Café Nintendo

Is a place where company executives, VIPs, and the occasional media members hang out to discuss business over drinks. The Nintendo PR desk is the gateway; no uninvited guests allowed (sort of like Guy’s). So here I was approaching the PR desk doing what Wolf had told me to do, join him at his meeting with Nintendo. I really had no clue where the meeting was taking place. I walked up and said what was to be said. “I’m supposed to meet up with Michael Wolf of Daily Radar, he’s at a meeting right now.” “Okay, let me see here, oh yes. Now where are they?” She looked around- I looked around. Soon she enlisted the help of one Reilly Brennen. And here I was standing just out of reach of the legendary Café Nintendo, a café where Howard Lincoln sat drinking a cup of hot coffee.

Reilly shook my hand, asked me who I was with. I showed him my badge. “Carl Johnson, Freelance Contributor, Imagine Media”. Apparently he deals will more people in a day than I could comprehend, for he did not remember my face. But perhaps I was wearing a new face now, maybe I was more composed, calm, professional. After all, my “life” wasn’t being threatened, as it had been earlier. Reilly asked me to come inside, so I stepped through the velvet rope area, and just like that, I felt like a Nintendo insider.

We went on looking for Wolf and the person/people he was meeting with. We weren’t having the best of luck so we went to the glass conference rooms. I had no idea what these rooms were used for. To my right I see some guy with a recording device and a Japanese guy sitting across from him, oh that’s Miyamoto. That’s Miyamoto! “I have no idea where they would have ran off to, they have to be around here somewhere.” By this time it was starting to become the real deal. Now I knew <I>where</I> the interview would be taking place, and I was starting to visualize it taking place.

We walked back until Reilly and I were standing a ways behind the PR desk, and I started looking for a really tall guy chatting it up. “There. I think that’s him right over there.” I said, pointing. “There he is!” Reilly said enthused. Reilly escorted me over to the table where Michael Wolf was sitting with a woman. She looked familiar. It was one of Nintendo’s main PR women, but the name doesn’t come to mind. Reilly and I sat and joined them. I remained observational as Michael asked questions relating to Nintendo’s current lineup, and of course, Dolphin. She didn’t have much to say on that topic. However, she did tell us what they were thinking of calling Project Dolphin, but again the name doesn’t come to mind (kidding).    

Soon after a few laughs we were done with the meeting and Michael and I stood to leave. Wolf asked Reilly about the interview, Reilly directed Wolf to another man that was handling matters. That man told us we could have a seat in the Café and wait if we’d like, but that it would probably be another 20 minutes or so. Michael said we’d just hang around the Nintendo area and check out some games. So as we walked into the videogame nirvana that is Nintendo I asked, “so what about these questions? You think we can squeeze a few of mine in?” He said something to the effect of, “about the questions. I don't currently have a list of questions drawn up, and I was planning on flying by the seat of my pants. You have some good questions, so if you want we can go off of what you already have, and wing the rest.” It sounded like a fine enough plan to me. I agreed, and within moments we bumped into Eric, Delbango, and Justin, three Daily Radar freelancers at large. Eric was beside himself with pride for his shocking accomplishment. He had just given Peter Main a Nintendorks condom. “…and then he says, “you boys are too much.” [Laughs] Giving Peter Main a Nintendorks condom was perhaps one of the highlights of E3. I commend Eric for his excellence.