With the impending release of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for the Switch, I'm reminded of one of the most tumultuous video game purchases I've ever made with the very first Mario Kart 8 which was released back on May 28th, 2014.
Sit back and relax. I got a story to tell.
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As some of you may know, there were actually two versions of Mario Kart 8 released around the world: The regular and the deluxe edition.
The deluxe edition consisted of the game and a big plastic replica blue shell with display stand. Nothing too fancy.
However, whereas Europe and Japanese consumers were able to simply pre-order and buy from any regular retailer, the North American edition was exclusive to only one store: Nintendo World in New York City.
As bullshit as this was, I had figured that, by purchasing plane tickets to New York to buy the game, I would actually be saving myself more money than by buying straight from a scalper.
And I'd also get an adventure out of it as well.
So, I took the plunge, booked a flight, and made reservations at some guy's apartment on Airbnb for one night.
Either.
1. OP meets a fat, annoying Nintenyearold
2. OP gets mad pussy
3. OP sees someone have a mental breakdown
4. OP is held at gunpoint and robbed
5. OP meets someone famous
6. OP makes a heartwrenching story with a shitpost at the end
Let's see how this goes.
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Man, I thought I was autistic for flying to japan for a Virtual On tournament and going arcade hoping for a week.
Inside the Nintendo World store, the entire place was decked out with Mario Kart 8 decals, racing flags, and demos set up for passing customers and tourists. I had arrived the night before at around 12 or 1AM and, by that point, there were about 9 or 10 people in line. Many were ready for the venture outside in Rockefeller Center with coats, chairs, and blankets while all I had was a backpack with spare clothes.
I also learned the hard way that New York still has cold ass temperatures in May. Whereas in Oklahoma, late May is hot as hell, it's still about 50 degrees outside in NYC.
I spent the better part of the night freezing my ass off and waiting for daylight.
The Nintendo World store also had the scale model hoverkart that was present at E3 the previous year. However, the model was barred off from anyone who wanted to sit in it.
According to staff, the model had actually developed a hairline crack on the seat due to the weight of some of the game journalists who posed for pictures on it, and they didn't want to damage it any further.
nigga I thought this thread was gonna be about that time travel theory someone had about Metal Mario and Dry Bowser
By about noon, the line was now beginning to pick up, and the colorful characters that these events attract started to show up.
The next couple of posts will show pictures of the line.
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