Nintendo Wii Fanboy http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com Nintendo Wii Fanboy http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/media/feedlogo.gif Nintendo Wii Fanboy http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com en-us Copyright 2008 Blogsmith, LLC. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/New Mario Kart tournament opens for Wii Wheel usershttp://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/05/15/new-mario-kart-tournament-opens-for-wii-wheel-users/http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/05/15/new-mario-kart-tournament-opens-for-wii-wheel-users/http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/05/15/new-mario-kart-tournament-opens-for-wii-wheel-users/#commentsFiled under: ,


Fans of the Wii Wheel, take note: Nintendo has opened up yet another Mario Kart Wii tournament catering exclusively to you and your primary control scheme of choice. As you can see above, the tournament takes place on the GBA Battle Course 3 track, but you better hurry because this tournament ends on the 24th of this month.

So, who's getting down with this? Just another disappointing tourney to you?

Gallery: Mario Kart Wii

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>mario-kartmario-kart-wiitournamentDavid Hinkle2008-05-15T11:45:00 00:00Widget of the Bandshttp://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/05/15/widget-of-the-bands/http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/05/15/widget-of-the-bands/http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/05/15/widget-of-the-bands/#commentsFiled under:

We might not be getting Wii game demos any time soon, but if you want to sample the rhythm game Battle of the Bands, you can try out a widget that simulates THQ's recently released Wii software. Of course, we'd have to hope that the Wii game controls much, much better than this keyboard-utilizing demo, but it still gives you a general idea of Battle's basics.

Essentially, you have to hit the notes in rhythm with the 1, 2, and 3 buttons (or use the mouse), depending on where the note lies on the strip. Each time you hit a certain amount of notes correctly, you'll launch a weapon at the opposing player. You can change weapons as well, but the more powerful the attack, the more notes you'll have to hit to activate it.

All in all, it's nothing more than a way to kill a few minutes on the internet, but it's still the closest you can come to experiencing Battle of the Bands without trying the real thing. This widget is also a good way to give you an idea of the changing styles of music in the game, so it's really worth a look if you're interested in the title -- just don't expect to have an easy time with the keyboard controls.

Gallery: Battle of the Bands


[Via GamerTell]
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>band-mashupsbattle-of-the-bandsdemoplanet-moonrhythmthqwidgetCandace Savino2008-05-15T08:45:00 00:00Wii Fit incense comes and goes, 2000 Star Points savedhttp://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/05/12/wii-fit-incense-comes-and-goes-2000-star-points-saved/http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/05/12/wii-fit-incense-comes-and-goes-2000-star-points-saved/http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/05/12/wii-fit-incense-comes-and-goes-2000-star-points-saved/#commentsFiled under: ,

Luckily for you, UK gamers, the Wii Fit incense that Nintendo just started offering through the Stars Catalogue is now sold out (along with pretty much anything of substance). That means you no longer have the opportunity to blow 2000 points on some Wii Fit-branded incense.

You've also missed some Mario game holders and Nintendo-character notebooks, which is actually sad. But take solace in the fact that you don't even have to spend one second of your time wondering if those 2000 Star Points would be best put to use on 500 Wii Points (or Street Gangs), or some grocery-store incense in a fancy tin.

[Via NeoGAF]
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>incensestars-cataloguewii-fitJC Fletcher2008-05-12T11:45:00 00:00NES coffee table is so much morehttp://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/05/09/nes-coffee-table-is-so-much-more/http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/05/09/nes-coffee-table-is-so-much-more/http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/05/09/nes-coffee-table-is-so-much-more/#commentsFiled under:



Kyle Downes' NES coffee table isn't just an awesome coffee table, oh no. Read up on the making of this beautiful piece of furniture on Kyle's blog, the appropriately named Ultra Awesome, and it's obvious that Downes' work is far more than a mere coffee table -- make the jump to see what else it can do.



Excellently, it doubles up as a trunk in which Kyle stores his games collection. Sweet, eh? But wait, what's this?



Oh. Em. Gee. It actually plays NES games. Kyle, sir, we are in awe.

[Via technabob]
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>coffee-tablecraftsfamicomfurniturenesChris Greenhough2008-05-09T22:30:00 00:00NES gets digital plastic surgeryhttp://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/05/08/nes-gets-digital-plastic-surgery/http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/05/08/nes-gets-digital-plastic-surgery/http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/05/08/nes-gets-digital-plastic-surgery/#commentsFiled under:


Before you fall to the ground from being stunned by such a beautiful NES, please note: it's a concept art, not a mod. We wish it were real, though, because we could definitely see ourselves clamoring to buy oldschool systems if they came in pretty packages like this. From the sleek shape, to the coloring, to the LEDs, to the controllers, the whole thing is just incredibly yummy. The best part is that it looks great without deviating too much from the original model -- kind of like Wii Fanboy's idea for a redesigned (and upgraded) Wii console.

Spanish digital artist Javier Segovia deserves the credit for this one. Nintendo, please take note. And be sure to check out some of the other retro mods we've featured here on the site in our gallery below!

Gallery: Retro Mods

NES cart becomes NES systemA portable SNES we wouldn't mind getting our hands onWe're falling for Wall-E, the GameCube modTake a shine to this custom NESThe Legend of NES: Zelda Edition

[Via Kotaku]
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>concept-artjavier-segovianesredesignCandace Savino2008-05-08T22:30:00 00:00Grab some real-life Boom Blox with the gamehttp://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/05/08/grab-some-real-life-boom-blox-with-the-game/http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/05/08/grab-some-real-life-boom-blox-with-the-game/http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/05/08/grab-some-real-life-boom-blox-with-the-game/#commentsFiled under: ,


... if you're in France. Despite much frantic hunting on the internets, we've only been able to locate this neat little piece of Boom Blox merchandise at a French outlet, where it's being given away to those who purchase the game early (Boom Blox launches across Europe tomorrow).

Although it lacks a ball to knock your blocks down with once you've finished building, assembling this puzzle is probably the perfect way to pass the time while your family plays on Boom Blox and you stubbornly refuse to admit that you might have been wrong. Bah. Oh, one word of advice, though: handle with care.

Gallery: BOOM BLOX

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>boom-bloxcasualeafamilyfrancepartypre-orderpreorderpuzzlespielbergsteven-spielbergChris Greenhough2008-05-08T13:30:00 00:00A history of zealous Earthbound fandomhttp://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/05/08/a-history-of-zealous-earthbound-fandom/http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/05/08/a-history-of-zealous-earthbound-fandom/http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/05/08/a-history-of-zealous-earthbound-fandom/#commentsFiled under: ,

Members of the Mother series fan site Starmen.net may be celebrating now, with Earthbound recently rated on the ESRB's web site, but just getting to that tenuous victory (as Ys I & II can affirm, ESRB rating is not the same as a Virtual Console release) has been the culmination of years of agonizing effort and constant campaigning that may not have actually had anything to do with the news.

Shacknews has posted a great retrospective of Starmen's 11-year campaign to get something related to Earthbound to happen outside of Japan, from a Game Boy Color release of Mother to localized versions of Mother I & II on the DS to (of course) a U.S. version of Mother 3. They've carried out insane plots like creating a beautiful book of fan works to show Nintendo how much they care about the series. Nintendo's response has ranged from politely dismissive to nonexistent, though the feature reveals that somewhere within Nintendo, Starmen's efforts were at least attracting attention.


Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>earthboundmotherrpgshigesato-itoistarmenJC Fletcher2008-05-08T12:45:00 00:00Cowboy Jed implores you to look at more footagehttp://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/05/07/cowboy-jed-implores-you-to-look-at-more-footage/http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/05/07/cowboy-jed-implores-you-to-look-at-more-footage/http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/05/07/cowboy-jed-implores-you-to-look-at-more-footage/#commentsFiled under: ,


By far the most enjoyable thing about Mario Kart Wii (and we're not saying Mario Kart is bad) is the psychotic "Cowboy Jed" advertising campaign, in which a hyperkinetic salesman attempts to sell us karts, while impressing upon us the importance of looking at the footage. Look at the footage!

The footage has just gotten a lot cooler with the discovery of a ton of previously-unseen Jed clips. They're available on archive.org under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license, meaning you're free to remix and share the all-important footage as long as you're not making money off of it.

If you just want to, you know, look at the footage, the "Cowboy Jed Song" link features a footagey music video (as seen above), and the "Cowboy Jed Montages" link features montages of the remixable material for viewing. Look at the cow! Look at the footage.

Read: The Cowboy Jed Song
Read: Cowboy Jed Clips for Remixing
Read: Cowboy Jed Montages
Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>advertisingcowboy-jedmario-kartmario-kart-wiiJC Fletcher2008-05-07T17:00:00 00:00The most divisive question about the Wiimote answeredhttp://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/05/07/the-most-divisive-question-about-the-wiimote-answered/http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/05/07/the-most-divisive-question-about-the-wiimote-answered/http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/05/07/the-most-divisive-question-about-the-wiimote-answered/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Forget the appropriateness of motion controls for varying genres, or the difficulty in modeling representative movement. Will it blend? The Wii Remote has become such a cultural phenomenon that it can now be used to market other products, like the Blendtec Total Blender.

Citing his disdain with his Uncle Floyd's un-wrist-strapped Wiimote tossing, and being the host of a series of web videos called "Will It Blend," Blendtec's Tom Dickson tossed two Wiimotes into a Total Blender for science. As you would expect from pretty much any piece of electronics put inside a blender, the two remotes waggled themselves into a fine mist inside the pitcher.

Oh, sorry, we shouldn't have given away the ending.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>wiimotewill-it-blendJC Fletcher2008-05-07T09:45:00 00:00Late-night Wii Fanboy: why the Wii and sex don't mixhttp://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/05/06/late-night-wii-fanboy-why-the-wii-and-sex-dont-mix/http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/05/06/late-night-wii-fanboy-why-the-wii-and-sex-dont-mix/http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/05/06/late-night-wii-fanboy-why-the-wii-and-sex-dont-mix/#commentsFiled under:



Here in the UK*, the nation's favorite one-handed newspapers regularly contain relationship advice that is portrayed in picture form. Obviously, these hilariously scripted columns are simply another excuse for tabloid editors to meet their monthly quota of exposed female flesh, and would usually line our cat's litter tray as a result, but this recent column from the News of the World made us chuckle, as it heavily features the Wii and Wii Sports.

Anyway, the story so far: we've learned that young couple Ash and Mel are in a crisis. Young Ash up there is apparently declining Mel's amorous advances in favor of boxing on the Wii, so Mel did what any rational individual would do with their relationship on the rocks: she wrote to a national newspaper to explain her problem and have it presented to millions of readers in pictures.

Want to see how they ended up and what conclusions agony aunt "Jane" reached? Then click the image above or hit up the "Read" link below (it's NSFW, naturally), and see for yo -- you've already gone, haven't you? Hello?

* From what my colleagues tell me, U.S. papers don't carry such features. But then they read nice, respectable newspapers.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>addictionnews-of-the-worldnewspapersexChris Greenhough2008-05-06T22:30:00 00:00Penny Arcade's eyeful of Boom Bloxhttp://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/05/05/penny-arcades-eyeful-of-boom-blox/http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/05/05/penny-arcades-eyeful-of-boom-blox/http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/05/05/penny-arcades-eyeful-of-boom-blox/#commentsFiled under: ,

Much like we were, Penny Arcade was driven into a frenzy of Blox-booming desire by the recent Boom Blox preview video. What sounded at first like a mildly diverting concept has become the kind of thing we'd basically want to play all the time.

Tycho's enthusiasm for Steven Spielberg's latest (thing he's attached to in some unclear way) goes beyond wanting to play the game constantly. The fictional character based on the Penny Arcade writer wants to play Boom Blox not just while the Wii's on, but the rest of the time -- and meets with a somewhat unpleasant user experience with the "tabletop version" of the game. They're called Boom Blox and not Tumble Harmlessly Blox, after all.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>boom-bloxeapenny-arcadepuzzleJC Fletcher2008-05-05T21:00:00 00:00Duck Hunt lamp will inspire thousands to hunt for cheap Zappershttp://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/05/04/duck-hunt-lamp-will-inspire-thousands-to-hunt-for-cheap-zappers/http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/05/04/duck-hunt-lamp-will-inspire-thousands-to-hunt-for-cheap-zappers/http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/05/04/duck-hunt-lamp-will-inspire-thousands-to-hunt-for-cheap-zappers/#commentsFiled under:


One reason that the NES Zapper, even in orange, is superior to the Wii Zapper: it makes an attractive lamp. Craftster user fluffypants happened upon one of the clangy gun controllers and, somehow, saw the potential for a lamp. A real Duck Hunt cartridge would have been too small to function as a sturdy base, so she made an imitation NES cartridge from cardboard and affixed it to the Zapper lamp.

As if turning controllers into furniture didn't impress us enough, fluffypants turned a store-bought shade into a faithful 3D Duck Hunt scene with layers of cut foam. In fact, the shade is so awesomely Duck Hunt that the actual lamp seems a bit like overkill.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>craftsduck-huntlampneszapperJC Fletcher2008-05-04T12:00:00 00:00Sega UNIQLO shirts available online to UK residentshttp://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/05/02/sega-uniqlo-shirts-available-online-to-uk-residents/http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/05/02/sega-uniqlo-shirts-available-online-to-uk-residents/http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/05/02/sega-uniqlo-shirts-available-online-to-uk-residents/#commentsFiled under: ,


The excellent, and affordable, line of Sega shirts from Japanese retailer UNIQLO are now available for purchase via the company's website. Sure, they only deliver within the United Kingdom, but that's a big step closer to, say, Texas, just to name a random location where someone might want to buy a shirt with the House of the Dead 4 logo on it.

Besides, we're mature enough to let our UK friends know about things they may enjoy, even if it doesn't benefit us in the least. Or if, among us, it just benefits Chris, as is the case this time. The Japanese shirts, by the way, come in Sonic-emblazoned bottles -- no idea if UNIQLO is doing the same in the UK.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>segashirtshirtssonicuniqloJC Fletcher2008-05-02T18:00:00 00:00Complete 64DD collection up for grabshttp://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/05/01/complete-64dd-collection-up-for-grabs/http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/05/01/complete-64dd-collection-up-for-grabs/http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/05/01/complete-64dd-collection-up-for-grabs/#commentsFiled under:



The 64DD is unquestionably one of the more obscure footnotes in Nintendo history. The Nintendo 64 add-on sold only 15,000 units (85,000 units were reportedly scrapped), meaning that finding the hardware in good condition can be a tricky task, let alone a complete 64DD collection.

Yet that is precisely what's being offered in this eBay auction from UK seller golly_75. As well as a boxed 64DD unit, golly_75 is also including a Japanese Nintendo 64, a Nintendo 64 keyboard, a RandNet starter kit, and all nine of the 64DD games that were made, including rarities such as a factory sealed Japan Pro Golf Tour 64 (of which only 10,000 copies were made) and Daishuugou (Doshin the Giant 2: More than a Giant, which numbered only 3,000 units). In short, it's the most impressive 64DD collection we've ever seen.

The price so far reflects that, as well -- at the time of writing, the highest bid is $888.

[Via GameSniped]
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>64ddebayn64nintendo-64rareChris Greenhough2008-05-01T22:30:00 00:00Man chats about his $15k NES gamehttp://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/04/30/man-chats-about-his-15k-nes-game/http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/04/30/man-chats-about-his-15k-nes-game/http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/04/30/man-chats-about-his-15k-nes-game/#commentsFiled under: ,

James Baker collects games, but probably not in the same way that any of us collect games. Baker recently coughed up $15,000 for one of the 26 gold-colored NES carts that were originally manufactured for the Nintendo World Championships in 1990 (only twelve are still accounted for) -- in fact, we're fairly certain that his is the cart we posted about recently.

Speaking to Edge about his latest acquisition, Baker confesses that spending so much on a single videogame is "pretty crazy," but also says that he "doesn't really see it purely as a videogame."

Not only is the guy richer than us, he's also a lot braver -- when he received the cart, he popped it into his NES to give it a go! "I didn't even need to blow on the end of it to get it to work," he said, nonchalantly. You better believe that playing such a game would be the last thing on our minds. Instead, we'd be handling it very delicately, and then only after washing our hands several times over.

(Fun fact: $15,000 would cover the cost of 1.5m Wii Points, which in turn could be used to purchase the whole of the current U.S. Virtual Console line-up -- more than ten times over.)
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>ebayedgefamicomnesnintendo-world-championshipsnintendo-world-championships-1990nwcnwc-90rareChris Greenhough2008-04-30T22:30:00 00:00Real Bowser stalks our nightmareshttp://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/04/29/real-bowser-stalks-our-nightmares/http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/04/29/real-bowser-stalks-our-nightmares/http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/04/29/real-bowser-stalks-our-nightmares/#commentsFiled under:

Back in March, this realistic depiction of Mario made us hide beneath our beds, though that was nothing compared with the horrors of what followed.

Now, some twisted internet japester has reinvented Bowser in a similar fashion. Gone is the happy-go-lucky Bowser, the ultimately lovable, pantomime-esque villain with an addiction to kidnapping royalty. And in his place? Teeth. Scales. Leathery flesh. Claws that could rip through a plumber's torso like a warm knife through butter. Please, won't somebody think of the children us?

Creep apprehensively past the break for the full image.

[Via Digg]
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>artbowsermariophotoshopreal-lifeuncanny-valleyChris Greenhough2008-04-29T22:30:00 00:00Bulky peripheral offers NES gaming on the gohttp://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/04/29/bulky-peripheral-offers-nes-gaming-on-the-go/http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/04/29/bulky-peripheral-offers-nes-gaming-on-the-go/http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/04/29/bulky-peripheral-offers-nes-gaming-on-the-go/#commentsFiled under:


Now here's a neat idea! Gaming on the go! Why, we've never heard of such a thing!

In all seriousness, the FC Mobile doesn't look all that bad. Sure, anyone can enjoy their Game Boy Advance or DS on the subway, or even take Chrono Trigger through its paces while stuck in the car on the way to Grandma's house, but it takes a real pro to whip out something like this. Or someone who doesn't like to have multiple gaming platforms available on their handheld.

[Via Technabob]
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>fcfc-mobilehandheldnesnes-on-the-goDavid Hinkle2008-04-29T21:00:00 00:00Majesco: Nintendo 'very enthusiastic' about Wii online functionality, helps Majesco prove it with Blast Workshttp://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/04/28/majesco-nintendo-very-enthusiastic-about-wii-online-functiona/http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/04/28/majesco-nintendo-very-enthusiastic-about-wii-online-functiona/http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/04/28/majesco-nintendo-very-enthusiastic-about-wii-online-functiona/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Well, someone had to step in and tell Nintendo that they're doing a good job with their online platform (even though, and let's face reality here folks, they aren't right now, but we're hoping WiiWare can help change that). Majesco sees Nintendo as doing okay with the online content in titles such as Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Mario Kart Wii, but sees the system as able to do more elaborate and better things. Majesco is planning to make this leap into a bigger world with the release of Blast Works for the Wii.

So what is so envelope-pushing about Blast Works's online functionality? Well, players will be able to create and trade content online. On top of that, players will also be able to head on over to a special website set up by Majesco, where they can browse other content made by users and, through the power of a mouse click, send that content to their own Wii. The best part? No Friend Codes necessary.

Majesco said that Nintendo has helped them make this leap into a world full of more rich and dynamic online content on a console that hasn't had it yet and sees the future as very exciting regarding Wii and the online space. You can read all about how in the MTV Multiplayer interview here.

Gallery: Blast Works

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>blast-workscontentmajescomultiplayeronlineonline-contentonline-featuresDavid Hinkle2008-04-28T12:45:00 00:00Unreal Tournament meets Super Mariohttp://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/04/27/unreal-tournament-meets-super-mario/http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/04/27/unreal-tournament-meets-super-mario/http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/04/27/unreal-tournament-meets-super-mario/#commentsFiled under:

If any of you own either the PC or PS3 versions of Unreal Tournament 3, you might enjoy downloading this Mario-inspired map made by FrontAXL. The blocky platforms will look familar to players of the original Super Mario Bros., as well as many of the background elements. It's not an exact replica (nor is it meant to be), but the similarities are impossible to deny. Also, the PC version of the map includes music and sounds from the beloved classic.

Check out the awesome in-game video of the stage in action after the break, along with some other screens. You can also download the stage here at the UT3 forums.








Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>epicepic-gamesfan-mademappcps3super-mario-brosunreal-tournament-3ut3Candace Savino2008-04-27T18:00:00 00:00Necktie Herohttp://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/04/25/necktie-hero/http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/04/25/necktie-hero/http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/04/25/necktie-hero/#commentsFiled under:

If you love Guitar Hero so much that you can feel it like it's right in your neck, be sure to check out this geektastic tie. Since your boss will likely have absolutely no idea what this represents (unless he's so hip that he can't see over his pelvis), you can probably get away with showing your video game pride at work in this instance.

Are you ready to rock this tie? Then go buy it at Zazzle for $29.95.

[Via Technabob]
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
]]>guitar-heroneck-tienecktietieCandace Savino2008-04-25T22:30:00 00:00