Nintendo Wii Fanboy

While most readers of Wii Fanboy don't have to face this kind of problem, there are many nations throughout the world that force gamers to resort to the gray market to pick up their system of choice. Take India, for example, the second most populated country in the world.

Sony and Microsoft have distributors in the country, but the Wii doesn't. However, that may change soon enough, after Milestone Interactive tests out the market for Wii software. We're not entirely confident in Milestone's approach, though. For one, it hardly seems smart to base results on game sales when the console itself hasn't even officially released yet. On the other hand, since that's just how things are in India (and they're not likely to change anytime soon), we can understand Milestone's rush to get the ball rolling.

Here comes the other, less excusable problem: the game Milestone chose to distribute is Alone in the Dark Wii. Not even critics are playing the Wii version of Alone in the Dark, so is it fair to assess the Wii's chances based on Atari's survival horror title? Also, because Indian gamers import their Wiis, we wonder if the region of the disc will have any effect on sales.

At least this is a step in the right direction, but now that supply for the Wii is starting to meet demand globally, we hope Nintendo branches out into some of the areas it currently neglects.



[Thanks, Vijay!]

Say what you will about Alone in the Dark's limited Wii features, but using the Wii's controls to bludgeon someone with a chair looks all kinds of fun.

With that off our chests, this trailer did a good job of making us crave Atari's survival-horror title. While we can't help but be skeptical when developers implement an abundance of motion controls (only because games become more tedious than fun if things get too complicated), we're looking forward to seeing if Alone in the Dark hits the mark. Since we just rhymed, you know we're not lying.



[Via GoNintendo]

We already have an idea of what the Wii controls in Alone in the Dark will be like, but how about the rest of the game? We knew there'd be a few things scaled down from the 360, PS3, and PC versions, but what? MTV Multiplayer's Patrick Klepek has the dish on that, and we're not too disappointed with what's been left out.

First and most obviously, the Wii version's graphics won't be as pretty. Aside from that, though, some of the environments had to be changed, and according to Klepek, some new levels were constructed for Alone in the Dark Wii. (We assume that means there are new levels remodeled on the old levels, not that there are new levels.) For example, Central Park is a large, open world on the HD systems, whereas it's not on the Wii. With changes in the environments also came slight changes in the story, but we're not sure how significant these alterations are.

You can also expect some gameplay elements to disappear, like dynamic fire. Things can still light on fire, but not, uh, dynamically.

Losing the open world scenarios is what hurts the most, but the other changes don't seem too bad. Are these cuts enough to scare you away from the Wii version, or is it all just sausage to you?

We love survival horror (especially on our Wiis), but after watching this trailer, it's hard to be excited in any way for Obscure: The Aftermath. It looks like a cheesy horror film, though with none of the charm (or Bruce Campbell) that makes such movies worth watching.

Not only did were we completely lost while watching this video (the plot, clearly, is also obscure), but it just looked silly. Do we have another Escape from Bug Island on our hands? Perhaps not, since the first game was supposedly enjoyable, and there's also the budget price of $30 to consider.

If that's enough to convince you to at least give this game a look, it's set to release next week in North America.

*Note: This video is from the PC version of the game.

Central Park is a place full of creepy things and pervs. At least, that's what the Alone in the Dark website would have you believe.

Before yesterday, CentralDark was just a teaser site. In order to promote its upcoming game, though, Atari has recently added some rather disturbing stories about Central Park to the game's official website. The site is scheduled to be updated with articles every two weeks until the game's release in May.

Also, on a personal note: This blogger grew up relatively close to Central Park, and it's a pretty nice place. Hear that, potential visitors? Don't let this marketing scare you. (This post was paid for by the New York Department of Tourism.*)

*Not really.