I have a feeling that just about everyone and their dog is by now aware that Nintendo has unveiled their latest console in the form of the Wii U. Thanks to Satoru Iwata, current president of Nintendo, we were also treated to a very formal unboxing ceremony, introducing the world to this next generation console.
But the team here at MeltedJoystick realized there was a great untapped potential. There are plenty of Wii U unboxings floating around YouTube from various people/sites, but none had as much fun as the staff around here making their own version of the unboxing:
This took a surprisingly amount of work to make - and much thanks goes to Matt Meyer for his skills behind the camera and also his hours spent editing our tribute (or parody if you will) video to the original Iwata unboxing. Here is a breakdown of our very own labor of love:
Opening: As befitting, a traditional bow to greet your audience. I have to mention adding the gong was totally my idea - you're welcome. Then we have the introduction by our primary blogger, Nelson R Schneider (taking on the role of Mr. Iwata for the purposes of this video). Donning the white gloves as the dramatic music is cued, we get to have a little fun:
Who is that handsome devil presenting the Samurai sword? Yes, I get to have my own cameo as the peon who gravely hands the sword over, with a nod to Monty Python and the Holy Grail as I'm gratefully pushed out of the picture. Carefully the box is given an "honorable death" before the sword is sheathed.
Now we get to the great unboxing itself. Just like Mr. Iwata, the boxes are carefully set aside and the various pieces are presented: the Wii U Console, the Gamepad, the power cords, the Nintendo Land game, the instruction guide (note the Spanish here, as opposed to traditional Japanese - as that is what the guide actually says!), the game stand, the gamepad stand, the game pad cradle, HDMI Cable and that brings us to the game pad stand.
Now, for those who haven't bothered to watch the original Mr. Iwata unboxing, at this point he has some slight trouble getting the game pad on the stand. At this point, we decided to have a little more fun again - really putting emphasis on how many ways you can mess up this process. After muttering under his breath, Nelson succeeds. Finally we have the one piece not included in the original video: the sensor bar (my idea to have Nelson announce this in a thick Boston accent was scuttled - but I tried). We end with another bow before the credits role.
Although the credits themselves can be seen as excessive - make no mistake, this little video was the result of quite a bit of setup, planning and trial-and-error (I'm not sure if the outtakes have been erased or not). I have much more respect for the actors and directors of this world, because putting something even this simple together was quite the task. I just hope that you have enjoyed this little bit of parody we decided to make. Hopefully the MeltedJoystick channel will one day be overflowing with video reviews of all sorts, but for now, the Wii U Unboxing will have to do.
It was a lot of fun - and a lot more work than I ever expected. I think Nelson pulled off a better performance than I could have given - I think you looked properly serious throughout - you didn't have an ear-to-ear grin, so that's good enough for me.
