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WRUP: It's going to be a tough month edition
Prepare yourselves for a very dry month, one lacking any kind of relief brought by new games. It's looking like we won't get anything new to play until the end of the month and, with the holiday having just passed, we're pretty much done with Resident Evil 4 as we found ourselves having some of that elusive free time.What about you folks, though? Will you have enough games to get through this month? What are you playing?
Wii Warm Up: What are ye buyin'? or What are ye sellin'?
When you're out waggle-stabbin' some pseudo-zombies, how do you handle your business affairs? Do you prefer to gear up, or cash in?
Trade in your old ports for a new port
If you're lucky enough to have a Hastings store nearby, the entertainment retailer is offering to exchange your moth-eaten copies of Super Paper Mario or The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess for a waggle-fied edition of Resident Evil 4. They'll also accept Rainbow Six Vegas (360) and God of War II (PS2), but not without scowling at you first.According to the rest of Hastings's weekly ad, there's a buy-1-get-2nd-for-free sale on body jewelry, so be on the look out for that deal too! Put away the other two RE4 games you've already bought for previous platforms, throw on a shirt that shows off your belly-button-ringed midriff, and check past the post break for the full flyer.
WRUP: Suplex a zombie edition
We only had one game release this week, but it's one we've been anticipating for awhile now. This weekend, we plan on getting knee deep in crazed villagers and playing through this excellent game again. We did turn it on for a few minutes, just to check out the new controls, and we liked what we played.But, enough about us. What about all of you? Will you be playing Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition with us, or do you have another game (or games) on your mind?
Metareview: Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition
Shipping to retail shelves in the U.S. today, Resident Evil 4 hasn't had a shortage of coverage here at Wii Fanboy. We love the franchise and were anxious to see how the already amazing game could benefit from the implementation of gesture-based controls. Not only that, but always having a reticle on-screen seemed like such a simple, yet necessary, improvement. We're glad to say that, according to the critics at least, the newest version of the game is quite good. GameSpy (100/100) found themselves a perfect game: "The reason that the Wii version is the best is because the new control system makes the gameplay more enjoyable. Using both the Wii remote and the nunchuck, players will be able to perform all of the regular moves and attacks from before, only now they can do them in a more sensitive, accurate and pleasing fashion." CVG (93/100) thinks the game has been improved: "It has the looks, it has the compelling level design, and it has the scary bits. Check, then: this is Resident Evil 4 all over again, but slightly better." EGM (87/100) finds the new control scheme to be for the better: "Though they suffer a bit when things get hectic, the Wii-mote-enabled controls generally serve RE4 well: Aiming weapons, swiping your knife, and shaking off face-sucking nasties with real-world moves adds urgency to an already incredibly intense experience." [July 2007, p.82] EuroGamer (70/100) says the Wiimote controls hurt the game: "It's just a shame that one of the best ever action games has become another casualty of the Wii controller. Indeed, for a controller that was supposed to herald a new dawn of inclusive gaming there are a lot of third-party publishers who have yet to get their heads round it."
Wii Blaster coming June 27th
You've gotta admire it ... this thing is a gun. A real sawed-off shotgun feel to it, isn't there? As you might expect, such a beast of firepower is not a first-party product, but nevertheless, it's the first Zapper-like Wiimote attachment to hit shelves come June 27th. Not just any shelves, mind you ... it's a Gamestop exclusive.An interesting note is the Nintendo Duck Hunt comment. We've seen ESRB confirmation of the NES classic, but as of yet, there has been absolutely no additional functionality in any Virtual Console game thus far. Hmmm ... it's enough to get those rumor-wheels a-spinnin' ....[via Joystiq]
Wii releases for the week of June 18th
Hey, guess what? We get to shoot some crap on the Wii this week! With the port of Resident Evil 4 releasing in just a few days, we finally have an excuse to play through this wonderful game again. And, for all those folk who, for some reason, haven't been able to play through this amazing game, now you finally have an excuse. Who's picking this game up with us this week?
PSA: Resident Evil 4 Wii not censored in North America
Capcom tells Joystiq that the Wii edition of Resident Evil 4 will not be censored following rumors the survival-horror masterpiece would be altered for the console. The rumor started when a report surfaced that the Japanese Wii version had been "weirdly censored." The reporter for NextGen wrote, "I suppose Capcom is undertaking some kind of social responsibility, trying to keep kids from understanding that shooting someone in the head kills them, though really, am I the only person who finds it kind of ridiculous?"We aren't that well aware of the Japanese version of the game, but reports have it that the original RE4 in Japan for the Gamecube and the PS2 version never had the level of violence seen in the international version. We're guessing that if there was some new censorship in the Japanese game, Famitsu probably would have mentioned it in their 9.5 rating for the title. A Capcom spokesperson told us, "The RE4 Wii edition that I've played is not lacking in the elements that gave it an M rating."
RE4 on the Wii to be censored?
Sure, Resident Evil 4 may look the same on the Wii and GameCube, but it's contents weren't as uniform across its various regions of release. No, apparently the international version had the most violence and carnage in it, with the Japanese version receiving a trimming in that department. According to the latest This Week in Japan piece over at Next Generation, a "great portion of the blood and gore has been excised from the game," further adding that "headshots no longer kill, limbs can no longer be shot off."Personally, we're wondering if the individual who wrote this up has a lot of experience with the original Japanese version of Resident Evil 4. Surely, a compare and contrast of the games is in order as we find ourselves confused as to whether the already-censored Japanese version of the game has become more censored in its transition to the Wii or if it's the original censoring in place.[Via Joystiq]
Resident Evil 4 comparison puts "two Gamecubes taped together" to rest
Turns out it's just one Gamecube! Either that or Capcom is lazy. The evidence to support either conclusion is found in this Gametrailers video, which compares the Gamecube and Wii versions of Resident Evil 4 side-by-side. Major spoiler: they look exactly the same. The sad part is, we actually don't know if the Wii can do better graphics than the original Resident Evil 4, because nobody has tried. Well, at least this version of RE4 has waggling. And it's not like the graphics were bad on the Cube or anything.
Capcom gives you the chance to win some Biohazard gear
Capcom is offering up the chance at winning some goodies for its Japanese fans, namely a lucky 25 of those fans, themed after Biohazard 4. These items are some sweet pieces of gear, if we might say so, including a jacket modeled after Leon's and a pair of "Engineer Boots." Getting to this super-secret section of the website requires clicking on those little red blood cells floating around, but in the interest of saving you time, we'll just offer up a direct link to the page.[Via Famitsu]
Get RE4 only two years late, instead of two years and two weeks
Does your hunger rival that of the undead horde? Grab a Snickers. If that's the case, you'd probably be interested to know that the extremely anxious will (probably) be able to obtain the Wii version of the much-lauded Resident Evil 4 several weeks early, via the import site Play-Asia. Sure, it'll cost you twenty dollars more than the standard U.S. price of $29.99, and it'll probably highlight your incredible lack of patience and discipline, but those pale in comparison to the two weeks of additional ecstasy.This is not officially confirmed, so you might want to check back at their product page for updates if interested. If you do happen to obtain the game early ... or if you're reading this article from the far-flung future, in which RE4 has already undergone standard release, feel free to post your impressions.
Capcom wins at packaging
This is simply the coolest limited-edition box in recent memory. Forget the European Resident Evil 4 box. This Japanese Biohazard box is the business. For 3,675 yen, which is a suspiciously low $30, you get an awesome 20-DVD-capacity Umbrella Corporation biohazard storage box (itself inside an Umbrella Corporation shipping box), two keys, warning tags, and caution tape to seal it up. With a case this cool, who even needs a game? You could always buy this and RE4 Wii Edition and build your own limited edition set.[Via The Tanooki]
RE4 Wii edition plot montage
If you're one of the five people on the planet who have yet to make your way through Resident Evil 4, you definitely don't want to head past the post break. Thar be spoilers back yonder! But, for the rest of us who might be looking forward to the upcoming release of the Wii version and have beaten the game every which way but Sunday, the video is a nice, brief look at the game's characters and plot. There's also a few glimpses into the Ada Wong side missions, if you never got your hands on the PS2 version.
Party like it's 2005 with more Resident Evil 4 trailers
Nintendo of Europe is featuring a couple of trailers for Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition that should help convey how cool RE4 is to those of you who didn't play it back on the Gamecube. They also do a pretty good job of reminding the rest of us that Resident Evil 4 was pretty damn cool. After seeing the trailers and screenshots, we can feel ourselves starting to turn into Capcom's willing zombie minions. Maybe Wiimote aiming would improve the experience! Maybe waggle does trump a novelty chainsaw controller!
Capcom site updates with RE4 boxart, info
Capcom's U.S. website has updated it's Resident Evil 4 section with what we're assuming is the final boxart for the game. Also, the site lists some deets for the title, but we all pretty much knew what we would be getting with the Wii port, no? And, while we think it's some pretty neat boxart, we've seen better already.What do you all think?See also: Resident Evil sites lunge right for our jugular[Thanks, hvnlysoldr!]
Umbrella Chronicles was almost like RE4
And what exactly do we mean by this? Well, Capcom almost decided to make Umbrella Chronicles the spitting image of Resident Evil 4, which you can bet we would've been totally on board with, but after seeing Nintendo's Wii console in action, the company decided to make it an on-rail shooter. While we could sit here with a frown on our face and pout about the possibilities that could've been, we'll just think about unicorns. And big, fluffy clouds.The game's producer, Masachika Kawata, argued that the new direction is more fir for Wii owners, claiming the game would've been "too complicated to enjoy. Wii users like easiness. Umbrella Chronicles is not only for game enthusiasts. Complex operability can be an obstacle for Wii users. We want players to enjoy the game's horrifying and creepy world and its thrilling shooting action. By reducing enthusiast-only elements, players can purely enjoy the world." Personally, we like our games to have some depth and find ourselves disagreeing with his stance on the issue.Just because the Wii has these amazing innovative controls and product that appeals to just about every person on this planet, doesn't mean you should totally do away with an already established hot product (Resident Evil 4 is set to grace three different systems and has sold how many copies?). Or, are we crazy and Capcom's decision is the more sound one from a business point of view?[Thanks, Josh!]
Wii Warm Up: Check out this RE4 boxart
Not so much a discussion topic today as it is a directed viewing. This is the boxart for the European release of Resident Evil 4. It's basically the PAL PS2 boxart, but white instead of red. We are now totally okay with the tacked-on waggle controls, and the fact that it's a Wii port of a game that is two years old and can already be played on Wii, because it's got really nice boxart. We're not even being sarcastic. Too bad about the "Wii Edition" thing, but we'll look past that. So what's your opinion? Awesome boxart, or totally awesome boxart?
And the odd RE4 ad campaign keeps on trucking
By the looks of this advertisement for Resident Evil 4, it's pretty old. A commercial for the title in France, watching until the end shows us a GameCube box for the game and logo, so we're fairly certain this isn't for the new Wii version. Still, it has breast-feeding and is kind of in the same weird vein as the other advertisement, and ... well, we won't ruin the surprise. Check out the video past the break.
Why wait for RE4 with Wiimote controls? Do it now!
Reader Tiger, who we all know loves working with GlovePIE (as evidenced by his work with Rez, Panzer Dragoon and House of the Dead 3), has made another script, implementing Wiimote controls into the PC port of Biohazard 4 (Resident Evil 4). Tiger's even gone ahead and matched the button mapping we reported on a few days ago, making his controls almost perfect to that of the Wii version due out (except for one flaw due to the limitations of the PC port of the game). Tiger has the script available for download via his site and also assures us he is working on adding sensor bar support.Check past the post break for the videos of this in action.
