Category: Video Game Musings

Homebrew… Tastes Like Chicken…

So, if I may get back to that statement I was going to make a couple days ago before it digressed into something else and totally made forget what I was going to say…

With the recent announcement that Nintendo is going to be phasing out the more worthless Wii online services at the tail end of June, it seems like the writing is on the wall before support for Nintendo’s miracle machine goes the way of the original Xbox. So… since the eventually will come when Nintendo will drop all support for the console sooner or later to focus their efforts on the Wii U, I’ve decided to take the plunge and add in that Homebrew Channel thing that’s been the rage with the kiddies. I’m not going to go into the details of how I achieved this; this is information that you can pretty much attain yourself.

Nice little thing, they got going. Aside from a couple emulators (that I use solely for playing ROM hacks), I found this one homebrew game that I was really digging until I realized it was a demo. A shame, really. I would really like more of that.

Spoke Too Soon

Recently in a video, I gave slight praise to the Xbox 360 controller that I bought for Windows… maybe I spoke too soon, because last night, when I plugged in the receiver to test out a game I haven’t played in a long time, it wouldn’t work. My PC doesn’t recognize it or anything… and I’ve tried several USB ports to no success. Maybe it’s the hardware… will have to try some other PC.

(October 2013 Update: Works with the new PC I picked up in July and rather well. The trade off is that the wireless keyboard and mouse combination likes to spazz out once in a blue moon… oh well.)

25 Dumbest Moments In Video Game History (2003)

From Gamespy back in 2003 is a list of 25 dumb decisions and events that took place in video game history up to that point, along with five reader-submitted honorable mentions. The actual site no longer has the article, but I was able to pull out through that Wayback Machine thing. Link’s below. Check it out. It’s quite an interesting read.

Wii U Is Not For Me

So the Wii U has been around for a while and well… it’s a thing that happened.

So basically, the system has promise, but also has one key component that keeps me from wanting one and that’s its gamepad device like thing.

Here’s the deal; I’ve tried using the gamepad and it feels awkward. So the fact that so many games use the tablet-looking thing is a turn-off. But more than anything, it’s also the one component that is vital to the operation of the Wii U and you CANNOT replace it. Once you fuck that thing up, it’s time to get a new Wii U or possibly get it serviced. Good luck with that.

That tablet is the one defining turn-off for the Wii U. And that’s a bit of a shame because like I said, there’s promise with the Wii U if it can be fully realized. Otherwise, this could be a mild turn-off for some people.

To those looking to own a Wii U down the line, I wish you all nothing but the best.

SFxMM… Take 2

Downloaded the new version of SFxMM last night after many attempts to get the damn site to show the proper download link.

This one runs a bit better than the first version, although music and sound still breaks up on occasion. I can, at the very least, play the game remotely properly with my wireless 360 controller.

Initial thoughts? Not a badly made game. Quite a nice challenge. The idea isn’t that bad…

Maybe up for review? Who knows?

Digital Foundry's Wii Mini Review

Digital Foundry did a pretty comprehensive review of the recent Canada-exclusive Wii Mini console release and can be read here for anyone interested. After reading this review, it pretty much confirmed my original thought process on the console; stripped down to the bare minimum and not worth the money for a budget gaming system, especially since for an additional fifty bucks you can get an original Wii model with pack-in game.

Wii Mini: No SD Slot = No Buys

So another set of details has surfaced regarding the upcoming Wii Mini that’s up for sale in Canada and another bit of information has come up that might kill some potential sales. As if the lack of Gamecube support and Internet access might be rage-inducing to some people, it’s also been revealed that the Wii Mini lacks an SD card slot. So, in other words, if you’re looking to back-up your save data or carry over your save data from another Wii console over to the Mini, you’re out of luck.

This is disheartening to hear. While I’m not going to be shedding any tears over the lack of Gamecube and Internet access (meaning no WiiWare and Virtual Console), I would’ve thought they kept the SD slot for the sake of backing up saves or that sort of thing. I know some saves couldn’t be transferred, but I figured they would work around that at the very least. Considering that there is NO SD slot to be found on the system, my thoughts on whether this would be a worthwhile purchase – even as a budget system – seems to be waning even further towards the negative.

Mind you, I had no real intention of picking up a Wii Mini, especially since my 2008 Wii model – the one with Gamecube support, Internet access, and an SD card slot – is still working fine and might be subjected to a good softmodding if I can find a safe means of doing so… but there was the thought of picking this up as a novelty item. And if I could transfer my saves from Big Wii to Mini Wii, then at the very least, I’d have a back-up Wii. But the lack of a very common component in the SD card slot means that Nintendo will most certainly not be getting my money when it comes to this venture.

Really, I’m still not seeing the value of this thing as anything other than something for the collectors to buy and preserve for the eventual boost in resale value in five to ten years. I mean, if you were really looking for a decent budget system, there are dozens and dozens of better alternatives. I recommend picking up a Super Nintendo instead.