by Tim
Your local Best Buy is sold out of Wii points cards or maybe you can’t scrape together the 24.99 required to buy one. If you’re a variety whore like me you bounce from game to game how are you supposed to get you fix without dropping your life savings on the Virtual Console? WiiCade to the rescue.
I happened across this site some time ago and I figured it was time to share it with you. Start up your Wii Opera browser and head on over to www.wiicade.com you will be pleasantly surprised.
WiiCade is a flash games website where all the games can be played using the WiiMote either by pointing or using the buttons on the WiiMote itself. There are games for every taste action, shooters, puzzle even platformers. The site is completely fan run and is totally free so enjoy.
by Tim
I may or may not have been the victim of an April fools joke played by the editors of EGM. No one has been able to confirm or deny that Mushroom Kingdom Hearts is Wii bound. If I have been had then I have to laugh at myself for buying this story hook line and sinker but there is nothing funny about stealing someones works and passing it off as your own.
I was checking digg.com today and I found another story about Mushroom Kingdom Hearts upon clicking the link to the story I was shocked at what I saw. My story about the EGM blurb has been posted word for word by someone named Pinata on www.vgcharts.org.
He used my image, he posted my misspelling of SquEnix, he even submitted the story to digg and received more diggs than me. No link was made to my post and absolutely no credit was given. I contacted vgcharts.org and asked the following questions.
ME - One of your users or contributors has blatantly stolen one of my posts.
My name is Tim Ashdown and I write www.wiirally.com for 451 Press LLC and someone named Pinata has stolen content from my website word for word. No link or credit is given. Any comment?
VGCHARTS - Not really, it happens all the time and the contributors are allowed to do
whatever they want - there is an option to cite a source but they
obviously chose not to…
ME - So you guys plagiarise people’s work all the time?
VGCHARTS - It’s user - submitted news. Just a blog-style page where people post the latest news stories. I could probably find 4-5 other places that have used your story (by a law of averages) - be flattered.
This leads me to believe that this is common practice at vgcharts.org. Be flattered? Not only is this dishonest and unethical I’m pretty sure it’s illegal too but I’m not a lawyer. 451 Press LLC is now handling the matter I will update all of you with further developments. I know this happens to journalists all the time but this is a first for me and I must say I feel dirty. I used to think that vgcharts.org was a reputable organization but I guess I was wrong.
My post
Plagiarism post
[UPDATE-1] VGcharts.org has since added a link to Wii Rally to the post. The victory is bitter sweet however the addition of the link comes after the site stole a whole days worth of Digg traffic away from my little site. I really appreciate being ripped off like that. I wonder if they’re going to send me a check for lost revenue too? Or at least apologise.
by Tim
Three more titles hit the NA Virtual Console today.
Get ready to slay gouls and demons, swing swords and ride elevators?
Elevator Action (NES, 500 Wii Points)
Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts (Super NES, 800 Wii Points)
Sword of Vermilion™ (Genesis, 800 Wii Points)
Elevator Action is one of my favorite games of all time simple platforming-esq gameplay coupled with some great challenge made this one a quarter gobbler for me. I used to play Elevator Action machine at the arcade which was right by my high school. (Shout out to Turner Fenton in Brampton Ont.) Super Ghouls and Ghosts will allow you to get some serious mileage out of that classic controller with it’s unrelenting difficulty.
by Tim
This month’s EGM has a nice little exclusive announcement for all you SquNix fans out there. Apparently Mario and his band of contemporaries will join Sora, Mickey and the rest of Kingdom Hearts crew for an all new adventure on the Wii. No surprises here after seeing the success of the first 3 Kingdom Hearts adventures. Even the card based Chain of Memories on the GBA was pretty decent.
The gameplay will most likely be very similar to that found in Twilight Princess. It’s so nice to see Square Enix and Nintendo working together again could this mean that there is a possibility to the long awaited sequel to Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars? I might just crap my pants for that one.
by Tim
EGM is reporting in their April 2007 issue that gamers will not see the debut of the popular Mario Party series today like originally reported. Instead the guys at EGM say that Mario Party is now slated for a summer launch. Nintendo’s website confirms that the release date has been changed to Q2 07.
No reasons for the delay are given which allows writers like me to throw fuel on the speculation fires. It is a definite possibility that Nintendo has delayed the shipping of the title so that they can add some form of online play which would make the game infinitely more fun.
Like any good party it’s always cool to be fashionably late.
by Tim
Little light on the posts this week but twas kind of a slow week in regards to the Wii. I think everyone is getting amped up for GDC next week. GDC or Game Developers Conference is held every year in San Francisco by the CMP Group the folks who bring you www.gamasutra.com and Game Developer magazine. It’s where developers both professional and independent will have an opportunity to showcase their work and meet with fellow game developers and talk about well… games.
Since I’m still a child in this industry I shan’t be going this year but hopefully I will be able to make an appearance in 2008.
On to the Wrap!
Monday
NA VC Update 02/26/07
Get Ready For My Sims
Tuesday
Virtual Console Price Fixing?
Wednesday
The Games of March
Thursday
Video Thursday: Review Edition
Feature Friday
Euro VC Update 03/02/07
by Tim
Bonjour tout le monde c’est Vendredi. C’est temps pour un autre Virtual Console actualisition. Aujord’hui trois jeux de Sega et un de TurboGrafix 16 ce met sure le Virtual Console.
Sword of Vermilion (Genesis 800 Wii points)
Bio Hazard Battle (Genesis 800 Wii points)
Streets of Rage (Genesis 800 Wii points)
Chew-Man-Fu (TG-16 600 Wii pointrs)
Encore je recommander Chew-Man-Fu. On doit cherchez la riz cantonais pour tout le monde.
Hey everyone just thought I would mix things up with a little bit of french for our European brethren. Don’t bother trying to correct it because I know it’s far from perfect and to be honest with you anybody who suggest that I change the spelling tends to get ignored anyway. So Enjoy the language of love.
Meanwhile back at the ranch
I know I haven’t done a Feature Friday in a couple weeks but I’m working on it so sit tight and brace yourself for it’s gracious return soon.
by Tim
by Tim
The sun beats down on my back as I crawl forward in search of refreshment. “Water? Water!” I yell “Water and games, will this drought never end?” But wait as I look out into the horizon I see it. Relief from this crazy drought we have been stuck in since January. Get ready for a flood here come the games of March.
Getting serious now. Reggie once promised us that we would see no game drought for the Wii in 2007. Well what do you call the last 2 months big man? Sure there’s been some hotness on the virtual console and both Sonic and Wario have made their debut on the Wii but still there hasn’t been that much to be excited about. Hopefully March will change that with 8 new Wii games set to make Wii owners the busiest they’ve been since Christmas.
March will see the release of some original content along with a couple of shoe-horned “Wii-makes”. It would seem that almost every major publisher has a game coming out for the Wii in March. Nintendo kicks off the party right at the beginning with the release of the anticipated release of Mario Marty 8. You know what they say March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb, well the same is true for games. The month of march starts strong but then kind of peters out at the end.
Who will rule the charts Ubisoft’s TMNT? EA’s Tiger Woods PGA Tour ‘07? or Hudson’s Wing Island? We shall see.
Hit the jump for the complete list of Wii games launching in March. Read the rest of this entry »
by Tim
I noticed something interesting about the Wii Shop channel today.
Once you have purchased a Virtual Console game from the Wii shop channel you can no longer see the price. If you view the listing for a Virtual Console game after you have purchased it in the area that once displayed the price (in Wii Points) the words “downloaded” appear. I know this is nothing new but I recently pondered the implication of such a feature. Yes it’s good to see what you have already downloaded so as to prevent repeat downloads but what is stopping Nintendo from changing the prices of Virtual Console games later on?
Look at it this way. You download Donkey Kong for the NES for 500 Wii points you play it and enjoy it. Then 6 months later Nintendo changes the price to 250 Wii points. But you will never know because as far as you know it’s “downloaded”. So you go through life wondering why people are snickering at you behind your back. All because you paid 5 bucks for 3 stages of Donkey Kong, what’s up with that anyway.
I’ll give Nintendo the benefit of the doubt though. I have faith that big “N” wouldn’t do business in such a sneaky underhanded way but then again EA was founded on similar principals. Just something to think about before you blow all those Wii points on something you might regret later.
Aside: Stupid Donkey Kong I swear there was more than 3 stages back in 1983.
by Tim
Today Maxis and EA announced MySims which is being developed exclusively for the Wii and DS. The game will allow for crazy customization of yourself, everything you own and even the whole town. Will EA capture all those hardcore “Sims” lovers out there or will the cutesy aesthetic limit the game’s appeal?
EA has a great opportunity to really show what the Wii can do. I’m hoping for some Wii-DS connectivity or the ability to visit other people’s town. Details outside of the general premise are scarce at the moment but I’m gonna be following this one for awhile. EA does have a trailer up on the MySims website.
by Tim
Cue the fanfare lay out the red carpet The Legend of Zelda hit the NA VC today. To no surprise since Nintendo released a hype garnering press release on the 23rd. It will make a very nice addition to any collection which already contains Mario Bros.
Before you run to the Wii Shop channel and spend that 1000 Wii points read this description of Chew Man Fu.
A novel action-puzzle game set in the sacred towers taken over by the evil sorcerer, Chew Man Fu. It’s up to an apprentice female monk to free the towers and lift Chew’s curse to bring peace and fried rice back to the land once ruled by the Egg Roll Dynasty. The rules are simple. The objective is to clear each round by pushing or pulling four colored orbs onto their matching colored tiles. Beware the sorcerer’s minions in the tower who stand in the way. Players kick the orbs to take enemies out or to break down walls. They must overcome the obstacles and place the orbs on their respective tiles. Chew Man Fu also features the two-player Kick Ball minigame, as well as an Edit Mode for creating unique stages. The fun is endless.
A kickball mini game and a level editor? The fun really is endless.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64 1000 Wii Points)
Bio-Hazard Battle (Genesis, 800 Wii Points)
Chew Man Fu (TG16, 600 Wii Points)
by Tim
It’s time for another Wiikend wrap up! (Applause)
A couple tidbits for you this weekend. First you may or may not have heard about the possibility of NeoGeo games coming to the Wii’s Virtual Console. According to CVG (Computer Video Games) Nintendo of Japan has confirmed they will be releasing an update to the Virtual Console allowing gamers to play NeoGeo and MSX games. Nintendo wouldn’t tell CVG whether Europe or North America would seeing this update. Now I’ve never owned a NeoGeo or an MSX but the more the merrier.
On to the wrap!
Monday
NA VC Update 02/19/07
Tuesday
Wii Charging Station by Thrustmaster
Wednesday
Wii Wish: Rocket Jockey
Thursday
Makin’ Miis
Video Thursday: Sonic Edition
Feature Friday
European VC Update 02/23/07
WiiMote != Lightsaber
by Tim
I found an interesting article on TheForce.net today. Apparently Game Informer sat down with a rep from Lucas Arts to talk about the upcoming Star Wars game “Force Unleashed” during the discussion the rep was asked why the games was coming to every platform except the Wii. “even if that version does happen, it probably wouldn’t be ‘the lightsaber game’ that gamers have eagerly been awaiting.”
Is this good news or bad news? I think it’s good that the first iteration of lightsaber combat will not be from some crappy port that is “shoe horned” on to the Wii. I believe that at the moment Lucas Arts has no official plans for a Star Wars game on the Wii. However that doesn’t mean that it won’t happen. Lets look at the facts.
~Lucas Arts is notoriously secretive about most projects.
~Lucas Arts tends to announce games that are very near the end of their development cycle.
~George Lucas is the king of merchandising next to Gene Simmons of course and will never turn down an opportunity to make some cash with his beloved Star Wars IP.
~Apparently no developers can really get “realistic” sword fighting to work with the WiiMote.
I think that we will see an amazing Star Wars game on the Wii just not anytime soon.
Source:TheForce.net
by Tim
I told everyone that last week with the release of DK Country here in NA I wasn’t jealous of the Euro market anymore. Well my eyes turned green again this week with the latest Euro VC update.
Kid Icarus (NES, 500 Wii points)
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64, 1000 Wii points)
It is widely known throughout the games industry that the market most commonly screwed on prices, release dates and content is Europe. I guess that Nintendo is trying to make amends by giving them access to one of the most widely anticipated VC games, Ocarina of Time.
What interests me is not that the game is available in Europe but that it only costs 1000 Wii points not the previously rumored 1200 Wii points. Will we see a change in the price point for the NA release of the game on the VC? That remains to be seen but I sincerely hope not. Every one’s used to getting screwed by Msoft, Sony, EA et.al but when Nintendo screws you it hurts….deep down inside.
So will we finaly see OoT hit the NA market with the coming monday update? Check back on Monday to find out.
