Wii anticipation: preparing for launch
So here we are -- just a few days until the heralded launch of the Wii. We've been waiting so long that it hardly seems real, but there's no time to waste. We have to make plans for the penultimate event: the act of obtaining the Wii. The ultimate event is, of course, getting it home safely and plugging it all in. But first ... parties! Camping! Meteor showers! The popping of champagne bottles (if you're doing this, can we come over?)! Where will you be come midnight, November 19? We want to know.
The Wii Fanboy staff will be positioned hither and yon, jockeying for our own sainted items, and will we provide as much live and almost-live coverage as we can cram onto the site from various wifi hotspots. At least one of our minions (don't you wish you knew who?) will be on the ground in Times Square. But enough about us. We want to know about you, dear reader. Where will you be at the moment of truth? Tell us, tell each other, network and plan to meet up. Remember: it's harder to trample new friends, so make nice and try not to stampede when the clock slides on over to midnight on Sunday.
It's been fun, anticipating the Wii with everyone. We've talked about our homes, ourselves, and our plans for games. Now that we're on the brink of fulfilling our motion-sensing dreams, we feel a little ... empty. It's been a long road from the beginning until now, and yet it all feels somehow like a rehearsal. The real show doesn't begin until Sunday, and what a show it's going to be.
But before we look ahead, let's recap where we've been.
Now that we're on the cusp of fulfilling months of anticipation, we ask -- what were the moments, in the past few years, that really fired you up? All fanboy love aside, when did you start to love the Wii? What are the moments that stand out in your mind, good or bad? We've compiled a short list of some of our favorite moments, which is in no way comprehensive. But as ever, we want to hear from you.
The 2005 Tokyo Game Show
One of the most exciting moments in the timeline of the Wii, then Revolution -- the 2005 Tokyo Game Show, when we learned so much. What was your reaction? Upon seeing the controller, the (former) name made sense. It was revolutionary, even though the design is one most of us see every day as we pick up the television remote.
The Virtual Console
Love it or hate it, watching the news unfold about the Virtual Console has been exciting. Sure, many of us already have our favorite old school games -- and often, multiple versions and platforms on which to enjoy them. But the prospect of seeing so many older titles available right there, on the cheap, is happy-making for many fans, and it's sure to draw in more for the simple nostalgia factor.
The Great Name Debacle
From Revolution to Wii, and millions of fanboys suddenly cried out in terror and ... well, we're never silenced. The new name was almost universally hated in the beginning, but now that we've had time to get used to it, it isn't so bad. And we can still make jokes, even if they are at time at our own expense. How do you feel about it now?
The Final Details
We suffered after this year's E3, waiting, watching, yearning for details on when, when we would be able to smuggle a Wii home and lovingly install it in a place of honor. And then we waited. And waited. And waited more, until the waiting grew painful and overflowed into angst! We wanted to know when, and how much, and what we'd be taking out of the box, and Nintendo, teases that they are, made us beg for it. But the blitz of press conferences around the world was thrilling, and so much happened in those days, from newspapers spilling the beans a little early to the unvealing of the Wii site and all the brilliant content therein.
And finally ... the little things. There are so many little details, each one meaningful to someone, memories that we'll carry in the back of our minds as we unbox our Wiis. The first screenshots we saw, the news of the speaker in the Wiimote, the first Wii Sports videos, all the crazy mock-ups .... So much has happened, and will happen, and we'll be here, trying to chronicle it all.
