Today one of my dreams came true. Ever since I got my hands on the SSBM issue of EGM 13 years ago, I salivated at the screenshots, the photos of the show floor, the
thought of being able to go to E3 and get my hands on all of the awesome new Nintendo games before basically anyone else.
While the "attend E3" part of the dream will have to wait for another year, I got to play the new Smash Bros months before launch. For both Wii U and 3DS. Thank you based NOA for this amazing idea of bringing E3 demos to Best Buys across the nation. While it could be improved upon (longer hours? more setups?), the fact that NINTENDO of all companies is at the forefront of this kind of effort really blows my mind.
Anyways, after last years E3 event, I decided it would probably be wise to choose a different Best Buy location. One a bit further from the city, with a little lower population density. I was able to play only one demo last year after waiting for two hours, after all. This is Smash Bros we're talking about here. If I have to take a little longer drive to get more playtime with the game, I will.
So I headed north. It was a 50 minute drive, and I listened to nothing but the Metal Gear Rising soundtrack. Why? Why not. You should all play that game. Anyways, I reached the "middle of nowhere" Best Buy an hour and a half before the event was set to begin. As I enter the parking lot, I see something near the entrance of the store. No. It couldn't be!
2:30 PM
A line had already formed! I asked the people in front of me when they arrived, and they said they had just gotten there, but the people at the front were there from 1PM. That's
3 hours before the event. I love Smash more than the average bear, but my
god.
And so, the excruciating wait began. 90 minutes of Pushmo, street passing and reflecting on E3 news began. A Nintendo rep began handing out sign up sheets for the game, and these papers, as they would send us Canadians the special Smash Bros. coin in the mail since they didn't ship in time:
I was 24th in line.
Soon after I arrived, another group of people showed up. And another. And then, another. The line quickly ballooned to a level that surpassed even the entirety of the E3 Best Buy event last year. Majority seemed to be in their early to mid twenties. From the looks of it, as a 21 year old, I felt on the younger side of the group. Lots of people skipping work, and not many kids skipping school, it seemed. 3DSes everywhere.
After the longest 90 minutes of my life, they started letting people into the store, 10 by 10. Another 30 minutes passed, and I found myself at the front of the line! It was at that point that I discovered that not only were Wii U Pro Controllers going to be used for Smash U, but unannounced, unadvertised Smash 3DS demos were tethered to Nintendo reps at the front of the line! Unreal.
So I was able to play the 3DS demo for a bit before the Wii U demo. Of course, I immediately chose
*TO BE CONTINUED*