Nintendo
The vibe
White. Contemporary. Serious. Clinical. Fun. The Nintendo stands of yesteryear, which normally consisted of some plastic-bricked Zelda dungeon, a smoking Donkey Kong mountain and a Mario gimp are certainly long gone. And while the N rides the crest of its 'gaming for everyone - even old people!' wave, we'd better get used to this neutral, non-gamey set-up. Not that there's anything wrong with it, it's just that the drastic change of personality rubs us up the wrong way something chronic. It feels like Nintendo is gaming's equivalent of a reformed smoker.
The furnishings
Where to begin. A big floor-to-ceiling drape partitions the ante-stand area, which is strategically peppered - probably to optimise the free flow of feng shui - with white leather sofas and some of those transluscent space hopper things without the handles (big inflatable balls, basically) dotted about the place. The main area sports a few rows of clinical looking desks, predictably kitted out with Dr Kawashima's noodle improver, but besides that all there really is are demo pods housing Wiis. Look upwards, however, and there are three 'installations'. The first is a sort of upside down wigwam frame decorated in paper print-outs of various Mii characters. Next is a suspended arragement of oversized Kerplunk sticks, and in one corner is a floating gyroscope. All are positioned to take full advantage of the chakra soothing moodlighting, of course.
Gaming highlights
Super Mario Galaxy, Metroid Prime 3, Pokemon Battle Revolution and Phantom Hourglass will keep Nintendo's traditional fans happy, all of which are kept from general view behind the big curtain to avoid any embarassement. In full sight of passers-by are the likes of Kawashima, Flash Focus, Big Brain Academy, Wii Fit and, yes, Wii Sports. Again.
The ladies
Probablythe best ladies of the lot. While we don't dig the stand sporting the white look, we wholly approve of the tight white - broken only by a vivid stroke of colour in the form of a red or blue waist sash - attire worn by Nintendo's lovelies. Plus, they're always on hand to make sure you've got the Wii controller's strap on properly, which means bodily contact is a dead cert.
Overall
Sparse in comparison to its rivals and most certainly up its own poo tube, yet as much as we dislike the appearance of Nintendo's stand we can't deny that it hosts a whole lot of fun. There's plenty of entertainment to be had just by watching the gurning hordes wobbling on the Wii Fit board or working up a sweat boxing thin air in Wii Sport - it produces more smiles, more laughs and more people looking daft and really not caring than the Microsoft and Sony stands combined. And did we mention that the Nintendo ladies touch you?
