Dragons and Devils and Wiimotes, oh my!
After the final attendees of Saturday’s Nintendo Power 20th Anniversary Party had gone home, the Nintendo World store in New York City played host to an event showcasing NHL 2K9, the first hockey game for the Wii. While it would have been cool enough to enjoy a relaxing afternoon of wrist-flicking video game hockey action, the good folks at 2K and Nintendo World held a free tournament for anyone in the store. 16 entered, and one left with an autographed Rick Nash Columbus Blue Jackets jersey. Sadly, that one was not me.
I did manage to win a game, in overtime, making it to the round of eight and earning me a free copy of the game. But I was bested in round two in a shootout. Fans of all ages joined in, and there was even a father-daughter matchup in the second round during which the young girl got the chance to fight against her dad in a way that did not lead to anyone calling Child Services.
Sparky the Dragon and NJ Devil, mascots for the New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils, respectively, were on hand to cheer on the players and get in on the action. When they weren’t battling each other on the Wii, though, they took a more friendly approach and took pictures with fans and signed autographs. Sparky was especially pleased when he saw how many of the players – myself included – were using the Isles as our team of choice in the tournament (coughcoughRangersSuckcoughcough).
With hockey season right around the corner – training camps open this week! – this was a great event to reawaken that hankering for the world’s fastest game. Look for my full review of the game soon, after I’ve had a chance to work my way through some of the season mode and multiplayer mini games. In the meantime, you can check out a brief video of the game’s demo mode here.
