Launch Wii-kend
When I was a kid, I remember thinking how cool it would be to be an adult - just because I could buy all the toys I ever wanted. If the local Burke Connection paper route had paid a better salary back then, I would have bought every Lego pirate and castle set, Nerf gun, and Atari 7800 game out there. That feeling has fortunately really never gone away...now it's just coupled with impulsive buying habits and a discretionary income. So I had to be the first proverbial kid on the block to have the Nintendo Wii, the innovative new video game system that is less about pressing buttons and more about wrist flicks and arm motions.
In between destinations last night, I walked by the Toys R Us in Times Square, where Nintendo was holding the official midnight launch party. The place was absolutely packed, and 44th Street was shut down. Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime was there to hand out the first console and play a few games with people waiting in line.
I had preordered the Wii at the Nintendo World store in Rockefeller Plaza, so I got up early this morning and headed on over. The line was already wrapped almost entirely around the block. I waited for about an hour there, but at a certain point, I was luckily allowed to jump forward in a special preorder line. The inside of Nintendo World was a maze of lines and stacked boxes. There were a considerable amount of families there, and all the kids were going (rightfully) insane. Christmas was definitely coming a month early.
I pre-ordered the latest Zelda game with some leftover gift cards through Best Buy, so it's been shipped and will hopefully be here tomorrow. In addition to the system (which came with free little Mario and Yoshi plush toys), I got an extra controller (we were only allowed to buy one extra) and the latest Super Monkey Ball game (which came with a free little monkey).
So...a few things to note in the picture above if you've never heard of the system before. The actual Wii system is remarkably small; about the size of three DVD cases stacked together. The "wiimote" control has an optional attachment called the nunchuck, which is only used in certain games for additional functionality. There's a thin sensor bar that you place either above or below your TV, which is what tracks the movements of the wiimote. And the Wii is backwards-compatible with the Gamecube, so you can play all of those old games with the old controllers as well.
One of the first things you get to do is create a little persona called a Mii. It's a pretty fun process, and then you can play with these guys in Wii Sports. That's my little okaydave guy up there. Anyway, enough about the technical details. Let's get to playing...
In my head I always knew it would be cool, but the first time I swung the wiimote to hit a tennis ball, I couldn't believe it. I was sitting down in a chair, but immediately stood up and started whacking away at full force. The controller rumbles and emits a satisfying "thwack" with its built-in speaker upon contact, making the experience that much more immersive. Most importantly, it's fun. I can't wait to bring this home for Thanksgiving and play with everyone (many of the games support up to 4 players at the same time). There's a little bit of a learning curve, and Monkey Ball is still taking a little getting used to, but it's easy to see why the Wii and TMX Elmo are going to be the hottest toys of this holiday season. It wasn't just your typical hardcore gamer types waiting in line last night and this morning. There were all sorts of different people - moms, dads, kids, grandparents - and everyone was smiling and seemed genuinely excited to be there. Nintendo has positioned the Wii as something that they hope will move video games more into the mainstream like books and movies...and as crazy as that might sound, they might just be able to pull it off.
Bottom line: the Wii is fun. Instantaneous, intuitive, addictive fun. This is why I am such a big Nintendo fan. The kid in me is going nuts. Now I'm going to have chocolate cake and girl scout cookies for dinner and play the Wii until 3AM.
Have a happy thanksgiving!
Sunday, November 19 at 5:15 PM
Okay Samurai Multimedia is Dave Werner's personal site. I'm currently working at Minor Studios in San Francisco. Thanks for visiting! (more...)
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