Wii Rally

Sega Anounced today that 5 more Genesis title will be headed to the Wii’s Virtual Console by the end of Q1 2007. Keep an eye out for…..

At least in Europe

I woke up this morning and checked my daily digest of gaming press releases and came across one about developer Konami’s first venture into Wii gaming with a title called “Eledees”. Now at first I was confused by this because as far as I knew Konami’s first Wii game was the kitschy yet fun, little critter hunting game “Elebits” which came out shortly after the console’s launch.

So I was thinking that either I was wrong or that Konami had snuck something under my radar. Once I got past my ego and investigated further I found that “Eledees�? is just the European name for “Elebits�?. Too bad I kind of had my hope up for some new Wii action.

Switching gears now I also came across a post on Kotaku for all you old school gamers. It’s about UK gaming website MeanMachines and their Virtual Console Archive. It is very detailed they tell you everything from when the game was released to where it’s available. (Either the US or UK) The most useful part I found was where the site tells you which controller you will need to play a given game.

I also learned that those lucky chaps in the UK have access to the Virtual Console version of the Rare developed classic “Donkey Kong Country�? Jokes on them though we have “Street Fighter II: The World Warrior�? take that you Kong stealing Brits.

Check out the Virtual Console Archive for yourself.

Good morning everyone hope a good weekend was had by all.

I went Wii hunting with a couple of friends this weekend to see if I could increase their chances of procuring a console. While I was in downtown Toronto, I was walking along Dundas St when I noticed people milling about in front of the Best Buy. No line this time, just a bunch of people hanging out in front of the store. Well the journalist in me never sleeps so I went over to see what the fuss was about.

It was the same deal as last week, Best Buy had 15 Wii Console’s for sale and had already given out tickets. The people were standing around because there was no need for a line anymore but I asked the Best Buy rep for more info. He told me that this is the last of the pre-opening line-ups. From now on Best Buy will be putting all their Wii Consoles on the store floor. Will this increase your chances of getting one? That remains to be seen but at least the playing field should be levelled instead of stay at home mom’s and people with no jobs having the advantage. Why are they buying Wii’s when they have no job anyway its called priorities man! Personally I think the idea of lining up on any day except launch day is rather silly but hey it’s just another example of how the Wii is unique.

Well, to all those who are still trying to get a Wii, I wish you good luck and happy hunting. You could also just go out and buy a PS3 I hear Best Buy has plenty of those.

Well 2007 is off to a running start and seems to be shaping up to be quite a year. Every weekend I will be doing these “Wiikend Wrap Ups” So you readers out there can find all the weeks posts in one spot.

Monday
HapWii New Year

Tuesday
Canadian’s Still Lining Up for Wiis

Wednesday
Wii Are Number 1

Thursday
Wii Fan Made Commercials

Feature Friday
Wii Parental Controls

That’s it for this week, come back one Monday for all your favourite Wii info and News

This week Wii Parental Controls

Well everyone the first work week of 2007 has come to a close. This weekend is a good one to catch up on those little tasks that may have slipped your mind during the holiday chaos. One such thing that may have slipped your mind is to set the “Parental Controls” on your brand new Nintendo Wii. Well that’s why we have “Feature Friday” every Friday I’m going to try and go in-depth with one of the features of the Wii. Due to recent developments with the Wii Opera Browser I thought that parental controls would be an excellent place to start.

Now most parents don’t know this but for the last two console generations home consoles have come with a parental lock. Similar to those found on DVD players the Wii’s parental controls are no different from those that have come before it. The Wii’s parental controls work with the ESRB (Entertainment Software Ratings Board) ratings that appear on all games so that you can restrict what game titles are played on your Wii console. To do this, simply follow the steps found after the jump Read the rest of this entry »

I was reading my daily blog rotation yesterday and found many sites had lists of their favourite video of the year. I found a post on gaming blog Joystiq and found a post about Tech E Blog’s list their “Top Five Fan Made Game Commercials�?. Two of the entries were Wii themed and are pretty cool uses of the WiiMote.

Read the rest of this entry »

When you think of Time Magazine you don’t exactly think of hard hitting games journalism, but they are one publication with an enormous amount of credibility. Well Time magazine has released their series of “Top Ten Lists�? for the year and a couple of Nintendo Wii games made the “Top Ten Games of 2006“ list. That’s right Wii Sports took top honours and the number 1 spot, while Zelda: Twilight Princess took the number 4 spot. Not too shabby for a console that only launched in November here in North America and even later to the rest of the world. My guess is that Wii Sports was given the honour due to its intuitive and fun controls and mass appeal. My mom even played it and told me she loved the Wii Bowling.

Zelda: Twilight Princess is also poised to win many “game of the year�? awards. In fact voting is going on for the 2006 1UP Awards as we speak on massive gaming site 1up.com. You can head on over to check out all the nominees and vote for your favourite.

On a side note another Nintendo game made Time’s list, New Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo DS took the number 3 spot ahead of Zelda. Here’s to hoping that big N and all the other Wii developers out there have lots of fun surprises in store for us Wii games all throughout 2007 and well in to the future.

Source: Time.com

Wiis in Canada are sold out everywhere…still?

I drove by my local Best Buy last week, Friday morning to be exact. I was intrigued by what I found… a line at 7:00 in the morning. Now all the Boxing Day brouhaha was over and done with most sales only last two days anyway but I digress. As it so happens these people were in line to purchase this particular Best Buy’s shipment of Nintendo Wii’s. The store confirmed that they had 27 available for purchase and most people had been in line since the night before. I counted more that 27 in line by the way, good thing there were no children. I would hate to see a little gamer disappointed for reasons he can not understand.

Why are people still lining up to for hours to get a Wii? There should be plenty of them in the stores by now. The console launched back in November. Now, I know that Nintendo has seen some very impressive sales over the holiday season, but this is after Christmas and Boxing Day. I have not heard about any of this happening in the U.S. My understanding is that Wii’s are plentiful there. I really can’t imagine lining up to purchase a console or game on any day other than launch. I contacted Nintendo for comment but they were unavailable (Holiday) but the second they get back to me I will post an update.

Hellllllllooooooooooo 2007 show me what you got!

This should be a great year for the Nintendo Wii. Nintendo of America’s Reggie Fils-Amie has already promised that there will be no game drought for the Wii this year. For those of you who do not know a gaming drought normally occurs once a year during the summer months. Video game and consoles tend to dip a little and most tell themselves it because kids are outside playing in the sun. I however think that gamers are forced outside due to the lack of quality software but let’s not get into a “Chicken before the egg” debate here.

Droughts were especially common for first party Nintendo games. Zelda: Twilight Princess and Super Paper Mario were supposed to be GameCube titles and ended up being moved over to the Wii, not that I think anyone is complaining about Twilight Princess being on the Wii, in fact you can check out Jeremy Parish’s Review, He gave it a 10.

Now there are lots to be excited about in 2007. All I need to do is think about Super Smash Brothers: Brawl and I begin to salivate. Also, Wii owners have not even gotten a taste of what Nintendo might offer in the realm of online multiplayer. Which might come with the release of SSB: Brawls or Pokemon: Battle Revolution. Trust me folks it’s going to be a very fun year. Still I do feel kind of bad for those poor souls that shelled out almost 800$ for a PS3 all because it’s HD.

Well the big day has arrived and all the wrapping paper has been torn a sunder. If you were lucky enough to receive the hottest item this year well let me be the first to say “Welcome to the World of Wii”

I’m sure people have been very busy making Mii’s or having Grandma school them at Wii Sports but Nintendo has given Wii owners a little bit of holiday cheer. A couple of MY favorites should be available on the Wii Shop Channel today. The original Super Mario Bros.(NES), Street Fighter II: The World Warrior and Super Castlevania aka Castlevania IV (Both SNES). Grab these ones ASAP you won’t regret it plus it’s a perfect way to use those Wii Points cards you got for Christmas.

Well I’ll be busy tomorrow Boxing day is like “Black Friday” for Canadians so there are many many many things to buy. I don’t go in for all the pre-holiday buying frenzy but I do like the post holiday sales. I’ll most likely be picking up some new games for my Wii and DS. I’ve gotten one new game so far for Christmas, I can’t wait to dive in to Zelda: Twilight Princess head first.

Got something amazing for Christmas? Well I want to hear about it drop a comment or send me an email and tell me all about your own holiday adventures.

Wii Rally wishes all of you and yours a very happy holiday.

I was in my local Dollarama and decided to pick up some candy and then saw these.

Why not wish the gamer in your life a Happy Holidays with a package of 3D Nintendo Gummy Candies!!!!

I know I’ll have a good Holiday because I know that Nintendo 3D Gummy Candies have the “Latest Game Tips Inside”

Ever been playing your Wii and wondered how you favourite hockey team did that night? Well you could change the channel and try and find a sport report or lug your gamer girth all the way over to the computer. Well all that’s about to change.
Opera has released the free trial version of their web browser for the Wii Console. You can now browse the internet from the comfort of your Wii dashboard.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to deliver our browser to Wii and let the world see what Opera is capable of on a game console, says Jon von Tetzchner, CEO, Opera Software.�?

I’ve never been a big fan of Opera’s software but since this version of their browser was developed specifically for the Wii, I am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. Follow the link to the press release from Opera and you can access Video of the browser in action, screenshots, and even fun little web comic on how to install the browser.

Opera Press Release

I found this interesting yet hypnotic video of a Mii parade today. Mii’s are little avatar’s that are stored on your Wii console and are used to play games like Wii Sports or Wii Play, due in February. The music is relaxing and the parade of 117 Miis will put a smile on your face:) Try and spot the Storm Trooper Mii.

Greetings Wii gamers I am Tim Ashdown your guide to the fun filled world of the Nintendo Wii, well let me tell you all a little bit about myself.

I’m a video game design and development student from Toronto, Ontario… that’s in Canada folks. I have had a small obsession with the medium since a very young age I have long been convinced of its power and ability to entertain people of all ages.

Why write about the Wii? Well I must say that Nintendo is attempting to reach out to all the gamers out there young, old casual and hardcore alike. I plan to do the same I’ll try to watch the technical jargon though I don’t think people would like to read about how amazing the new C++ compilers are so I’ll keep the news light-hearted, fun and always interesting. If you have any comments, suggestions or tips drop me a line at tim.ashdown@451press.net. Tootles and happy gaming.