What is it about parents' media watchdog groups?

They seem to see porn around every corner. And you know what, it only makes them look crazy -- which sucks because if anything, they should be a calm voice of reason and education for parents overwhelmed by emergent technology.

But they know as well as the Mitchell Brothers did that smut sells -- even if you're the ones who purportedly are trying to stop it.

Recently, a parents' website, PornTalk.com, sent out this missive to its readers warning them of the pus-covered, seeping disease that they could be inadvertenly letting into their homes by purchasing a Nintendo Wii:

Alright parents now listen up. We wanted to let you know that Nintendo's Wii Gaming Console can access pornography. This highly popular and very fun gaming console is one of the hottest items out there and is a blast to play. But because the device is a Wi-Fi (wireless internet) console able to access the internet, this means that you can surf the net pretty easily.

Gawd. This just makes me sick. Not because PornTalk isn't providing a necessary educational service to parents too busy to read the Nintendo's users manual. It actually is.

In fact, something that neither Kotaku nor Gizmodo (who broke this item) mentioned in their predictably snotty reports was that the post actually provides very good information for the parental owner of a new Wii. It goes into detail about parental controls the Wii offers and it shows how you can set up the system so that it cannot recieve or send messages -- both handy tools for a parent who's worried about the evils of the world coming to give their little angels herpes and sell their organs.

But of course, this couldn't be written starting with something like, "Wow. Nintendo has done a great job of providing us concerned parents a way to block inappropriate websites and keep pedophiles from contacting our kids. Hooray for Nintendo!"

Nope. That wouldn't sell eyes, now would it?

Of couse, they felt the need to grab their hair, put on their best Macauley Culken face and scream, "OH MY GOD, PEOPLE!!! YOU COULD ... concievably... GET PORN ON YOUR WII!!!!!!!!!! SAVE YOURSELVES!!! SAVE THE CHILDREN!! GOOD LORD, THIS IS AMERICA!!! HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN?!?!?!"

Of course, followed much later with handy details on how Nintendo has parental controls.

I'm sorry, but in an age when digital gaming entertainment is already suffered many slings and arrows from technological Ludites who are more interested in getting their names in the news than actually working to protect children (rhymes with "hack"), the last thing parents need is one more hysterical voice added to the chorus.

Especially a hysterical voice that obviously has done a little research and knows that the potential danger has already been taken care of.

So boo on you, you uptight, fear-mongering freaks at PornTalk. If you're going to offer desperately needed information to protect children, you have an obligation not to incite unnecessary parental panic in order to get a few hits. Stop using porn and fear as your selling tool. It makes you no better than the pornographers you supposedly are trying to stop.

It's an interesting thing.... Yesterday morning as I was perusing the latest XBL release info over at Major Nelson's site, one of the comments demanded the removal of Greg Canessa as GM of the Xbox Live Arcade.    Today, we find out he's decided to accept a job over at Popcap games.

For me, this brings up an interesting question - Is it more important to be a competant business man who has no real interest in games, beyond it being his business?  Or is it better to have a manager who understands the desires of gamers because, ultimately, he is one - even though he may be less experianced? 

The removal of Greg Canessa comes at an interesting time in the life of the Xbox Live Arcade Marketplace - the last game I bought was Small Arms, and I havn't felt like I was missing out.   On my console I have every single game downloaded, but have only purchased maybe five.   Why?   Even though I'm a hardcore gamer who does enjoy his gamerscore, I despise the repackaging of "Retro" titles.   In gaming, people use the word "Retro" like a compliment. "Oh, Pacman?   It's Retro!"  when in reality, some games are just old.    I understand the merits of titles like Galaga or Pole Position, but the fact of the matter is: If you havn't already played Pole Position, and you're a gamer - then you're not going to appreciate it.   Oh sure, you might claim to, but ultimately you just get that funky taste in your mouth and think "Hrmm, Maybe I should have played this before playing Grand Turismo 4". 

The practice of porting Retro Games to modern consoles is nothing but lazy developing.   While Microsoft is bad, Nintendo is even worse - somebody made a rather insightful comment on the VM for the Wii

From a development standpoing Nintendo has actually only released five items for the VC- an NES emulator, a SNES emulator, a Genesis emulator, a TG-16 emulator, and a N64 emulator. The rest are just ROM images.

So when you think about it, Nintendo is actually being even lazier!  The ROMS have been out there for years, as have the emulators.    No added features at all "to preserve the original feel", and they're expensive to boot.     Don't even get me started on the controls for Super Mario World when using a Gamecube controller.... 

Which brings us back to Greg Canessa leaving his post as the General Manager of the Xbox Live Arcade...   I think what we're seeing here is either Greg or Microsoft (or both) realizing that your average executive just doesn't understand what we, the gamers, actually want.  And since We, the Gamers, are their entire market, it's a significant distinction.    Microsoft recently announced that starting this week (and for the next 9 weeks ), a mostly impressive list of titles will be hitting the XBLA including (but not limited to) Catan, Worms, Alien Hominid HD, Rootbeer Tapper, Paperboy, Band of Bugs,  and Castlevania: SOTN. 

First one out the gate?  Rootbeer Tapper.
The next day?  General Manager Greg Canessa no longer works for Microsoft.

About six months ago, I had a conversation with a friend within MS, and we got to talking about the way Arcade was being handled.   He told me that we (GamerAndy Live!) bagged on Arcade too much, and I said that when they started putting out games I didn't feel they should be embarrassed about charging real money for (Lame, overdone retro titles) that we'd say nice things about it.   He then told me that he agreed and there were alot of people within that division who were trying to push the original content out, but it was being stopped because some of the higher-ups had gotten it in their heads that you could produce retro titles very cheaply, and make money off the nostalgic gamers - Pretty much all profit.

Coincidence?

I think we're about to see a New Day for XBLA

-Andy
(Comment on this story here)

So much stuff.

Weeks like this, the hardest part isn't finding the news, it's elevating the cool from the merely exciting.  Major announcements left and right, gargantuan displays of corporate might, spectacular screwups.

More after the break...

Continue reading "Josh Talks The News"

Hey folks, Andy here.
Its time for the holidays again and that means its time for UPS to start messing up their shipping routes again. In the spirit of the season, i've moved the Wii downstairs and am spending the day camping the door so i don't miss what will inevitably be one soft knock on the door signaling the return of my 360(as long as i viciously attack the door to sign for it)

i'm ranting..,
hopefully i'll see ya'll online tonight
merry xmas
-andy

Deal of the week:  Zelda Collector's Edition Guide for the Wii is only $9.99 at Best Buy!  I saw this on CheapAssGamers and couldn't pass it up even though I still have to wait for Christmas for the actual game. It's hard cover with gold gilded pages.  From the Prima site:

• Includes Cloth Overworld Map


• The complete Twilight Princess compendium


• Exclusive maps for every dungeon in the game, plus all hidden dungeons mastered–including the infamous Cave of Ordeals!


• All Golden Bugs, Poes, Pieces of Heart, Fairies, Rare Gold Chu locations, dig spot caverns, overworld and dungeon treasure chests, and every major Rupee location in the entire world revealed!


• Complete walkthrough showing the optimal path to take! Grab all the best items at the earliest possible points!


• Outrageously fast times, cunning techniques, and secret unlockables for all mini-games!


• Written specifically for the Wii version


• Multiple methods for fighting against all of Hyrule's dark denizens!


• Learn when and where to search for every item, upgrade, character, and dungeon. Includes how and where to fish for the legendary 27-inch Hylian Loach!


• Dozens of combat, gameplay, and healing tricks, plus easter eggs you won't believe!

Check your Best Buy's inventory before heading out.  I find their inventory system to be pretty accurate.  The Best Buy near work said it was available and even though I went and didn't find one out on the floor, they had some in the back store room.

I actually took a call yesterday at GameStop from a person terribly worried that we wouldn't be getting any Wiis before Christmas, what with the recall and all.

Oh my.  I forgot about the recall.

As reported by the Associated Press, Nintendo is effectively ‘recalling’ 3.2 million Wiimote straps. 

More than three million units recalled!  Three million units... months of production... the entirety of these devices... are defective? 

Well, no.  They aren’t defective.  They’re only barely ‘recalled.’  Nintendo is offering free replacements for these straps.  Out of 3,200,000 little cloth strappy-things, more than 3,190,000 are more than likely just fine and will remain that way even if they are never replaced.

This isn’t a recall.  It’s a semi-convenient faux-admission of pseudo-guilt, and I’d say it's nothing short of hyphen-tastic.  There is no recall and there won’t be.  This is a fun mail-in offer where you can get a fun decorative grippy bit for your toys if you mail in your proofs-of-purchase.  The only difference between this and a cereal box prize offer is that this box of cornflakes is $250.

Of course, just like breakfast cereals, you’d have to be a moron or a psychopath to break your television with either one.

Nintendo is being incredibly gracious to the overblown outcries of a handful of greasy-fingered convulsors whose embarrassing spasms would make Michael J. Fox sigh in disdain. 

They’re so good, folks over there at the House of Miyamoto Ideas.  They’re so good they are playing right along with this explosive media lunacy without a second thought.  A decidedly unlikely problem and what is honestly a series of isolated incidents (and even some fake ones) has driven Nintendo to swallow its pride and act like it was wrong.

Put on your aluminum hats for a moment and think insane-conspiracy-style with me: A seemingly viral campaign of outlandish Wii-driven destruction. Who is the LAST entity you’d think capable of engineering such a convoluted and yet utterly brilliant plot?  Why, only the company responsible for the most embarrassing acts of viral-commercial-engineering seen in the last several years.  Sony’s almost made a point of appearing incapable of complicated PR schemes… perhaps too incapable… yes…

Sorry, my mind wandered.  Stop throwing wiimotes, you damn retards.  Christ.

I'm lovin on the outrageous eBay bids today.

This time, through miss-reading, a Best Buy receipt for a Nintendo Wii was sold for a whopping $451.

The description reads,

You are bidding on original " Nintendo Wii " Best Buy Sales Receipt. Dated 11/19/2006. Receipt is from Best Buy Store#482, located at 60 West 23rd Street in New York,NY 10010. Please note i have crossed out with a blue pen my personal information on Receipt. Thanks and Happy Bidding!

There was one person who at least pulled out. Once again, proof that one must completely read what is described on eBay.

[via TechEBlog]

Don't have a gaming collection? Don't know where to start? Well, markcz5581 is selling his collection at a starting bid of $25,000. Buy it now for $75,000 and you get a Wii with that.

List after jump!

Continue reading "Massive Console Collection!"

In the red corner, wearing aquamarine and white, the Wii.

In the blue corner, wearing black and.. uh, sometimes silver or occasionally white... and horfing down fistfulls of sour grapes, the PS3.

Actually, the fight is already over. Gaming site Spong noted this afternoon that the Wii has officially become the UK's fastest selling gaming console in history, with 100,000 units finding new homes over launch weekend.

This beats out the previous record holder, Microsoft, which sold 70,000 XBox 360 in its debut last year. And Sony with the amazing, phenominal, earth-shattering, mind-blowing, all-powerful PS3?

(Cue: The sound of crickets)

But why is this fight between Wii and the PS3?

Because despite the fact that the Wii is handing Sony a can of retail whoop-ass by selling nearly two times as many consoles in Europe than Sony, that Wiis are actually increasing in price on EBay, and that some PS3 owners on Craigslist saying they'll gladly trade their unopened PS3s for Wiis, Sony execs say they're not worried about Nintendo.

Why? Because the Wii -- according to Sony spokesman Dave Karraker -- is not a serious gaming console.

"We feel very confident that the PlayStation fan is going to wait until they can get a PlayStation 3...If they do pick up a Wii, it's as more of a novelty."

Wow. Does Sony provide the wheelbarrows necessary for its spokespeople to carry around their massive balls or do they have to buy their own?

Normally, if a huge, multi-national electronics firm offered such a passive-agressive statement about a smaller competing firm, I might consider it a sign of confidence.

But fact is -- Sony's getting its ass handed to them by this "novelty." Which means that isn't confidence that's talking: It's either abject fear or supreme ignorance.

Is Sony trying to act like the fat chick in that Apple spoof video or is it just a weird coincidence?

I'm not sure.

What do you think?

I'm kind of surprised that Nintendo didn't do this in the first place. And I'm kinda pissed off at myself for not doing it once the YouTube instructional video came out.

But, sure enough, someone decided to fill the void that the Wii console maker left.

A third-party manufacturer (read: an enterprising guy in his basement with lots of time on his hands) is now offering a pretty-decent looking wireless Wii sensor bar for $25.

To be honest, it's not entirely a bad deal. It's easier and ultimately probably cheaper than pulling out the soldering iron and building one yourself, and it's certainly a lot safer than using the "candle" method.

It also probably looks better than anything you'd make at home.

[From GameLife]

As the song goes, what a difference a day makes.

Yesterday, Reggie Fils-Amie said that Nintendo expected to ship 1 million Wii units to the United States by the end of the year.

From Reggie's statement:

"Despite spot shortages in some locations, well more than a million Wii systems will be available in the United States by the end of the year."

Twenty-four hours later, Nintendo says, "Uh. No."

According to GameDaily, Nintendo has retracted Reggie's million-Wii mark has been retracted and should be ignored.

Please move along. Nothing to see here.

While I'm wondering if Sony-itits is contageous among console makers, I'd rather think that Nintendo is having a hard time pumping out the Wiis as fast as consumers are scooping them up.

Which I think is a good thing.

What can I say? I like the system.

I'm a Wii-diot.

[From GameDaily.com]

I'm still laughing in my heart over that headline.

But you might be laughing even harder at the efforts of so many nerds, geeks and, might I say with conviction and love, neo-maxi-zoom dweebies to modify the already-innovative Wiimote.

Behold the latest of the "cool if not so weird" mods, the "Wii Power Glove."

Yes, indeed it does harken back to the late-80s and the third-party Nintendo peripheral "Power Glove," produced by Mattel in the United States.

You know, the one that Freddy Kruger used in "Freddy Krueger's Dead: The Final Nightmare"?

I wonder if we'll see this iteration with razors in the fingertips. If we do, I'll guarantee you'll see it on WeeHaveAProblem.com.

Video of the Wii Power Glove in action -- and a cute cat in the background.. awwwww -- right here:

[From Slashgear]

You probably all know this, since it came down the pipes while the site was inoperable.

But late last week Nintendo got its first reported lawsuit over the Wii controller.

You knew it was going to happen. But I figured it would be for "personal injury" and not "patent infringment."

According to Kotaku, Interlink Electronics of California filed suit against Nintendo for allegedly ripping off its trigger.

Yeah, you read that right. See, Interlink says it invented a "trigger" for handheld interface devices for business uses, like PowerPoint presentations and remotely beating the Oompa-Loompas back into their cages at night.

I may have made that second part up.

Anyway, one of Internlink's patents includes a trigger -- a trigger suspiciously trigger shaped and postitioned in the front of a controller so that your finger may "pull" it.

Pretty damn revolutionary, I'd say.

And the Wii just so happens to have... wait for it... A TRIGGER!! That's right, ladies and gentlement, the papers filed in the state of Delaware so far have noted that Internlink Electronics is devastated -- nay, on the verge of bankruptcy -- because Nintento used a TRIGGER!!

Why may this not be as straightforward as it sounds? Why shouldn't you be worried about the Wii?

After the jump...

Continue reading "Nintendo Slammed for Patent Infringement"

This thrown-Wii-remote issue is a sticky one.

Or more accurately, an excessively lubricated one that would benefit from some adhesive functionalities.

Seriously, people, this has got to stop.  I posit the following towards you as evidence:



Rob has thrown a Wii remote.  “Wii is weak,” you say?  I propose an alternate hypothesis to a situation.  Wii is not weak.  Rob is fucking insane.  In a cartoon-ized game about gently swinging a tennis racket via a several-ounce plastic wand, Rob hurled this small piece of polymers and circuits like a goddamn shot put.  Watch this video.  Watch a situation in which a man would simply need to wave a device lightly overhead as if a French maid were dusting a ceiling fan, and watch that situation degenerate as his greased palm catapults his Wiimote from his body in a downright Yeageresque attempt at breaking the sound barrier with a plastic toy.

As this crisis reaches such epidemic levels that throwing one’s Wiimote is topic of its own newsblog, I have to ask myself this question: When so many people in so many places are suffering from the same catastrophic new disease, would it really be fair of me to admonish them for their own parts in these incidents?

Yes.  Yes, it is.  It is and I am.  You’re all stupid.  Quit it.

This ‘problem’ is absurd beyond absurd.  The publicity and hand-holding that results from a psycho throwing a $50 piece of merchandise at a $500* one is obscene.  With morons left and right getting attention and credibility as they blame Nintendo for their own lack of bodily controls, it’s a wonder we aren’t giving trophies and websites to peolpe who shit their pants and write to Old Navy about it.

There is already an abundance of phallic iconography to be associated with this vibrating plastic rod we use to play our new video games.  It isn’t helping our case that people are apparently lathering themselves up in Jergens before handling it. 

I don’t know what else to express here, people.  I have played Wii.  I have loved Wii.  I actually have logged in more hours in Tennis than most RPGs.  Despite the addictive nature of this very exciting and energetic pastime, I have not once suffered from any explosive episodes of spasmodic retardry that would force me to propel my Wiimote in any Goliath-slaying fashion.  No person in my presence has done so.  The greatest injuries I have witnessed consisted of a whack to the forehead during a zealous swing and a bruise to my thumb when my bowling swing clipped the cellphone in my pocket. 

Nintendo has been fast to respond, saying that people are getting a little ‘too excited’ as they play and furnishing the AU launch with mightier straps.  The well-oiled machine that is Nintendo’s PR is second only to the well-oiled and perhaps frictionless palms of its greasy-limbed detractors. 

If you have smashed home appliances with a greasily flung Wiimote, there is something wrong with you.  If you are looking forth right now towards a broken television screen with half a Wiimote sticking out of a gaping, cracked wound, I suggest you look a little closer.  Gaze into that broken television, and you will see the reflection of an idiot.

Thinking of buying some Nintendo Wii Points?

Might we suggest not buying them from Toys 'R' Us.

Normally, Wii Points translate into real money to the tune of 100 Wii Points equalling $1 USD. This is a welcome exchange rate compared to Microsoft Points, which require a calculator to determine how much you are actually spending on that back-episode of South Park.

But were you to buy your Wii Points from Toys 'R' Us, it would cost you a bit more. As in about 25 percent more.

Toys 'R' Us retail locations are currently offering a 2,000 point Wii Point card for $24.99. Its online site also lists this price.

That would make 100 Wii Points equivalent to $1.25 (rounding up).

According to Kotaku, nobody has complained according to one Toys 'R' Us manager:

The manager said, "Well, we don't set the prices, and besides, do you know how many people have purchased these in the last two weeks and you were the first to say anything?"

So that makes it okay?

Um, no.

We at GamerAndy suggest you find another place to buy your Wii Points.

[From Kotaku]

Gaze, dear mortals, into the fiery eyes of convergence; convergence of the sexiest machine in existence, the coolest controller yet, and, err, Windows.

If you haven't read the recent Penny Arcade strip regarding the slipperyness of Snail Gaming, then I would suggest you do so.

Done? Good, we may begin.

Nintendo, King of Q'Wii'ns (sorry), has decided to actually look into the issue.

But what issue is there to look at? Is it whether people with the grip of a baby harp seal can keep their supposedly opposable thumbs around a controller?

Iwata's explanation, that people are "getting a lot more excited than we'd expected," (I can only imagine the smirk on his face when he popped that one out) hardly does justice to the extent of the issue: WiiHaveAProblem.com happily parades the failure of human grip and fabric strap.

Via Eurogamer

Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime has finally offered up an idea when online gaming will be available for the Nintendo Wii: Second quarter of 2007. And he said he's "committed."

When interviewed on SpikeTV's Game Head show (proof that SOMEBODY'S watching SpikeTV, I guess), he said that Nintendo was committed to getting the first set of as-yet-unnamed online titles out to the masses sometimes March or April.

Japan already has a taste of this functionality of the wildly popular console with the release title Pokemon Battle Revolution, but to date there hasn't been much to speak of in the United States.

Fils-Aime also said Nintendo is working hard on Wii channels but refused to get specific about what content might be included or when that might be available to consumers.

[From Engadget]

Here's an interesting little informational video on the two different ways the Wii version of CoD3 handles aiming. This game is honestly very tempting to me if only to experience this pretty damn unique control mechanism -- especially after I heard what a crock Red Steel is.

What do you think?   Dynamic Aiming or not?

This looks fun as hell. Is it wrong that this is my most anticipated game on the Wii?

And I freaking love the music. This is a definite nightly game for me and the roommates.

[Ganked from GoNintendo]

Correction: This is the Japan release list. Dammit. Thanks for the correction Saterium

December 2 is gonna be a big day for the NIntendo Wii Virtual Console! Based on the list I just grabbed from our buddies over at YouNewb.com, there are 37 titles on four platforms all releasing on Saturday.

Some titles definitely better than others, but I'm a little bit baffled here. The prices on some of these games seem waaaaay way way out of whack.

Correct me if i'm wrong, but can't you get your hands on the most recent edition (Sim City 4: Deluxe) for just $5 more?

And Look! you can actually get Sim City 3000 for LESS than the SNES version. Maybe there are some of you out there willing to pay $9 for what amounts to one of the first PC-to-console bastardizations, but I'd rather gouge out my eyes with a jagged tuna can lid.

Some notable games coming soon:
* Donkey Kong (Nintendo/Dec. 2): 500 points
* Mario Bros. (Nintendo/Dec. 12): 500 points
* Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo/Dec. 2): 500 points
* Super Mario World (Nintendo/Dec. 2): 800 points
* Fire Emblem: Monsho no Nazo (Nintendo/Dec. 26): 900 points
* Street Fighter II (Capcom/Dec. 2): 800 points
* Donkey Kong Country (Nintendo/Dec. 12): 800 points
* Toejam & Earl (SEGA/Dec. 2): 600 points
* Sonic the Hedgehog (SEGA/Dec. 2): 600 points

So, what do YOU think of pricing?   Frankly it turns me off faster than the thought of Edie's mom's garden (thats for you OSVG)   Seriously though, does anybody know what the hell "Mario's Super Picross" is and why it's worth 8 bucks? 

Full release list after the jump

Continue reading "Virtual Console Release list + Sim City Costs $9??? (Updated)"

Hey all.
Saw this when I was crusing Destructoid this morning and thought it was worthy of a post. Let's keep in mind though that this is a rumor by way of a rumor by way of an unconfirmed anonymous conversation, so don't *really* get your hopes up.
The original article is up at RumorReporter.

If you recently purchased a Wii and just can't wait for an official browser to become available, and you can't figure out how they did it in this post, then this hack will help turn your Wii shop into a basic browser. Basic as in: no flash support.

The hack requires that your Wii is connected to the internet (duh?) through another computer. With no USB keyboard and no flash as of yet, I don't know why anyone would want to browse the internet on their television when they could just do it through their computer. File this under, "Hey Ma! Look what I can do!"

EDITOR'S NOTE: If you want to add a visual to help you along, check out the how-to video on YouTube we mentioned two days ago.

You knew it was going to happen.

I believe this is the first incarnation of what will likely become a new variant of machinima: Mii-nima.

Using the Mii function of a Wii, a user named Bluegoggles used a scene from The Big Lubowski with Mii characters and Wii Bowling to create a rather humorous little video.

Warning: Filled with obscenties, so those underage should just take my word for it and not watch unless your parents say it's okay.

Find it here.

Enjoy, dude.

So today the big N announced that Elebits would be the first game to utilize their WiiConnect24 service, an always-on, passive-download-type thing.
From the article:

This is one of those features about the Wii thats got me damned intrigued. Being constantly connected gives devs the ability to not only download content in advance (unlocked by purchase), but also seems like the perfect mechanism for Will Wright's upcoming title "Spore".   

Anybody want to see that bad boy on the Wii?  :)

Just had to share this. I was watching the Colbert Report last night and saw two of my favorit things, Steven and a Wii. I knew the internet would have this up by morning, and it did not fail. Thank you internet, thank you.

Wii owners!

Are you despondent that your new little Wii won't surf the web as it's intended. Are you bummed that you have to wait for Nintendo to release its Opera browser?

Dry your tears, little ones. Like the addage about a million monkeys and a million typewriters, if you give enough Wiis to enough gamers, one of them will figure out a workaround for the whole "lack of a browser" thing.

And then, of course, that monkey.. er, gamer... will post it on YouTube.

Behold. The Internet-connected Wii.

... and there was much rejoicing.

Since the release of the Nintendo Wii a few weeks (wii-ks?) ago, there are plenty of people who have had problems with the console wounding them. We've all heard the stories of errant Wii-motes coming unseated from over-enthuastic or overly sweaty-palmed gamers and finding a new nesting place in the depths of LCD screens, but how big is the problem, really?

You're in luck, fair wanderer! Wii've got your back.

Okay, swear to god that was my last Wii pun.

WiiHaveAProblem.com is here to track your Wii-related mishaps, and from its current damage total (brand new blog keep in mind) there have already been two TVs, a window, and a ceiling fan that have fallen prey to this insiduous creation (just joking, Nintendo)

So yeah, check it out! And if you don't, it's going on my RSS list so I'll be bringing you entertaining news as it happens.

Again, this is not console bashing.

My post from a few days ago goes into deails about that.

But in the interest of being fair, I figured I should also post this interesting video from YouTube of a Wii showing an entirely new actualization of its disk-drive fuction: Wii Fetch!

Insert the disk, wait a few seconds, and then... GO GET IT, BOY!

Check out the awesome new footage of Super Smash Bros Brawl with the obvious return of all your favorite characters, plus Samus without her regular suit on. Expect the same old moves with the same old gameplay modes and perhaps a little more? I can't wait to see what the hidden character are.

Click here to watch!

Blender + Coke + Wiimote = Coke smoothie with Wiimote chunks.

A radio host got one of those super blenders from BlendTech that can blend rake handles, marbles, and pens. While the blender choked the first time he tried to blend the Wiimote (like the Creed CDs he stuck in there), a little fumbling and some Coke-a-Cola managed to get the Wiimote nice and broken. The main body of the controller survived ... somewhat. That's durability folks.

[Via Kotaku]

For the record, this is not console bashing.

This is just informative discussion of the to-be-expected reject consoles that unfortuntely made it out of the factory and into a consumer's home.

Look, poop happens. Man has been making underwear for several hundred years, and, even so, Inspector 9 occasionally lets a bad pair through.

So, this is no condemnation of either Sony or Nintendo for the broken-out-of-the-box consoles that are starting to pop up.

First, a great video of a fresh-from-the-wrapping PS3 with a nonfuctional disk drive. Pretty funny for the sound.

Next, something less flashy to present but maybe a hair more troubling: Apparently a batch of Wiis made it out of the shop with some bad mojo. Users of these consoles who attempt to download a firmware update are greeted to a fatal error message -- specifically Error Code 110213. All other non-online functions work fine, but anytime you attempt to connect to Wii's network -- pow! -- error.

Nintendo is aware of the situation and says that to fix the problem, those consoles must be returned and replaced.

Read the offical Nintendo forum thread here.

So if you have either of those problems, you know you are not alone.

Any of you GamerAndy readers had any problems with your new consoles fresh out of the box? Horror stories, anyone?

Recently there has been a big fuss with the Australian branch of the Toys 'R Us corporation and the gaming community. When Nintendo announced to the public the release date for the Wii a few months ago, Toys 'R Us was the first to come out with preorder bundle to entice customers to shop there.

The original promotion was that if you preordered at Toys 'R Us you would receive a free game of your choice. Several months later Toys 'R Us turned around and said that it will not be a game of your choice but a copy of Open Season.

After outrage by customers and gamers at the change Toys 'R Us then announced that it will now offer the choice of one of two games, Open Season or Need for Speed Carbon.

Now a week or so later, the company has pulled the offer completely for any new customers, only offering preorders for Wii consoles. Yes, the customers who purchased the original preorder will still be receiving their preorder with the offer of Carbon or Open Season.

Unfortunately no one knows what is really going on with Toys' R Us, as different web sites have been reporting different information, so this could be subject to change. That said, customers should be outraged. No, honestly, if you preordered from Toys 'R Us knowing that there were the terms of agreement and that was the deal that you wanted, you should demand your free game of whatever your choice when go to pick up your console.

That said, I have not got a preorder receipt or seen one, but if you do or have any preorders, take a good look at the subtext under your purchase -- the terms and agreements. Unfortunately this might have been were Toys 'R Us or the company you have preordered with has legally covered themselves. A while ago there was a debacle with a PS3 preorder where most people lost their deposit when the store pulled the deal and because of there terms and agreements the store in question was very much able to do so and keep the customers' money.

What you are looking for is if the preorder can be subject to change by the company at any time or any language about what will happen to your depsosti if the order is pulled. I will update if the situation does change but it just looks like Toys 'R Us is fence-sitting at the moment even with Christmas fast approaching.

1P Start has a fun little list of Wii secrets that aren't really that secret but fun to play around with anyway.

A particular favorite is the co-op jigsaw puzzle. Who on Earth even thought up that idea? I know co-op is getting a resurgence in next-gen tech (Army of Two and Gears of War, I'm looking at you), but a jigsaw puzzle?

What would be your ultimate Wii secret, GameRandy readers? A laser-sword mini-game hidden in the Mii Channel, wherein you blast the living daylights out of hundreds of those mini-people? Or do your awesome senses point in other directions?

Thousands around the country lined up outside of stores like Best Buy, Circuit City, Wal-Mart, Toys 'R Us -- even Sears, all in the name of obtaining a Nintendo Wii. Not only did those people seek an alternative gaming experience using a motion-based remote, they also wanted Zelda.

For the more fanatic Zelda fans, you might find the image to the right awesome, astounding, or even orgasmic.

YouNewb reports on the glorious Twilight Princess sword and shield Wiimote and nunchuck attachments.

You know, I think I’d pick up a Carbine rifle attachment for Call of Duty 3.

"WOO HOO, a pack-in game... Super Mario World, here I come!" Whoa, not so fast there, Captain Excitable, this isn’t 1994 and we aren’t so lucky. This is Wii Sports, a very well done-up tech demo to show people how the controller can be used and give you something to do with that little Mii thing you have saved in your controller.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's bad. Hardly, but I am saying I don’t think it's going to be remembered for generations as a classic. For example, there is already a golf game out (or coming out real soon) that I'm sure will be better or more feature rich than what’s on show here. That being said, considering that golf is only one-fifth of the total package, it's surprisingly deep. You can aim your shot, choose from a rather limited but workable selection of clubs and then just hold "A" and swing. An on-screen indicator shows you how far up the power meter you need to make your swing to hit your intended target and you can even do a few practice swings to get it just right before actually stepping up. Swing too hard and you'll slice to either side.

The most well known ('cause it's what Nintendo always shows off) choice on offer is Wii Tennis. One to four players (vertical split screen if there are two separate teams of human opponents) take up their Wii-mote racquets and go to town swinging around and trying like hell not to fall over coffee tables or hit each other in the face. It's great fun. You don't have to worry about moving or being in the right place at the right time, just swing your racquet when your little Mii gets to the ball, which it does with out fail. Also, when playing single player, when you swing both of your characters swing so the game is always doubles, even if you never have any friends.

More Wii Sports after the jump...

Continue reading "What Does Lupos Think About His Wii: Wii Sports"

Round 2! In this corner, a Wii-mote and me. In the other corner, zany bunny rabbity things (lagomorphs if you will). I hadn't really been following Rayman much leading up to the launch of the Wii. In fact, truth be told, I was only really interested in Zelda and Monkey Ball. I can't wait for Metroid and Mario, but most of the launch is really kind of uninspiring. That said, I was very pleasantly surprised with how much I have enjoyed this game so far.

Basically the story is: You, Rayman, have been kidnapped by a bunch of weird, crazy, Psychonauts-reject-looking rabbits (to be fair Rayman has always had a kind of unique art style, but it definitely feels like it’s been "kicked up" a notch). Their purpose for you? Why, coliseum-style entertainment, of course. Each day you are placed in the coliseum with four doors to choose from. Each of these contains a new, Warioware-ish, mini game. Some are as simple as flicking the nun chuck in time to jump rope, while others are like entire levels of House of the Dead. Beat all four games of the day and get to enter the main gate that leads to one final game. So far it's always a music rhythm game with actual licensed songs that don’t suck, but I only played a few day's worth.

As you play through the multiplayer, a story is slowly revealed via nightly cut scenes and of course mini-games are unlocked for use in multiplayer. I haven’t done much multiplayer but I believe it supports up to four players and if it’s done well could easily serve as the go-to party game in my house for a good long while.

To sum up, I really like the style of this game -- it's actually one of the best looking games on the system right now. The games are very creative and fun with a lot of variety and it really just has that certain something that feels right about the whole thing. Oh yea, and the Rabbids are fantastically twisted little things and great to hit in the face with a plunger. Unless you’re a Madden or Tony Hawk nut, I would place this very high on my "to-buy" holiday list.

Howdy GA faithful and welcome to a sort of recurring (at least while the charm of a new system lasts) new feature. This isn't a new feature like the Flaming Sword, just a reusable titled for me to post my thoughts on the Wii games I have and what I think of them so far... 'cause I'm lazy.

First up is the not so highly anticipated, lackluster (for a Nintendo game) "Excite Truck". For those of you who played the original Excite Bike for the NES many years ago (God, I'm getting old) you'll instantly feel completley lost, but with odd moments of deja vu. Like the original Excite Bike, turbo is limited by the heat gauge on your engine. Ride it too long and you'll overheat, loosing precious time. Don't do it enough and the competition will get the better of you. Also held over form the original is the importance of the pitch of your vehicle when in mid-jump. Keeping the front of your truck up causes you to get more distance and but can also lead to overshooting your intended landing spot. Point your nose down and you'll reach the saftey of mother Earth sooner, but at the cost of a lot of speed.

All of this is controlled with just the Wii-mote, turned sideways in classic NES style. Holding the controller level in both hands you just tip it left and right to stear and forward and back for the tilt of your truck in the air. At first this felt very loose and awkward, but after playing for a while you begin to realize your just swinging the controller around like a twit and not really doing exactly what you think. Moving it left, for example, doesn't cause your truck to magicaly change its position in space. DAMN!

Having gone through a cup and a half as well as all the training, I can safely say this is a fun, if a bit average, game. The graphics are very... whats the word?... "meh." Not bad in the classic, shabby-textures sense, but just very generic. It doesn't look realistic, but it doesnt look stylized either. This game could have been made better with a fully featured multiplayer, as its a very arcadey setup, but sadly it only supports two player split-screen.

If you're looking for a good solid racer, be it Gran Turismo or Burnout style, this is neither. It's just simple fun. The sort fo game that parents could play with their kids, but not really great for the "hardcore" set.

So I was at the Times Square Toys 'r Us for the Wii launch this past Sunday (Saturday night). All in all, it was a fairly uninteresting event. Not much of a press-area set up. They had a stage with some iffy band, but it couldn’t be seen from the line. The only real excitement came form the presence of the Regi-lution. Oh, and of course the prospect of getting a Wii or TWO! More on that in a minute.

Most places around the country had 30-100 Wiis on hand for launch and a similar number of waiters/campers. When I got to the event at around 10:30 p.m., there must have been a few thousand people queued up, eagerly awaiting the Revoluti... er, Wii. To get a sense of scope, the line was around four-to-five people wide and wrapped the entire way around the block that Toys 'r Us resides on. For those unaware, a city block in New York, especially in midtown, is enormous. In fact, the term, “city block” (as used in relation to long distances) refers to NYC (I'm may be making that up). We are talking anywhere from two to six times the size of a normal block in your average town, completely encircled with people. But it gets better my friends, more after the jump.

Continue reading "Having Trouble Finding a Wii? Try New York City"

Here's another video (and probably the last vid of the day) but this one is different. Why? Because I filmed it!

Yeah, the shakey-cam was from the caffiene. Apologies, there.

I *love* the guy who starts freestyling at the end of this, and the look on Nintendo VP George Harrison's face is just priceless when he realizes he's being filmed.
(Video is still uploading, please be patient)

It was inevitable, really. The robots have risen and are taking out our methods of mass-communication. The Wiimote has struck first. During a seemingly not-homoerotic, though sweaty, play session with a Wii, it began. The 60-inch television used by SomethingAwful forum member "Tuxedo Jack" has become the first victim in the war against the machines! Okay, enough Terminator-style hyperbole. Jack has actually become the first victim of what Dr. Esquavez P. Kalkoon* has described as Sweaty Palmed Flinging Disorder. When this condition is apparent at the same time as Faulty WiiMote Strap-itis, a deadly (for televisions) event follows.

 

Worse still, it was his friend who contracted the disorder. His friend busted his 60-inch television. Un-bleeding-lucky.

 

For a better look at the damage, click the pic or head here

 

*Dr. Kalkoon is not a real doctor.

Big N had its Los Angeles Wii launch in that blaringly loud and crowded shopping center called Universal Citywalk.  I don't know who at Nintendo thought it was a good idea, but holding a crowded event at an already crowded area is not a good idea.  Packed in with the usual Citywalk crowd were hordes of people eager to buy the Wii.

I arrived at 7:30 p.m. at the scene, which I guess was too late to get a Wii since the line reached the parking lot by then.  While I was picking up my media pass, I was reassured by Nintendo's PR ladies that there were plenty of Wiis to go around and that people with a media pass would not need to wait in line -- they would save a bunch of Wiis for us to pick up at the end.  Oh, what a bold faced lie that was!  They just wanted us to walk around and cover the event instead of waiting in line.

Continue reading "Thoughts on Citywalk's Wii Launch"

Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime has predicted that the Wii will sell 1 million Wii's by December. In a chat with Reuters, Reggie (who can be seen on T-shirts, Wii in hand) stated that he wants to sell another 1 million units by the second week of January. That's, well, oddly precise.
On the other hand, it's actually quite likely. While the PS3 has real issues regarding availabiity, the Wii can be found in great numbers. According to NexGenWars.com, the Wii has already sold more than 600,000 consoles (more than the numbers promised by Sony). It seems unlikely that Microsoft will sell as many consoles as last year -- there is a saturation point for hardcore gamers, and it looks as though MS has reached it. The Wii will also be Europe's Christmas console -- with a continent-wide shortage of PS3's, the only oppertunity I'll have for an interesting present is the Wii.

Of course, now that GamerAndy is bigger and better, it'd be nice if Nintendo could send us Wiis
via GamesIndustry.biz

EDITOR'S NOTE: I'll second that!!

If you're any kind of a gamer at all, then you know the trouble with fanboys: unreal expectations and a refusal to accept any reality other than their preferred reality.

Okay, so most of you would have just said the smell.

But I'm a rebel.

Anyhow, I bring it up because in my jaunt across the Internet(s) this morning I came across a pretty cool project at NewGenWars.com. Seems the chaps over there have come up with some manner of tracking the sales of each of the next-gen consoles and are feeding it to updating monitors like the ones below that you can toss into your sig or website. Very, very cool stuff. Great idea, and the implementation is pretty neat as well. Also, they've got some sort of contest going on to see who is gonna win the "war." I'm still looking into details on that.

[via Xbox360fanboy.com]

So, I'm posting this only because I feel obligated to after posting the PS3 one. Know that GamerAndy.com is an equal opportunity exploiter.

The brilliant(?) minds behind such crazy and original stunts as the "Smash My iPod" and "Smash My Xbox360" have come up with yet another brilliant scheme to make "Meeeel-yawns,"

They've collected donations and smashed -- wait for it, here it comes -- a Wii!

Yeah, it's really not that exciting. The best part is that this one actually really breaks, unlike the PS3 nonsense.