Reader Matt Diener has sent in his own photos and impressions of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword pre-launch event in New York for our enjoyment.
After reading about The Skyward Sword Pre-Launch party that Nintendo was planning at their flagship World Store this past weekend, I decided to brave the wilds of midtown and check it out. Reading that festivities (and sales…) began at 9am, I correctly assumed that the Nintendo faithful would be lined up before dawn and wasn’t expecting to stand a chance at purchasing the game bundle. Still, it sounded like a spectacle worth seeing, so I ventured up to Rockefeller plaza anyway.
I arrived at a little after 11am, and was greeted with a line that looked- at best- to be imposing. Being no stranger to the lines at cons, my intrepid co-adventurer (read: wife) and I waded past the guards at Rockefeller Plaza and found the back of the line roughly a block and a half away from the main doors. The staff members working the lines on behalf of Nintendo’s store were exceptionally polite despite the cold winds they had been enduring since 7:30am. When I asked if I stood a chance of buying the bundle, they assured me that they had more than enough stock for the people in line and asked if I wanted a wristband (which was needed to purchase the game). After affixing my generic paper wristband, I took my place in line and realized- too late- that I had grabbed my PSP instead of my DS. Huddling against the frigid winds (don’t let Saturday’s weather forecast fool you. 50 degrees feels much colder in New York than it does elsewhere!) I hoped nobody else in the line would notice my blasphemous choice of systems.
Thankfully, no one really cared about me or my PSP as they were distracted by costumed fans wandering up and down the line providing much-needed entertainment. Many fans showed off their favorite cosplays, cosplay props (like this beautiful home-made scabbard above) or ocarina skills, while others simply talked about their favorite- or least favorite- moments from previous Zelda titles.
One thing that struck me was the fact that there was no “typical” fan in line. For every pre-teen in line with their patient parents there was a 20-something or 30-something gamer who has probably been a fan of the franchise from its 8-bit days.
The line moved quickly, if not steadily, and two hours later I was standing inside of the Nintendo World Store. Moving past the Pokemon and DS setups downstairs, I followed the directions of the staff and rushed upstairs to take in the 25th anniversary celebration. Events, and space, were limited, mostly due to the cost of real estate in Manhattan and the sheer number of fans, but almost everywhere I looked, there was some subtle- and less subtle- nod to The Legend of Zelda.
After picking up the bundle, I wandered about upstairs trying to make sense of the orgy of fandom and consumerism. While there was far less cosplay inside than I was expecting, the staff was very helpful in pointing me towards the Zelda themed events. A trivia contest was set up with questions relating to Zelda games positioned in key points around the store, but the big draw for myself- and many others- was the chance to take incredibly cheesy pictures with a fairly impressive prop replica of the Master Sword.
Nintendo had also set up a good number of systems on the floor with Skyward Sword available for play, but the lines for all of these systems was prohibitive long and the store was far too crowded for any serious Wii Remote swordplay. I consoled myself with the knowledge that I would be playing the game soon enough in the comfort of my home and toured around some of the other sites in Nintendo’s World Store. This was my first visit to the Nintendo mecca of the northeast (I, like most New Yorkers, avoid Rockefeller Plaza and anything between 38th and 50th St whenever possible), and was really blown away by the impressive offerings.
While it was difficult to tear myself away from the Zelda and Mario Brother merchandise (I still regret not buying the Wind Waker t-shirt or plush King Boo…), I eventually wandered over the the newly expanded museum section which Nintendo completed last year. Expansive glass cases wrapped in a pleasing semi-circle cataloged the progression of Nintendo systems from the teal circa 1980- Game & Watch to the various special editions of the Nintendo DS.
One highlight for both Nintendo (and myself) was an original run Gameboy which had survived some fairly intensive damage during the Gulf War but was shown to still be in fine working order. I suddenly didn’t feel so guilty for dropping my DS at the gym from time to time…
With sightseeing accomplished, I battled through the crowds in the store towards the exit, all the while trying desperately to protect the exclusive poster promised to the first few purchasers. Luck was with me as I realized my 11 x 17” cardstock poster was numbered 4/2000, meaning if I was 4 people behind where I was, I would have walked away without a poster. It would have been nice of Nintendo to send us home with this poster rolled up in a protective tube, (and not stuck into the oversized bag the bundle was swimming in) but it survived the trip home with minor wear and- thankfully- no tears.
Ironically, I didn’t even place Skyward Sword into my Wii until mid-afternoon on Sunday, figuring an afternoon in New York wasn’t worth rushing through, so while buying the game a few hours early was a bit of a waste, the spectacle and fun I had doing so is an experience I’ll hang onto for a good many years.
