radically different in Christian tradition express this view. The first question of the Westminster Shorter Catechism is "What is the chief end of man?" The answer? "To glorify God and enjoy Him forever." Joy is the point.

Games are meant for joy, in their making, in their playing, and in the reflection on them. Those who would remove joy from this very worthwhile pursuit are the enemies of those who make and play games. The industry is foundering in the face of decades of the conflicting pursuits of those who make and play the games on one side, and those who see games as a means to a capital end. Perhaps this is why small indie developers are finding such success these days. From an e-mail conversation I had with Craig Adams, I feel confident saying that a game like Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP comes from deep personal and intellectual reflection, not from the money-grab mentality. The same could be said of the upcoming Dream:Scape on iOS.

You may ask what I propose to do about it. My answer may be a bit of a cop out. It is not for me to say what the proper economic model should be, or how much games should cost to make, or how much we should pay for them, or how they should be published. For philosophers and theologians, our work is to point to a place on the map and, and knowing what we do, say "Here be dragons." It is up to captains, shipwrights, and quartermasters to determine the best way around or through those waters. In other words, people who know about economics and game development models must answer those questions.

What I can say is this: if gaming companies wish to prosper, they must put the long term joy of the gamer before their short term profits. This will not only make gamers happier, more loyal customers, but will put the priorities back where they belong. Perhaps economists and business people will tell me I'm wrong on this one.

But to be sure, I know a dragon when I see it, and this one is as old as the world.

The chart-topping game on popular Flash gaming site Newgrounds this morning was, not surprisingly, a video game involving Osama Bin Laden.

The user-submitted game, called Mujahedin (play it here), lets players control a suicide bomber, recruited by the now-deceased founder of terrorist group Al Qaeda to attack a U.S. Army base. The player can "praise Allah" or "play with the trigger", getting themselves shot or blown up in the process. They can also succeed in the attack, after which they are praised by Bin Laden. The game appears to be a satire, making jokes about Bin Laden's commitment to Islam and the idea that Islamic fundamentalist terrorists believe their suicide attacks would merit them the company of virgins in the afterlife.

The game launched today at 5:18 am ET, six hour after President Barack Obama announced Bin Laden's death. Users have already checked out the game more than 600 times. Mujahedin's creator, someone going by the name GrogyLobster, says it's all a coincidence. He or she wrote:

"WTF?! I SPENT THE LAST FEW WEEKS TO CREATE THIS PIECE OF GARBAGE AND NOW ONE OF ITS MAIN PROTAGONISTS IS SIMPLY DEAD? THANK YOU USA, YOU SCREWED ME OVER!!!"

Player reaction is mixed. One gamers wrote: "So simple yet so funny game! This motivates me to create spam! Thanks!"

But another slammed the game, writing, in part: "this is racist to the core because you messed up real big mujahid does not mean terrorist. osama is a person that made us all look like terrorist for no fucking reason i hate him and this game because you didn't even try to look that up you JUST watched the news and osama said he a mujahid and now mujahid is a terrorist?? get your facts right damn it , mujahid was what the muslims called their soldiers and if you even bothered to check you'll see that he's not fighting for islam he's fighting of pure hatred because he's a terrorist "

While the game was topping the charts this morning, it's recently been passed by Seabed Bubble 3, the kind of simple, fun game more common on Newgrounds. Both games, however, have been leapfrogged in the number one spot by a crude cartoon submitted by another Newgrounds user. Its title: "Osama is dead."

Welcome to May and a brand new season of Talk Amongst Yourselves. You can talk about video games all you'd like, but please also admire our new artwork.

This month's painting is Marriage à-la-mode: 2. The Tête à Tête by William Hogarth. Thanks to reader Mythos for the suggestion. Now, as we do every month, you're invited to photoshop this image to make a joke of some sort about video games. If you do, your work could be featured atop a future TAY post.

Submit your image to #TAYpics.

(Read this thread for directions on how to do a TAYpic.)

Rolling-ball games, with their single control and simple purpose are another genre perfect for mobile platforms, though it can be hard to stand out with much distinction. That is not a problem faced by Gears an iOS game that marries Marble Madness and H.G. Wells. A gorgeous, easily understandable game, Gears ladles on the visual appeal while delivering compact gameplay that is swiftly learned and difficult to master.

The story setting up Gears is kind of trifling, but this kind of gameplay and visual luxury should need no justification. Set inside the workings of a giant, failing machine, your mission is to pilot a rolling robot ball safely over catwalks, through funnels, over conveyor belts and trampoline jumps and other steampunk-rendered equipment while you pick up "power gears" on the way to a timed-race finish.

Gears, although fundamentally a ball-roller, is also a very pleasing blend of checkpoint-racing (though the paths can branch) and top-down platforming, and broadly accommodating of all skill levels - though it gets a lot tougher after the first world of nine levels. Its easiest through hard modes all give you unlimited lives, with completion times ranging from infinite to very limited. "Brutal" difficulty gives you just one life and severely cuts your allotted time.

You have two control methods: A finger swipe anywhere will send your ball dashing in along the same angle from where it is, and fast dashes can supply enough momentum to zoom you off into the abyss. Reverse-swiping was very responsive and helped me stop on a dime after I'd built up too much speed.

The second method is not recommended. It's the accelerometer, the siren song of iPhone games development and something best reserved for racers. Here, holding the iPhone portrait style (long axis being vertical) makes it extremely difficult to steer the ball with precision. I played the iPhone 4 version. I assume the iPad version is more responsive. But the swipe controls are enjoyable enough that you're not missing anything by sticking with them.

The game supplies three themed worlds (with separate soundtracks) and nine levels set in each of them - fast enough that you can beat the game in a sitting if you're just trying to speed-run to the end, and varied enough to encourage replay for higher scores and full exploration of the levels. You've no doubt heard the roses thrown at Crescent Moon Games' feet for the game's visual style; the accolades are well deserved.

Gears is simple where it must be, richly detailed where it should be, and deeply replayable. Gears is too thoughtfully done to slap it with labels like "addictive" or "impulse purchase," but it will definitely appeal to those who have those expectations of the iPhone, as well as those who appreciate well-made games regardless of platform.

Gears [iTunes App Store]

NEWS OF THE DAY | AMERICA: The week's biggest tech news contrasted with the week's biggest political news. (Photo by Michael Alipio)

Sony Shows That Saying "I'm Sorry" Isn't Enough in Japan This Sunday, as the Golden Week holidays began in Japan, Sony execs Kazuo Hirai, Shinji Hasejima and Shiro Kambe answered reporters' questions about the PSN breach that put the private details of over 70 million gamers at risk. The execs didn't just apologize for the breach, but bowed for seven seconds.

Master Chief is Back from Deep Space, and He Looks Great In this week's round-up of the best in costume play, we've got the star of the Halo series on the loose, a Queen (not a Princess!) from The Legend of Zelda and everyone's favourite transgender fighting game character.

Star Wars & Sworcery Is Something That Would Be Welcome Around Here Artist Slaterman23 has taken an everlasting love (Star Wars) and a love that's very much of this moment (Sword & Sworcery) and combined the two. Thanks, Slaterman23!

Yes, Nolan North Is in Too Many Damn Video Games Nolan North seems like a super nice guy! And does a cracking job as the voice of Nathan Drake in the Uncharted series. Problem is, he also does the voice for around a million other characters, and it can sometimes get very distracting.

These Custom Portal 2 Figures Came Straight from Testing Custom toy creator Christian Hooton, whose work we've featured previously, has sent us some pictures of these Portal 2 figures he's made. Warning: they are amazing.

Sony Online Entertainment's PC portal Station.com, home to games like EverQuest and DC Universe Online, is offline. Station.com's homepage currently reads:

We have had to take the SOE service down temporarily. In the course of our investigation into the intrusion into our systems we have discovered an issue that warrants enough concern for us to take the service down effective immediately. We will provide an update later today (Monday).

It is still unconfirmed whether this breach is related to the PSN breach or if it is separate breach.

Sony initially stated that an "external intrusion" resulted in the PSN going offline. That intrusion resulted in more than the PSN being unavailable to over 70 million account holders, but also user data being compromised.

According to SOE's comment, an update on this latest development is expected later today. Until then, Dinner Dash 2, anyone?

Station.com - Service Under Maintenance [Station.com Thanks, John!]

In PSP title Photo Kano, you are a high school student who recently got a camera. By building relationships with girls, you can take photos of them in a variety of different situation, including inevitable skimpy pics.

Photo Kano is kind of like Pokémon Snap, but not as cute and with bigger tits. So I guess it's really not that much like Pokémon Snap, save for the picture taking.

Watch the game's six minute trailer to see it in action. Six minutes, folks, six minutes.