A few not-quite-random thoughts on the Wii U's launch date, price and software line-up

I'm calling these not-quite-random thoughts, of course, because they came to mind after watching the trio of online, Wii U-focused events Nintendo aimed at fans in Japan, Europe and North America earlier today.

Before I get to my opinions on the Wii U's launch date, price and software line-up, though, it'd probably be a good idea to share these particulars:

* The Wii U will be released in North America first, on Nov. 18, followed by Europe on Nov. 30 and then Japan on Dec. 8.

* Two bundles will be released in each region: A "Basic Set" (above) that will include a white Wii U system (with 8 GB internal memory), a Wii U GamePad, AC adapters for both the system and GamePad, an HDMI cable and a sensor bar, and a "Deluxe Set" (below) that switches the while Wii U system for a black one (while bumping up the internal memory to 32 GB) and adds a copy of Nintendo Land, a charging cradle for the GamePad, two stands (one for the GamePad and one for the system) and enrollment in Nintendo Network Premium, which rewards those who purchase digital titles with points (discounts) that can be applied to future purchases. (The latter bundle will be called the "Premium Pack" in Europe and the "Premium Set" in Japan, by the way. Both will differ slightly from their North American counterpart in terms of components and price.)

* In North America, the "Basic Set" will retail for $299.99, while the "Deluxe Set" will sell for $349.99.

* Although a number of games will be released alongside the Wii U system, it appears that only two will be Nintendo-made: New Super Mario Bros. U and Nintendo Land.

As for my thoughts on all of the above (and a few other tidbits that were covered during the aforementioned events):

'What an awesome crotch'

A few days ago, I happened across the following illustration thanks to Tumblr user dizzybone (proprietor of the tumblog known as the laboratory).

The drawing caught my attention for two reasons: 1) it features the flame-haired protagonist of a rather awesome Mega CD/PC Engine/Super Famicom action-adventure game called Popful Mail, and 2) when the aforementioned tumblogger re-blogged it, he/she added the comment, "What an awesome crotch."

Which, of course, made me chuckle.

As for who is responsible for creating this lovely drawing: I don't know his/her exact name, sadly, but I can direct you to his/her Tumblr, SssHannah-Man.

Acquisition #143: Magical Puzzle Popils (Game Gear)

If you visit this blog with any regularity, you've likely seen a mention or two (or five) of the Tengen-published puzzler known as Magical Puzzle Popils in Japan and Popils: The Blockbusting Challenge in Europe.

As I'm sure you can guess from the frequency of those mentions, I'm a pretty big fan of this Game Gear title, which was designed by the man responsible for both Bubble Bobble and Rainbow Islands, Fukio Mitsuji.

In fact, I'm such a big fan of this game that earlier this year I bought a loose copy of it via eBay. (You can see a photo of that acquisition and read more about it in this post.)

Given that, some of you are likely to be a bit surprised to hear that I recently picked up a complete-in-box copy of the very same game. Why did I do that, you ask? I think the cover art shown in the following photos is all the response I need to share.

In addition, I've also long wanted to own (and mindlessly flip through on a regular basis) Magical Puzzle Popils' manual. So, in a way, you could say this particular acquisition was kind of a two-for-one deal for me.

Expect to see scans of said manual in an upcoming "Manual Stimulation" post, by the way. Also, a few additional photos of both the front and back sides of this game's box will be uploaded to my Flickr photostream shortly, so keep an eye out for them, too, if you're so inclined.

See also: Previous 'Acquisition #123' posts

Even more evidence that I have awesome readers

Two weekends ago, while PAX Prime was in full swing, a Twitter user who calls himself Viceroy Fizzlebottom aimed a tweet at me that said, "I saw boxed copies of Door Door and Banana at the Pink Gorilla PAX booth and thought of you!"

After asking ol' Fizzlebottom (who leaves comments here now and then under the name Kaze) how much the copy of Banana was going for, he replied that it was "around $30" and then rather preciently added, "Would you like me to snag it for you if it's still there tomorrow?"

Because I'm a firm believer that you can't own too many copies of this charming, Famicom-based puzzler, I told Fizzlebottom/Kaze something along the lines of, "Yes, please--if it includes the game's instruction manual and if the whole package is, indeed, $30 or less." (OK, so my actual response was closer to "YES!!!!!")

So, how does this tale end? With me obtaining a complete-in-box copy of Victor Interactive's Banana (which does include its manual, thank you very much) for just $14.99. And, I have to say, what a gorgeous box it is--even if it does show a bit of wear and tear.





I especially like the adorable illustrations that appear on the box's flaps (see the pair of photos below for evidence).





Although I've already thanked Fizzlebottom/Kaze a number times for thinking of me while waltzing through Pink Gorilla's PAX Prime booth, I'm going to do so again here because, well, I think he deserves as much praise as I can heap upon him at the moment.

Thank you, Kaze!

See also: 'Additional proof that I have awesome readers,' 'Additional proof that Kimimi (of Kimimi's Blog) is an awesome chick' and 'Additional proof that Darwin Yamamoto is a pretty awesome dude'

Welp, it seems I'll be buying Nintendo Land should it be sold separately from the Wii U

That's because this launch-window release for Nintendo's next console will feature a Balloon Fight-based mini-game that uses an art style similar to that of Kirby's Epic Yarn and that can be played solo (as opposed to pretty much every other Nintendo Land mini-game unveiled so far, save "Donkey Kong's Crash Course").

To see it in action, head on over to gameinformer.com and watch the trailer that was uploaded yesterday afternoon.



Will this mini-game, called "Balloon Trip Breeze," also contain a multi-player mode? The folks at Game Informer don't seem to know, unfortunately. Personally, I hope it does--despite the fact that it's likely I'll be playing Nintendo Land (and practically every other Wii U game I purchase) all by myself.

See also: 'Welp, it seems I'll be buying a 3DS XL a bit sooner than I initially thought I would'