Wii Homebrew Update

It had been a while since I had checked out the Wii homebrew scene, so I took a look this weekend. I was surprised to learn that all kinds of progress has happened recently, including the Homebrew Channel (which rocks), Wii remote support, and a few other things. Check out the videos and additional details after the jump.

To start off, I just have to talk about the Homebrew Channel. Wiibrew.org has been down for a few days, which concerned me, but it came up recently and when it did I was incredibly surprised. It seems they released a new version on the 24th of May. I just about crapped my pants when I saw the video of it in action. Check it out for yourself:



The features the Homebrew Channel introduces are amazing, including network updates, loading homebrew from a channel easily accessed from the wii system menu, and of course, the ability to run the Twilight Hack only once in order to install the channel. All application added after that are simply placed on a specified directory on your SD card, and you're good to go.

Of course, the strides made with the twilight hack have been very impressive as well. Wii Remote support and SD card support being the two that have impressed me the most. Highlight of the project was definitely playing Sam and Max on my Wii using the Wii Remote. I just about died, it was so awesome. Classic Adventure Game Heaven!

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Grandma Reviews: Wii Wheel for MarioKart

If you've read some of my previous posts on MarioKart, you probably know I don't really like the Wii Wheel. The idea behind it is cool, but I don't like using it personally. Originally I was just going to throw it up on ebay, but then I did a test to see if it would be valuable to keep for new players...(Video after the jump)



So, what did grandma think?

She found the nun chuck way easier to use. That actually surprised me, because my grandma is no gamer, and I thought she would find the wheel more natural. Goes to show that the free-air motion of the wii wheel is probably harder compared to the fine movement made available by the nunchuck's analog stick. Go Grandma!

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Mario Kart Wii: Impressions

I have been a huge fan of the Mario Kart series since the SNES release. I was a huge fan of the N64 Mario Kart, and I have religiously played that one with friends and family ever since it came out, especially after being sadly disappointed with the GameCube Mario Kart installment (with exception of the networked gamecube multiplayer mode). So, you'd think Mario Kart Wii might also be disappointing to me, but I found myself pleasantly surprised.

I'd like to just start off saying Mario Kart for the Wii was a great experience for me. All-around, I feel it did a great job taking the good from previous Mario Kart games (including some of the old courses!) and making a very well-polished Nintendo-style racing game. So, if you don't like the Mario Kart series, then don't bother with Mario Kart Wii.

First off, I'm going to get nit-picky on features here. My love for Mario Kart 64 made me really start honing in on some of the little skills like drifting and hopping, which really make a big difference when being used correctly. When I played the GameCube MarioKart it seemed like they kept those around, but made them clunky. In Mario Kart Wii, not only did they refine these features, but they added the mini-boost system, which makes more experienced racers find a whole new way to enjoy their racing experience. The car system in MarioKart for GameCube was dumb, as well as counter-intuitive, but it allowed for mixing and matching skills and aptitudes to make really good racers. MarioKart wii brings a system that allows for the same customization and mixing and matching, but it is much more intuitive, as you are mixing and matching characters with vehicles.

So, MarioKart Wii went back to basics in every way that it needed to. Not to mention, though, that it was one of the easiest multiplayer experiences I've ever dealt with. Now, don't take this at all seriously, but I swear all they do is make random bots from random locations around the world and say you're playing against other people, because the online gameplay was AMAZINGLY seamless. Just choose whether you want to play worldwide, in a local region, or with friends, and before long you are connected with up to 12 players. There were no hiccups, I experienced no lag, and I was able to really find some great challengers to try my skills out on. Why aren't other games for the Wii that online-multiplayer ready?!

Alright, now to talk about the wheel that comes with Mario Kart Wii. To me the thing was initially a joke. I feel I have so much more control over my kart using an analog stick, and rotating that wheel in free space trying to keep my car on course was like a huge step back. BUT, the wheel has a very important application. I plan on testing this on my grandma tonight, but I believe that the Wii wheel really helps people new to the Mario Kart series get into and enjoy the game. Who doesn't know what to do when a wheel is placed in their hands? So, this factor considered, I probably won't sell my wheel on ebay, because I will probably hold onto it for friends and family who are intimidated by the nun chuck.

So, final word in my book for Mario Kart Wii is: The game is awesome, and does the Mario Kart series major justice.

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