By: TSA
Last night had to have been the best night of my life, yet it was over in the blink of an eye. For those of you just tuning in, allow me to catch you up to speed. Nintendo choose a few fans from around the USA to host Wii Parties in select cities. They and a few friends go to secret locations to play the newest Wii titles for a few hours, much like the New York City event last Thursday. My event was in Los Angeles, and it was the first of the Wii Party events.



Basically, all day at work, I was just thinking about the event. I still had a lot of work to do, which I did get done, but I was just like "Can it be 3pm already?". You see, at 3pm, I was to get directions to the meeting location. I got home at 2:45pm, and began to get ready. I shaved, I showered, cleaned myself and got all dressed up in my usual Nintendo-event attire (Zelda jacket and my Texas Longhorns hat). Then 3:15 came around, and the invitees were receiving messages. After I personally called EVERYONE to make sure they had the info, I then left with a group of people who were carpooling to the event with me.

This was at 3:45pm. We had to arrive by 6:30pm. Wow, do I [expletive] hate Los Angeles traffic. I live 46 miles from LA. We arrived at 6:50pm. It was a three hour drive, and it topped the record for longest time to reach LA - surpassing the Christmas Break traffic I drove thorugh last year, when it took two hours and forty-five minutes to reach it.



So, I was a bit nervous, a bit mad, and to top it off, my friends in the second car who flew all the way from Texas weren't there yet. When I got there, it took forever to find parking because the garage I went to had a guy who was clueless (not part of the Wii event, this guy just messed up and was part of the garage staff). So this awesome dude name Bryan who was a part of the Wii event hopped into my car and hooked me up - got me into the garage, validated my ticket with a sweet Excite Truck pass (scan coming soon), and then got me up to the group.

Now, when I came up to the street level, it was insane. It was like being on an MTV reality show. There was this camera man, who was really nice when I spoke with him, who was always filming me and the invitees. After I finally met Catherine, my contact for the event, I got checked in and searched for any "cell phones or cameras" of that nature. It was much like going to a rock concert.



After that, we were loaded into vans with the windows taped over so we couldn't see outside. It was very Mission Impossible like. Before we were about to depart, my friends showed up in the nick of time to get into the event. This made me relax from there on out. When they finally got loaded in, we drove through more LA traffic until we came to a garage somewhere. Then, much like the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland, we spiraled up the complex pretty fast with sharp turns, until we arrived at the most unlikely of places.

Some really sweet rooftop...garage. Now, hang on - it was really tricked out. There were these men in suits, like CIA officers, walking around and I'm a big guy, and I thought they'd easily take me out. There were a ton of people dressed in urban outfits, very "undercover" like, and then they told us to wait to get out in just a second.



We stepped out finally, and a nice guy by the name of Tim, who was at E3, welcomed everyone and gave us the low down. There was a table setup outside with beverages, a table later with some Pizza, and behind us was a closed garage as I said. After Tim introduced everyone, he then let me say something - which I was totally unprepared for. I just raised my hands in triumph and said "finally". Then, much like The Wizard's debut of "Super Mario Bros. 3", when the Video Armageddon doors open, the garage doors opened to reveal...Wii consoles!

Oh man, this interior was awesome. Very urban style. There were Mario ? mark boxes and bricks in the middle forming Nintendo-style furniture. There were classic, retro "paintings" from Mario, two NES racing games, and I think one was from Mortal Kombat II. There was a sweet old school Lincoln, which I thought was a prop, but was actually somebody's car!



There were six Wii consoles and six HDTVs. Initially, the six games up were Rayman Raving Rabbits, Twilight Princess, Excite Truck, Madden 07, and two copies of Wii Sports. Later on, the Nintendo staff brought out Trauma Center: Under the Knife and Wario Ware: Smooth Moves. The only three games there I would have expected were Super Mario Galaxy, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and Red Steel. However, to be honest, only Mario interests me at this time, and the other games were awesome anyway.

So, basically, at anytime I could ask for NOA Jessie (yes you Nsiders, THE NOA Jessie was there! So I totally know what she looks like :p ) to replace a game with something else. She had this really hardcore black "lockbox" which almost looked chained to her arm, and inside were the discs.

The discs were just grey with handwritten labels. But they looked just like a DVD or CD, and yes, the actuall Wii's there worked. Tim was nice enough to show doubters EVERYTHING on the Wii - from the cables to the TV, to the flaps on the system. So for you all thinking these are dev kits - these are the final hardware units, though they said the Wii Remote and Nunchuk may not be final.

I also wanted to add something cool about the Wii Remote. Inside the battery area is a red button you can press to "reset" the controller in some aspect. There is a "power" button on the remote to turn it off, but at times, the staff asked us to hit "the red reset button" on the Wii Remote. There was also a button under a flap on the front side where the opitical Wii discs are inserted that they pressed as well for the Wii remotes.

The staff let us do anything with the controllers. Unplug them, open them, it was nice to finally be able to play with them as if we owned them, though I think some of my invitees were over-eager to ask as much as they could about the system's specifics.

The first game I played was Wii Sports. I had to play this game because everyone in the internet community (just about everyone) is bitching about the 249.99 price point of Wii in North America, and wondering why Wii sports couldn't be seperate to lower the cost. I have to say everyone, these newest builds of the five games in the package are awesome.

Wii Sports Impressions:
Wii Baseball is like a modified Home Run Derby. You do not control fielding or base running, one player controls the pitching, the other controls batting. The game features 1:1 controls for batting, if you move your bat at all, it moves on screen. The speed of the pitch is determined by how fast you "move" your Wii Remote at the sensor, and "twisting" the Wii Remote made the ball have added spin - I managed to throw at least three curve balls.



You either get hits or outs. You get three outs, just like in real baseball, but the game was only three innings. I am sure you can tweak it to 3/5/7/9 in the final version. At first, it was hard to play because I am a former high school varsity baseball player, and judging a virtual ball is nothing like facing a real pitcher. However, once I got the hang of it, I hit a 3-run home run followed by a towering out-of-the-park homerun. I also had my third baseman, much like the A-rod, make a routine play turn into an error, yet it still was an out. Fielders do not throw the ball, if it is caught in the infield of in a pop fly, you're out. I played a fellow gamer from GoNintendo's site, PepsiGirl, in baseball. I totally though I was going to lose, but I pulled off the late come back.



I also got to try out Wii Bowling, which was addicting. You Press and hold "A" to pull back and "toss" your ball down the lane. But, if you let go of A too early, you can let your bowl go backwards, which I saw some players do. You can aim very precisely before your bowl, and you can even ad spin with twists.



I played that as well as Wii Tennis with my girlfriend, Jackie (aka ThePrincessZelda). We sucked so bad at Wii Tennis at first, but then we got our game faces on and destroyed those pathetic AI players. I got a little too much into it - I was jumping for high lobs, and yes, my player would jump with me. It was fricking awesome. I couldn't figure out how to manually move my character, but it seems they auto-track the ball. You could lob, slam, slice or return the ball normally. It's really fun, and a good work out.

I got to watch my two good buddies from work duke it out in Wii Boxing, which I did not get to personally try out, but the match drew a big crowd and some big cheers when one landed a big hit. That game mode goes split screen, and a-la Super Punch Out, you see a wireframe or yourself and two boxing gloves you can punch with. You use both controllers to block, jab, hook or outright deliver a crush blow.

Rayman Raving Rabbits Impressions
Later in the event, I wanted to try out Rayman Raving Rabbits. Now, for some reason, the game kept "crashing" on us, but when it is up long enough for us to play it, I have to say, it's addicting. I played some Bunny Shooter set in an Old West Town, and I was shooting "plungers" with the A button and the Wii Remote, and reloading by "flicking" the Nunchcuk. I also played in this area where bunnies were in "stalls" and I had a "hand" to slap the doors and bunnies, as well as other "objects" on screen.



It is true that it is just a compilation of mini-games, but when played with others, it's really fun. Unfortunately, I only got spend about 10 mins with this title, so I can't say much more about it.



Trauma Center: Second Opinion
Trauma Center was a big hit at my event. I would have to say it was the most popular game there. Personally, I can't stand seeing people being "cut" in horror movies or in sugery, so this game made me very sick to my stomach, yet I had to play it. This game proves exactly why I should never be a doctor.



You basically start by having to cut open a victim, getting to the organ you need to operate on, treat the organ, then stitch everything back up. You use knifes to slive along specific lines, stitch back and forth, apply ointments and bandages, inject syringes...it's intense. I'm sure it will be a big seller once it hits the Wii sometime soon. Oh yeah, it's funny to monitor the patient's vitality when you're sucking, and hearing the nurse's reactions to your crappy operation skills.



Excite Truck Impressions
Besides Madden 07, Excite Truck was the other title I had played at E3 2006 and didn't have much desire to try out then. So this time around, I gave it a whirl with a more open mind. It's a bit difficult to control the vehicles, and the controller is either too responsive or not responsive enough. It's very simple to get the controls down, it's just the steering is weird.



You use the d-pad for turbo boosts, and check your meter on the right for how long it lasts. You can also do trick jumps and gain turbo boosts by pressing A quickly at certain points, as well as gaining power ups. The selection of vehicles was limited to three, a pickup truck, an RC-Pro Am style car, and a buggy of some sort. I came in third after being in dead last the entire time. The game is fun, but I don't see myself picking this one up at launch or whenever it comes out.

Wario Ware: Smooth Moves Impressions
Alright, I got into the first Wario Ware because it had a Zelda mini-game. But since, I've not touched the Wario Ware installments. I have to say, this game is a perfect party game, and again, is the perfect title for somebody with ADD.



The game is nothing more than three-second mini-games strung together, in which in each you must cleverly use your Wii Remote to do certain actions. Put dentures into an old lady's mouth. Write something legible (although I question this on some people's attempts) for a grade. Balance a stick with a hand on the end. Drive a car down an animal-infested road. Push a kid over. Pump up a balloon until it explodes. Pump iron. Hoola-hoop. Run track. It's just so crazy.

The true way to play it is to try to replicate the actions, not do them the easy way (IE shaking your Wii Remote for the hoola-hoop part rather than placing it on your hip and shaking). The game is perfect to relax for a few minutes, and it is definitely a game to play with a big group of people.

I didn't get to play Madden 07, though I wasn't particularly interested in that title. I also played Twilight Princess a bit, but that's already covered in my previous entry.

I also was interviewed by Nintendo about a lot of things, and of course, I suck at speaking on camera, so I kept saying "amazing" a thousand times, and "like" a thousand times, and probably "you know" a thousand times (that's my bad habbit, saying "you know" too much). Still, as I played Twilight Princess in the final minutes, it was hard to turn over my controller to the NOA rep. With a final goodbye and with everyone collecting their cell phones, we boarded the vans again and returned to the meeting location.

I thought it would be wicked awesome if Nintendo was like "Oh yeah, here's a free Wii" - in fact, somebody before the event swore we'd all get free Wiis, and I told him he was crazy. Still, Nintendo did not leave us empty handed - every single person who went will get a free "Wii Remote" if they buy a Wii. Killer, huh?

I would also like to add that just today, I learned I will be given some free passes to Nintendo's Fusion tour here in California. So, technically, I have a month to wait until I get to play Wii again. But seriously, I'm ready for it. I'm ready for Zelda to finally come out. Nintendo has a game for everybody with Wii, and it seriously has the broadest selection.

Now...the wait begins for hardcore gamers like myself for Super Mario Galaxy, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, and the most anticipated Wii title - Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Perhaps another Nintendo media event is coming next year? Wii Party 2? Hey, they've made a few Mario Party titles - we could use another...3...or 4...Wii Parties :p

Thanks again to the Nintendo and the guys who help put together the Wii Ambassador program.