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Modder haphazardly shoves an N64 into a Wii shell
We'll be frank -- there's nothing particularly elegant about the Wii64, but it is unique, so we just have to pay attention. Without any rhyme or reason, this here modder decided it best to gut the internals of his Wii and replace them with the innards of an N64. Of course, he could've just referenced someone else's work for getting an N64 controller to play nice with Nintendo's latest, but we suspect that just wasn't the itch he was trying to scratch. The current bid is just $49.99, so those intrigued enough to actually have it shipped to their house can bid away.[Via Nintendo Wii Fanboy]
Some guy put a Nintendo 64 in his Wii
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Presenting_the_Wii_64'; Why? NOBODY KNOWS. Maybe he desperately misses the days of blowing in slots. Whatever reasons he had, this is now up on eBay, with bidding starting at $49.99. The auction notes that the mod is "100% working!" (uh ... good?) and that the Wii's blue lights still illuminate when it's switched on, which we have to admit is kind of neat. Also, the seller calls it a "Wii64." Hmm. See more of this peculiar beast past the break, and more illustrious Wii mods here.%Gallery-31020%
Mario Golf, Shining Force II swing their armaments on Virtual Console
What's better than playing golf with your favorite Nintendo characters in the comfort of your own imagination? Wielding a sword and playing a character named "Bowie," of course! Mario Golf (Nintendo 64, 1-4 players, 1,000 Wii Points): Arguably the best in the Mario Golf series and certainly one of the cheapest. It just makes us wonder why Nintendo hasn't slapped together its cast of characters into a Wii golf game yet. Shining Force II (Sega Genesis, 1 player, 800 Wii Points): You've got a sword in a fantasy medieval setting that rewards you for swinging said blade at others. Also, did we mention your main character is named Bowie? To jog your memory, we've embedded videos of each title after the break.
Banjo-Kazooie XBLA remake dated for Nov 26, sequel in 2009 [update]
Microsoft today released -- and promptly pulled -- a press release via Gamerscore blog (original link; via TeamXbox) announcing that the Banjo-Kazooie Nintendo 64 remake is coming "exclusively" (i.e. we're guessing no Virtual Console release) to Xbox Live Arcade on November 26 for 1200 ($15). Additionally, Microsoft announced a Banjo-Tooie remake is coming in early 2009. Those who pre-order Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts will get it about two weeks early (the game launches just under two weeks prior on November 14). Achievements in Banjo-Kazooie will unlock content in Nuts and Bolts via the "Stop n Swop" mode. We don't know why Microsoft pulled the press release, but we'll let you know when it's back up. Update: It's back up.
Darth 64 mega-mod results in portable N64 that breathes funny
We wouldn't go so far as to say that the apprentice has become the teacher, but over three years after modder extraordinaire Benjamin Heckendorn crafted his very own portable Nintendo 64, along comes one of his dedicated followers with another take on things. The Darth 64 is easily one of the most convoluted console hacks we've ever seen, utilizing bits and pieces from an N64, PSOne, GameCube and a Lazer Doodle. Somehow or another, hailrazer was able to actually make those seemingly unrelated components work together to form a "handheld" N64 console -- one that's battery powered, no less. Tap the read link for lots more construction pics, and don't forget to bow down upon entering.[Via NintendoWiiFanboy]
Amazon's 17 separate Rock Band 2 listings ... for Nintendo 64
While not as funny as Circuit City's "$10,000" Madden PSP bundle, Amazon has listed every Rock Band 2 game, bundle, peripheral and the Rock Band Track Pack as coming to Nintendo 64. While we were quick to assume this meant an overindulgent revival of the best Nintendo console ever, we quickly came back to reality after we noticed the box shots were showing the correct consoles (Xbox 360, PS3, etc.). Revival averted.%Gallery-29753% [Thanks, Justin!]
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.
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]
VC Friday: Become a Pokemon Puzzle Master!
Despite their ubiquity, the majority of Pokémon games manage to maintain a high standard, even when they abandon the more traditional Pokémans formula. Pokémon Puzzle League, for example, is one of the best examples of a Pokémon game that isn't a Pokémon game, and is comfortably worth its 1000 Wii Point price tag.A pair of Eikichi Kawasaki-designed Neo Geo titles round off the week in Europe and Australia -- Samurai Shodown is one of the Neo Geo's best fighting games, while Burning Fight is another addition to the already oversubscribed (on the VC, at least) dude-smashing genre. Pokémon Puzzle League -- Nintendo 64 -- 1000 Wii Points Samurai Shodown -- Neo Geo -- 900 Wii Points Burning Fight -- Neo Geo -- 900 Wii Points Footage of all three follows the break!
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]
Promotional Consideration: Fushigi no Commercials
Promotional Consideration is a weekly feature about the Nintendo DS advertisements you usually flip past, change the channel on, or just tune out. In advance of this coming week's Pokemon Mystery Dungeon 2 releases, Nintendo has commissioned two commercials to herald the dungeon crawlers, one for each edition, Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness. Once again, this sequel adopts Chunsoft's Fushigi no Dungeon (Mystery Dungeon) design to allow gamers to play as a Pokemon. It's a solid set of titles, by most reports, but many genre veterans consider them inferior to games like The Nightmare of Druaga and Shiren the Wanderer. Nevertheless, kids are crazy for the Pokemon branding, and the original GBA/DS Pokemon Mystery Dungeon releases went on to sell over 5.5 million copies worldwide. And that's why we now have a major publisher supporting an extremely niche genre with two separate commercials.
Dojo update: Masterpieces
Do not adjust your monitor. This is still the Nintendo Wii Fanboy Dojo update you know and love, even if today's dojo announcement falls squarely in the region of "Dubya. Tee. Eff."Basically, Brawl will be shipping to stores with several "Masterpieces," disc-based trial versions of Virtual Console games. There's nothing too obscure in the selection revealed so far (Super Mario Bros., Ice Climber, The Legend of Zelda, Kid Icarus, Kirby's Adventure, Super Metroid, and Star Fox 64), but Sakurai has promised that more titles are on the way. Obviously, because they're trial versions, you can only play them for a limited time (though that may not deter some people).You can view this feature in two ways, we suppose. Some will see it as a fitting tribute to the greatest videogame company of all time. Others might decipher this as a cynical piece of free advertising for the Virtual Console. As for us, we're just happy that new or younger players will be getting an insight into Nintendo's outstanding body of work. Just don't look at the games Japan is getting. That would make you angry.%Gallery-10206%%Gallery-6869%
Rumor: Super Smash Bros. to hit VC when Brawl releases
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Rumor_Super_Smash_Bros_N64_Hits_VC_When_Brawl_Launches'; Because Super Smash Bros. Brawl won't consume enough time on its own, rumor has it that the game's release will be accompanied by the appearance of Super Smash Bros. on the Virtual Console. We're not sure where you stand on purchasing a fuzzier, arguably inferior fighting game on the very same day you get to take home your shiny new copy of Brawl, but we imagine that very few of you will need your arm twisting.This particularly juicy slice of speculation first appeared in Nintendo Power, and we wouldn't bet against it being true, especially as the Virtual Console debuts of Metroid and Super Mario Bros. 3 more or less coincided with the releases of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and Super Mario Galaxy respectively.On an entirely separate note, how much has that original boxart aged? Day-um.
Pokmon Snap gets Wii functionality on Virtual Console
Next Tuesday, Japanese Wii owners will be able to download the underrated N64 title Pokémon Snap on the Wii's Virtual Console. Unique to this release, however, will be newly added Wii functionality, setting an interesting precedent for future VC releases.Dengeki Online reports that photographs taken in-game can be posted to the Wii Message Board, and sent along to friends using the Wii's internet connection. While this isn't a terribly interesting use of the Wii functionality, it does show that Nintendo is willing to add new features to Virtual Console titles. No word yet on when Pokémon Snap will be making its debut in other regions, but could other upcoming VC titles be receiving similar treatment?[Via CVG]
VC Friday: Zonked on paper
It's an odd pairing for the weekend for European gamers -- the punk-influenced Air Zonk and the classically adorable Paper Mario! What do they both have in common? A light-hearted approach to gaming and solid offerings for their respective genres. That's something we can get behind. Air Zonk -- Turbografx -- 600 Wii points Paper Mario -- Nintendo 64 -- 1000 Wii points
N64 gets a contemporary makeover
The classy white-with-blue light Wii theme can add a touch of awesome to any game console. We won't say anything to impugn the vaunted N64 in any way-- we think the white paint job makes it look damned cool. The paint is nice and smooth, too.Color variations are nothing new for the N64, but Nintendo didn't release one in white. And they certainly didn't put LED's in it. What do you think about this mod? Can you think of any other consoles that would benefit from some white paint?
Paper Mario pencilled into the VC release schedule
The N64 version of Paper Mario is soon to hit the Virtual Console, according to a recent magazine article.If you've just finished Super Paper Mario and are after some more dimension-shifting hyper-realism , then this is the place to get it. The 2001 classic is more of an RPG than its younger sibling, with turn based combat, so bear that in mind if you're thinking of shelling out the Wii points. No news on release dates as yet -- we'll keep you posted.
Mario Kart 64 headlines Jan. Wii VC lineup, in Japan
Nintendo will deal a strong hand of nostalgia to begin the New Year, as January will see Japanese Wii owners tempted by the likes of Mario Kart 64 and SNES Super Famicom's Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu (the last series' title to be produced by Gunpei Yokoi). Additional classics like Ice Climber, Kid Icarus and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link will fill out the first-party offerings; and new Genesis and TurboGrafx-16 titles will ensure that the Virtual Console service always has something stirring a soft spot.Which Christmas releases did you give in to?
Metareview - Zelda: Twilight Princess (GameCube)
For Wii-less GameCube owners it's a no-brainer; you pro'ly been had your copy of Twilight Princess. But for those few Wii owners who are considering the GameCube edition, still unable to take decisive action, here are several takes on how the two versions match up:
Nintendo wants GoldenEye back
digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Nintendo_Wants_Goldeneye_Back'; MTV's Stephen Totilo recently grilled Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime about all things Wii. When questioned, the NoA president didn't hold back his desire to see GoldenEye returned to Nintendo's platform, revealing to Totilo, "Suffice it to say we would love to see [GoldenEye on Virtual Console], so we're exploring all the rights issues."So how far is Nintendo willing to "explore"? If GoldenEye is to enjoy its homecoming, royalties could certainly be owed to Microsoft, which now owns developer Rare, and Activision, which scooped up the Bond license earlier this year. Judging by Reggie's comments -- "the pain is worth the gain" -- Nintendo may be willing to cut those checks.