Pre Ordered

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.

Thanks Nintendo

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...

New Super Mario Bros. Wii: Is It Really That New?

Rachel and I just played through New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Awesome game. No doubt in my mind that it is the best 2-D Mario game to come out... maybe ever. Ultimately it is the same game that I've been playing since I was 4 years old, but... bigger, more forgiving, multiplayer, and implements some really cool platforming puzzles.

So coolest thing about this game is that up to four people can play at the same time, it gets a little hectic, but it so much fun. The best thing about four people being able to play is that just about everyone who's ever played a video game knows how to play this game, it's just like the old game. Objective: save princess. How do we save her? Find Bowser and beat him. Where is Bowser? I don't know, just keep running to the right and we'll find him eventually. Simple, difficult, but so much fun.

I really have few complaints about the game. Some people were upset that it didn't really reinvent 2-D platforming. They said it was too much like the old games. To me, that is this game's greatest strength. I love that Dean and Debra(in laws) played this with me. I love that even Gwendolyn(sister-in-law) played; even Isaiah(4 year old) was able to pick it up and play along. It was kind of funny, they all started by asking: "How do I play? What do I do?" until they realized that this was no different than the game they had played before.

Now, this isn't all to say that all these people can play the game so it is too easy. Don't get me wrong, there are some platforming challenges in this game that make me nervous. I died a bunch, I had to practice and try new things. Then after the main levels just trying to survive, there are three giant star coins per level that you have to find to unlock the final 9th world and that's after there are around 6-8 levels in the first 8 worlds. All that to say, it's a long, moderately difficult game.

So to answer the first question: Is it really that new? No, but that's it's best quality to me.