friend-codes
Latest
Wii Fanboy presents: A curious lack of Game Night
With JC and Dave in LA for E3, and the rest of us scrambling about to pick up the pieces, this week's Game Night is a no go -- at least for us. However, the chat room is still there, just for you, in case you want to get together with some other fanfolk and play games (or perhaps discuss a few things). Next week, everything should be back to normal!
DS Daily: Lasting multiplayer
Which DS games do you find have the best multiplayer? What with us taking part in Game Night every week, we're pretty sure we have a grasp on what games have great online multiplayer, but what about local? What about both?What DS games have had the most memorable multiplayer experience in your eyes? Tetris DS? Advance Wars: Days of Ruin? Mario Kart DS?
Disney's DGamer service: moderated chat, embarrassing avatars
Disney has released some screens of their DGamer service, a social network integrated with the company's upcoming DS games that allows avatar creation and chat. There's a lot to like about the service, in general: it provides a platform-wide (or, at least, common to Disney's games) interface for connecting with online friends, and avatars and accounts are usable on both PC and DS. Chat is moderated by Disney employees on the lookout for potential security problems. It also includes "Honors" for each supported game, which are similar to Xbox Live's Achievements. You'll be able to see how much time someone has put into Prince Caspian, and then ask them why they're playing so much Prince Caspian! That's the first game to support DGamer, but Spectrobes: Beyond the Portals will as well.The downside is that you have to represent yourself as something like the avatar pictured. Do you want to connect with your friends if that's how you'll be doing it? Maybe it's a security feature -- kids won't want to talk to strangers looking like that. Oh, and also it's got its own version of friend codes.
Wii: The bad and the ugly
Even Wii lovers can find a few things to complain about, but let's be real here -- if you're going to complain, make sure your beef is accurate (and worth writing home about). Chad Sapieha of the Globe and Mail's Controller Freak blog seems to disagree with that, however. While we have to offer up kudos over the fact that he spread the anti-love around evenly among all three current-generation consoles in his recent post of hate, we still take issue with some of his Wii complaints. His first complaint about the Wii is that it isn't as cheap as it appears. In order to play the best multiplayer games on the system, he says, within the comfort of your home with friends, you have to buy three more controllers and three nunchuks. To support this, he uses the examples of Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Wii Sports. However, you don't need four nunchuks for the latter unless you feel like building a rounded tower, and the only game that even requires four Wii remotes is four-player tennis. As for Brawl, it seems likely to us that most Wii owners who have picked up Brawl have a GameCube controller or two lying around, and since that seems to be the preferred way to play anyway, that certainly cuts down the expense. Next he mentions the required investment of a 4 GB card for "avid downloaders," but we're of the opinion that "avid downloaders" who are strapped for cash might just do what Nintendo recommends, and download, delete, and re-download at need. We're not saying the Wii's storage system is without problem, but a 4 GB card is hardly a must.Sapieha's other complaints strike chords, however, even if one is the most rehashed complaint of all: friend codes. His other issue? The lack of demos for Virtual Console games. While we agree that demos would be awesome, there's no shortage of videos of Virtual Console games available. Not only can you get them on Nintendo's official site, but you can see 'em right here, too. It may not be as good as a demo, but it's better than nothing.The point? If these are the worst things we can find to complain about, Wii owners are doing okay.
Reminder: Play Smash Bros. Brawl with (a) Wii Fanboy tonight [update 2]
Update 2: I've gotten out of the chat, but plenty of people are trying to take Brawl online and play with you. Head into the chat to hook up with people or just have fun playing by yourself. Either way, happy brawling and thanks to all of you that showed up tonight! You made the game's release that much better for the Wii Fanboy community!Update: Okay, folks. You should have your copy of the game about now, so head into the Wi-Fi section of the game and add my friend code (3179-5693-1348). Then, come back here and join us for some online play by hopping into our chat here. IRC fans, it's irc.freenode.net for the server, and #fanboygamenight for the channel. For those of you on the west coast, hop in when you get your copy. Something tells us we'll be up playing for awhile. To celebrate the release of what is sure to be the go-to game for just about every Wii owner for the next lifetime, I'll be around to throw down with you all later on tonight. Many of you will be attending a midnight release (as I am planning to), so you should dive into the online multiplayer with me. Keep an eye on the site later for where you'll need to go and we hope to see you this evening. Happy brawling!%Gallery-3347%
Dojo update: Friends List
We've known about Brawl's online mode for a while now, but today's dojo update takes a closer look at the nuts and bolts of how it all works when playing with friends (you may recall that you can play with non-friends, but their name won't be visible). And boy, does it look simple.The first thing you'll need to do, as you'd expect, is swap Friend Codes. Yes, they're a royal pain in everybody's backside, but let's face facts: due to Nintendo's "safety first" approach, they're here to stay. Once Friend Codes have been entered into your Wii, they stay there forever, allowing you to view the status of your Brawl buddies. From there, if you fancy some fisticuffs, it's simply a matter of somebody hosting the game, and the rest of your pals piling in. Piece of cake, eh?%Gallery-10206%%Gallery-6869%
Man lays into DS microphone, we leap to heroic defense
Over at Next-Gen, Ben Reich has penned an article on the worst ideas to hit gaming, with two Nintendo creations in his choices. The first, Friend Codes, we can kind of roll with. They're unwieldy, awkward, and let's face it: there are better solutions. Perhaps they deserve to be there, but the DS's microphone? Not so much. See, we quite like the mic. OK, it's not as widely used as other parts of the handheld's unique feature-set, but we're struggling to swallow the argument that it's one of "gaming's worst ever ideas." Not in a world where the Roll & Rocker exists.Two things seem to irk Reich about the DS's mic: that it can be embarrassing to use in public, and that not enough game developers have used it well. We partially agree with his first point -- e-nun-ci-at-ing "Buh-loo!" into your handheld while on the bus to work would make most people feel like a bit of a nugget. Then again, nobody is forcing you to play such games in public. It's all a question of choosing an appropriate location.Secondly, plenty of games find a good use for the microphone. Being able to yell "Objection!" just before you start dismantling your rival in the Ace Attorney games is a fantastic touch! Summoning your hound in Nintendogs with a whistle or a shout of their name is equally nifty. My French Coach, which Alisha is covering all this week, makes terrific use of the microphone, allowing users to record themselves, in a bid to achieve greater fluency.In other words, Mr Reich, we're going to have to politely disagree with you.
Madden 08 Wii online without friend codes
The next installment of Electronic Arts' Madden 08 will feature online multiplayer but will not be using Nintendo's friend code system, according to associate producer Damian Zerr in an interview with IGN. "Madden Wii doesn't support the Wii friends system during online play," he said. "This is something we're still working on with Nintendo. For now our online play uses your EA Nation Persona to search and manage your EA Messenger account." IGN does not press further as to why EA made this decision, leaving us to only speculate the reasons why. Perhaps EA is as distraught with the system as many Joystiq readers have conveyed. No voice chat will be available during online play, relying instead on EA Messenger for communication (details on how were also not given), but alongside DS connectivity was not ruled out for Madden 09. [Via Nintendo Wii Fanboy]
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.
DS Fanboy poll: Do friend codes ever prevent you from playing online?
We all complain about friend codes sometimes. In fact, it's just about our favorite topic to moan about (except for lamenting the gap between Ace Attorney games). But does the presence of friend codes ever prevent you from playing a DS game online? Have you ever thought, wow, this whole Mario Kart thing is sure awesome, but I think I'll go play something online on my 360 instead?Certainly someone (and all their friends) is playing online, and it's not just us during Game Night. But is it you? Do friend codes turn you off Nintendo WiFi? No, I play online regardless. Nintendo forever! Sometimes it seems annoying, but I try not to let it deter me. Between friend codes and dropped connections, I don't play online that often. Yes, I definitely go online more with other systems. I don't play online.
Mii, friend codes linked for Mario Strikers Charged [Update 2]
Those oft-discussed Nintendo friend codes may be more universal than previously thought. In an interview with Gamers.fr, Mario Strikers Charged producer Justin Dowdeswell of Next Level Games said that the friend codes used for online games are tied to your Mii character and does not change between games."Each Mii created generates a Mii code that never changes. This code will thus be used for all other online games in the future," said Dowsedell (according to a translation done by Joystiq).Each Wii console can hold 100 Mii characters. There are one trillion possible 12-digit friend codes; some quick number-crunching reveals that Nintendo can only build ten billion Wii consoles in its lifetime. Only ten billion? Way to limit your sales, Ninty. (We're going to spell this one out: that's sarcasm.)Update: Falafelkid at Wii: Definitive speculation contacted Dowdeswell via phone, who said that "he never intended to comment on any other titles, nor would he know about how they implemented online features." Dowsedell comments as they appear above were a translation of his original words done by this writer, which we should have made more clear. However, we feel our translation was accurate to the best of our knowledge. As it was written in the interview: Chaque Mii créé génère un code Mii qui reste invariable par la suite. Ce code servira donc pour tous les autres jeux jouables en ligne dans le futur.We have contacted Dowsedell ourselves to learn that, indeed, he is not sure and was not speaking for how online will be handled with other games. "We're just aware of how we're handling Strikers stuff ... That's not to say it won't happen, but I'm not aware of that," he said to Joystiq via phone. We apologize for any misunderstanding of Dowdeswell's words specifically stemming from the phrase "all other online games in the future" (intended to mean Strikers Charged matches and not other Wii games).[Via The Platformers]
A scary, scary rumor (i.e. GameSpy sucks?)
The good folks over at GoNintendo are referencing an informal interview by one "Falafelkid", whom they claim to be as reputable as they come. He has apparently spoken with some GameSpy PR people (whom we have attempted to contact and failed miserably), who will be partnering with Nintendo to provide online functionality in upcoming games. The grim, grim news?Falafelkid: Just one last question to make absolutely sure I have got this right, please. If I have a friend roster in one game, that roster will not be available to me in any other game. I have to build up an entirely new list for each title, right?GameSpy: The answer to your question is yes, for the Wii friend lists are game-specific.Ughhhhh. We don't want to take this as fact, but the mere prospect leaves us depressed and in a need of a rainbow or something to cheer us up. The Wii maintains an internal friends list as is; why can't games simply access said list and use it universally across the platform? Why, Nintendo, why?
Square Enix blames Wii friend codes for lack of FFXI [update 1]
Friend codes. Nintendo's self-imposed restriction on online gaming has been a burden to many who want to play with their friends without having to share a different 12-digit friend code for every game. When the Wii was revealed to have a console-specific friend code, we thought Nintendo had somewhat listened to the community's grumblings. When Pokemon Battle Revolution, the first online Wii title, launched in Japan with friend codes, we realized the folly of our optimism.Square Enix's Senior Vice President Hiromichi Tanaka empathizes, highlighting the friend code system as the primary reason they haven't brought an online game like Final Fantasy XI onto the console. In an interview with Cubed's Adam Riley, Tanaka reveals that the RPG powerhouse is now in negotiations with Nintendo about "resolving this point of contention." A publisher of Square Enix's magnitude does not necessarily guarantee Nintendo will listen, but perhaps Nintendo will ease off or at least allow exceptions for some titles.Then again, Final Fantasy XI on the Wii would surely be profitable even if gamers were required to enter over 300,000 12-digit codes to fully experience the world. That's how much, we suspect, Wii owners our clamoring for Nintendo to join the rest its brethren in this generation.[Update 1: As White Rose Duelist and others have pointed out, Pokemon Battle Revolution's extra friend code might be an exception and not a rule, and Elebits is a cited example where one can exchange in-game pictures with Wii friends. However, as we do not have any other details from impending online games, and Nintendo has not readily clarified, we're just not sure.]
Pokemon Diamond and Pearl: Return of the Friend Codes
Japanese magazine Corocoro has several scans that reveal a plethora of information regarding the upcoming Pokemon incarnations Diamond and Pearl. While plenty of trivial boring inconsequential details were given about specific Pokemon and moves, the highlights are as follows: The tentative Japanese release date for both games is September 28th, 2006. The new legendary (read: boxart worthy) Pokemon are Diaruga (Diamond Version), who controls time, and Parukia (Pearl Version), who controls space. The antagonists are known as Team Galaxy, who will be featured in Pokemon Ranger as well. In battles, the bottom screen will be used for menus and the like. Easy viewing of other Pokemon's status? WiFi features will be in full force, but they utilize...gulp...the dreaded Friend Code system. That's right, folks, Friend Codes are back. Nintendo seems unwilling to let go of this rather archaic system, though it might be slightly more excused in the Pokemon universe...a grand list of fifty thousand players offering and looking for certain Pokemon types might make things a bit too easy. The ability to pick up a quick match with a stranger, however, would not be unwelcome...[Thanks Nushio, Matt T., and Thousand Dragoon Link!]
The obligatory Game Night page
Welcome to Game Night, a fun activity where we (the staff) and you (the reader) get together and enjoy the multiplayer games available on the Nintendo Wii and DS. This page is meant as a collection of information that will help you get prepared and get connected to Game Night. So, what do you need to do first? Well, you need to get your game of choice set up and retrieve your Friend Code.Once you've gone through the trouble of finding this code (refer to the game's manual if you're having difficulty), write it down. Write down the game and code, then move on to your next Wi-Fi compatible game and repeat the process. Do this until you've gone ahead and stripped the numerical information of interest from each of your DS game carts and then come back to this page here. We're going to need you to leave a comment.If you're unfamiliar with leaving a comment, or have never done so, our new comment system has a great explanation here. Read up and follow the necessary steps to get a login. Once done, you can customize anything you might need and leave a comment here on this page. Your comment should be consisting of what games you have to play and the friend codes for each. We want you to include as many DS and Wii games as you can in your comment so as to cut down on the clutter. Once you've done so, keep an eye on the page here for others adding their Friend Codes so you can put them into your games. It'll help streamline the process of finding games once you're ready to move onto the next part: showing up to Game Night.Each week, early in the day (for us, as our time zone is U.S. Eastern), we'll put up a post for Game Night. It's there that we'll remind you all it's going down later in the same day. This is also where you'll find handy links to this page and others for the resources one needs should they be new to the whole thing or find themselves in a forgetful mood. Also, when Game Night starts, the post itself will be edited to include the link to the chatroom. It will change every week, but the chat should run smoothly in your browser window. No messy third-party programs or other hoops to jump through. All one needs to do is click a link.So, when will Game Night start? It's every Thursday at 7pm Eastern (EST). That's when the staff is on-hand to play and chat with you all. There isn't a set time limit for Game Night or anything, so the staff will play as long as they can. You're free to hang around and play with others, should you wishThe main focus here is preparation. Nintendo doesn't make it easy for us to do this, what with their cumbersome Friend Code system, so if you follow the directions above, you should be able to join and have fun in as little time as possible, with as little pain as possible. DS Fanboy staff friend codes:DaveSmash Bros. Brawl: 3179-5693-1348Advance Wars: Days of Ruin: 1762-1798-3825 Medal of Honor Heroes 2: EA Nation ID DavidHinkle NiGHTS into Dreams: 1547-4235-3501Phantom Hourglass: 5369-8658-5579Tetris DS: 2636 - 8016 - 0262Mario Kart: 4682-1090-8888Metroid Prime Hunters: 3522-5540-0086Animal Crossing Wild World: 1761-6174-6373 ChrisAdvance Wars: Days of Ruin: 3351-3155-3025 Animal Crossing Wild World: 0130-0810-0353 Clubhouse Games: 4167-3502-7351 The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass: 1891-0175-7140 Mario Kart DS: 0688-4266-4787 Picross DS: 4339-1490-1822 Star Fox Command: 2227-4241-8915 Tetris DS: 7507-7494-7984 Alisha Clubhouse Games: 1203-8240-1706 MKDS: 2964-7171-1452 Picross: 2964-7606-0690Thanks for trying and we hope to see you at the next Game Night!
