Nintendo Wii Fanboy

AcidMods posted this amazing video demonstrating a hack that allows rapid fire of either the Wiimote's A or B button. They're selling the required parts in their shop for $10, and promise a tutorial soon. According to the forum post announcing the mod, "out of all our kits this is [by far the] simplest.."

Following the installation, turning on the turbo function is as simple as hitting a switch next to the sync button. They've even thought to put an LED under the A button as an indicator -- a touch of class.

Yes, rapid fire is cheating, but doesn't it look like fun to mow down zombies like that in The House of the Dead 3? Now that we can mod our controllers, we won't have to mod our fingers.

[Update: the video has been removed from Vimeo, but split into two and uploaded to YouTube. Hit the break for the hardware introduction!]

Earlier this week, we informed you lovely readers that House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return was super cheap at Circuit City. Now Amazon also has the game listed at the irresistible price of $19.99. We really don't mean to keep shoving this game down your throats, but how can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat? Yet, if you didn't buy House of the Dead earlier, there's probably nothing that would motivate you to get it now except an even bigger price drop.

It's also worth noting that Amazon's "Deal of the Day" is the Wii messenger bag pictured above. If you geekified hipster types were looking for a way to lug around your Wii, this bag for $19.99 isn't too bad of a deal. But, to be honest, there are probably better means that you can use to transport your console. That's just our opinion, though. What do the rest of you Wii aficionados think?



[Via CAG]

Read: House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return
Read: Wii Messenger Bag

For the first time in a long time, the Wii is down to having only five games in Japan's top thirty. As House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return fell of the charts in its second week and Everyone's General Knowledge Training TV disappeared after having a good run, only the regulars remain.

Deca Sports is the exception, being the only Wii title on the charts without either "Wii" or "Smash Bros." in its name, but even that is showing early signs of fatigue. While the game managed to nab the eighth spot and sell 29,000 copies, its Nintendo counterpart, Wii Sports, is nipping at its heels in spot twelve. This may seem insignificant, but keep in mind that Wii Sports has been out for around seventeen months, wheras Deca Sports has only been out for two weeks.

In the hardware department, the Wii got a beat down from the handhelds (especially the PSP), but still continues to do better than any other console in Japan. This week, for example, the Wii sold over four times the amount of PS3s, its closest console competitor.

Of course, you can just take a look at all the numbers for yourself by clicking past the break.

We don't really understand Amazon's price drops. Why do the prices for some games drop? And how long do such drops last? Yet, that doesn't mean we don't love them -- especially when it comes to getting one of the best games on the Wii cheaply.

Now at Amazon (until when?) you can get No More Heroes for $39.99. That's the best deal we've seen on the game so far, and in our expert blogger opinions, it's worth every penny.

Another price drop to note is House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return, which fell $5, meaning that the game will only cost you $24.99. Unfortunately, this price puts it just under Amazon's free shipping qualification by a penny, which sours the deal a little bit. Also, we can't imagine that a price drop so early in the game's life cycle could mean good things for how the it's selling, even if the sale is only on Amazon.

As far as we can tell, the price drops on Amazon fluctuate as a game goes in and out of stock. So, if you check these out and one of the deals is over, it might be worth looking again at a later date.





[Thanks, Sorensilk!]

Read: No More Heroes on Amazon
Read: House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return on Amazon

Goodbye, Family Ski and Winning Eleven: Play Maker 2008 -- we hardly knew ye. While Family Ski enjoyed a seven-week run in the top thirty, Wining Eleven (aka Pro Evolution Soccer) only lasted for four. It's no coincidence that they fell off this week, though, as fifteen spots were taken up by new releases.

The big Wii dog in town was not Brawl (which ended up 7th), and not even Wii Fit (which ended up 5th), but new release Deca Sports. We can't help but wonder if the appearance of Deca Sports will have an effect on that other sports game for the Wii. Is there room for both on the charts? (We think so.) And will Deca Sports have the same longevity as Wii Sports? (Probably not, but we're sure the game will do well for itself.) It's also worth noting that Deca Sports had the third highest third-party sales debut for the Wiil, following only Dragon Quest: Swords and Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles.

Any gamer would need a heart of blackened teak to not have a soft spot for Sega, and there's arguably no better home for a dyed-in-the-wool Sega fan than the Wii. Over the coming weeks and months, Nintendo's little white box will be hosting a number of updated classic Sega properties, including NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams, Samba De Amigo, and House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return.

But our appetite for all things Sega is not yet sated! While we've already asked you which Saturn games you'd like to see on the Virtual Console, which Sega titles in general do you want to see reinvented on the Wii? A motion-sensitive Panzer Dragoon, the return of Ulala, and a Burning Rangers sequel top our list.

Famitsu has put up some screens from upcoming double feature House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return. The game, which you know full well is on the old side, doesn't look that great, but we're pretty sure the gameplay is going to be too cool for school. Oh, how our dreams are filled with us gunning down the undead.

Considering its price and the fact that it is awesome, we're dead-set on picking the game up ourselves. But, what about you? Going to pick up a copy for yourself?

We rejoiced when we heard about Sega's House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return. Yes, they're ports, but they're awesome ports of classic shooting games on the only system that doesn't require extra hardware to play them. Luckily, the filthy undead care only for chowing down on brainmeats and have no patience for economics, thus allowing the game to sell for a mere $30.

That's the same price as Ghost Squad, but with two awesome shooters on the disc. We think it's cheap enough for previous owners to pick up just for the convenience of the wireless "gun." And let's be honest -- when it comes to Sega, ports are often preferable to new games.

We told you about a rumor that started with a thread at NeoGAF and a Gamefly listing, one that involved light gun shooting and zombies. And no, this rumor wasn't about Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles, but rather the classic arcade game that started it all, House of the Dead.

When rumors like this turn out to be false, it's somewhat devastating. We're too fragile to have our emotions played with in such an insensitive manner. Fortunately, in this case, the rumor is true, confirmed, verified, and ... well, all you need to know is that it's happening, folks.

Not only did Joystiq confirm this rumor with Sega, but the company released an official announcement about House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return, which will combine the two arcade games. We only wish we were getting the original House of the Dead with it, but we're still pleased to hear that we'll be shooting more zombies in the spring.

[Via press release]

Update: Gallery of some game screens added for your viewing pleasure!