It’s that time of year again! In December of 2012, we held our first annual SPLI AWARDS and it was a lot of fun! So… of course we are going to do it again this year! The 2013 SPLI AWARDS: Voting Phase is currently open for entries!
Join your fellow Long Islanders as we vote on our favorite 3DS, Wii U and eShop games of 2013! We’ll also be covering the Year of Luigi and Pokémon X/Y in a little more detail, and we’re also adding a new section: Best of SPLI Events! We want to get feedback from all of you on which events were your favorite, and there’s even an opportunity for you to give us your comments on how we can improve. Please take this opportunity to let us know how we are doing and how we can grow to make StreetPass Long Island even better than ever!
To cast your vote, just click the image above, or visit bit.ly/2013SPLI! The 2013 SPLI AWARDS: Voting Phase will be open until 12/27 so don’t delay and vote today! Be sure to join our event page on Facebook for all updates regarding the 2013 SPLI AWARDS!
Nintendo treated their 3DS fans to a really fun National StreetPass Weekend from 12/13 – 12/15! Any 3DS owner who visited their local Nintendo Zone with StreetPass Relay were treated to a shuffle of StreetPass Relay tags, allowing US gamers to get StreetPass tags from other states and even other countries! StreetPass Long Island hosted a local event to celebrate National StreetPass Weekend by organizing members to meet at a local Starbucks in Uniondale, NY on Sunday, 12/15 from 2:30 – 4:30pm!
To make the event even MORE exciting for members, StreetPass Long Island handed out free giveaways: The Legend of Zelda Treasure Chests! These awesome items were provided by Nintendo and GolinHarris (thank you NoA!!) and SPLI members were ecstatic to receive them!
Despite there being a huge snowstorm the day before, StreetPass Long Island members came to Sunday’s meetup in droves and Starbucks was delighted to be overwhelmed with customers. SPLI members gathered to collect StreetPasses (some members received StreetPass tags from the west coast, Europe and even Japan thanks to the StreetPass Relay Shuffle during the event!) and played popular 3DS games together, like Pokemon X&Y and Mario Kart 7.
StreetPass Long Island was happy to welcome some new members and first-time meetup attendees at this event, while also hanging out and having fun with our regular members and SPLI Admin staff. Everyone had a great time, some members even stayed to hang out for almost an hour after the event officially ended! SPLI Co-Founders Jeff and Debbie also used this opportunity to drop some hints about upcoming meetup events planned for 2014. Afterwards they announced that the [Second Annual] 2013 SPLI AWARDS: Voting Phase was about to open to the public, giving fans a chance to vote for their favorite Nintendo games and SPLI Events from the past year.
Every StreetPass Long Island member who attended gave us great feedback and we all hope that Nintendo organizes another National StreetPass event next year! The StreetPass Relay Shuffle added a lot of buzz and excitement to the group and we really enjoyed it! Thank you Nintendo for helping us to end 2013 with a great meetup event!
StreetPass Weekend is coming to a Nintendo Zone near you on December 14th & 15th! StreetPass Long Island is joining in on the fun by hosting a meetup at Starbucks in Uniondale!
WHEN: December 15, 2013
WHERE: Starbucks Coffee – 1228 Hempstead Tpke. Uniondale, NY 11553
During National StreetPass Weekend fans will be able to StreetPass with Nintendo 3DS owners all over the country just by visiting a Nintendo Zone! (Visit http://www.nintendo.com/3ds/nintendozone to find a Nintendo Zone near you!)
Zelda fans from across the tri-state area came together to show off their archery skills for the Legend of Zelda-themed Archery Competition, hosted by StreetPass Long Island and StreetPass NYC in Ozone Park, NY on November 17th. Under the guidance of professionally trained archery experts courtesy of Proline Archery Lanes, StreetPass fans learned to shoot a Long Bow and participated in a tournament using Zelda-themed targets! Check out some photo highlights below and visit the full album on our Facebook Page.
Proline Archery Lanes, Ozone Park, NYStreetPass Leaders Debbie Gluzband and Jordan White taking aim during the practice round, with SPLI Admin Lance Eustache preparing to shoot.Proline Archery’s professional instructors taught Legend of Zelda fans the proper way to handle the Long Bow.In between rounds competitors played StreetPass games!StreetPass members created custom target areas on Zelda villain characters for the Competition.Those who shot their arrow in the target area of the Zelda target moved onto the finals!The Competition was won by Daniel C. In second place was Mark R. and Jonathan P. received third place.Competition winners were awarded with perler bead ‘medals’ made to look like the Hero’s Bow.SPLI Leader Jeff Weinstein challenged the group to make a 20 yard trick shot – hit the eyeball on the Eye Switch target. He offered a $35 eShop Gift Card if anyone could hit the bullseye. Sadly, the prize went unclaimed and will be saved for a future challenge!Group photo from the event. Thanks to everyone who came and stay tuned for the Second Quest!
Here is a new promo video to get everyone excited for the Legend of Zelda-themed Archery Competition this upcoming Sunday on November 17th from 6:30-8:30 PM! Be sure to RSVP to ensure your spot at this awesome contest!
Have you ever dreamt of shooting the Hero’s Bow in real life like Link in your favorite Legend of Zelda games? Here’s your opportunity!
On Sunday November 17th, StreetPass Long Island & StreetPass NYC are teaming up to host the first and only Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds themed Archery Competition (to celebrate the upcoming release of Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds which launches for Nintendo 3DS the following week on 11/22/2013).
The event will take place at Proline Archery Lanes, a reputable indoor archery range in Ozone Park, Queens, NY. StreetPass Long Island & StreetPass NYC arranged for a private 2 hour session from 6:30PM to 8:30PM after the range’s normal business hours. The venue will provide 3 Olympic certified private instructors who will teach everybody how to safely and accurately shoot a standard long bow. The event will conclude with a friendly archery competition for Legend of Zelda themed prizes.
The event organizers negotiated a special group rate package with the venue and will be collecting $20 in advance per person (towards the venue’s fee) to ensure a spot, since space is extremely limited. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1388097304759087 for more details and to make reservations.
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds themed Archery Competition will start promptly at 6:30PM at Proline Archery Lanes and will end at 8:30PM.
(This blog entry originally appeared on the Glux Blog, written by SPLI Co-Founder Debbie G.)
Friday, October 11, 2013 was a night I will NEVER forget! It was the night of the Pokemon X&Y Launch Party in NYC, and also the day before the “Nintendo Communities: StreetPass, Pokemon and Beyond!” panel at New York Comic Con.
The Pokemon X&Y Launch Event was looking to be like an out of control party. People had been lining up for days in front of the Nintendo World Store to attend the event and be some of the first people to buy the newest generation of Pokemon games. Unfortunately, I had arrived late with JDubz and a group of friends, and we were placed wayyyyy back in the line, which was by that time wrapped around 49th Street towards 5th Ave. (Nintendo World Store is on 48th Street – the line was literally wrapping around the entire block!) I was feeling upset because I wasn’t sure if we were ever going to get into the Event, which was set up with a large stage, a DJ booth, demo stations, inflatable Pokemon Starters, and so much more.
Eventually, JDubz and I heard word that since we were panelists for the upcoming Nintendo panel the following day, that we would be given VIP bracelets and would finally be able to get into the event! Hooray! We made it into the staging area and started collecting the cool swag they were giving out, such as paper hats for the different starters, a Pokeball cartridge holder, art cards from the games, as well as posters. (I heard that other people got X&Y Dog Tags and pins… no idea where those were being given out lol!)
After a few minutes checking out the pandemonium of the event – there were hundreds of people in the area! – I was approached by a Pokemon staff member, asking if I wanted to join a costume contest. Since I was in my Pikachu cosplay outfit, I figured why not and headed backstage. The staff members kept adding more cosplayers, but made me stand at the end of the line for some reason. I didn’t read too much into it.
When it was my turn to go up and show off my costume, the hostess was acting kind of weird and so was the Pikachu mascot. We were dancing around and suddenly the hostess declared that Pikachu had something to say and that she needed a translator. Of course, I tried to volunteer, since I too was Pikachu that day, but they ignored me. Suddenly, JDubz appeared on the opposite side of the stage, offering to translate. Pushing past Pikachu, JDubz said, “Debbie [Gluxbox] I choose you!” Then he dropped to one knee, and produced a custom-made Pokeball with a diamond ring inside, and said, “Will you marry me?”
It was an incredible moment. Hundreds of people were cheering and screaming. I pulled JDubz up and gave him a big kiss. And then I grabbed the mic from the hostess to confirm, “Yes! I SAY YES!!!” JDubz began whispering in my ear that he had been working with Nintendo of America and The Pokemon Company for the past nine months to orchestrate this proposal. There are no words to properly express how I was feeling. Flabbergasted? Overwhelmed with joy? Incredible??? A combination of those and every other emotion. I was crying tears of joy and feeling on top of the world. This was such a romantic, sweet and unique proposal and I never saw it coming!
If all of this wasn’t cool enough, we were amazed when we started seeing people sharing articles on Facebook and Twitter posts about JDubz’s proposal before we’d even announced it to our families. Websites like Kotaku and Nintendo Enthusiast were covering the story, and we even got a personal “Congratulations” from Nintendo of America’s Twitter page! There are several videos of the proposal on both Vine and YouTube, so I’ll post a few links here in the blog. If you see any photos or videos that I haven’t shared here in this blog, then that means I haven’t seen it yet! Please send me any photos/videos from JDubz’s proposal to gluxbox@yahoo.com! Thanks to everyone who sent their well-wishes to us, we couldn’t be happier!
I promise I will write another blog about NYCC and the StreetPass Panel very soon. Just let me enjoy Cloud Nine for a few more days please! 😀
New York Comic Con is less than one week away, and here at StreetPass Long Island we are so excited! Co-Founders Debbie and Jeff are going to be panelists at the first-ever StreetPass Panel to be held at New York Comic Con, backed by Nintendo of America and The Pokemon Company International. We hope that all fans of the Nintendo 3DS and Pokemon X&Y will come to this panel, exclusively at New York Comic Con!
NINTENDO COMMUNITIES: STREETPASS, POKEMON AND BEYOND!
Date: Saturday, October 12
5:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Location: New York Comic Con, Javits Center Room 1A10
Speakers: Debbie Lee Gluzband, Geoffrey Kappenberg, Jeff Weinstein, Jordan White, Keith C. Smithsen, Matthew Rodriguez
Description:
The Nintendo 3DS is more than a portable video game system. With revolutionary concepts such as StreetPass and the Nintendo Network, it has sparked more local and global social interaction among gamers than any other portable video game device before it. With the release of Pokemon X & Pokemon Y on October 12, 2013, join some of these social groups such as StreetPass NYC, StreetPass Long Island, Pokemon DS NYC and the Official NYC Pokemon Castelia League as they show how the newest entry in the Pokemon phenomenon will bring Nintendo fans closer together around the world!
August marks the first anniversary of StreetPass Long Island, and we decided to throw a huge event to celebrate! Since Pokemon is wildly popular in our group, and the new Pokemon X&Y games are due out this October, we thought it might be fun to host a Pokemon Generation 5 Send-Off Party for our First Anniversary. The party included a PVGC Doubles Tournament, a Cosplay Contest, a Plushie Contest, as well as Trivia and Funfest Missions! There was pizza, cookies, cake and prizes for all who attended!
Over 30 people came to play Pokemon, get StreetPasses and enjoy the party with us!A Gaming Lounge was set up for casual Funfest Missions.Matt and Ana, Leaders of the Pokemon DS NYC Meet Up Group, expertly ran the Tournament, which was also broadcasted live on an HD TV during the event.The entire Tournament was streamed live by Clash Tournaments!The Clash Tournaments staff also provided live commentary for each match!StreetPass Princeton came out to Long Island to enjoy the festivities! Thanks for joining us!StreetPass Princeton also generously provided a customized cake for the party! It was delicious, and quite a big hit with the hungry Tournament participants!Members of StreetPass NYC came to hang out as well!StreetPass Leaders Jordan & Debbie showing off some Pikachu cosplay!StreetPass Long Island Co-Founder Jeff provided the delicious pizza! Thanks Jeff!Of course a little Pokemon TGC was going on at the event as well!Pokemon Cosplayers!Some of the plushies pictured here were the big winners of the Pokemon Plushie Contest!The Grand Prize winner of the Tournament was Rick G. (pictured here in the center, wearing a black hat) He is now a Pokemon Champion in StreetPass NYC, StreetPass Long Island and the Pokemon DS NYC Meet Up Group! Who would like to challenge Rick now??We hope everyone enjoyed our First Anniversary Party! We had an awesome time thanks to all of the great friends who came to share this day with us! We hope to see you all at the next event!
If you weren’t able to make it to our First Anniversary Party (what a shame!) please visit Clash Tournaments on Twitch TV to watch a recording of the live stream! We hope you enjoy it!
This event recap originally appeared on The Glux Blog.
On August 15th, Mayor Neko was very excited. It was time for the Obon Festival!
A special WIFI Meet Up Event was organized by StreetPass Long Island to invite American players to visit the Japanese town of Wasabi, so that they could partake in the unique festivities of this Japan-exclusive holiday!
Mayor Gluxie of Jubilife City came by to find out the details of this event [in English].
Isabelle was more than happy to explain what the Obon Festival was all about!
Isabelle was handing out free gifts. There were two options that were handed out, either the Eggplant Cow or the Cucumber Horse.
She must have seen me giving her a weird look, so she explained that it’s more of a “kids thing” to play with an Eggplant Cow…
Mayor Neko opened the gates of Wasabi to visitors. At first we had a bit of a connection issue, due to so many people trying to enter the town at once!
Isabelle and Mayor Neko kept their spirits up despite the disconnection frustrations by dancing together at the Town Plaza!
Here’s a shot of the Face-Cutout Standee that was provided by Isabelle for the Obon Festival. You can see an Eggplant Cow and Cucumber Horse!
Ultimately visitors were only able to enter one at a time, to ensure we wouldn’t get more disconnects. Sorry for the confusion!
Wasabi was even visited by royalty! Even a King needs an Eggplant Cow!
Guests enjoyed posing in the Face-Cutout Standee. It was so cute!
For future Japanese events, it seems likely that the “one at a time” rule will have to be used, only to keep things a little more regulated. Everyone is just too excited and tries to enter the town at the same time, causing the internet to derp and disconnections happen continuously. We will be sure to post this as a warning for all future Japanese events. (And there are plenty of them, so if you missed this event, be sure to “like” StreetPass Long Island so you can stay informed of all ACNL JP Events!)
StreetPass Long Island 