You know, I think this is what Nintendo needed all along.  The Nintendo Channel sounds simple, but it feel like it really ties everything together.

Of course you have your videos, of which there are currently 9 pages of(although a lot of the games have released a long time ago), some of which are quite lengthy, and the Miyamoto interview was pretty cool.  It's also interesting that they bothered to put up a video of a recent Virtual Console addition, Pokemon Puzzle League...I know that they've added some videos to their own website, so maybe this will become more of a habit to put them up on Nintendo Channel too.

However, aside from "just" providing videos, information, and purchase-links, they also give a new small 'addiction' to the mess: recommendations.  I didn't go through all of my games, but I have a huuuuuge list remaining, and I find it kind of fun just going through and rating each game I have.  Of course, that'll run out once I finish since you can only rate each game once, but for the moment I've spent some time just doing that.

The real draw is definately with the DS Download section.

Oddly enough, you're only allowed to download DS demos if you allow Nintendo to collect your play-data.  I don't mind myself, but it kinda makes me wonder because I don't *quite* remember hearing that from the Japanese Everyone's Nintendo Channel, but maybe it was just overlooked by the importers who were just clicking through text they couldn't quite read.  *shrug*


Anyway, it's absolutely great to not have to go to the store, 'sneak in' your own DS hoping no one thinks you're shoplifting, just to stand there looking like an idiot downloading and playing a game right there in the store.  Here, I can play it at my leisure, over and over, and actually have time to think about it.  I mean it's cool to have it in the store since you're THERE and could buy it after trying it, but at least in my own home I can actually mull over it and have time with it.

(Incidentally, I also use the instore DS-demo-system to access the Download Station occasionally.  You can't rotate the thing if you want to play a book-style game, but at least I don't have to bring my own in.  But I can't always use it.......sucks that someone purposely rake-scratched BOTH screens at my local Wal-Mart...it looks like they did it with a KNIFE they're so deep.)

Anyway, just some quick impressions on something I'm sure everyone knows about already, but it was fun at the very least.  It makes me feel like all of the different things on Wii and DS are finally 'connected', because I don't have to open different Wii-apps or go to the store to access these things, they're just all right there in front of me.  I realize it's kind of a marketing tool, but because I'm looking for these things anyway, it IS pretty helpful.  At the very least, I can get some quick throw-away demos and have a little bit of fun with those.

I've been waiting for this actually since before the Wii came out -- just that, we didn't know it'd be its own channel.  They've always mentioned that you could at least download DS demos, but they kind of put it off really...

Really, a complete surprise huh?  That's pretty cool...I did want to know what other people thought, although I have a feeling I said so much there isn't much room to comment on anything else. :p


I was glad to get a chance to play Ninja Gaiden since I didn't want to buy it....now I'm glad I didn't, because although I had some fun playing the demo, it's just not a game I could stand playing over and over(that first "arena" area where you fight the dragon EVENTUALLY....there were just too many enemies, and it was ANNOYING...not difficult, but it just took too long, and was more of the same over and over).  I also didn't want to buy the DS Cooking Mama 2, that was kinda cool, and being able to play Jam Sessions for the first time was GREAT, also glad I didn't buy it, but it was fun, and even without the extra chords and knowing nothing of actual-guitar, it was fun to play.  CrossworDS, the idea is neat and I can see how people like it, but I realize I don't, and I might have gotten stuck with it if I had bought it based on the good reviews it's getting.  *shrug*

I might even re-download some of these again some time.  Part of me is wishing there was a Phantom Hourglass demo since I also skipped on that, but ahh well, what they have right now is more than reason enough to have the Nintendo Channel.

My Wii's connection was really slow so I haven't explored all that stuff much yet.

Do you know if the demos will always be there, or if they're limited in their availability?Do they expire or will they always be there to try?

I was very impressed. Like all of you said, it's what they really needed.

And with that, I have nothing else to say.

I'm happy with the Nintendo channel. I'm not jumping up and down, but I definitely like it.

I think it's a great thing to have around. Very useful tool for their customers.