Super Mario Galaxy Launch Party!
I set my alarm for 8:00am because I wanted to make sure I was ready in time for what was going to be a big day for me. First I got the bus to the train station which didn't take very long at all. I then hopped onto the train which set off at 10am. Luckily there were no hold ups and I arrived in London at about 11:45am. My plan was to get the bus to Oxford Street but I didn't have a clue where to go or which bus to get on. Using the tube was my only option left. I used my excellent sense of direction and navigation skill to get on the right line. After about 15 minutes I ended up in Oxford Street. Now all I needed to do was go and find GAME.
Do I walk left or walk right? I ended up walking right and I found GAME in about 10 minutes. Some people were already lining up and it was only 12:30pm. They looked pretty frightening so I quickly rushed inside GAME and asked the staff when the launch party would begin, even though I already knew the answer. I didn't fancy lining up next to the frightening people so I decided to kill some time.
What better way to kill time than to phone up Donna I thought. She kept me company for a little while which was nice. I felt guilty using up her phone bill though. She was pestering me to find some Pokemon thing in HMV. I couldn't find what she was looking for, but I made the mistake of telling her I only live 10 minutes away from HMV. Why do I get the feeling I'm going to be buying stuff for her in the future. I did end up buying the 6th Pokemon movie though for only £4. Bargain!
I walked back to GAME to see how big the line was doing at 2:30pm. Luckily, some less scary people were also in the line so I decided to join them because I had nothing better to do. I was about the 12th person in the line. It didn't take long for others to join so I was no longer last which was a relief. It was very quiet for a while, but when an army of Luigi's turned up, things started to brighten up. I talked to a few people in line. This woman was lining up just to try and get a Wii for her daughter. I talked to her for quite a while and she became my line buddy. This guy behind me was also chatting to us and we got on quite well.
As the hours passed the crowd got bigger and the madness madder. Guys dressed as Peach, women dressed as Mario and there was even somebody in a chain chomp costume. People were very curious as to what was happening when they walked by. What was funny is that the guy behind me was always asked what was happening. Even though there were loads of people in line, he would always be the one to be asked. When there were over hundreds of people, he would still be asked XD.
Then Charles came along and walked into GAME and we all crowded around the window to see him. He was doing loads of interviews but we couldn't hear him because we were outside and he was inside. The ITN news crew were also there and I was caught on camera. The woman in front I talked about earlier was hiding near me because she didn't want to be on T.V. A guy dressed as Mario with a microphone was talking to the line and interviewing all of us. Other entertainment included a magician who done some card tricks with me. Somehow a card I signed ended up in his wallet. I've seen those type of things on T.V, but to actually see it for myself was amazing. I even saw 'The Cheeky Girls' walk by. Thank goodness they didn't stay and "sing". Other entertainment also included a genuine homeless hairy guy. He stopped near some people who were playing Mario Kart DS. These guys were blowing into the DS microphone and suddenly the homeless guy got really close to them and started blowing at them for about a minute before walking off. As I was taking pictures I nearly got ran over by some marching band of singing people. The madness just never ended, and I was loving every minute of it. =)
As the time got nearer to 6:00pm we were all aloud to wait indoors. Charles was at the counter along with a giant Mario and Luigi. He was talking to us and doing lots of Mario impressions as you would expect. He is such a cheery happy guy. Even though he must have done this sort of thing a million times before, he seemed like he was having just as much fun as the rest of us. We counted down the final seconds until the magical time of 6:00pm. Super Mario Galaxy was now on sale!
I bought the game and then waited in the line for it to be signed. It was very crowded and we were rushed along by the staff. Nobody had time to have a conversation with Charles, but that didn't really bother me. He was still very charming and signed our games and posters. Then it was my turn! He shook my hand and asked for my name. It took me a while to remember what is was, because I was busy watching the sweat from his hand absorb into my own. I also asked him to sign my DS which he happily done. I asked the guy behind me to take a picture of us, and I did the same for him. Even though it only lasted about 30 seconds, it was still well worth the wait. I went back outside to say goodbye to everybody that I met. Unfortunately the woman wanting a Wii never received one, but she was still pleased with her copy of Galaxy. I didn't hang around much longer because I wanted to get back. Bye bye Mario!
I ended up getting home about 10:30pm. I couldn't believe what I had just done. If you had of told me even a month ago that I would have the balls to go to London by myself and meet Charles, I would have thought you were just as crazy as me. It felt like christmas really. The waiting, excitement and the hype all building up, for it then to be over in a matter of minutes. Except it was a million times better christmas. Words just can't express how much I enjoyed myself.
Best day of the year! ! !
Do I walk left or walk right? I ended up walking right and I found GAME in about 10 minutes. Some people were already lining up and it was only 12:30pm. They looked pretty frightening so I quickly rushed inside GAME and asked the staff when the launch party would begin, even though I already knew the answer. I didn't fancy lining up next to the frightening people so I decided to kill some time.
What better way to kill time than to phone up Donna I thought. She kept me company for a little while which was nice. I felt guilty using up her phone bill though. She was pestering me to find some Pokemon thing in HMV. I couldn't find what she was looking for, but I made the mistake of telling her I only live 10 minutes away from HMV. Why do I get the feeling I'm going to be buying stuff for her in the future. I did end up buying the 6th Pokemon movie though for only £4. Bargain!
I walked back to GAME to see how big the line was doing at 2:30pm. Luckily, some less scary people were also in the line so I decided to join them because I had nothing better to do. I was about the 12th person in the line. It didn't take long for others to join so I was no longer last which was a relief. It was very quiet for a while, but when an army of Luigi's turned up, things started to brighten up. I talked to a few people in line. This woman was lining up just to try and get a Wii for her daughter. I talked to her for quite a while and she became my line buddy. This guy behind me was also chatting to us and we got on quite well.
As the hours passed the crowd got bigger and the madness madder. Guys dressed as Peach, women dressed as Mario and there was even somebody in a chain chomp costume. People were very curious as to what was happening when they walked by. What was funny is that the guy behind me was always asked what was happening. Even though there were loads of people in line, he would always be the one to be asked. When there were over hundreds of people, he would still be asked XD.
Then Charles came along and walked into GAME and we all crowded around the window to see him. He was doing loads of interviews but we couldn't hear him because we were outside and he was inside. The ITN news crew were also there and I was caught on camera. The woman in front I talked about earlier was hiding near me because she didn't want to be on T.V. A guy dressed as Mario with a microphone was talking to the line and interviewing all of us. Other entertainment included a magician who done some card tricks with me. Somehow a card I signed ended up in his wallet. I've seen those type of things on T.V, but to actually see it for myself was amazing. I even saw 'The Cheeky Girls' walk by. Thank goodness they didn't stay and "sing". Other entertainment also included a genuine homeless hairy guy. He stopped near some people who were playing Mario Kart DS. These guys were blowing into the DS microphone and suddenly the homeless guy got really close to them and started blowing at them for about a minute before walking off. As I was taking pictures I nearly got ran over by some marching band of singing people. The madness just never ended, and I was loving every minute of it. =)
As the time got nearer to 6:00pm we were all aloud to wait indoors. Charles was at the counter along with a giant Mario and Luigi. He was talking to us and doing lots of Mario impressions as you would expect. He is such a cheery happy guy. Even though he must have done this sort of thing a million times before, he seemed like he was having just as much fun as the rest of us. We counted down the final seconds until the magical time of 6:00pm. Super Mario Galaxy was now on sale!
I bought the game and then waited in the line for it to be signed. It was very crowded and we were rushed along by the staff. Nobody had time to have a conversation with Charles, but that didn't really bother me. He was still very charming and signed our games and posters. Then it was my turn! He shook my hand and asked for my name. It took me a while to remember what is was, because I was busy watching the sweat from his hand absorb into my own. I also asked him to sign my DS which he happily done. I asked the guy behind me to take a picture of us, and I did the same for him. Even though it only lasted about 30 seconds, it was still well worth the wait. I went back outside to say goodbye to everybody that I met. Unfortunately the woman wanting a Wii never received one, but she was still pleased with her copy of Galaxy. I didn't hang around much longer because I wanted to get back. Bye bye Mario!
I ended up getting home about 10:30pm. I couldn't believe what I had just done. If you had of told me even a month ago that I would have the balls to go to London by myself and meet Charles, I would have thought you were just as crazy as me. It felt like christmas really. The waiting, excitement and the hype all building up, for it then to be over in a matter of minutes. Except it was a million times better christmas. Words just can't express how much I enjoyed myself.
Best day of the year! ! !