I pre ordered a Wii U.
This wasn't a surprise. I meant to. When I saw the tablet controller and HD graphics I wanted it sometime after launch. When they promised I could keep my Downloaded games from Wii Ware and Virtual Console, I was ready to line up. When they said I could play New Super Mario Bros. U on the tablet by itself while other people do unimportant things on the television, I started saving my money.
Then Nintendo Direct happened. I was already on Nintendo's side, what more could they offer to the guy who just wanted to give them my money already?
Well, I'll tell you... and what they gave me wasn't all directly from Nintendo...
I reach the counter, tell the owner that I want to pre order the Wii U. He then hands me two lists: one, a list of hardware that can be pre ordered and then a list of games that can be pre ordered. He looked down at them and he stops me: "Wait, I need to print the updated copies."
It was in this moment that I saw the entire, announced, launch game list. There were some twenty five to thirty games here. New Super Mario Bros. U, Scribblenauts, ZombieU, Aliens: Colonial Marines, The Wonderful 101 and on. There were some third party cash grabs in there, but when isn't there? There were some ports of Xbox and PlayStation games, but who cares? I think back to the Wii's launch and I'm suddenly jealous in the past of my future self while I waited in line waiting for the Wii to get the console and my copy of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess; only Twilight Princess... This time, when I wait in line for a Nintendo Console, I won't have to be getting one game... I can get several.
The third party support of Wii U is outstanding so far. Granted, I haven't gotten my hands on any of these things, but it's there. People are showing up with games for a system that a lot of people have written off. Oh, and I get a Mario game at launch...
Besides launch titles, the online integration at Nintendo Direct, stunned me. I expected Hulu and Netflix, but Amazon and TiVo? IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes? Interactive quizzes during shows? Friend's shared playlists to look over for ideas on what to watch? Sports score updates? What is happening? Suddenly the dream to have Nintendo's little white box as the center of living room entertainment isn't so crazy, but it's the Wii U... not the Wii.
Then, as if it was thrown in, Nintendo mentions briefly that pretty much all memory solutions are supported by the Wii U. Not as a stylistic choice, but because memory is getting cheaper and they want to offer us an option. Then they tease Bayonetta 2, exclusively. Then they seal the deal: $300 for white, $350 for black and a hard drive.
I get an email within minutes of the conference ending: "Gamestop is now accepting pre orders for the Wii U"... yeah they are...
This wasn't a surprise. I meant to. When I saw the tablet controller and HD graphics I wanted it sometime after launch. When they promised I could keep my Downloaded games from Wii Ware and Virtual Console, I was ready to line up. When they said I could play New Super Mario Bros. U on the tablet by itself while other people do unimportant things on the television, I started saving my money.
 |
| Thanks Nintendo |
Well, I'll tell you... and what they gave me wasn't all directly from Nintendo...
I reach the counter, tell the owner that I want to pre order the Wii U. He then hands me two lists: one, a list of hardware that can be pre ordered and then a list of games that can be pre ordered. He looked down at them and he stops me: "Wait, I need to print the updated copies."
It was in this moment that I saw the entire, announced, launch game list. There were some twenty five to thirty games here. New Super Mario Bros. U, Scribblenauts, ZombieU, Aliens: Colonial Marines, The Wonderful 101 and on. There were some third party cash grabs in there, but when isn't there? There were some ports of Xbox and PlayStation games, but who cares? I think back to the Wii's launch and I'm suddenly jealous in the past of my future self while I waited in line waiting for the Wii to get the console and my copy of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess; only Twilight Princess... This time, when I wait in line for a Nintendo Console, I won't have to be getting one game... I can get several.
The third party support of Wii U is outstanding so far. Granted, I haven't gotten my hands on any of these things, but it's there. People are showing up with games for a system that a lot of people have written off. Oh, and I get a Mario game at launch...
Besides launch titles, the online integration at Nintendo Direct, stunned me. I expected Hulu and Netflix, but Amazon and TiVo? IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes? Interactive quizzes during shows? Friend's shared playlists to look over for ideas on what to watch? Sports score updates? What is happening? Suddenly the dream to have Nintendo's little white box as the center of living room entertainment isn't so crazy, but it's the Wii U... not the Wii.
Then, as if it was thrown in, Nintendo mentions briefly that pretty much all memory solutions are supported by the Wii U. Not as a stylistic choice, but because memory is getting cheaper and they want to offer us an option. Then they tease Bayonetta 2, exclusively. Then they seal the deal: $300 for white, $350 for black and a hard drive.
I get an email within minutes of the conference ending: "Gamestop is now accepting pre orders for the Wii U"... yeah they are...
