Love them or hate them, you have to hand it to Nintendo, they are great at marketing, but that does not make them infallible.
On a recent business trip to NYC I was able to swing into Nintendo World near Rockefeller Center. It is a two-story store packed with Nintendo merchandise, flat screen televisions, items not available anywhere else, and tons of Wiis and DS's available for trying the latest titles: So why was I left so disappointed?
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Nintendo World First Floor
Though I am primarily a PC Gamer, it would be fair to call me a Nintendo fanboy considering that in my childhood home I have a hand-painted Raccoon Mario on a table I constructed for my Nintendo Advantage joystick. I saw The Wizard. In the theater. I even own a Gamecube. So maybe I expect too much from Nintendo. The store - filled with pre-pubescents and young adults playing consoles - was certainly chock-full of Nintendo gaming. The thing is, it felt like walking into an Apple store, clean and shiny with lots of smooth lines and curves and glossy white surfaces. But it ultimately left me feeling sterile (I am, but that's beside the point).
First floor still shot for the video impaired
Then again, Nintendo's Mario Kart Wii Launch Event certainly left me with a favorable impression of the company, even if the title itself was lacking versus its predecessors. Maybe it was the Nintendo World staff who - though polite, friendly, and helpful - did not exactly appear to be having fun. The staff at the Mario Kart event were dressed as Marios and Luigis, the Nintendo World staff wear a bland black golf shirt with a lanyard that evokes Steve Jobs, and were mostly on the phone, PCs behind the counters, or patrolling the aisles, watching gamers and asking if anyone needed help.
Store patrons, with staff member in the rear of the photo
Still, there are some very interesting items in the store, including unique merchandise like a Super Mario Chess Set, clothing I had never seen before (including some pretty obscure Pikmin attire), and random tchotchkes like key fobs and mugs.
Super Mario Chess
Also, there was a miniature museum on the second floor with a prototype of the Nintendo Entertainment System, original Famicom, a Game Boy signed by Shigeru Miyamoto, and a few other pieces worth noting (always fun to see the Robotic Operating Buddy). There was even an original Game Boy that had been partially melted in the Gulf War, still running a demo of Tetris. As it happened, the museum was the most interesting part of the store, and I wish there had been more.
Part of the Nintendo "Museum"
My disappointment comes down to a lack of unique gaming: I can play anything the store has to offer at a local Gamestop or even Target, so why go there for anything other than overpriced Nintendo-branded merchandise and expensive MSRP titles? If Nintendo World had a slew of NES, SNES, and N64s set up, and Japan-exclusive Famicom titles like Choujin Sentai Jetman or Final Fantasy II, then it would be a destination worthy of the journey. How much fun would it be to go in and play four-man Tetris on an original Game Boy? Or a round of four-player Goldeneye?
The title, Nintendo World, led me to believe it was a destination store, but there is little in the way of actual gaming that makes me want to return. For example, Chuck E. Cheese brings kids in because there are standalone games, amusements, and activities they cannot reproduce at home. Local arcades have pinball games and skeeball. Nintendo World lacks activities that are not reproducible at home. Even a Mario Kart Arcade GP would have made the trip worthwhile. [video=Inc0wTPx5bIFsz_c]
Nintendo World Second Floor
For all the aforementioned reasons I am left wondering why Nintendo World, which should really be called The Nintendo Store, even exists. It is a premier location at Rockefeller Center, but for game purchases anyone visiting is going to walk a half-block to the underground Gamestop with all the exact same game equipment and titles at a huge discount to the Nintendo World prices. Certainly it is a great location to host Launch Events, but the rent must be a small fortune: It is simply not possible that Nintendo is turning a profit on this store. I wonder if the traffic it gets is worth the expense of its operation. Then again, Nintendo sure as hell knows a lot more about marketing a successful gaming product than I do.
If you are in New York City and near Rockefeller Center, Nintendo World is a worthwhile visit, but do not expect to be there for more than a half hour if you already have access to either a Wii or DS yourself.
