The whole idea of upstreaming is a neat theory, mostly because it explains Nintendo's actions to date very well. You could see the progression mostly in Nintendo EAD's works from Wii Sports and Wii Play to Galaxy and Mario Kart Wii, then on to Animal Crossing (some would argue Animal Crossing to be more casual than Galaxy or Mario Kart Wii, but while Animal Crossing is easier to play, it requires far more time investment), then further upstream to Wii Sports Resort with it's 10 games in 1 and its more advanced input scheme, then onward to the hazy future of Zelda Wii which could be seen as the natural progression from Galaxy and Wii Sports Resort, and Pikmin 3, the progression upward from Animal Crossing
Malstrom does like to have his ideas fit in neat little boxes, which isn't always the case (it doesn't explain stuff like the ultra-simple Wii Music, or the more complex Metroid Prime 3), but if you use his ideas merely as models as opposed to gospel, they generally come out right
The only time i disagreed with him is the idea that Mario and Zelda games should go back to the level of simplicity they had for their original iterations
Monster Hunter: pissing me off since 2010.
