Nintendo Wii Fanboy

We've been riding the Fatal Frame IV hype train as enthusiastically as any other site in recent months. The Tecmo/Grasshopper Manufacture crossover has long looked beautiful, engrossing, and hiding-behind-the-sofa scary. Furthermore, it's being published by Nintendo, which more or less guarantees a good time, right?

Wrong.

The game released in Japan last Thursday, meaning early importers are just now getting their copies in, and already several new owners are complaining about a host of collision detection issues, unselectable menu options, a ghost database that doesn't record all ghosts, and -- far more depressingly -- a game-freezing bug. Nintendo is acknowledging the glitches, and has released a statement featuring advice on how to best cope with them. We'll just have to hope some of this mess is cleared up when (and if) the game comes to the west.

Presented with a new toy to play with, Wii hackers have gone right to work producing a variety of game mods with the recently released Trucha Signer. For those of you out of the loop, the application allows programmers to run augmented games on chipped Wiis -- the gore-enabled Manhunt 2 mod is a good example of the software's possibilities.

So far, a lot of the developments focus on making it easier to play pirated copies of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, but there are a few non-piracy-related modifications, too:

• Change the credits and increase character speed in Mario Strikers Charged
• Play Manhunt 2 in Italian or German
  
• Swap character movesets in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
• Invincibility mode in Manhunt 2

So, once you're tired of pirating Super Smash Bros. Brawl, make sure to test these out!

The Trucha Signer is the latest tool to hit the Wii hacking scene, enables kids at home to "modify the contents of a Wii ISO and then re-sign it with an electronic signature the Wii will accept." So, does this mean you'll be able to play pirated games without modding your console? No, not at all.

From what we understand, whenever someone alters the code of a Wii game, the resulting product will not match its signature, and the disc will be rejected. Using an undocumented bug, Trucha Signer will resign the code of an adapted ISO (disk image for storing data on a CD-ROM), allowing you to load the disc successfully onto a modded Wii. We're not sure yet what's possible with this new development, but we've already heard a wide range of fantasy scenarios -- downgrading firmware, copying VC games, switching regions, etc.

Already, GBAtemp forumer Mr.O has posted instructions for "enabling gore" in Manhunt 2 (chipped Wii required). Keep in mind that Nintendo can patch this exploit at any time with a firmware update.

[Via GBAtemp]

People who bought the Wii version of Guitar Hero III have been (justifiably) annoyed by the lack of stereo and surround sound in Activision's popular music game. However, Wii owners can at least take some comfort in knowing that the problem will soon be fixed.

Activision's customer support has replied to many irate users with an email stating that re-mastered discs should be available by early 2008. This means that customers who buy the game after the re-mastered version is available should get the fixed copies, while those who already own the game can get replacement discs at no charge.

The last time we announced a disc swap for a glitched Wii game, many of you expressed your desires to have a simple downloadable patch instead. While we agree that a patch would be more convenient, we're still glad that there will be a fix available in the near future.

[Thanks, Langst!]

One neat feature in the Wii's Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn is that you can import a save file from the game's GameCube prequel, Path of Radiance. This will give some of your characters stat boosts, not to mention a few other nice perks.

For anyone who just rolled through PoR on easy mode in order to beat the game quickly and pump their characters full of bonus experience, however, Radiant Dawn will laugh at you and then slap you in the face for good measure. See, easy mode files don't transfer over to Radiant Dawn because (as you'll know if you've played the game), the word "easy" isn't in its vocabulary. Even if you try to transfer a normal or hard mode file while having any easy mode PoR files saved somewhere else on your card, Radiant Dawn will have none of that.

Christian from The Tanooki decided to contact Nintendo on the issue, and it seems that Nintendo will have a fix ready by mid-December. In order to get your disc repaired (or possibly get a completely new disc), you have to contact Nintendo about the issue, give them your name, address, and phone number, and then send your disc to them when prompted.

So, what lesson have we learned from all this? Well, that Fire Emblem is for badasses only, of course.

Users who've downloaded Miis from the Check Mii Out Channel will likely run into the same bug detailed in the video embedded above -- any attempts to send a Mii out to one of your friends will be stymied by the system's insistence in listing Nintendo as the receiver. We're pretty sure that Nintendo doesn't want all those Star Wars-themed Miis you've accumulated!

We tried this out ourselves, and we found that while Nintendo is listed as the recipient, your friend should still receive your Mii package. Also, exiting and reentering the Mii Channel fixes the glitch, blocking Nintendo out of the transfer. Looks like there's no need to draft any angry letters or petitions about how Nintendo is taking away your God-given right to harass your friends with Greedo Miis! Expect Nintendo to fix this minor bug up with a future firmware update.

[Via Go Nintendo]

Feel like planning your game purchases for the rest of the year? We can help, with this list of release dates and prices from EB/Gamestop's point-of-sale system.

There's some reasonably exciting stuff on there, like Manhunt 2 (August 1st), Dewy's Adventure (September 3rd), and NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams (October 1st), as well as stuff that is slightly less mass-appeal, like Escape from Bug Island and CSI 4: Hard Evidence. There's a large cluster of EA stuff marked as being released on November 1st, but we suspect that date is a placeholder. For that matter, don't take any of these release dates as ironclad.

The full list is available for browsing after the break. It's still useful even if you don't plan to go into Gamestop for some reason.

Have you been plagued by the Zelda: Twilight Princess sky cannon bug? We've got good news and bad news for you. The bad news is obvious: you were plagued by the sky cannon bug. The good news is that Nintendo will replace your disc, allowing you to pick right back up where the bug torpedoed your game.

If you're suffering from this bug, just send your game disc to Nintendo, along with a note containing your name, address, phone number, and the circumstances of the error, and Nintendo will ship you a replacement.

The shipping address:
NINTENDO OF AMERICA
ATTN: CS ADMIN
4900 150TH AVE NE
REDMOND WA 98052-5171

TG-16 Virtual Console game Military Madness, though a bit of a cult-favorite, has been plagued with numerous bugs since release. Scrolling glitches galore have caused many a gamer many a problem, but Hudson has taken advantage of this crazy new idea that's been rolling around these days: updates.

Yes, a wonderful "update" button will greet any owners of the game who journey to its page in the Wii Shop Channel, and a glorious button it is. This technically opens up the possibilities of adding new functionality to games already released on the VC ... Wi-Fi enabled Mario Kart 64, anyone? We can dream, right?

Late last night, shrieks of glee were coming from my living room. "Look!" cried Navi one of my roommates, urging me to the living room. "It's a system update!" Wonderful possibilities began running through our heads. Could it be an early activation of the news and/or forecast channels? Maybe they were adding new Mii features, or a proper .mp3 playing channel! Alas, such was not the case.

In fact, the update seemed to do very little, with only the cryptic message "Parental Controls updated" left as a clue. Since we (and most readers of this site, most likely) don't bother with parental controls, does any loving parent out there know what was changed?

Rumors also abound of the update fixing this little problem. HaX0rs?!

[Thanks to Brent, Sean, and all the other readers that sent this in!]