Game Center CX, Japan’s long-running variety television program with a focus on retro video games, announced in a livestream hosted on August 23rd that they would start featuring PS3 and Wii titles on the show going forward.
Beginning in 2003, Game Center CX (also known under the international title Retro Game Master) stars comedian Shinya Arino, with the premise of each episode being that he has to reach the ending of a designated old-school video game within one day. The structure is not unlike Let’s Play videos and Twitch streams, with Arino and other hosts providing humorous live commentary over his gameplay. While the games featured are typically those released in the ‘80s and ‘90s, the show has expanded its lineup to feature PS2 games in recent years. The issue of whether to include games from the libraries of the Wii and PS3, both of which turn 20 this year, has been a point of debate among the show’s staff for some time.
The livestream, which was hosted on the show’s YouTube channel, featured a viewer poll regarding whether Wii and PS3 games should be allowed on the show, plus footage of Arino and one of his co-hosts discussing the pros and cons of such a decision. The poll received more than 14,000 votes, with 71% in favor of allowing games from the seventh-generation platforms on the show. 13% of respondents were against the idea, with the remaining 16% voting as indifferent.
Arguments for the allowance of these games included their age and nostalgic appeal to a younger demographic, while counterarguments ranged from the average length of seventh generation console games being unsuited to the show’s format, to their perceived leap in graphical fidelity making them indistinguishable from modern releases.
After the poll closed, the stream also saw Arino trying out some high-profile games for both consoles, including New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Wii Fit, and Demon’s Souls. A further round of polling followed, this time receiving around 17,000 votes with those in favor rising to 80%.
The final decision was made by Arino himself: games from both consoles would be made eligible for play on Game Center CX in future episodes. The deciding factor, he explained, was their appeal to new fans in their teens and twenties.
Following the stream, Arino posted on his X account and his blog, declaring that PS3 and Wii had “joined the retro family.”
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