Tailgate is a relic. Not long after coming online, he fell into a sinkhole on Cybertron, only escaping his predicament after a six-million-year-long power nap. Physically, he is older than almost every character in More than Meets the Eye, but he approaches the Lost Light’s various adventures with a childlike enthusiasm. Which makes sense — he’s technically two weeks old when the comic begins. Tailgate used his age to fabricate a series of stories, even claiming he was a bomb disposal expert. He’s gone through some real trials over the course of the comic — including almost dying of old age and saving half of the Cybertronian race in one week — but he’s come into his own, accepting his true role as a waste disposal ‘bot and letting go of his tall tales.

It’s hard to hear the word ‘relic’ and not give the Wii U a little side-eye. When the console launched, it was months away from being outdated, with online decisions that were utterly baffling in the Xbox Live era and a launch library that was primarily a series of efforts at reclaiming old glories and ports nobody asked for. Hell, look at the name of the thing — Wii U. Smarter people than me have been pointing this out since the console was revealed, but I’ll be damned if that isn’t the most transparent attempt to move units I’ve ever seen. The Wii U smacked of an old man trying to convince the kids he was cool, not realizing he was a kid at heart the whole time. All he had to do was embrace his inner child and the people would come running.

There’s something futile about chasing old glories, especially when they’re made up. Nintendo has never been good with third parties. Remember that « historic partnership » between EA and Nintendo? Remember when Call of Duty: Ghosts coming to Wii U was a big deal? Where’s Advanced Warfare? Where’s Battlefield 4? The Wii U was a joke back when it was trying to be just another videogame console; another machine for you to enjoy those big tentpole releases. Today, it’s genuinely beloved, even if the rampant amiibo shortage threatens to overshadow Nintendo’s recent successes. Is the Wii U selling well? Of course not, that door closed when it launched with a crappy Mass Effect port and didn’t have a killer app until a year into the console’s life cycle. And Tailgate lost any chance of becoming an Old Cybertronian legend the second he fell unconscious. But we’ve got Mario Kart 8 now, and Tailgate defeated a genocidal despot by sticking a finger in his robo-brain. (God, I love these comics.) Accept your limitations, and use them to move forward. Can’t wait for whatever NX is!