The game wasn't officially released until Sunday, but from 1-4 on Saturday afternoon, you could buy it at the Nintendo World Store, and that seemed to be what most people were after. They did have a series of demo kiosks set up in the plaza at Rockefeller Center next to the store, but those seemed somewhat sparsely attended. It felt like the majority of the crowd already knew they wanted the game and just wanted to buy it. But hopefully the demo stations drew in some new converts. Each station featured four DS units linked together for local multiplayer with preset characters. A Nintendo employee led a party of three other adventurers through a dungeon battling enemies along the way to a final boss. It was terrific fun playing with other people, and not just because after sampling the game you were given a ticket good for a Blue Slime ice from the DQIX-branded Mr. Softee truck! (Inconveniently placed right in front of the line to get into the store...)

Outside was a giant inflatable Slime that people were posing with, but inside, I Am 8-Bit had a special photo op setup featuring stuffed Slimes that were more accurately sized. The line for that moved slowly, and was always pretty long. But as you see at the top of this article, I stuck it out. How could you not? Oh, and there was also a line for a table where they were giving out the awesome "It's Party Slime" T-shirts worn by the staff! (which is good, because as soon as I saw them, I totally coveted one of my own!)

Unfortunately, the only multiplayer you could enjoy was at the demo stations because the game itself takes an hour or so before you reach the point at which you unlock that feature. But I've been playing the game all weekend, and in case you had any doubts, it's fantastic. The graphics are terrific, the story is surprisingly interesting, and I just know I'm going to have a blast playing through the adventure. So far, my only complaint is that because of the focus on multiplayer, your teammates are just random nobodies you pick up at the inn. I kind of miss having a supporting cast with their own personalities and subplots. Adventuring with randoms isn't nearly as fun. It's like playing multiplayer with strangers instead of your friends. Still, that aside, I love the game, it's graphics, music, and quirky sense of humor. Oh, and that gallery I promised you? Here you go!