Seeing as I am but a single, mortal man, and can only exist in one place at one time, covering the launch of a console across a nation as enormous as Australia was always going to present problems. Luckily, these are easily overcome when loyal, dedicated readers submit their own launch pics & stories for your perusal and, hopefully, enjoyment.

Clint & Ro were going to check out the Melbourne launches, and report all about it, but before they even got out the door they got sidetracked. By a case of Boags & some Phoenix Wright. Nice one boys.

Mrmachine went to the Centrepoint store in Sydney, which I gave up on as being a waste of time. As you can see, it was. What do they expect - the store is buried underground, and stinks of mould and wet dog hair. He also went in without a pre-order, and left empty-handed. That's dedication. And disappointment.

Clawster hit up the Indooroopilly EB Games in Brisbane, was overcome by the sheer volume of Wiis on hand and could do little else but break down and weep like a little boy in a butcher's shop.

Clint and Ro got off their arses, shook off the dregs of their DS-fuelled drinking binge and managed to get outdoors, only to be thwarted by JB Hi-Fis complete lack of peripherals or games that weren't Zelda, a problem the big retailer faced nationwide if whispers from today are true. So it was back to the beers.

Ryukenden wandered the streets of Melbourne alone, snapping awful photos of launches he was taking no part in, since he had pre-ordered at a department store that wasn't even opening at midnight. Strange folk, those Victorians. Of particular concern is the fact Nintendo Australia's ONLY official launch was held in Melbourne, and neither of our intrepid readers-on-the-beat went anywhere near it. Nice work lads. Very professional.

And finally, after getting hold of my console and games last night, I proceeded to get home, drink myself into a stupor, injure myself quite badly playing Wii Sports Baseball and slither into bed sometime around 5:00am. No pictures, unfortunately, as by that stage I was completely lacking in faculties.

From countless reports I've been hearing all day, I am not alone in my experience.

The general vibe of the night nationwide was one of understatement. Crowds of 30-50 were the norm for larger stores, but the atmosphere was pretty stale, with most people too tired and expectant to have any real fun with the night. Yeah, some stores and areas had a blast, but from the amount of feedback we've been getting, most were little more than orderly, awkwardly silent queues.

Thus concludes our thrilling coverage of the Australian Wii launch. Almost entirely devoid of cosplay, day-long lines, freaks or drive-bys, it goes to show that when faced with the choice between braving a midweek, midnight launch and just getting a good nights sleep and picking your Wii up the next morning, most Australians will take the sleep. And with the way my head, kidneys and hamstring are feeling today, I can't blame them. Luke Plunkett

[BIG THANKS to everyone who submitted stories/pics of the launch!]

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