Nintendo Wii Fanboy

We feel sorry for Capcom PR staff right now. Take Jason Allen here. His performance when talking about Dead Rising: Chop 'Til You Drop is as smooth and unruffled as they come, but somebody just had to wheel out the old, old question of zombie numbers, didn't they? Allen clearly knew it was coming -- he gives a wry smile as he answers -- but he does stumble a little. "[There will be] just as much, er, a satisfactory number of enemies on screen to fight off against," he replies. Fair enough.

Away from the issue of zombie quantity, Allen discusses how the game borrows Resident Evil 4's combat controls, a decision that was made because the Wii Remote worked so perfectly there; in fact, he notes, Dead Rising on the Wii will boast more firearms than the Xbox 360 game. Capcom is also restructuring the title so it's more appealing to the casual gamer set. All side quests are now incorporated into the main narrative, the rationale being that casual gamers are less likely to replay the game for the extra quests. That makes sense, and it doesn't really result in less content. It's just all squashed together in one whole now.

So yeah, we're not even touching this. Not with a twenty-foot damn pole. Some user at GameTrailers compiled this video, featuring a comparison between Dead Rising: Chop 'Til You Drop and the PlayStation 2's Hitman: Blood Money. The point? To show up the supposed lack of NPC zombies in the former, by comparing it to the achievements of a two-year-old game on a technologically inferior system.

The Dead Rising footage used is a touch selective (we've seen screens with a far greater number of zombies), but like we say: we're staying out of this. It isn't going to end well.


[Via Go Nintendo]

So here's a look at Dead Rising: Chop 'Til You Drop. If you were expecting something that looked completely awesome, we'll warn you that this ain't it. If, however, you're looking for an experience that is just pure fun, then hey, you may be in the right place.

As a personal aside, I've gotta say that I'm a huge fan of the original. I have no complaints about the save system or the game format, or really anything else with the Xbox 360 title. At first, the changes to the Wii version -- to the format, not the number of zombies; we'll get there -- seemed disheartening. But if you look at it as a completely different game, one that's meant to be a happy fun-time zombie-killing mall adventure, then hey! Sign us all up for a little chopping 'til we drop. And that's what this video is all about: enjoying the carnage for carnage's sake.

But the lack of floods of zombies is a concern. Anyone else hoping for video of the maintenance tunnels? And, despite the use of the giant parasol here, Al Fresco Plaza just won't be the same without hordes of the undead. But maybe the fact that it won't be the same is the point.

Stupid plushies, with their cute little faces and soft, fuzzy bodies. Ugh. Hate 'em! What's there to like about squishable little animals anyway? You know what we need? Uncute plushies. Thankfully, someone is on the cutting edge, ready with the future of stuffed toys. Resident Evil fans, pay attention, for we present: the zombie dog plush, courtesy of mjrahabim's Etsy marketplace. On one site, it's a cute little puppy. On the other? A skeletal undead killing machine. It's dual use! Each puppy is custom-made (which means they may vary from plush to plush) for $25.

And it still manages to be cute. Dammit.

You've got to admit, it makes sense. What would Kirby do when faced with zombies? It's a fair bet the puff would suck one down, and this is the incredibly tragic result. Zombie Kirby manages to be cute even when he's coming for your brains. How is that even possible?

The artist, TalonInTx, is no stranger to offbeat Nintendo art -- and is already planning another zombified sketch. We'll keep our eyes peeled (and the doors barred).

[Via That Girl's Site]

We understand that what is good and isn't good can be different from person to person, but if you enjoyed any of the Resident Evil movies, then shame on you. Sorry for being so tough, but those movies were bad. And, being the huge Resident Evil fans we are, we're finally glad to see that the wonderful universe these games are set in is being expanded through a CG movie. Sure, it's kind of biting off of Square Enix's style a bit, but who cares?! We're talking about Claire and Leon kicking zombie ass. We could only be more excited if this were a trailer for a new game.

You already know that we heart zombies, tithing a portion of our annual income to fund the experiments of mad scientists in the hopes that one of their deranged plots will eventually bring about the rise of the undead. Until that day comes, we'll have to settle for monster-themed video games.

Of all the zombie games that've been announced for the Wii, which admittedly are very few, Zombie Massacre definitely has the best concept. Up to four players will be able to hop into a 1950s convertible, driving and shooting their way to the heart of a city to deliver a ticking nuclear bomb. Along the way, you'll pick up various people who can provide health, serve as "human shields," or give you access to special weapons.

Here's the catch, as well as the reason why we don't have any screenshots or videos to help hype the title -- 1988 Games, the developer that dreamed up Zombie Massacre, hasn't actually started development on the game and doesn't yet have a publisher on-board. We normally steer clear of these budding projects until there's more to present, but our posting about it will hopefully show potential publishers that there is some interest for the game. Also, after seeing 1988 Games' website and hearing "Take on Me" embedded on the studio's "About Us" page, we can't help but support the developer.

Famous for bringing a slew of games to the Mac gaming public, as well as the incredible Stubbs the Zombie: Rebel Without a Pulse (developed by Wideload Games), Aspyr has placed job listings via Gamasutra for Mid/Sr Level Console Programmers, asking that the Wii be one of the platforms said applicant has experience with. And, personally, we feel this is one of the very few instances where a port to the Wii wouldn't be a bad thing (we'd play Stubbs again with enhanced Wii controls, for sure).

[Via Codename Revolution]

Were it our decision, the streets would be choked with the undead, suffocated by their sloth and numbers. What little remained of the human race would have to go into hiding, their once-magnificent kingdoms now ruled by zombie majesty. It's a terrible vision that we hold onto in our heads every night before drifting off to sleep, hoping to carry it along with us in our dreams.

Given our affection for the undead here at the Fanboy offices, we couldn't pass up mentioning this month's cover of Official Nintendo Magazine. The issue advertises May's Resident Evil features with a corpse hand breaking through its earthen grave. Gripped by cold, gray fingers, a Wii remote kicks back into life, properly strapped to the undeceased's wrist. Head past the post break for a better look, but take care not to attract the attention of brain-eating revenants on your way inside.

Last Saturday, Suda 51's company Grasshopper Manufacture held the coolest event ever, at least for game nerds: Snake vs. Zombie vol. 2, a series of informal panel discussions by big names in the Japanese game industry, including Hideo Kojima, Shinji Mikami, ICO's Fumito Ueda, and Tetsuya Mizuguchi. There were also musical performances from Metal Gear Solid 3/Portable Ops soundtrack composer Norihiko Hibino and Silent Hill series producer and composer Akira Yamaoka.

As if the mere existence of this event (and our non-attendance at said event) weren't causing us physical pain, now we have unbearable anticipation buzzing around in our heads. During a Kojima/Mikami panel hosted by Suda, Mikami, a man of taste, mentioned that his favorite Kojima game was Snatcher, to which the other two responded "Ah yes, Snatcher," followed by "Oh, should we announce it here?"

To sum up, in italics, there is a possibility that Hideo Kojima and Suda 51 are collaborating on some kind of Snatcher game. We do not care if it is a sequel, a remake, a port, an action figure, or an official recipe for Neo Kobe Pizza. We want ten.

Welcome to our weekly feature, Virtually Overlooked, wherein we talk about games that aren't on the Virtual Console yet, but should be. Call it a retro-speculative.

Zombie Nation is easily the best game ever created about a flying, disembodied samurai head. Don't try to argue with us on this one. We feel pretty confident that we're right about this. Oh, and it's a shmup, as well. Boring spaceships have nothing on a giant head.

And that's really about all that has been confirmed for Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles. Here's what we do know, and it's not much: the game is categorized as "action" (you don't say) and Kawada Masachika, who handled the port of Resident Evil 4 from the 'Cube to the PS2, will be the lead producer. The game also appeared briefly in the Wii preview video that we've been cooing over all day.

There are a lot of rumors flying around about the game, naturally. Some people think it's at least a partial remake of the remake of the original Resident Evil (that's a lot of remaking). There's word of an established voice actress lending her pipes to Jill Valentine. And some people say it may even -- wait for it -- have some zombies. Now that's news.

Speculate your fanboy hearts out and we'll bring you information as it comes.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this one in!]