As time went
on, people realized they could be on the big overhead TV screen if they
went to boogie on the dance floor. Still, most people seemed to want to
just stand around and laugh at them while the DJ kept shouting out various
Nintendo promotions such as, "It's only a few hours until midnight!
Together, Wii can change the world!" Calm down lady, it's a video
game, not the end of hunger and poverty.
To go along
with the techno bastardizations of some of your favorite tunes, they also
handed out bright white glowsticks to everybody in the crowd. So, when
looked at from afar, it appeared as though everybody was waving around the
Wii controllers, instead of dancing to music that surely was making Kurt
Cobain roll over in his grave.
Just like
with the DS, there were lots of Nintendo Wii kiosks all over the City Walk
where you could try out a variety of the new games. Here, Re tests out
Excite Truck and manages to drive anywhere but on the road... just
like in real life!
Dr. Boogie
and I ended up swinging our arms wildly in the Wii Sports Boxing
game.
Despite my
best attempts to duck and block, his persistent right-handed jabs had me
kissing the canvas faster than you can say "Wii".
Re also
tried out the boxing and ended up kicking the computer's ass. Way to go,
champ!
For those
who were feeling extra lucky, you could enter a Wii giveaway simply by
signing up for a new credit card! Fantastic!
In case
you're wondering why you couldn't find any of those cool blue glowing
Nintendo Wii gift cards at Target that I mentioned in the blog,
this is apparently the bastard who bought them all.
People were
collectively drooling as they peered through the EB Games store window and
saw boxes upon boxes of Nintendo Wii systems stacked up.
They kept
interviewing this so-called "Gaming Expert" throughout the night
about the various new games on the Nintendo Wii. Here, he explains to the
crowd that Zelda has been around since Nintendo's first home console
system! Wow! He sure is an expert, eh? There's more video game knowledge
in bongwater than there is in this guy's entire body.
We kept
hearing rumors of a "surprise" come midnight and were pretty sure it would
be something like fireworks. Sure enough, close to midnight, the pyrotechs
started to lay these units out on the ground.
As the clock
grew closer to twelve, some more acrobats came out wearing some
Poweriser jumping stilts and doing flips way up in the air. I must
admit, it really looked like a lot of fun... until one guy jumped a bit
too far and damn near crashed right onto one of the guard rails.
Then came
the final countdown to the unveiling of the Nintendo Wii and the sweaty
Poweriser jumper guys couldn't have been happier about it.
At the
stroke of midnight, fireworks and streamers galore shot into the air to
celebrate the release of the Nintendo Wii. I had to remind myself this
wasn't New Year's Eve. Also, it should be noted that a lot of kids were
seen stuffing the streamers into Nintendo Wii bags. I guess if they
couldn't go home with the actual system, they could at least take home
some of the used party supplies. Give it a few days and you'll probably
see some "RARE Nintendo Wii Launch Party Streamers!" up for
sale on eBay.
And finally,
to end the night, they interviewed the first guy to buy a Wii! He
actually said, "I can't believe this is happening!" as if he had
just won the lottery. Congrats!
you just spent 40 hours of your life waiting in line so you could
spend $250 on a video game system! The ultimate irony for this poor
bastard is that, when he gets home, he won't be able to play it since his
power has probably been shut off and he's now been evicted from his apartment
all thanks to his failure to pay the bills.
(actually,
they at least gave away the game systems free, so that's good to hear)
In all
honesty, it really was a big event... something you'd expect them to throw
for the premiere of a blockbuster movie in Hollywood, not a new video game system.
You can tell that they really do believe in the Wii and have high hopes
for it. As for the Wii itself, after having played it, I can honestly say that I
do think it's going to live up to the hype. Sure, I may have gotten my ass
beat in the boxing game (a rematch is definitely in order), but the
controls still felt natural. Seeing people playing other games such as
Red Steel, Wii Sports and the new Zelda only helped reaffirm
this belief.
Now if
you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go see if I have any of those streamers. If
so, I'm gonna make a fortune on eBay! But before I go, here is the video
clip of the dancing drunk guy in orange as promised. Enjoy!
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