What would you say if I told you there's a developer/publisher of juggernaut proportions quietly treading a path directly into fray of the next-gen console battle? Better yet, what if I told you that very same PC gaming mammoth has the potential to develop, in a relatively short amount of time, the strongest console gaming lineup in history? That sounds pretty crazy, huh? I mean really. Electronic Arts, Sega, even Nintendo would find it difficult to carry that title uncontested. Perhaps I'm blowing a little too much smoke here, but then again, I haven't been this excited in years! There is a company that has the track record to decide which console thousands upon thousands of gamers will purchase. If you don't believe me, just jump on Xfire and check the hours you've put into World of WarCraft this week.

Blizzard Entertainment has been a long-time fixture in the PC gaming community, pushing out classic franchises that practically write the book on quality. If anyone has a chance to knock EA's Madden off its ass and take control the console game sales charts, it's Blizzard. Creators of Diablo, StarCraft and WarCraft, these guys quite frankly have the leverage to turn a console gaming lineup from limp to pimp, if they so choose. It's theirs for the taking, and don't doubt for a second that they don't already know that. For more than a year, they've silently been putting up job postings asking for those familiar with the console gaming world. They're planning something. I can't say if it's a new installment in one of their many incredible franchises, or just a console port. But either way they have the next-gen market by the ear, and you know they've been waiting a long time for it.

From looking at the past, it's clear Blizzard has had its fair share of problems entering the land of controllers, as seen with the indefinitely suspended 2002 StarCraft: Ghost project. But really, that's never been Blizzard's style. That just wasn't the type of game they have become so famous for making. Their roots are in RTS and RPG games, not third-person shooters. But that's been their problem with console games, hasn't it? The control scheme just hasn't been there for them; playing WarCraft III with a console remote just isn't... right. It's not intuitive enough, precise enough, fast enough. Quite frankly, while the Xbox controller is great for sports games, it's pretty inept when it comes to RTS games - as are many other console controllers. So what has me thinking that things will be any different this time around for Blizzard?

Let's see here... Which control scheme, of all the "next-gen" systems is intuitive enough, precise enough, and fast enough to control hordes of undead minions? Which is--ok I'll stop right there. You know where I'm going with this. It's the bloody Wii, man! Plain and simple, if executed properly, the Wii remote can function close enough to a mouse to be the ideal setup. Sure, the amount of buttons just isn't there to replace a standard keyboard, but the joystick can be an adequate replacement if used properly as a hot screen selection tool (think Trauma Center: Second Opinion). And the idea of kicking back on the couch and playing WarCraft III just gives me goosebumps. Heck, let's take that one step further. Think of the co-op play potential here. Imagine: You're laying back with a friend, just chillin' out and eating Doritos (Cooler Ranch, that is). You're minding your own business, handling all the micro-management of a good WC3 game while your friend takes your Heroes off on a leveling bananza. And forget the party favorite Gauntlet Legends, how about co-op Diablo II? Online play is great, and of course a must, but playing with a buddy right beside you is always immeasurable. Games like WoW may of course be too much... much more difficult to replicate, simply because of the scale and type of game it is. But even it isn't exempted from the Wii.

All this talk about Wii Bit of Muscle and Wii Bit of Worry the last few weeks has had me thinking: Sometimes, it's not so complicated. Sometimes, in fact, it just comes down to the games we love and the people that make them. Here's your chance to steal back the dedicated gaming crowd, Nintendo. I hope you're paying attention. Because when it comes to being an X-factor in the console war, Blizzard Entertainment is everything Sony wishes the Blu-ray could be.