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Wii Warm Up: The scare factor
A batch of videos leaked last week to inadvertently reveal a new horror game from Hudson, The Calling. Although Hudson has since requested we take them down, the footage reminded us just how effective games can be at creeping us out. And, since it's, uh, the month of Hallowe'en (look, we're trying to be topical here), we thought we'd open the floor to discussion about games that scare you. I'll get started, then. Because I am an absolutely ridiculous, quivering coward, I couldn't even finish Shadow Man when playing it alone. Yes, I know it's not a typically scary game and I'm pathetic, but I recall being especially unnerved by the faded face of my character's dead kid brother flashing on screen and whispering at me. Honestly, I daren't even pick up a Silent Hill box now, and I won't be offering to review Fatal Frame IV. What games have you ended up playing from behind the sofa, or even switched off?
Wii Warm Up: Tribute act
An easter egg. A tribute. An in-joke. Whatever you want to call them, the secret costumes that are available in Fatal Frame IV got us thinking again about the sly nods to other titles and secret touches that appear in so many games. You know the sort of thing we mean: the Chris Houlihan room in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. The Mount Rushmore trick in Pilotwings 64. The pictures of Mario, Luigi, and Bowser that hang in Hyrule Castle. We love this stuff, partially because we're shameless nerds, but also because it serves as a kind of in-joke between the developer and more knowing players. Tons of games contain these secrets, but what's your absolute favorite videogame easter egg? Try and keep it to Wii games (or at least Nintendo software), and avoid the obvious (such as Yoshi's appearance in Super Mario 64) if possible. The more obscure, the better!
Wii Warm Up: Dr. Mario'd
The news that Nintendo will be releasing a remade Dr. Mario with online play is, to put it in one capitalized word and a bunch of random key presses, KJDFLIOUROIEJ(RJNFAWESOME. The updated graphics and Mii integration look okay, but the real deal is the ONLINE PLAY_# #$())_IJM sorry, we did it again. This adds a new dimension to our Thursday evening pastime of wishing for old games on the VC. Now we can wish for online versions of old games on Wii Ware. What would be your choice for an old game with new multiplayer? And, for added difficulty, you can't say River City Ransom, because we just did.
Wii Warm Up: Friend code rumor fest
What's the deal with friend codes on the Wii? In the last week or so, we've seen a flurry of rumors and responses-to-rumors, and we don't even know if the system for Mario Strikers Charged will set the standard for the rest of the Wii's WiFi future. Are friend codes Mii specific? Some say yes, but there's also word that the good news about Mii-based codes may be untrue and the result of a mistranslation. We've talked at length about WiFi and the future of Wii online before, but in light of all these recent developments, we can't resist asking what you think.
