Wii Fanboy regrets to inform you there will be no Game Night
It's-a Mario World: Persistent Foes
Where else can you find unmistakable goombas, fire-breathing piranha plants and rampant anthropomorphism all in one game? Nowhere. Now hurry along to the gallery where you'll feel an elating sense of deja-vu as you browse classic baddies, and be sure to check back here next week when we spotlight the unusual and underrated foes of Mario's adventures.
It's-a Mario World is a weekly feature in which the ubiquity of Nintendo's flagship character is celebrated: We'll incessantly ruminate about mustache wax, debate the curious whereabouts of the princess and covet the luminous power stars strewn about the galaxy. Check back here every Thursday to find out what strange and wonderful thing has got us tipping our caps.Reggie: Wii storage is a 'mainstream' problem
Reggie recently sat down for a little chat with Stephen Totilo from MTV Multiplayer to discuss what's on everyone's mind. No, not the company's showing at E3, but rather the storage issues of the console.He said that "from an Americas-centric perspective," the Wii's storage limitations are becoming a "mainstream" problem. Again, he reiterates that the company is working on a solution, but isn't ready to reveal any specifics yet.
Seriously, Nintendo, how long are you going to wait? Each week, more Virtual Console and WiiWare content releases and gamers can't download because they have no space!
[Thanks, il_duce620!]
E308: Wii Fanboy takes a hammer to Our House
Our House is going to need a lot of renovations before it's ready for a final inspection.
Continue reading E308: Wii Fanboy takes a hammer to Our House
Hacker crams NES experience into NES controller
While we lack the skills (and free time) it takes to do anything other than blog, folks are out there, doing crazy DIY projects. This is one of them. Now, we don't condone the use of illegal emulators and ROMs, but cramming an entire NES experience into the NES controller is impressive nonetheless.
[Via Engadget]
Wii Warm Up: Best kitten in a game?
So, out with it! Love the cat in Chu Chu Rocket? Are you a fan of Bubsy?
Just kidding, Nobody likes Bubsy.
Oh man, I am so Wii Fit right now, I have no idea what's going on
There is no better way to celebrate your healthy and happy Wii Fit lifestyle than by embracing the power of a mind-altering drug. To cover up your dirty old Balance Board, AMR Racing (creators of the Hoochie Mama) has created a marijuana print, lovingly entitled Weed White. This isn't exactly the message Nintendo would want to send to the children of the world, but to all the Wii Fit moms out there? Smoking a joint might be totally fair game. You can pick up this cover from Amazon for around $20, which includes a bonus Wiimote skin. Might want to grab a bag of Doritos while you're at it.
[Via Balance Board Blog]
The VC Advantage: The men who would be Kings
- Brian Battler, the football player in a single, giant shoulder pad, obsessed with tackling
- Lucky Glauber, a pro basketball player who spends his spare time street fighting
- Heavy D!, whose rendition of "Now That We Found Love" was a hit in 1991
Continue reading The VC Advantage: The men who would be Kings
Wiimote triumphs over Weemote: A small business sob story
Sometimes, it really sucks to be the little guy (especially if the big guy you're up against is Nintendo). Take Forbis Technologies, for example, who came out with the Weemote (and trademarked the name in 2000) long before the Wii even launched. Nintendo never officially refers to the Wii's controller as a Wiimote, and always calls it by the full name Wii Remote. Retailer and blog outlets such as ourselves are the cause of the problem, however, as we constantly use the unofficial nickname. Ever since the term "Wiimote" caught on, though, the Weemote's sales have "fallen considerably."
Continue reading Wiimote triumphs over Weemote: A small business sob story
E308: The other musical pantomime game
Another freeware game swims to WiiWare
Hey, there's a party beneath the sea, and you're invited! Reflexive Entertainment just announced a WiiWare version of its maritime-themed PC puzzler Big Kahuna Reef, except because this is the Wii and the Ultimate Party Machine, it's now called Big Kahuna Party. Adding Party has worked for at least one other title, we believe.
Gameplay in Big Kahuna Party is of the "line-tiles-up-to-make-them-disappear" variety, and while that may not sound wildly exciting, there will be both co-operative and competitive play for two to four players in all of the game's 99 levels. The reward for completing stages is the chance to unlock 26 "beautifully rendered" exotic fish and, uh ... that's it.
Oh yes, and you can totally play it for free already, much like certain other WiiWare games. No release date for this one yet, but we sense it needs to be cheap.
[Via press release]
LEGO Batman website gets some updates, Facebook group
First of all, there's a downloadable widget for your desktop, in the form of Batman himself or The Joker. Also, there's a tool for creating your own custom wallpapers, if you're into that sort of thing. Then, there's the usual: screens, video (the E3 trailer you saw already) and other miscellaneous goodies. Keep an eye on the site for the new content, which is supposed to be live right now, but wasn't when we checked.
On top of that, there's also a new Facebook group for the game. That is, if you're into the whole social networking site thing.
Gallery: LEGO Batman
Source - LEGO Batman website
Source - LEGO Batman Facebook group
Helix for WiiWare gets an official trailer
If the previous videos for Helix got you all kinds of excited for the WiiWare title, then the new, official trailer for the game is likely to make your heart explode with anticipation. To us, it's the usual: some experience shots sprinkled throughout gameplay clips and a list of the game's features. According to the trailer, we can expect this one to hit WiiWare sometime next month.
Igarashi on Castlevania Judgment and budget concerns
Poor Koji Igarashi seems to be getting the same question a lot: Why is Castlevania Judgment a 3D fighting game? He had his stock answer about short-session Wiimote whipping at the ready when Wired's Chris Kohler asked him.
He also had other, shockingly new things to say in relation to Judgment, which sadly reveal the kinds of budgets Konami offers Castlevania games these days. In response to a question about the environment for third-party games on the Wii, Igarashi said the following, which lays bare the approach taken by Konami:
"I think there are two roads you can take: Create a game for the core fans with as low a development cost as possible; the other is to just find a different market for these consoles outside the core gamer."
There is hope for more real Castlevania games on a smaller budget, and that hope is called Mega Man 9. "I'm watching that very closely to see how it does," IGA told Wired. "Myself, I'm a big retro gaming fan, so if it is successful that definitely opens up doors for what I can do." It's no wonder that Igarashi would be interested in a console game that reuses 8-bit sprites.
Gallery: Castlevania Judgment
The new Japanese Wii Shop menu item demystified
The latest Japanese Wii software update added this item to the Wii Shop Channel's settings, with a gold icon and a label about "bonus content." Above it is a link to Club Nintendo through the browser and a link to the settings for Wii Shop presents. The "bonus content" link prompts users to enter 16-digit codes before being awarded ... something. But what is this bonus content? Free Wii Points as a promotion for game purchases? VC games linked to retail games in the same series? A puppy?
It might be that stuff later, but for right now, it's how you get the Speaker Channel that interfaces with Daigasso! Band Brothers DX on the DS. A bit disappointing, sure, but having infrastructure in place for Wii Shop bonus stuff could lead to interesting things in the future.
It might be that stuff later, but for right now, it's how you get the Speaker Channel that interfaces with Daigasso! Band Brothers DX on the DS. A bit disappointing, sure, but having infrastructure in place for Wii Shop bonus stuff could lead to interesting things in the future.
