It's about the experience, people.

On Thursday the fine folks at GameStop who already held $25 of my money toward the new Mario Kart Wii game imparted to me a cryptic message: If you're coming to get the game Sunday, get here early to get your Wii Wheel.

Confused, I dumbly waggled my head up and down, jaw slackened. Sure. Get here early. Got it. I was under the impression the game came with one. Perhaps it was a limited-time only thing. Marcy and I continued with our evening, and I made a small mental note to wake up early Sunday.

Which was today. At 8:45 a.m. I was in the shower; a little later than I'd hoped because I was determined not to have a repeat of what happened with Super Mario Brawl. When THAT game came out, gamers lined up around the block to get in the store for their copies. I stupidly thought I could just call a store that day and expect them to have an extra one in stock. Stupid me.

But not with Mario Kart. Today I was prepared. Coffee percolated while I decided on whether to wear the Zelda shirt or the Ash from Army of Darkness shirt. I was reasonably sure the store opened at 10, which would give me about 45 minutes in the line to chat with fellow Kart-seekers. Were they a Zelda crowd or an Ash crowd?

In the end I decided they'd be neither. We'd likely have to talk about Super Smash Bros. Brawl. I don't have a shirt for that.

I raced through Winchester and into Burlington. In the parking lot I saw Game Stop's OPEN sign was lit up. Worse, no line. CRAP, I thought. They've already let everybody in! I really wanted that wheel now, not as a crucial piece of technology with which to play the game; I just wanted one on principal, since I understood when I paid the down payment I'd be entitled to one.

Coffee in hand, I entered GameStop. Two other customers were in the store. Wii Wheels and MarioKarts were piled up to the ceiling.

"Um ... I'd like my copy of MarioKart please," I mumbled to the clerk. "Sure," he said. "Would you like to reserve any other games today?"

"Wait. That's it? I just get my wheel and my game and I go home?"

"Yeah," GameStopDude said. "That's it."

No conversation. No waiting in line. No pageantry.

I took my plastic bag and I went home. The game sat on the coffee table until about 7:30 when Marcy and I finished chores and dinner. It was a lot of fun.

But it would have been more fun if I had to fight for it.