Ah, the venerable midnight launch. The camp’s once-anticipated tradition of midnight game launches — so timed as to technically meet official road game dates while still capitalizing on player obsessions and excitement — is, at least in New York, on the verge of extinction thanks to on many factors such as public safety, liability concerns, pandemic precautions and overall consumer welfare. But on this date, September 9, 2022, the spirit at least lived on, thanks to Nintendo NY’s terrible RSVP system, which requires hopeful buyers of—in this case—Splatoon 3 to log into their My Nintendo account and make a reservation time slot in a virtual queue to buy the game. I, for one, was late to the party and only checked the Nintendo NY Twitter account to see if there was a launch event going on, and they were. By the time I checked the details, however, there was only 1 AM left. and then, so I responded and arrived just before midnight to take a look at the queue. Images: Nintendo Life / James Mielke The last time I covered a launch, for Pokémon Arceus, things were pretty quiet. Maybe because it took place in the heart of New York winter, or maybe because it was a Pokémon spin-off. Whatever the reason, it didn’t take much effort to get in line and buy the game. The launch of Mario Strikers: Battle League was similarly drama-free, which is to be expected. Nintendo or not, sports games don’t generate the fervor usually reserved for a new Zelda or a proper Mario game. But for Splatoon 3 it was refreshing to see the line stretch up to the block from Nintendo’s doors, almost up to 6th Avenue, which is a long city block in New York terms. There was a significant gap between the 12am queue. and the 1 AM extension, which I was on. After a bit of a wait, the line periodically moved forward by significant amounts, so all things considered it wasn’t too bad. Whatever Nintendo NY is doing these days, it’s doing it right, at least from the perspective of a father of two who’d rather sleep at 2 a.m. than buy games. It was my son’s ninth birthday, though, and instead of just ordering the game online and waiting for it to arrive in print, this gives me a good reason to go see a good old-fashioned game launch and bring home a shiny new copy of the game for my kids, along with what Nintendo NY released for release day. In this case, my reward for buying the game at Nintendo’s North American flagship store was a new Splatoon 3 exclusive Tri-Stringer promotional keychain (bow) and a nice, horizontal poster exclusive to the event. My kids and I have a long history of appreciating Splatoon, as you can see from the image below. My kids are expecting the original Splatoon in 2015 — Image: Nintendo Life / James Mielke When the original game first came out for the Wii U in 2015, my kids were five and two, respectively, and I was such a fan of the character design, I dressed up my own kids as Inklings and had them chase each other in all of South Street. Seaport in New York, with the help of some homemade costumes and an official hat sent to me by Nintendo. They’ve been stuck in a row ever since. So since it was my son’s birthday, I promised him that I would attend the midnight launch and get him a copy of the game. I picked up three, actually, because I knew he, his sister, and I would all enjoy playing the threequel’s new local co-op modes. What better way to learn the ropes before taking on the online community? In any case, once he entered the store, there was literally no one in line to buy the game. Everyone inside had either already bought the game and were looking around the rest of the store (which, to my surprise, was open for business beyond selling Splatoon 3) or taking pictures of the large Splatoon 3 set on the first floor . Scenes from #Splatoon3 launch at @NintendoStoreNY – it’s a queue! (Video credit: @LimitedRunJames) pic.twitter.com/KxfkDm99ct — Nintendo Life (@nintendolife) September 9, 2022 Whatever the case, I was glad to see everyone having a good time, as well as a clear line at the counter where I bought not only the game, but also the elusive amiibo set featuring Callie and Marie, the game’s commentators, at regular prices . I also got the new Steve & Alex Minecraft amiibo, which they had behind the counter at Nintendo NY. Overall, this was as enjoyable a launch experience as I’ve ever had. I’m too old and tired and busy to deal with camping for three days early, living in a tent on the sidewalk, just to be the first to buy a game, so I’m very glad that technological advances have made midnight runs like this as convenient, smooth and hassle-free as possible. That way we all get to play the game a little early and no one has to suffer for the pleasure. Images: Nintendo Life / James Mielke All hail the new midnight launch. Let him live.
