Wii Rain-Check Program Details Released By GameStop

If you recall, we brought you news last Friday that Nintendo and GameStop were partnering to provide an official Wii rain-check program for those that have been unable to acquire the extremely hot console this holiday season. Unfortunately, details about the program were scarce.

Fortunately, details have finally shown themselves! GameStop has finally released details on the program, so that you may acquire a Wii for the Mario and Zelda starved gamer in your life. The official name is the Wii Certificate Program (anyone else with me that this is a stupid name? How about something functional and descriptive, like oh I don't know... "Wii Rain-check Program"?) and requirements are:

• Wii Certificates will only be sold on ONE day: Friday, December 21, 2007.
• You must pay the full $250 for the Wii to receive a certificate.
• You must make the reservation in person at any GameStop or EB Games in the US (sorry to our canuck friends in the great white north.)
• The number of reservations is limited per store. First come, first serve.
• When you make a reservation, you will get an empty, custom designed DVD case featuring Mario and the Wii (to hold your disc of Wii Sports?)
• You will be able to pick up your Wii on January 25, 2008.

Gee, you get to pay full price in order to receive a console that's over a year old 35 days later? These are surely crazy, desperate times when something like that will actually sound like a good deal to some people.

It makes my overnight camp out at the local Wal-Mart on release day seem positively pleasant and painless, which in reality, it was. I spent most of the night playing Mario Kart DS with all the other Nintendo fans in the line.

I wonder how many children are going to get a fancied up *empty* DVD case for Christmas.

"So, what'd you get for Christmas?"
"...a DVD case... but they said the real thing's coming a month from now!"
"Uh huh..."

GameStop Outlines "Wii Certificate Program" [Kotaku]