Nintendo Wii Fanboy

Here's an interesting tidbit for you to nibble over the weekend: Belgium is about to ban all game rentals, on the grounds that it has always been illegal, but is only just now to be enforced. They're not the only country to say no to rentals, either.

NeoGAFfers discussing the shift have compared the practice of game rentals to piracy. What do you think of that statement? If you agree, you may even consider it worse, because with rentals, someone else who is not the develper and publisher is reaping all of the monetary benefits of the game being rented again and again.

Of course, many of us do rent games, and probably don't feel that way about the practice ... but should we?

[Via GoNintendo]

Being able to rent games is something that most of us take for granted -- in Japan, it doesn't happen because of publisher blackballing. Konami has decided to give the whole rental thing a try, though, starting with the popular soccer game, Winning Eleven: Play Maker 2008 (aka Pro Evolution Soccer 2008).

Even so, Japanese gamers won't be able to test out the title in full. Instead, trial versions of the Wii game will be offered for free at Tsutaya stores. It's kind of like downloading a demo, only you have to go and pick it up instead.

We're interested to see if this has any impact on Japan's gaming industry, and if Konami will expand their "rental" service in the future.


[Via Game|Life]

Yesterday, we discussed what other games you might be interested in, but today we thought we'd get back to one of the heavy hitters -- specifically, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. We know a lot of people are disappointed with some of the development decisions (like no online multiplayer), while others are excited for this game like no other. Where do you fall in the spectrum? Do you think this is a purchase for you, or perhaps a rental ... or might you skip it altogether?

Gamefly, the online video game rental service that takes forever to ship games to our apartment, is offering a compelling deal to current members who have yet to pick up a Wii. By referring five friends to Gamefly, you can earn either a console or one year of rental service. Unfortunately, the site is down at the moment, so we can't check the terms too closely.

The Last Boss concocted a devilishly devious plan for a not-quite-free-but-still-pretty-dang-cheap system: give five of your friends the $8.95 for the lowest tier of Gamefly membership, and have them all say you referred them. It's a lot easier than convincing five people to spend their own money!

Try as we might, we can't think of a way to interpret this practice as immoral or "cheating." Your friends all get a month of game rentals on your dime, Gamefly gets that same dime, and you get a Wii. Of course, Gamefly's side of it-- in which they're bribing you and indirectly motivating you to bribe others-- is more questionable. But who are we to argue ethics in the face of discount video game consoles?

[Via The Last Boss]

You may have noticed in your dealings with retail establishments: things are expensive. This is especially true in the category of things we deal with (video games). Sometimes it is very difficult to get enough cans recycled, change rolled, or lawns mowed to be able to keep up with the latest Wii releases-- despite the money we saved on hardware relative to others.

There is a solution! There are places out there that let you pay a little money and play a game for a little while. Some of them even deliver the games right to you. Rentals can be a lifesaver for those of us who are strapped for cash. But they don't really let you take your time with a game, and they definitely do nothing for the collector instinct.

Do you ever take advantage of rentals? Or do you find the idea of playing scratched discs that have been who knows where too distasteful to consider?