Nintendo Wii Fanboy

This was the scene yesterday outside the Yodobashi Camera in Shinjuku, as over 300 people suddenly decided to all go to the electronics retailer at the same time for ... some reason. It was a good day for Yodobashi (in terms of business, not of employee sanity) as a PS2 Haruhi game, Devil May Cry 4 and various other things also hit. But the true "event" game was Brawl, which led to many Wii system sales and probably the most GameCube controller sales in the last five years.

With ownership of the game, of course, comes detailed writeups. Justin Epperson is writing about every aspect of the game for 1UP as he experiences it. He says of the Subspace Emissary single-player adventure that "At the rate we were playing, one hour of play time is around 10% completion." That's ... much bigger than the Melee adventure mode! In sadder news, he says that rule sets can only be edited when playing online with friends, and not with strangers. If you're hooked on the (Smash) Brothers, go read the article for lots of talk about stages, unlocks, stickers, and all the stuff that just seems cruel until we can play it.

Siliconera's Spencer Yip took a short tour of electronic shops in Akihabara, Tokyo's famed shopping district, this morning to capture the masses that've skipped work and camped out in anticipation of today's Super Mario Galaxy release. Considering that this is one of Nintendo's biggest titles of the year and a much-hyped new entry to the company's most popular franchise, you would assume that the head count would surpass or at least rival the crowds that often gather for Dragon Quest titles, right?

Well, according to what Spencer saw at the there stores he surveyed, while a few people queued up outside of shops to snatch themselves a copy, there weren't any of the huge lines that we've come to associate with major releases in Japan. In fact, a few of the guys in the photo above were actually waiting on Ace Combat 6 for the Xbox 360. Perhaps everyone is waiting to pick up Super Mario Galaxy after work? Or maybe everyone preordered the game in advance to avoid the lines?

Ever since the announcement of Line Rider for the Wii and DS, we haven't heard much else on the title. As such, our eager fanboy minds turn to speculation, as we imagine how big the lines will be and how awesome the riding action will look. Since we're only left to imagine how this title is to be, we turn to the internet for more videos on the game.

The included mash-up of Line Rider and Super Mario Bros. past the post break does a good job of calming us down and putting a smile on our face.

In looking to bring the fun and quirky Flash-based game to Nintendo's gaming systems, inXile Entertainment is hoping to exceed the success of the game on the internet. They plan on releasing the adaptation by spring including some sort of multiplayer aspect, but one must ask exactly what they are planning on doing to justify the cost of the title beyond that?

Considering one could just access the student-created application online whenever they want, why would DS and Wii owners, in their right mind, purchase inXile Entertainment's adaptation? Also, considering that the Wii browser's free trial starts very soon, why wouldn't Wii owners just play it that way?

[Via Joystiq]

It's here, folks. For many of us, years of waiting ends tomorrow at 12:01 AM, a mere twenty-four hours from now. And indeed, perhaps almost as fun as the Wii itself will be the camping out, braving the elements with your fellow Nintendo die-hards. But, a word of caution.

As you very well may know, the PS3 launch was horrendously chaotic. Reports are still coming in from around the country on various shootings, robberies, mayhem, and general discourtesy. It's true that Nintendo will have a larger initial stock, but the demand is no less. We at the Fanboy kindly ask that you show patience and kindness during your launch-day festivities, and remember that you're all there for a common purpose. Should you fail to claim a system on the day of, please, show respect and courtesy to those around you regardless. A few days truly isn't that long in the grand scheme of the things, and the last thing we want is to see someone get hurt over something designed to bring enjoyment and fun to the masses.

And with that out of the way, it's time to rock this thing. Nintendo Wii, here we come!

I

ntrepid, daring reporter than I am, I decided to brave the intense, soul-freezing cold that is Central Florida in October. My destination? Toys R' Us ... which I had heretofore not even known existed in my tiny town of Gainesville, Florida ... to check out the line. Reports were coming in of many TRU stores giving raffle tickets to everyone there, and having a lottery to determine the winners ... poppycock! The most devoted should get the system, and devoted there were. The first couple folks were out there at 8:45 AM on Saturday morning, bravely camping out for ... wait, a PS3?

[update 1 -- fixed a small typo]

And the answer? There are too many intelligent, dedicated people. As such, way too many gamers knew exactly what moment the local EB Games and Gamestop would be taking preorders, and our little town of Gainesville didn't seem to be of high priority for those little gremlins over at corporate.

All right, I admit it. I may be a Wii fanboy, but that doesn't mean I can't preorder a Playstation 3 and attempt to resell it for twice its value on eBay enjoy other consoles too. As such, I took a little trip down to my local mall (which has both a Gamestop and an EB Games) to see if I couldn't pick up a preorder for that bullet train of a console, the PS3, for pickup on November 17th. I arrived ninety minutes early, got to the front of EB Games ... ouch. Fifteen or more in line. I quickly bolted (provoking the ire of a security guard) to the Gamestop, where only eight or nine waited in line. I decided to throw my chips in with them.

The Gamestop employee arrived about thirty minutes before opening. He actually admitted the first two people in line several minutes later, and presold them PS3s. He then came out to the line and said that his store had only been allocated two measly units. While I later found out that the EB Games had twelve units allocated, it was far too late for me. And to think, I could have slept in.

Where does this leave us Wii-goers? Well, we know that Nintendo will have a hell of a lot more units at launch than the PS3, but this by no means guarantees you a unit. EB/GS preorders open this week, and if you want to ensure your spot in line, you'd best get there early. Use your best judgement, but the earlier, the better ... besides, chances are that a few people in line will be rocking the DS. Multiplayer action FTW.

May the Force be with you!