Wii Launch In The UK

All platform launch coverage is generated in London – it’s chic, it’s cool, and it’s convenient for the bulk of the media and for the manufacturers. But the majority of gaming life exists outside the big city. SPOnG decided not only to cover the capital's Wii launch night, but also report on what the rest of us can expect.

Both Wakefield’s Game and HMV, stood closed as SPOnG’s northern news desk headed out to the Wii launch. Either all available Wii product had been commandeered for the glamorous London launch, or a warm bed and a cup of cocoa had more of a pull than eager gamers.

So, it was to GameStation with its 33 Wiis (50 more to be delivered on Friday morning, with 17 to complete the pre-Xmas set arriving ‘later’) that we headed.

The orderly, polite and quietly excited eleven people who came to collect their pre-order on this damp and blustery Thursday didn’t quite include the mixed bunch that Nintendo would have wanted. Equally, nobody had come to try and buy a Wii on spec. But then again, it was midnight.

Chris Corker (23) (pictured) could have been the first person in the UK to pay money for his Wii plus a copy of Twilight Princess and Red Steel. He told SPOnG, “I am a bit worried about the advertising aimed towards families and kids, and what sort of games we’ll get out of Nintendo if they keep advertising like that. But if they keep bringing out games like Zelda and Red Steel I’ll be fairly happy with that.”

Johnny Lawson (18) and his brother, Matt, (21) arrived with a mate who didn’t want to be named but who was obviously equally as hardcore. Between them they own every console made since 1979 and were in there to ensure that they’d completed the set. ‘Anonymous friend’ told us that, “I’m only buying it for the Virtual Console”. However, Matt was drawn, “Playing it for a new way of gaming”.

None of the trio was overly concerned about Nintendo’s ‘inclusive’ marketing push, “Nintendo have always tried to push it out to families”, Matt explained.

GameStation’s Wii games and hardware count mirror the view that London-based Nintendo has of the rest of the country. Games in stock for the launch (all at £39.99) were:
Zelda – 80 units.
Call Of Duty III – 80 units.
Red Steel – 30 units.
Rayman Raving Rabbids – 10 units.
Need For Speed Carbon – 10 units.
Happy Feet – 10 units.
GT Pro – 4 units.
Madden ‘07 – 4 units.

Bundles started at £209 for the base unit with its bundled Wii Sports and one other game, rising to £269 for the base and three other games.

No copies of Wii Play were available – and with only three component cables in the shop (all pre-ordered) it was always going to be a lean time for the HD fan.

13-year old called Joshua had not only spent the summer saving up for a Wii to accompany his 360 – he’d also managed to get his mum to drive him down to Gamestation. “They could have picked a better name, but it’s OK, I suppose. I’m here to get Red Steel, Zelda and Wii Sports though”. There’s good news for Microsoft tonight, however, as Josh’s Mum was actually more interested in telling us that their 360 broke down a month previously, but she’d been immensely impressed with Microsoft’s service.

Less of a surprise on Nintendo’s night is that no one had a good word to say about Sony and its decision to ship the PS3 in March. “They’ve really cocked up. They won’t ship until bloody September or something”, commented one punter who didn’t want to be named.

When we asked Michael Chandler (15) and his mum, why they were in-store at midnight on a December night in West Yorkshire rather than at a leisurely 9am to collect his pre-order, his answer mirrored that of several people we spoke to, “Zelda in the early morning could be quite fun, we’ll be starting tonight.”

Michael’s mum pitched in with a quote that Nintendo’s marketing people might like to note, “I think it’s a good idea that it’s a bit more interactive. There’s more to do than just sitting in his room with a headset on.” Michael’s reaction was, “off camera”…

Daniel Burnell (24), who told us that he’d taken the day off on Friday, explained that he was a lapsed console player, “for a while now it’s been World of Warcraft, but that could be a bad thing”. Asked why he’d opted for a Wii, he explained that the control system had intrigued him, “it’s kind of limitless what they can come up with. And I’ve also gone with the philosophy of game-play over graphics”.

Through all of this, aside from Matt, Johnny and ‘Anonymous Friend’ few people mentioned anything about the Wii’s online capabilities. Even WoW fan, Daniel wasn’t buying the console for online as, “I’m not even sure what it can do.”

Finally, we had to ask about the name. Sure, in France, Japan, even America the name ‘Wii’ does not quite have the same resonance. Here’s the general consensus:

Michael Chandler, “At first you think ‘Wii’ as in… having a Wii but it’s kind of grown on me now. Looking back on it, Revolution sounds a bit… big-headed.”

One customer, who again didn’t want to be named, had a reason for the renaming, “It was going to be called Revolution… but the Japanese can’t say ‘R’”… well, yes, but no.

Finally, Chris Corker’s take on it was that, “I think they’ve got problems with their English translations, haven’t they.”

Don’t forget to tell us about your Wii day on the forum!