Even with the high prices they have to pay those Brits are going console crazy, with Microsoft now reporting they are having trouble keeping up with demand. Microsoft says that units have to be sent out to stores as soon as the warehouse receives them and that they are even having trouble finding enough vans for the job.
On the Wii side of things, hoards of Brits are crossing the English Channel to raid the French’s plentiful stockpile. Many French stores are employing a “one Wii per customer” policy to keep the madness at bay.
NanaOn-Sha, developer of the PaRappa the Rapper games have announced that they will be making a new music based game for Wii. The game will be published by Majesco and should be released late 2008. The mystery game will signal a reunion with the developer and the artist behind PaRappa’s distinctive style, Rodney Alan Greenblat.
Don’t know what you buy your Wii obsessed friend for the holiday season? How about a sculpture of their very own Mii. Paul Pape Designs store over at Etsy will do all the hard work for you by creating your custom Mii for only US$50. The 3D sculpture of your little guy measures between 6” and 8” tall.
The new Iron Man game is looking pretty spectacular in this newly released trailer. I’m going to call it here and say that this could be one of the best movie/comic adaptations yet.
It would have been one depressing day for Yasuhiro Wada and Goichi Suda, executive producers and creators of No More Heroes. The two were handing out NMH toilet paper rolls present at the game’s launch event, expecting to be mobbed by fans for signed copies of their latest creation. Yet after 20 minutes, nobody bought a single copy of the game - even after engaging the spruiking services of a cute mini-skirt-clad girl. It’s a telling picture of the Japanese Wii market - an excellent game like NMH simply doesn’t attract sales because it is unconventional, “un-Wii”.
There have been lots of hacks using the Wiimote but none as useful as this. Johnny Lee shows that the Wiimote can be used to make an interactive light board or tablet monitor. This hack is a really cheap alternative to the real thing, provided you have a spare Wiimote, infrared pen, computer, blue tooth receiver and a projector or LCD monitor lying around. The ever-helpful Lee steps us through it and provides the software on his page.
The Wii Shop Channel has been updated with the ability to send someone a Virtual Console game as a gift. To send a gift, select the software you want to send in the Wii Shop Channel, select “Gift”, and choose a friend from your Wii Friends Roster - you can also give it a personal touch by attaching your own Mii and a message.
If you’re looking for something to give someone, you could always try the recently added Nintendo 64 title Pokemon Snap, enhanced by integration with the Wii Message Board, allowing you to share your best shots with friends.
We’re feeling a little festive at The Gamer Gene, so we’re giving away a Virtual Console game to celebrate Christmas (and test out the new functionality, of course) - check out how to enter at this post.
To celebrate Christmas and the new gift feature in the Wii Shop Channel, we’re giving one lucky reader the Virtual Console game of their choice. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post telling us which game you want, and why.
Best answer wins at 6PM EST on Friday, December 21 - because who doesn’t love an early Christmas present? Just remember to use your real e-mail address - otherwise you won’t get our e-mail telling you you’ve won.
A recent update for the Wii Photo Channel has added AAC support, shuffle play during a slide show, and the ability to customize the Photo Channel icon that is displayed on the Wii Menu. The catch? MP3 support has been removed - so those of you that had an SD card full of MP3’s stuck in your Wii should start the tedious re-encoding process right away.
Nyko are set to provide the means to look like even more of a git than usual, with their new Wireless Nunchuck offering you complete unrestrained movement of your gangly, uncoordinated arms. Luckily, Nyko have thought about possible lawsuits and have included a Wiimote-style wrist strap. There is no word on pricing or a release date yet, but Nyko have said they will release that information at the next CES.
