Japan Gaming Guide

Importer’s favourite freeloader is back, courtesy of Datel. Once again you can play import games on Wii. Great news for everyone! Nintendo might not be happy about it though. The problem is they can release a firmware update at any time which can cripple the software again. Probably best to buy a pile of foreign games and burn through them as quickly as possible, before Nintendo ruin your fun.

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Rumours that full DS games would be appearing on the Wii download channel have turned out to be false. The rumour allegedly came from Nintendo America’s Reggie Fils-Aime, but Nintendo have released a statement saying that he said nothing of the sort. Of course you’ll still be able to download demos from the channel, due to launch in the US ‘in the future’.

[Read, via Engadget]

Happy new year! Super Smash Brothers Brawl will, er, smash its way onto Japanese Wiis later this month – here’s a trailer:

Thanks to the magic of the Wii Download Channel I was able to check out a demo of Winning Eleven: Goal x Goal. The demo lets you play a full match as Barcelona vs Real Madrid.

Apologies for the blurry video – it was pretty tricky playing the game with a camera between my head and the screen.

The graphics are functional – not beautiful, but quite impressive considering the limitations of the platform. It’s possible to recognize the more distinctive players, and the game is smooth and glitch free, unlike the earlier DS version of the game. The bottom screen is predictably used for map duty, again functional, but the way it’s positioned makes it much easier to take in what’s going on than in some other versions of the game. It really makes a difference to your play if you pay attention to the whole pitch and lets you make some defence splitting long passes. When you get a free kick the game switches to passable 3d, a nice touch – in fact all the basic gameplay features of the home versions seem to have been crammed in here. You can also use the touchscreen to change your tactics on the fly – and check which half of the pitch you’re supposed to be attacking – always good to know. There are only two shoulder buttons of course – I don’t know if the special moves made it into this version.The demo was pretty easy. I wasn’t able to tweak any settings, so I don’t know what difficulty options will be available in the full version, but I was able to score on my first game, and put 5 goals past Real Madrid on my third. Here’s hoping the final game will offer a decent challenge to series veterans.Aside from the difficulty, the gameplay seemed pretty much spot on. All the basic moves from the home versions seemed to work on this one. The game feels really fun to play and just right for the DS. It certainly doesn’t offer anything new, but it’s a really good translation of the game, and if that’s what you’re looking for, this should be a worth purchase. Read the rest of this entry »

Wii Fit has launched in Japan, and had people queuing outside shops to buy it. The chance to play games and work out at the same time was a big part of Wii Sports’ appeal, and Nintendo will hope this is going to prove as popular, if not more so.

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We got the new Download channel working yesterday, and recorded a bit of what we saw.

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The Wiimote attachement to end all Wiimote attachments just arrived. Now you can swing your lightsaber like a real Jedi.

[Read, via Engadget]

A new Ghostbusters game is in the works! Set for release next year to coincide with the new movie, Ghostbusters the game casts the player as a new Ghostbuster as New York is overrun by creepy ghouls. Multiple versions of the game are on the way with Nocturne developer Terminal Reality taking care of the PS3, 360 and PC versions and Red Fly Studios handling the Wii and DS.

Ghostbusters is one of our favourite movies, the old 8-bit game was something of a classic too, so here’s hoping the update is just as good.

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Mario Galaxy has overtaken Zelda: Ocarina of Time to become the highest rated game on Gamerankings.com. Zelda has been sitting in the top spot for 9 years. A mere 0.2% separates the two games, with Mario ranked at 97.8% and Zelda at 97.6%.

With Metriod Prime at number 3, Nintendo now hold the top 3 places on the list, which averages reviews from around the web.

[Read, via the Tanooki]

He’s made it to Europe at long last! Gamersdag got some pictures of the world’s greatest plumber at the Amsterdam launch party.

[Read, via WiiNintendo]