Logo | Play Nintendo Tour 2014

Play Nintendo

Guests will enjoy whimsical-themed gaming zones filled with iconic items like banana-shaped seats in the Donkey Kong area, a giant Poké Ball in the Pokémon section and Yoshi egg chairs in Yoshi’s island.

Does that snippet from the official Nintendo website sound like a dream come true? Then here’s hoping you live close to one of the 12 U.S. cities that will be hosting a Play Nintendo Tour stop this year. On top of a large video game-themed play area, the Play Nintendo 2014 tour will also feature costumed characters (Kirby, Donkey Kong, Mario and Luigi), photo ops, giveaways, and the chance to try out a Nintendo 2DS. The following games will be showcased:

  • Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D
  • Kirby: Triple Deluxe
  • The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
  • Mario Kart 7
  • Pokémon X and Pokémon Y
  • Super Mario 3D Land
  • Yoshi’s New Island

Mario Kart 7 will have its own dedicated area. Racers who beat out their competition will be given the chance to show off their skills in Mario Kart 8 for Wii U on a large screen for everyone to see. Time to start practicing.

And the best part of all this excitement? It’s entirely free. Venues are limited though, so check the list below to see if you live close to any of the tour’s stops. It has already swept through Los Angeles, CA, and Dallas, TX.

June 20–22: Charlotte area
Northlake Mall
6801 Northlake Mall Drive
Charlotte, NC 28216

June 27–29: Chicago area
Woodfield Mall
5 Woodfield Mall
Schaumburg, IL  60173-5012

July 4–6: Twin Cities area
Mall of America
60 East Broadway
Bloomington, MN  55425

July 18–20: Seattle area
The Bite of Seattle
305 Harrison St.
Seattle, WA  98109

July 25–27: Phoenix area
Arrowhead Town Center
7700 W. Arrowhead Towne Center
Glendale, AZ  85308-8612

Aug. 1–3: St. Louis area
Chesterfield Mall
291 Chesterfield Mall
Chesterfield, MO  63017

Aug. 8–10: Indianapolis area
Castleton Square
6020 E. 82nd St.
Indianapolis, IN  46250-4746

Aug. 15–17: Atlanta area
Mall of Georgia
3333 Buford Drive
Buford, GA  30519-4913

Aug. 22–24: Houston area
The Galleria
5085 Westheimer Road
Houston, TX  77056-5673

Aug. 29–Sept. 1: Orange County, California, area
Irvine Spectrum Center
71 Fortune Drive
Irvine, CA  92618

SOURCE

Angela Hinck
Former Contributor: Content Manager- Situated in sunny Florida, Angela spends plenty of time watching anime and playing video games. RPGs and survival-horror are her go-to genres; but if it's weird or different, she's willing to give a shot. She graduated from the University of Central Florida with a BA in Creative Writing and now puts her skills to good use writing about the nerdier things in life, including news and game reviews for Operation Rainfall.