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New Mario Kart tournament debuts for Wii Wheel racers
A fresh tournament is about to spring on Mario Kart Wii fans. Starting September 1st and concluding on September 10th, this latest tourney is only for those that rock the Wii Wheel and will take place on the N64 Skyscraper Battle Stage. It's a straight up race, so you've got to bring your best time to the course, all the while dodging the explosive Bob-omb cars that are racing towards you. Sounds like a tense race!%Gallery-19823%[Via WiiFolder] A fan of Mario and the gang? You should check out our weekly feature, It's-a Mario World, in which we discuss Nintendo's portly plumber and the world he calls home. Or, if Mario Kart is your only reason for loving the guy, check out our week of features celebrating the franchise leading up to the release of the latest game right here.
Welcome to 2000: DVD video playback enabled via homebrew!
Homebrewer Erant has created a program that allows the Wii to read DVDs. It comes bundled with a media player program that lets you play DVD movies as well as view video files stored on an SD card, without any hardware modifications. You still need to be able to run homebrew on your Wii, but that's done easily enough.The commenters in the announcement post seem to be having mixed success with the program, with results ranging from, at best "Excellent! Works like a charm." to "It doesn't seem to play DVDs on my Wii," to the worst possible outcome, "watching Hackers (1995) right now."As a sort of proof of concept of the new DVD-reading capability for uses other than video, a patch will soon be available for Nintendo 64 emulator Wii64 to allow ROMs to be read from DVDs. #ninbutton { border-style: solid; border-color: #000; border-width: 2px; background-color: #BBB; color: #000; text-decoration: none; width: 100px; text-align: center; padding: 2px 2px 2px 2px; margin: 2px 2px 2px 2px; } .buttontext { color: #000; text-decoration: none; font: bold 14pt Helvetica; } #ninbutton:hover { text-decoration: none; color: #BBB; background-color: #000; } Click here for our DVD guide >> The homebrew community is doing amazing things with the Wii. Have you read about the app that lets you play games from other regions? What about getting Goldeneye to run on Wii? Or you could just use homebrew to get your cheat on.
Red tape preventing GoldenEye revival
Microsoft wants it. Nintendo wants it. Rare has no control over it. Such is the situation with GoldenEye 007, fondly remembered and much-loved N64 shooter of yesteryear.Speaking to Videogamer.com, Rare senior software engineer Nick Burton said that the bid to bring the eleven-year-old game to either the Virtual Console or Xbox Live Arcade was "locked in this no man's land," and that it was up to the separate license holders to play nice before the greatest Bond game of all time could be made available for download on any service. "The ball's not in anybody at Rare's court really," sighed Burton. "It's squarely in the license holders' courts. It's a shame. There's nothing on LIVE Arcade, there's nothing on Wii."It's not solely about Microsoft or Nintendo reaching an agreement, either -- the revival of GoldenEye also hinges on those who own the license to the game rights now, the parties that have the licence to Bond as an IP, and "umpteen licensees." Man, looks like eBay is still your best bet if you yearn for some RCP-90 action.
GoldenEye XBLA stuck in 'no man's land'
Having foiled countless doomsday devices, monologuing masterminds and aesthetically pleasing assassins, James Bond has felt the bite of reality and become inextricably entangled in a web of legal nonsense. Though an Xbox Live Arcade version of the classic N64 FPS, GoldenEye, continues to make appearances both in dreams and alleged screenshots, nobody's been able to pull the game out of a web spun by numerous lawyers and license holders. "It's kind of locked in this no man's land."That's according to Rare's senior software engineer, Nick Burton, who recently discussed the game's fate with VideoGamer.com. "It's incredibly hard to solve because there's so many licence holders involved," explained Burton. "You've got the guys that own the license to the gaming rights now, the guys that have the licence to Bond as an IP, and there are umpteen licensees." Last time we checked, "umpteen" was quite a lot ... at least 37 or so.Burton goes on to explain that the game's release is no longer in Rare's hands -- it's up to the publishers to figure out how Microsoft can get its hands on a Nintendo game starring one of Activision's favorite characters. "It's probably going to go down in the annuls of gaming history as one of the big mysteries." Wait ... the "annuls" of gaming history? What an appropriate misspelling.
Mega Man 9 gets even more authentically retro
Mega Man 9 will feature the graphics, sounds, and gameplay of yesteryear, and Capcom has now confirmed that it will be playable with virtually any old controller that can be slotted into the Wii.This means that the Classic Controller and GameCube pad are both fair game, but here's the best bit: purchase the appropriate adaptor, and you'll be able to die repeatedly while using an original NES controller. As if Mega Man 9 wasn't already looking like the kipper's knickers, it just found a way to get even better.%Gallery-26790%
Which Nintendo system favored third-party publishers the most?
You would think DS, no? That's exactly what we thought, as the handheld is home to more amazing third-party games than any other console in recent memory, but that is not the case. It turns out, the SNES was the best Nintendo console for third-party publishers. Who would've known?Keep in mind, though, that this is merely based on Aeropause's own evaluation and may not be representative of how much money publishers made on each system, or the quality of the titles they released on said platform. It's more or less based on an article in the latest Nintendo Power where the staff ranked their top 20 games for each Nintendo system.What do you all think? Which Nintendo system had the greatest batch of stellar third-party titles in your eyes? We're going to stick with DS. It seems like a no-brainer to us.
Top 5: Nintendo on YouTube
When describing people like us, the media tends to churn out some pretty hideous labels. One of the more sickening terms is "the YouTube Generation." As though our entire existence revolves around Miss Teen South Carolina and Rickrolling. Though the generalization is annoying, one does have to concede that the video-hosting website has a fairly large effect on our society. Coupled with the fact that many people carry phones with the ability to record video, the public is now a walking telescreen whose surveillance potential would make Big Brother blush. Particularly in the heat of a presidential election, Senators Obama and McCain have to keep on constant alert for that all-powerful snafu. One slip of the tongue and they may find themselves having their own macaca moment. Privacy issues aside, YouTube is a great place to take the pulse of a culture. Just type in a subject, and instantly you're provided with news stories, film and television references, artistic responses, editorial presentations, and individual observations. Given the gaming community's incredibly strong presence online, YouTube is packed with videos of/for/about gamers. As to be expected, there are hundreds of thousands of videos inspired by or based on Nintendo's history. Indeed, a simple search for the word "Nintendo" yields about a half a million results. Aside from the usual dead horse-beating of people acting out "Mario in the real world!" (OH WOW LOOK HE WENT DOWN A PIPE JUST LIKE MARIO DOES), there's a wealth of quality Nintendo-related videos that all should experience. Here is our top five. 5. Zelda Rap - There are embarrassing memories that, despite all best efforts to forget, will replay in one's mind until the brain isn't supplied with oxygen anymore. Eventually, however, the awful moments can desensitize the public such that the original matter loses its acidity. It's similar to a hot fudge sundae-induced brain freeze. At first, it's shocking and awful. But then you start to grow used to it, and before long you're dying for one due to its association with ice cream heaven. This basic principle applies to Nintendo's 1986 "Zelda Rap" commercial. As a couple of kids are sitting on a couch, the nerdier of the two asks, "Did you see the latest Nintendo newsletter?" (I've always loved how commercials choose to ignore the way people actually talk) While one might expect an immediate wincing reaction to the crispy freestyle that follows, the more common response is similar to a post-Jim Norton joke: "wow, he really went there ... like, all the way there without looking back." A week after viewing, you may find yourself reciting your own NES-influenced rhymes.
Ocarina gets a spit-shine
Who needs all the "newness" of E3 when you can relive a masterpiece of days gone by? A team of modders went to the trouble of improving a selection of screenshots from Ocarina of Time, with sharp textures and ultra-high resolution. At the end of the day, these graphics are technically far behind most of the games released this generation(key word: most), but since we all lovingly play Ocarina of Time on a regular basis anyway, a sharp upgrade like this would be just what the doctor ordered.Check out the full set of new and improved screens here, with an ambient melody drifting over the flash page as you compare the original shots with high-res and cel-shaded versions.[Via Go Nintendo]
Homebrewer hacks GoldenEye to run on Wii
Sit down if you aren't and don't start taking a sip of something before you click the play button on the video above: someone managed to get GoldenEye 007 to run on the Wii. As evidenced above, the title can be emulated on the Wii, but not in perfect form. There are still some issues with saving and frame rates dipping here and there. But, all in all, pretty impressive and manages to only strengthen our desire to have this one show up on the Virtual Console.[Thanks, trefox!] The homebrew community has been hard at work creating wonderful experiences for you to enjoy with your Wii. Did you know about homebrew game Masteroids? Or how about the shmup OpenTyrian? Outside of games, people have been using the Balance Board to come up with some really neat stuff. Keep up with the homebrew scene by staying current with our Homebrew category!
Take the 64DD's software line-up into double figures
The 64DD, much like the Neo Geo or the entire Game & Watch range, will probably always have a sort of magical allure to people like us; indeed, we were seconds away from selling our grandmothers when a complete 64DD collection recently appeared on eBay. Now, the above item has been listed on the auction site: a development kit for Nintendo's obsolete N64 add-on.Although we know that the original system sold 15,000 units, we have no idea how many of these were produced, but considering only nine 64DD games were ever released, it can't be that many! Heck, if we had any idea whatsoever how to use this, we could buy it and make the tenth 64DD title! Imagine the possibilities![Update 1: Corrected source][Via GameSniped]
Wii Fanboy interviews High Voltage on The Conduit (continued)
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/High_Voltage_reveals_gameplay_details_on_The_Conduit'; Stylistically, it's been compared to Half-Life and Perfect Dark. What games have inspired design choices in The Conduit?Rob: One of our goals from the very start was to make a fast-paced accessible FPS. To that end we looked at and stole shamelessly from mega-hits like Halo and Half-Life, recent titles like Resistance: Fall of Man and Metroid Prime Corruption, as well as classics like Goldeneye for the N64. We wanted to pick the best features from these titles, the things that made them fun and memorable and have features like those in The Conduit. Matt: We've done art direction for so many different titles, and we've learned a lot about establishing a strong and cohesive visual style. The Conduit's art direction has come mainly from taking real world styles and locations and combining them with our own alien technology concepts and aesthetic design preferences. I suppose that it looks similar to those other games, but in the end it's The Conduit's own unique premise that has largely driven the artistic vision. When combined with the features that are specific to our engine tech, The Conduit will look stunning by the time it reaches the player's hands.Will there be a calibration option, so we can "aim down the sights?"Rob: One of the things we learned in our development process was that customization of controls is essential to an enjoyable gameplay experience. To that end, we allow players to customize sensitivity, dead zone sizes, as well as control layouts. But, if you mean, can you actually use the iron-sights of your guns, that answer is "not exactly". The reason being that several of our weapons are alien in nature and don't even have iron-sights... but you will have sort of an alien vision mode with some of the weapons.Matt: There'll be on-the-fly, in-game look sensitivity adjustments, as well as a fully map-able control scheme, down to the button, in the game's front end UI. Players will be able to map the game's controls completely to their own liking. There'll even be a couple of alternate control methods for those that don't care as much for the Wii pointer style of directional turning. There'll be lots of options for maximum playability.%Gallery-25003%There hasn't been much word on who the publisher for The Conduit is. Rumor has it, Nintendo is actually going to publish the game. Can you comment on that? Can you announce one at this time?Matt: I can neither confirm nor deny this, senator. ;) All I will say is that thanks to the explosion of interest in this title, we've had a lot of publishers knocking on our door.Control-wise, will there be options for other methods outside of the Wiimote and nunchuk? Will it support the GameCube controller? Classic controller?Dan: There are movement and weapon functions in The Conduit that require the Wii Remote's pointer, accelerometer, depth, and cursor rotation functionality in order to perform. The Conduit isn't your standard ported-over-to-the-Wii style of game. Using the Classic or GC controller kind of defeats the purpose of what we are looking to do.Matt: With The Conduit we want to redefine first person shooter controls. Hard core FPS gamers that have played the game have told me that they are now convinced that Wii is the best system for the genre. When you play it you'll realize very quickly that the Wii Remote is an incredible control device for this type of game. It just feels amazing to play.Rob: I think if you are buying a Wii, you're buying it to make use of its motion sensitive controls, which are tailor made for an FPS game. Aside from the controls, what are the game's strengths that separate it from other existing PC/console FPSes?Rob: I would say that would be the ASE or "All Seeing Eye" device. In game, this piece of hardware allows a player to adjust the "phase state" of things. This makes invisible enemies and hazards not only visible, but able to take damage. It also makes invisible cover and platforms become solid, leading to more gameplay. We also reveal secret puzzle locks that must be solved to get to special weapons.Dan: We've put a solid amount of effort into enemy AI for The Conduit. A pet peeve of mine is single player FPS games where the enemies just stand there getting blasted, and don't seem to be reacting to the world around them. In The Conduit, our bad guys can hear and see, understand the use of cover, have variable levels of aggression, use grenades effectively, advance and retreat, and can determine when the player is susceptible to attack (i.e. reloading, exposed and moving in their firing cone). I think focusing a higher than normal amount of the dev time on AI makes our single player experience better than most other FPS titles out there. Of course, the overall look we're able to achieve with our advanced engine tech is also something the makes The Conduit a superior FPS game IMO.Matt: I think that going back to the Wii Remote, The Conduit has a unique control system that feels more like a VR experience than the typical spring loaded joystick controlled videogame. I also agree that the ASE device offers a unique style of gameplay that hasn't really been seen before in other games. Having the ability to discover and phase useful objects into the environment to assist with combat is a lot of fun. Beyond that, it's just rock solid action all throughout the game. There'll be fierce enemies, bad ass weapons, and white knuckle battles. It's going to be a hell of a lot of fun.Does the game run at 60fps? 30fps?Matt: If we can hit closer to 60, then that will be great! But for right now we are shooting for a steady 30fps, with zero drops in framerate. The whole team swears by the fact that a solid 30fps still feels great. Even our studio's most hard core PC FPS gamers think that The Conduit feels just right at 30fps. The quality will be there, and the game will look and run amazing by the time that it ships.Dan: The game will run absolutely solid at 30fps. For HVS, choice is either to have less visual splendor and run at 60fps or achieve the look we want for the game and run at 30fps. 30fps is a frame rate that is plenty responsive for FPS gaming and we are valuing the increased visual detail we can offer over the slightly smoother gameplay we might otherwise get by scaling this back.High Voltage has made an adventure game/minigame collection for the Xbox (Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude, also on PS2 and PC), and now they're making an FPS for the Wii. Is this ironic or strategy?Rob: I like to think it's beautiful strategy. At the time Magna Cum Laude came out, the Adventure game market was woefully barren. So we found a title and a publisher willing to take the risk to revitalize that genre. Now we're trying to do the same thing with FPS's on the Wii. We feel that The Conduit will be like rain in the desert, which seems to be the case judging by the online response.Matt: Diversity is key. We don't like to sell ourselves short by sticking with one genre or style of game. High Voltage knows that it's okay to try new things. We've learned a lot after 15 years working with so many different publishers, developers, and licensors. I could go on about how licensed game restrictions, publisher mandates, and drop dead unmovable release dates ultimately affect the quality of your game, but this project is very different. The Conduit is something completely new for our studio. This game will rock! The company seems very (vocally) confident about the ability of The Conduit to revolutionize Wii gaming. Was it always in the plan to build up so much hype, or was the hype a natural product of enthusiasm? Has the hype been more than expected?Rob: The hype has certainly been more than I expected and I am grateful for it. However, it is a two-edged sword. While the hype has helped give us the pick of litter for a publisher, it does mean we have a LOT to live up to. But I think we are up for the challenge. =)Dan: There aren't many large scale multiplayer games for the Wii at this point, nor any that push the Wii graphics HW to the extent we are. So, from these standpoints – The Conduit will be revolutionary for the Wii gaming market. It is HVS's belief that although there are great FPS games on the 360 and PS3 – what they all lack is the kind of unique motion sensing based control schemes that makes The Conduit for the Wii more fun to play. Giving gamers a great looking, great playing, great controlling FPS title is something we feel is worth hyping!Matt: The plan all along was to maximize the potential of the system, and then build a game that showcases the engine tech and the fun of the Wii Remote. Every developer talks big about their own game, but no one at High Voltage could say for sure how well our audience would react to the screenshots and gameplay video release. We've always just been focused on making a great game, and the result is that The Conduit seems to be building its own hype. And we're very appreciative of all the kind words and support we've received from the Wii community.Is The Conduit sharing tech with Animales de la Muerte? Where did the concept for that one come from? Is it still on track? Really, anything we could learn about Animales de la Muerte would be wonderful.Dan: Animales is using the same engine tech as The Conduit, but in a much different way since it's a 'toon shaded game.Matt: I don't want to say too much more about the title until it's closer to completion, but I will say that it's going to be bloody fun. By the way, much respect to our friends in Mexico. However, screw PETA...no animal in this game is safe!Anything about multiplayer? Many of the folks interested in the game are looking to have some kind of online multiplayer, preferably something on-par with Medal of Honor: Heroes 2. Are you trying to implement Wi-Fi compatibility? Local multiplayer?Dan: We are working closely with Nintendo to be able to provide the kind of multiplayer gameplay that we know the market wants.Matt: Nintendo has been really helping us out with technical support but we still have more questions that will need be answered before we can release any specifics about our multiplayer modes. Obviously we want to be competitive with the other online console games, but we'd rather wait until we've got something great to show off before we make any announcements about this very important feature.Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions! When not writing about games, we enjoy talking to the people that make them. Be sure to check out our interview with Wii mastermind Johnny Lee, as well as our chat with Didian Malenfant from Ready at Dawn on Okami for Wii. Oh, and don't forget our chat with Hudson's Mike Samachisa on Deca Sports.
X2Wii hack sends NES, SNES and N64 button mashing to your Wii's GameCube port
Not willing to lay out the cash required to sneak the official Super Famicom Wii controller into the States? Don't feel like going through the insanity of making your own wireless NES and SNES controllers for the Wii? Raphaël's epic X2Wii project might just be your ticket to Virtual Console bliss. He's worked up an adapters for the NES, SNES and N64 controllers to plug straight into your Wii's GameCube port, and while they certainly aren't simple, it's all DIY magic. [Via Hack a Day]
Hacker makes Wii-friendly NES, SNES, N64 controllers
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Hacker_makes_Wii_friendly_NES_SNES_N64_controllers'; The RetroUSB NES/SNES controller adapters enable gamers to easily attain a more genuine Virtual Console experience through the ability to use original controllers. Some hackers have gone even further, building custom circuitry into old equipment. Custom Nintendo themselves have contributed the Super Famicom Classic Controller to the cause of authentic retrogaming.Raphnet's projects include not only adapters and fully-modded SNES and NES controllers, but also N64 solutions. Raphaël Assénat has documented the process of hacking custom controllers with custom circuit boards to allow them to work as Gamecube Controllers, and also sells adapters that let you plug N64 controllers directly into the Wii. People seem to like that controller for some reason.%Gallery-22424%
Retrospective: Nintendo's past peripherals
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Peripherals_that_paved_the_way_for_the_Wii_Fit_Balance_Board'; With Wii Fit (and, thus, the Balance Board) hitting stores recently, we figured a nostalgic stroll down memory lane would be nice. So, what we've done is compiled a list of all the peripherals that helped pave the way for the Balance Board, Nintendo's latest peripheral. So, let's not waste any time and get down to business. To start your journey, just click on the red text in the bottom right-hand corner there.
Miyamoto: Ocarina of Time could have been in first-person perspective
There aren't many gamers who don't harbor fond memories associated with the Nintendo 64's classic adventure (and to many, the greatest installment in the Hylian franchise), Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. In addition to its beloved story and incredible visuals, it was a groundbreaking third-person adventure through an intricately detailed fantasy world -- but would we (and Game Rankings) still hold the triforce-hunting adventure in such high regard if we had experienced Hyrule directly through the point-eared protagonist's eyes?In a recent discussion between Nintendo president Satoru Iwata and revolutionary game developer (and Time's most influential person of 2008) Shigeru Miyamoto, it was outed that Shiggy secretly possesses a penchant for first-person shooters (notably, Rare's seminal N64 shooter Goldeneye), and that he'd considered creating Ocarina of Time using an Oblivion-esque first-person perspective. We're not quite sure how this would have affected the title -- but we're certainly terrified of the prospect of witnessing Darunia's sexy dance of seduction first-hand.
VC Monday Madness video wrap-up 5/5/08
This week, we've got two titles on the Virtual Console tap. How are they? Well, we can't waste precious space here telling you about them. That's what the video above is for! And, if you can't check out our videos for some reason, head past the break for some screens and text.
VC Monday Madness: Renegade and Pokemon Puzzle League
This week, a pair of new titles are available on the Virtual Console system. For those of you paying attention, this comes as no surprise. As for the rest of you, we ask that you just pretend like we totally made Renegade happen. Like, it was all us.This week's Virtual Console titles are: Pokemon Puzzle League (N64, 1 - 2 players, 1,000 Wii Points Renegade (NES, 1 - 2 players, 500 Wii Points) As usual, these will be available for download after 9am PT (12pm for those of us on the east coast). Be sure to stop back and check out our video wrap-up, which should help gauge whether or not these games are worth your money.
Pokmon Puzzle League, Renegade on Virtual Console today
Do you know what we really, truly and utterly despise about Pokémon games? It's the fact that every time something Pokémon related pops out of Nintendo's red-and-white capsule, we have to go hunting for that "é." You know, the one with the thingy on top. That's a period of 45 minutes we could spend being super effective and writing about this week's Virtual Console releases. Pokémon Puzzle League (N64, 1-2 players, 1000 Wii Points): Pit those encapsulated creatures against one another in a battle of manic block rearrangement! Way to go! Renegade (NES, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points): Clean up your city by punching and jump-kicking every thug, gangster, villain, lowlife, miscreant and suspicious loiterer you can find. So, pretty much everyone in the game then.
Complete 64DD collection up for grabs
The 64DD is unquestionably one of the more obscure footnotes in Nintendo history. The Nintendo 64 add-on sold only 15,000 units (85,000 units were reportedly scrapped), meaning that finding the hardware in good condition can be a tricky task, let alone a complete 64DD collection. Yet that is precisely what's being offered in this eBay auction from UK seller golly_75. As well as a boxed 64DD unit, golly_75 is also including a Japanese Nintendo 64, a Nintendo 64 keyboard, a RandNet starter kit, and all nine of the 64DD games that were made, including rarities such as a factory sealed Japan Pro Golf Tour 64 (of which only 10,000 copies were made) and Daishuugou (Doshin the Giant 2: More than a Giant, which numbered only 3,000 units). In short, it's the most impressive 64DD collection we've ever seen.The price so far reflects that, as well -- at the time of writing, the highest bid is $888.[Via GameSniped]
GTA IV usurps Ocarina of Time
Back when it was Super Mario Galaxy sitting pretty atop The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time as best-rated game ever on Gamerankings (SMG eventually dropped and let Ocarina have the throne back), we were fine with it. But, this, this, we cannot sit back and calmly take.The game that everyone seems to be nutty about, Grand Theft Auto IV (or GTA IV, as most seem to be calling it), has now passed Ocarina and become the #1 rated game of all time on the site. While the game is very new (it came out yesterday), many reviews still need to come in, so we're hoping that once they do, Ocarina will be back where it belongs. Until then, sharpen those pitchforks and light your torches, it's time to become an unruly mob.
