Nintendo Wii U Event

I have been a Nintendo Brand Ambassador for about 4 years now and have gotten to do some really cool things. Remember when they had a Nintendo DS Lite party for my friends and I and everyone got a free Nintendo DS Lite? Or when they threw a Wii Fit party for my friends and I and then I gave a Wii away on my site? How about when they took us up to the Hancock Center for free dinner and drinks then gave everyone a Nintendo DSi? Or when Nintendo and Netflix partnered and I threw a game and movie night party? Not to mention all the fun things they’ve sent me in the mail over the years! And then I thought last year took the cake, when they sent me to Seattle for the launch of the Nintendo 3DS….

Well, that was all awesome, but this past weekend? This past weekend Nintendo sent me to Los Angeles, West Hollywood to be exact, to get a preview of the new Wii console, Wii U.

To ramp up for the Wii U launch on November 18th, Nintendo is doing a road show and visiting cities across the US to give brand ambassadors and VIPs a preview. They actually had an event in Chicago over the summer but I wasn’t able to attend. I was so excited that I would be able to finally see the new Wii in L.A.

We all met in the lobby of The Standard, where the out-of-towners were staying. I got to see Justine again, which is nice because she has been my main contact at Brand About Town for years and I do not get to see her often. I also quickly realized that some of the brand ambassadors that I met at the Seattle event were there and so I didn’t have to remeet every single person over again. Unlike Seattle, where there were 90% women, this event had many men and women. Not sure about the different groups, but a lot of the guys seemed to be big on YouTube. When everyone had gathered, we boarded a bus for Siren Studios.

The Wii U event was like a party! Loud music, lots of black light and stations set up all over. A few games, ZombieU, Batman Arkham City (which, I kept accidentally calling Batman Arkema City, after my friends), Just Dance 4 and Sing Party had their own rooms. The rest of the games were stationed all around. The brand ambassadors were not the only VIPs there to play so it was pretty packed. I did not get to play as many games as expected, but did get to see a lot.

The main difference with the WII U is that the Wii U GamePad includes a 6-inch touch-screen tablet. It still has the physical sticks, directional pad, face buttons and trigger buttons, but also a touch screen. I was afraid at first that this was going to be beastly and heavy, but it wasn’t. The controller was light and designed in an ergonomic way that felt good in your hands.

It was interesting to see how the different games used the controller differently. I have seen Dallas play Batman Arkham City a ton on PlayStation. And as with most first-person games, he always has to stop and access a menu where he can switch weapons and stuff like that. When I played the Batman game, a lot of that stuff was on the touch screen. So I could drag weapons onto a directional pad on the screen and then when I pressed the directional pad it would trigger the weapon as I’d designated. There was also the option to move the whole controller up and down and left and right to aim before shooting. Or you could just use the buttons to do it.

In the Sing Party game, which I spent way too much time in, the Wii U GamePad was used to display lyrics for the singer. So, unlike Rock Band where everyone has to face the TV, the singer could face the crowd and sing to them, while the audience looks at the singer and the TV to get their participation indicators.

In Just Dance 4 you hold your Wii motion sensor controllers, that you already own if you own a Wii, and when you dance, these controllers sense how well you’re doing. One person can go into “pupper master mode” with the Wii U GamePad controller and pick which moves the dance participants have to do. They can also make the dancers strike a pose and choose who did it best to award extra points.

I played a game called Rayman Legends. For this game I actually played with a Wii U Pro Controller, that was very much like a Playstation 3 or Xbox 360 controller. I liked this game a lot. My friend on the trip, Janet, used the Wii U GamePad controller to do other things in the game while I was playing.

I saw that there’s a new Wii Fit game, Wii Fit U and I could see that there were new games inside of it, but I didn’t get to play.

I also did not get to play Ninja Gaiden 3, but I heard that you could throw stars from the Wii U GamePad controller onto the TV, which seems pretty cool.

And who doesn’t love a photo booth!! These were my ladies! Katelin, Michelle, Ashley, and Janet!

After a few hours of hands-on play, we had to go. As a parting gift we got these chocolate Mario mustaches on a stick. Yumyum.

I hear that the new controller can be used as a TV remote (TVii) and that the Wii U will be able to stream Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video and YouTube. And that it also has NFC. I’m excited to see how that works, since I’ve never used NFC for real before. I can’t wait to see one of these out in the wild to really get a feel for how all of it works.

As always, a big thanks to Nintendo for this awesome opportunity! I had so much fun in Los Angeles, checking out the Wii U, seeing old friends and meeting new ones!

I’ve been trying to keep track of stories and photos that other ambassadors have shared:

  • Pretty Sandy Feet: A little bit birthday, a little bit Nintendo & a little bit like the end of Summer
  • The Glamerous Life: GlamReview: Wii U (The Standard West Hollywood too)
  • Ashalah: Weekend Recap: A Los Angeles Quickie

Crazy. I know it was a different event, and not everyone was a blogger, but even a year ago in Seattle I had a mile-long list of blog posts on the event. This year? So much Twitter, Facebook and Instagramming!

Disclosure: It might be needless to say, but Nintendo provided the airfare and accommodations on this trip. I was not paid, or even asked, to write this post.

Mr. Skin’s 8th Annual Summer Soiree

Last week Jess and I went to Mr. Skin‘s 8th Annual Summer Soiree (note that link is NSFW!). Jess’s friend Keara is a copywriter there and invited us to the event. We were not sure what to expect and it was definately interesting.

First off, I never even realized that the Mr. Skin headquarters (“Skin Central”) is right in Bucktown. On Damen above the Potbelly’s. The party was an all-night (6 p.m. – at least 1 a.m.) open bar with about 4 different bars on 3 levels of outdoor patios, as well as the Mr. Skin office space. Catering was done by local Bucktown restaurants.

There was a DJ playing music all night on the rooftop and a projector showing Mr. Skin productions all night. Endless Top 5 lists in many specific categories. In one room there were a bunch of people playing Rock Band. In another, a.. um… dancer. User your imagination. Also a bunch of girls, I think they were hired(?), were getting their bodies painted. Kind of interesting, but I know I’m getting old when my first though is “oh, those girls are going to be cold when the sun goes down!”

The crowd was really very mixed. The people that work at Mr. Skin and their friends all seem to be pretty normal. People like us. Then there were the perverted old guys. “Hey girls! Want to get lei’d?” There were leis hanging on the wall. Jess and I declined. And then there were the all decked out trendy people.

If you really are more interested in details I’m not going to share them here, but check out these two NSFW photo galleries:

Photo Gallery 1
Photo Gallery 2

Jess’s Karaoke Birthday Party

Last Saturday night Jess had an epic 30th birthday party in the American Legion Bucktown‘s basement with Rory Lake hosting as entertainer and karaoke DJ. You might remember Margaret had a few parties like this before moving to New York. I found Jess’s party extra fun becuase I lost some of my karaoke shyness over the past year or so because of all the singing I’ve done playing Rock Band. Rock Band and the $2 cans of beer they sell at the Legion!

For my first song I sang “Hard to Handle” by the Black Crowes, which is a Rock Band staple of mine. People seemed to really like it. My second song, I thought would be really popular, but wasn’t was “Nothin’ But a Good Time” by Poison. Dallas was a big hit that night. Rory didn’t even call his name when it was his turn, he just played the theme song from the TV show Dallas and that was his cue to come up to the mic! Dallas sang 4 songs – “Bust a Move” by Young MC, “Super Freak” (Little Miss Sunshine style), “Poison” by Bel Biv DeVoe, and a “Regulate” duet with Sarah.

Jess’s older sisters came in from Boston and Iowa for the party and made sure the Legion hall was decorated with embarassing (and adorable) old photos of Jessica. Some of her old friends from college flew in too. It was a good showing of all of her friends. Dallas and I were the party photographers and tried to get at least one shot of everyone there. We took a ton of photos so I just made this slideshow below. Fun fun fun night! Will be hard to top that one!

And be sure to check out Susan’s photos and video from the party too!

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Paul & Kate’s Halloween Housewarming Party

Over the summer, Paul Baker and Kate bought a condo in a high rise on Lake Shore Drive. On Saturday, they had a Housewarming/Halloween party. We were not required to dress up to attend the party. About half did and half didn’t. Paul and Kate did.

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Kate and Paul, Lakeview East, Chicago

Paul is a jester and Kate is a killer bee. The knife is actually part of her costume, even though in this photo Paul is holding it.

Conan, their cat, chose not to dress up. He was looking very debonair and was very social during the party.

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Conan, Lakeview East, Chicago

Dallas used to live in the building next to the one Paul and Kate live in, but I’d never been to a high rise on Lake Shore Drive. The views were amazing.

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Montrose Harbor, Chicago

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Chicago

We played Wii Sports Resort and somehow got stuck on the frisbee game where you throw the frisbee for the dog to catch. Alden and I were the big winners of that game.

Later on we played Rock Band, of course. It wouldn’t be a party at Paul Baker’s house without Rock Band! He has the Beatles version of the game, which allows you to have two singers. rachelleb and lisap were a singing force to be reckoned with!

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Beatles Rock Band

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Beatles Rock Band

Paul and Kate have a great home with beautiful views, and know how to throw a really fun party! Did I mention they got Portillo’s to cater? So yummy. Congratualations Paul and Kate (not plus 8)!

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Chicago Sunset

Surprise!

On Sunday Dallas and I planned to spend the day together. In the morning we didn’t really do anything. Just hung around the house, picked up a little bit. At about noon we left. He was going to help me get an iPhone for my birthday so we went to the AT&T store and then to a few other store in the shopping center.. Game Stop, Bath & Body Works.. nothing crazy. We stopped for a quick bite at Taco Bell (secretly love!) and then bought some groceries at Dominick’s. I was having a good time just doing nothing and hanging out with Dallas. We don’t often run these kinds of errands together or go shopping together. I remember commenting about it and how it was nice. Little did I know, we were just killing time while people assembled at our house. I thought the plan was to run these errands, go home and chill for a while, then go to a movie. But when we got home I opened the door, and SURPRISE!

There were about 15 people standing in our living room when I opened the door. I remember being so in shock. Dallas and I were just discussing what movie to see as we pulled into the garage! I couldn’t even take it all in. Everyone yelling “SURPRISE!,” Cory was standing on a chair taking my photo. A few people had never been to our place and I remember thinking that I hadn’t cleaned. And there was a cake with candles on the counter. This was running through my head instantly that first second. I didn’t even know what to do. SHOCK. 30 minutes later my hands were still a little shaky, my heart beating a little fast. Get me a beer – STAT!

Dallas is pretty laid back and “no nonsense” about birthdays and holidays. He doesn’t really care if a gift is given or a celebration is held right on the day. He doesn’t really plan ahead, what he wants to get or do. When it’s my birthday or Christmas, I’ll tell him what I want and he’ll go buy it, or we’ll go together and he’ll pay for it. With restaurants or parties, I usually say where I want to go, or what I want to do, then we do it. I’ve gotten pretty used to this over the last 5 years. I think this was half the shock. How did he manage to actually PLAN something, prepare everything ahead of time, and not only that, pull it off. I honestly had NO IDEA anything was going on. Of course, in hindsight I put two and two together on a lot of things…. why are you texting so much while driving? Why do we have to buy all this cream at Dominick’s? Things that didn’t seem odd when they happened but when you added them all up…

To plan for this, Dallas had secret lunches with Jess to talk about details and to give her keys. That Friday when he was just hanging out with Danny? They slow cooked 14 pounds of pork in the smoker to make pulled pork for the party. Danny also made a cold corn soup that was to die for. That pulled pork was gone lickity split. 14 pounds! It was soooo delicious. And Jess made me a birthday cake. Probably the first birthday cake that I’ve had in … I don’t know? A decade? Did I mention the cake was double chocolate Kahlua? The bar has been knocked up so high, I don’t know how we’re ever going to top this dinner!

Killian took these nice photos of me blowing out my candles. I was so happy I’d taken a shower that day. And dried my hair. And put on a trace of makeup. I didn’t get to jewelry or a nice outfit, but it could have been worse.

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The party was great. We hung around inside. We hung out on the roof deck. It was nice out, not too hot, not too cold. We played cornhole all night. Our upstairs neighbors came down and made me do shots at their house. We played Rock Band later in the night. I hadn’t played Rock Band for so long and was having a great time doing it. Such an overwhelming day. Honestly, it felt like 3 am, but it was only 11 pm. Here’s a video of me dancing around holding a bottle of champagne and singing along to the song “Buddy Holly,” by Weezer. The video is kind of messed up because Danny was laying on the ground messing with my iPhone. Maybe also because we were all taking swigs directly from that bottle of champagne.

I had the best time and most of all it felt really great that everyone went through the extra trouble. For me! For my birthday. And I didn’t really lift a finger. I’m not used to that! It was so nice. I have the best friends and the best boyfriend! Thanks everyone for such a great day!

(Cory took more photos of the party. I’ll have to get them from her and post them later. It felt really weird that I was not the photographer for once!)

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Update (11/09): Here are the photos Cory sent me.

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Surprise!

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Killian, Jessica, Kate, Emily, Alden, Paul

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Kate, Emily, Alden, Paul, Chris, Jill, Cousin

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Brian & Limey

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Geoff & Christina

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Brian & Jill (& Halle!)

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Cory & Chris got me this pimp cup

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Liz & Killian

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Jessica, Paul, Kate

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Steve trying to kill a bee with Liz’s shoe

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Cousin & Malachy

Catching up With Molly, Megan, Scott & Sophia

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Scott, Megan, Molly, Dallas :: Logan Square, Chicago

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Sophia :: Logan Square, Chicago

This week we got to catch up with Megan, Scott and Molly. … and Sophia! The last time we saw everyone Sophia wasn’t born yet. Megan played Guitar Hero at with us when she was pregnant. Maybe that’s why Sophia was so happy to be at our house watching everyone play Rock Band. At first she was sleeping in her car seat, but who can sleep through the rockin’? She woke up and was all smiley like in the photo above. Later on I was holding her and she was happy as can be. Good baby. Big. Sophia is 3 months old, but I couldn’t believe how much bigger than Kenji she was. Hard to believe that Kenji will probably be that big by the time we see him next. Babies grow fast!