Nintendo Wii Fanboy

With the Wii being out on shelves for some time now, the system has had plenty of time to surprise us. A few of its games that we've been pleasantly surprised by are now among some of our most treasured gaming experiences. What games have released on the system and surprised you? Was it in a totally good way, like us, or have things surprised you in a negative way? Let's hear it!

At least one analyst thinks it is, and he's not short of support. Cowen Group analyst Doug Creutz's comments were prompted by the latest NPD figures, in which the Xbox 360, PS3, and PlayStation 2 versions of Madden NFL 09 hogged the top three positions, with the Wii version relegated to ninth place, behind Wii Play, Wii Fit, and Mario Kart Wii. "We continue to believe that the Wii is a relatively inhospitable platform for third-party publishers," said Creutz.

Is he stating the obvious, or does the success of certain third-party titles suggest otherwise? In the past, we've found many fans pin the blame for low third-party sales on third-party developers, suggesting that better quality products would compete with Nintendo's own wares. Can the same be said, however, when even critically acclaimed titles such as No More Heroes and Zack & Wiki sell poorly?

This week, graphics professionals and enthusiasts flocked to SIGGRAPH to share and discuss the latest technologies and techniques for making gorgeous computer graphics. The focus of the convention is mainly offline rendering (the stuff that we see in print, movies, and television that's too complex to be rendered in real time), but as computers and game consoles become more powerful, many of these methods and effects make their way into the realm of realtime rendering. Ten years ago, the opening cutscene for Super Mario Galaxy would have needed to be rendered by a cluster of computers and converted into full motion video.

Even though the Wii is not pushing graphical fidelity the way this generation's HD consoles are, we've still come a long way and there's much to be appreciated. There are all sorts of graphical effects that, over the years, have been added to the game artist's palette, and in this edition of Revolutionary, I'd like to draw your attention to a few of them.

When games like Super Mario Galaxy come along, we find ourselves questioning how it's possible for them to look so good, while most other Wii wares have the appearance of games designed for a much weaker platform. It's easy to forget that the Wii's hardware comes from the strong pedigree of Gamecube when much of what we're looking at reeks of Playstation number two.

With multi-platform shovelware, and even a few high profile titles that didn't get any special consideration on the Wii (Guitar Hero 3 and Rock Band, I'm lookin' at you!), developers often drop assets and effects to a lowest common denominator. In the class which Wii is placed, the Playstation 2 has the lowest and most common specs, so our Wii graphics are brought down to its level. The PS2 has had its share of beautiful games, but the methods for making them so beautiful are uncommon enough that they're largely ignored when making games that will have to be replicated on another console in the same class.

It's often the first and second party games or that rare, exclusive third-party effort that is given the budget and time to explore the depths of the Wii's fixed-function graphics hardware and pull off something it wasn't expressly designed for. And considering that the core technologies in the Wii were designed nearly a decade ago, there's a lot of "new tricks" that artists and programmers have had to teach the "old dog."

Sure, there's tons of shovelware on the Wii, but there are some genuine third-party gems, as well. Zack & Wiki, Boom Blox and No More Heroes are just a few of the quality, non first-party titles available on the console. More or less, have you been satisfied with what third-parties have done on the Wii? Do you think they're turning things around when it comes to releasing quality product on the console? Do you think third party titles will never be able to live up to the quality standards of Nintendo's own first party titles?

Our latest giveaway was perhaps our best in existence. Not because we had so many entries, but because we got to unload 5 copies of an amazing game on you all. It's impossible to gauge how excited we were to do that. Hopefully, these 5 winners will be just as excited to get their hands on the game:

• sib64
• Critter3
• Juddmensch
• Kaoz
• BebopFox

So, there you have it. Congrats to our winners and better luck next time to those of you who didn't win. But, most importantly, we'd like to thank each and every one of you for making your way to our little corner of the internet on a regular basis. We love the community that has formed here and cherish it each and every day,

Oh, and if you're reading this and are one of these winners, check your email! We might be waiting to hear back from you!

For all of you looking to get a free copy of Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure , which is easily one of the best Wii games, then head on over to the original contest post. The giveaway ends this evening, so you're running out of time. Best of luck to you all and, as always, thanks for reading Wii Fanboy!

What's this? We're giving away one of the console's best games? You bet we are! After seeing the sale for the game during last week's E3, the team leaped into action to scrounge up as many copies as we could to give away to those of you who refuse to listen to us. It was only $10, folks! But, if you still didn't get a copy, now's your chance to partake in one of the Wii's most fun and challenging games.

We have a total of 5 copies of Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure (retail value is $10 each) to give away. What do you have to do to enter for your chance at one of these five copies? It's simple, just leave a comment telling us how many times you check Wii Fanboy each day. Simple enough, right?

Now, you can enter only once per day (leaving more than one comment in a day automatically disqualifies you for that day) and the giveaway is only open to current and legal residents of the United States and Canada (excluding Quebec). You also have to be 18 years of age or older. The giveaway will be open from now until 11:59pm ET on Sunday, July 27th. We'll announce the winners (selected via random drawing) on the next day. Remember, folks: keep an eye on your email!

If you meet all of this criteria, then we suggest you hit up the official rules and get to entering! We wish you the best of luck and thank you for reading Wii Fanboy!

You know what you've forgotten to do this week? Amidst all that hustle and bustle of E3, you haven't had time for anything else except a few rounds of Smash Bros, possibly to let off some steam after getting all distraught over Nintendo's press conference. You haven't had time to buy any games!

It just so happens that Toys R Us has one of the absolute best Wii games ever at a corking price. We originally thought $19.99 was a bargain for Zack and Wiki, but that price is old news. It's now time to contribute to the Buy Zack and Wiki Campaign by picking this excellent adventure up for $10. You can't afford not to.


[Thanks, Mike!]

Oh, Zack & Wiki, what an overflowing treasure chest of delights you were; your demanding (yet fulfilling) puzzles and vibrant, cute visual style won us over in a heartbeat. Even though you consistently made us feel thick, we'd still do anything to spend just another hour in your puzzley company. Even that meanie Yahtzee liked you!

Alas, a new adventure featuring the pirate and his monkey is looking increasingly unlikely. Capcom bossman Christian Svensson seemed to rule out a follow-up on the Capcom forums, noting that he "[wasn't] so sure there will be [a sequel] on any reasonable timeline." That doesn't mean we'll never get one, of course, but we wouldn't go expecting Zack & Wiki 2 in the next decade or anything rash like that. We can't say we blame Capcom, either -- remember how the company was forced to drop the game's price just three months after it launched in the States? That's probably not an experience it wants to revisit.


[Via Nintendo Everything]

Likely sensing our discontent over the lack of pearl necklaces included with US copies of Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure, GameStop is now offering the adventure game for only $19.99!

Just three months ago, Capcom marked down Zack & Wiki to $29.99 from its original $39.99 pricing. Could this be another universal price drop, soon to kick into effect at other retailers?

Though GameStop has discounted copies available online, you can save on shipping by picking one up at a brick and mortar location nearby. Make sure to ask the clerk if the shop will throw in a pearl necklace with the deal.


[Via CAG]

When the Nintendo Wii launches in South Korea this April 26th, Zack & Wiki will be sitting pretty on store shelves, too, beckoning adventure gaming fans to pick up a copy to accompany their new consoles. Rather than rely on the critically-acclaimed game's looks to generate sales, Capcom is offering two gifts with each preorder -- a Zack & Wiki-decorated mousepad and a treasure box filled with what looks like candy.

If that isn't enough to motivate Korean gamers, one hundred of those treasure boxes will contain a real pearl necklace! What a strange but awesome incentive! We wish someone would offer to give us a pearl necklace. All we ever received when we picked up Zack & Wiki was a look of derision from the GameStop clerk and a dim-witted quip about kiddie graphics.



[Thanks, Nick!]

You may know Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw first and foremost as the man behind Zero Punctuation, but he's also dabbled a bit in game developing. Many of the works he poured his blood, sweat and tears into happen to be adventure games; that's why you might be especially interested to see his take on Zack & Wiki, a game that's captured the hearts of Wii gamers (or, the hearts of the few of us that bought it, at least).

There are many things that Yahtzee liked about the game (pretty much the "adventure" parts). Yet, he wasn't too keen on the use of waggle or the inclusion of character deaths, which he calls an adventure game cardinal sin. That pretty much sums up the meat of Yahtzee's ramblings -- minus the funnies, of course.

Yahtzee's NSFW video review of Zim & Spaki Zack & Wiki is posted after the break for your viewing pleasure, folks.

Are you the type of person who enjoys games that make you feel like you're a worthless, sniveling simpleton? If so, you should really pick up Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure. Don't believe us? Then head over to the Nintendo of Europe site (hit the "Gameplay" tab), where there's now a flash demo for Capcom's piratey, puzzley romp. We spent three mugs of coffee and an unhealthy portion of our morning staring slack-jawed at this conundrum, our peanut-sized brains straining at the exertion of it all.

Sadly, those who have played through the adventure game will find nothing new here -- we are reliably informed that this exact same puzzle appears around one-third of the way through the game. Not that we would know, for our copy sits shamefully on our "to do" pile, silently mocking us.

Remember how a bunch of you promised that you'd buy Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros Treasure as soon as it hit the bargain bin (sub-$20)? Well, we remember, so you better not go back on your word ... Now that the adventure game has been marked down to around $29 at most retailers, if you've received one of those $10 gift cards Wal-Mart gave out to apologize for its Brawl preorder mess, you can use the $10 to order Zack & Wiki online for only $19.82!

Who could have expected that a blundered Super Smash Bros. Brawl reservation would lead to you buying a cheap copy of Zack & Wiki? Masahiro Sakurai works in mysterious ways!


[Via NeoGAF]

Judging by its disappointing sales, very few of you went out and bought Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure when it hit stores lack October. Was it the god-awful title that turned you off? Or perhaps the kiddie colorful art direction? Surely it wasn't the price? Paying $40 for a AAA third-party title -- one developed by Capcom, no less -- seems more than reasonable!

Well, if it was in fact the $40, take note that Amazon has slightly marked down the price, temporarily listing Zack & Wiki for only $32.99 (free shipping). What more do you need to convince you into buying this critically-acclaimed adventure game?

[Update: Best Buy has the game on sale for $29.99! There's still the matter of shipping/handling, but you can probably still find the game at your nearest Best Buy location. Thanks, vidGuy!]


[Via CAG]