Nintendo Wii Fanboy

We talk much more often about things like the Everybody Votes and Check Mii Out Channels, but rarely get back around to all that other stuff. Do you ever use it? We know some of you browse the vast space of the internet from the comfort of your couch, but what about the photo channel or other freebie extras? Now that you've (probably) had your Wii for a while, do you ever mess around with those?

This new-style E3 has had its ups and downs so far, and today, we want to talk about the downs. What had you hoped for that you haven't heard about? Disaster: Day of Crisis is among the first things that come to mind for us, but we want to hear from you. Any announcements or games you were hoping for that just seem to be MIA? Just remember, campers, not to fret ... just because something hasn't been discussed doesn't mean it's not coming. It just probably means it's not priority, at least for right now. You can still keep your fingers crossed. We won't tell.

We would put our journalistic integrity at risk by making a full-fledged post out of this stuff. Seriously, check the link: "confirmed reports" of Brawl and Galaxy release dates, new Mario Kart and Zelda for the Wii, a new original IP similar to Final Fantasy VII ... it's a Nintendo fan's wet dream. While we can't completely discount the fact that it's real, being constantly exposed to this drivel has to make one just a bit jaded.

Rumors are fun, there's no doubt ... even if we know it's fake, it's nice to imagine. But who writes this stuff? What kind of odd psychological thrill do they receive, and why are Nintendo fans so willing to ignore the obvious and go along with it? Some of it is impressive (see the Nintendo On video), but it seems that Nintendo is eighteen times more susceptible to ridiculous rumor-mongering than the nearest competitor. Ah well ... it's kinda fun ... we guess. Your thoughts?

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.

In our happy pastel-colored dreamworld, every one of our devoted readers checks naught but our RSS feed every seven minutes and twenty seconds. No other site even enters your minds! But alas, such may not be the case. We're tough enough to accept it.

With that in mind, where do you guys head for the rest of your news? Our mother-site Joystiq covers the breadth of gaming for most, but there are also rival blogs: Kotaku, Destructoid, and the lot. Or do you prefer more professional, down-to-Earth sites like Gamespot or IGN? Where do we rank on your list of awesomeness?

We'd also like to take this opportunity to remind you about tips. We comb the intertron (and on occasion, the real world!) every single day, looking for the finest filet mignon of news stories to bring to you, our readers. Alas, our paltry few bloggers are nothing compared to your vast legions.

The link is small and sadly difficult to find; many readers have no idea it even exists. But check it out: in the column directly to the right of the main posts, under "Resources", is a small "Send us news tips" link. Use it! If you send us a hot story or interesting article, we'll bake you cookies credit you with the tip in the post and you'll be totally famous.

Are you tired of waiting those agonizing minutes or hours for news to get from Famitsu's website to you? Would you rather wait days or weeks? How about at a great financial expense?

If you answered "yes" to these questions, then this Amazon.com deal is for you: $390 for a year of Weekly Famitsu, delivered right to you. That comes out to $7.50 an issue, with (thankfully) free shipping!

Actually, this deal is not so ridiculous. Well, maybe it is in the "$400 for a magazine" sense, or especially in the "$400 for a magazine you can't read" sense for some of us, but there's a lot of cool content that is not as time-sensitive as news-- screens, Famitsu's trademark "cross reviews", even ads that are usually pretty fun to look at.

[Via CAG]

ABC News' "Be Seen Be Heard" is preparing a segment about the Wii, in which they'll be interviewing Amber McCollum, a product tester at Nintendo. In a very lazy Web 2.0 move, they're asking viewers to send in videos containing questions for Ms. McCollum.

So if you have any questions about the Virtual Console, please send them in! And if you happen to accidentally, you know, say the name of the site, we wouldn't object.

We personally want to know about the development process: are the games basically dumped ROMS or do they have to be reprogrammed for the Wii? If so, why? These are the best questions we can think of, because repeating "RONDO OF BLOOD" over and over again while staring intensely into a camera isn't a question.

What kind of questions do you have about the VC?

[Via Game|Life]

Remember how we used to say that our console was the better one because it didn't incite violence among its fanbase? That was fun while it lasted. Now all we have to go on is the price and selection of games.

37-year-old Kazunari Tanaka is accused of trying to shoplift a Wiimote and a CD from a Bic Camera in Nagoya, Japan. When security guards accosted him, he (allegedly) started punching, leaving both guards injured.

We won't blame the Wii for this crime, although we're sure someone will. People shoplift every day.
The Wii doesn't inspire crimes against anything but televisions (against which it instills a murderous rage).

[Via NeoGAF; thematically appropriate image taken from this post]

Most of the online functions of the Wii will not be ready when we start bringing the consoles home this weekend. According to a recent press release, the forecast channel will debut on December 20, while the news channel will debut next year, in late January. The shopping channel will be up and running, however, with twelve Virtual Console titles ready on launch day. The Virtual Console will be updated every Monday with new content, though the release did not specify if that would begin November 20, or the following Monday -- not that we have long to wait until we find out.

The press release included no information about the forthcoming Opera browser other than that it would be downloaded to the console via the Wii Shop channel.

[Via Joystiq]

The new interface of the Nintendo Wii is organized into "channels", each containing different services and functions. The English version of wii.com gives a nice summary of the initial channels. Here's what they do:

• The Disc channel is simply for playing games based off of optical media, i.e. Wii or Gamecube discs. Nothing fancy here.
• The Mii channel allows a player to create his or her own digital avatar. These avatars will most likely be your online "identity", but will also appear in certain software, such as Wii Sports.
• The Photo channel is a channel that allows you to view and share digital photos and movies from an external source. The Wii also contains an iPhoto-like functionality, allowing you to touch up, alter, and distort your photos to your heart's content.
• The Forecast channel will give you a look at local weather. You can also zoom out in a very Google Earth-esque fashion, and view data for pretty much anywhere in the world.
• The News channel is for, well, news. Various topics will be broken down into topical categories for your viewing pleasure. Remember, this and the weather service are free of charge.
• The Wii Shop channel is, as expected, the online marketplace for the Wii. You'll mainly be in here buying games for the Virtual Console, but you can also purchase Opera's web browser and whatever else Nintendo decides to charge. Hopefully, extra multiplayer maps and the like will remain free, but we suppose that's up to the publisher.
• The Virtual Console channels are the channels that allow you to play games from any of the various systems supported: NES, SNES, N64, Sega Genesis, and the TurboGrafx-16.
  
• The Internet channel allows one to surf the internet. However, this is not free; an Opera browser must be purchased for a currently unknown price. However, the browser supports Adobe Flash, AJAX software, and essentially every feature a major browser should; it's a nice step up from the DS version.
• The Message Board channel allows users to post messages on various boards, and send messages or photos directly to PCs or cell phones. This is also the service through which games will be updated and patched.

And there you have it! Looks like we're gonna be doing some hardcore channel surfing when the Wii hits the streets.

So, how 'bout that keynote at Leipzig? Wasn't it exciting to hear about the release date for the Wii, and the pricing, and the ponies ... no, no, that didn't happen at all. The hugely anticipated speech revealed none of the details rabid Nintendo fans have been dying to learn. Y'know, the tough questions, like "when's the console being released, and how much will it cost?"

We know. Sometimes it's hard to open up. There, there.

So now the hearts and minds of Nintendo fans turn toward September 14, when Nintendo of America's Reggie Fils-Aime will be on hand at a media event in New York. Forget celebration of video games -- Wii want to celebrate some news.