Skip the FreeLoader - Buy Twilight Princess Instead!

The Twilight Princess hack continues to bring us wonderful homebrew opportunities on an almost daily basis, with one of the most impressive uses so far being released yesterday over at TehSkeen. As bilingual and enthusiastic gamers worldwide have noticed, the Wii implores an annoying little thing that the Nintendo DS and GBA did not - regional lockouts. This archaic convention has long meant that games purchased in Europe or Japan won’t be playable in America, and vice versa. Transnational gamers have been forced to use products like Datel’s FreeLoader to bypass these regional lockouts and legally play copies of official games that haven’t come out in the player’s territory. With yesterday’s announcement of a single file that can be transferred to a SD memory card and loaded via the oft-reported Twilight Princess hack, players with the required materials now have a free solution to get their international game on.

Obviously this his huge news for the homebrew community, as the ability to get more original titles and play archival copies of games via a boot file can’t be too far off. Homebrewers have already successfully dumped the first virtual console game, as well as ported various emulators that will only improve with time. Even Tetris has found its way over to the system via the “soft mod,” making many curious homebrewers excited for the future.

For those a little worried about using their copy of Twilight Princess for ill, take a peek at this simple video walkthrough that tells you where to put files and how to work the necssary SD card. I’m assuming you can pop in the aforementioned “FreeLoader file” instead of the Tetris one in order to play your import games, but I can’t affirm 100% without a copy of Twilight Princess myself to test it out. Maybe sometime next week?

Either way, it’s the beginning of an exciting era for Wii Homebrew. We’ll keep you updated as we find out more here at My Wii News. Now to decide if I’m patient enough to wait another week and a half for Mario Kart Wii to come to the US…

Wiikly Wii Releases - 4-6-08

Welcome to the this week’s edition of the Wiikly Wii Releases! Here we will let you know about all the great Wii titles coming out this week and give you some information to help you pick the game that’s right for you. When applicable, we’ll choose one game to be the “MyWiiNews Pick of the Week,” a game that stands out among all the others as the title that takes the crown for that week. Without further ado, let’s look at what’s coming out this week.

MiniCopter: Adventure Flight

Aksys – April 8th

Back in the late 1990’s, miniature transportation simulators were all the rage. You had your Mario Kart, your Crash Team Racing, some Diddy Kong Racing, and countless other cutesy simulators that seemed to just saturate the gaming market. Why exactly we needed 15 variants of the same generic path racer was beyond me, but such were the times. With a dearth of mini-venture games out at the moment, who better than Aksys to bring us our much needed MiniCopter fix?

As expected, the helicopters in MiniCopter are smaller than usual, and tend to sporadically take off and adventure the surroundings. If this sounds like it’s right up your alley, it probably is, as the Wii is nothing if not perfect for silly minigames like these. Throughout MiniCopter, you’re the pilot of an RC Helicopter whose interests include shooting things and picking up the resulting coins. The ‘copter is controlled by tilting the remote in any of the four cardinal directions, making for a unique flying experience.

Videos are scarce on this one, so take a peek at these photos to get a feel for the piloting to be had in this MiniCopter adventure.

Baroque

Atlus – April 8th

Oh, Baroque. I want nothing more than to be excited for a wonderful remake of one of the few worthwhile Sega Saturn dungeon crawlers, but I seem to have suddenly come down with a bit of fear. Baroque is a game that is likely to beat you up many, many times before you ever get a chance to get anywhere, and isn’t likely to be an impulse buy for many gamers.

You see, Baroque is a roguelike; a game that features many random elements, such as dungeons and items, that force you to figure out everything as the game progresses. While this is great when it’s done relatively fairly (see: Shiren the Wanderer), it can be extremely taxing when not. With Baroque, you’re told extremely little at the start of the game, and it’s often necessary to die for the storyline to progress, making exploration occasionally difficult at best. It’s certainly not a game for everyone, but for those looking for a dungeon-crawler with some old-school challenge, Baroque will certainly whip you into shape.

Check out the intro video below to get a feel for the game and see if its dungeon is a dungeon worth crawling through.

Opoona - Review

[After a little more than a week of anticipation, MyWiiNews is back with our in-depth review of Opoona, the latest (and first) RPG to hit the Wii this year. After almost two weeks with the game, what's our final verdict? Read on to find out!]

As any RPG fan knows, the Wii hasn’t exactly been this generation’s leader when it comes to games of the role-playing variety. Sure, we have our action RPG’s, a few solid ports and even a tactical adventure or two, but where is the good ol’ traditional Japanese RPG goodness? Much like other third-party titles, they’ve been lacking as of late; making many a RPG enthusiast out there wonder if anything good was ever going to make its way over to the system. Out of the blue last year came Opoona for Japan, a decidedly quirky game with an even weirder art style that instantly polarized the few that found out about its existence. Even though Opoona certainly stumbles a bit in his self-titled journey, his adventure is worth looking into for anyone looking for a solid third-party RPG outing for their Nintendo Wii

Throughout Opoona, your task is to lead the game’s eponymous hero throughout his quest to reunite with his family who were seriously injured and lampooned after crash landing on planet Landroll. Opoona and his family are Tizians (from the planet Tizia); a legendary people that have fought as Cosmo Guards and protected the universe for centuries. Instead of using traditional swords and staves, Opoona and his family use their ever-present (and bouncy) Energy BonBons to help cast spells and deal damage to enemy Rogues throughout the universe. After awaking from his slumber, Opoona is chosen by higher-ups on planet Landroll to become a ranger - a protector of the many domes, caverns, and pastoral areas that make up Planet Landroll - and such begins his tireless journey.

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The majority of Opoona’s deeper story is kept under wraps for the bulk the adventure, with only tidbits of information leaked out or subtly hinted to you along the way. Even though its story is relatively solid with bits of humor thrown in for good measure, Opoona does adhere to a few JRPG stereotypes and plot expectations that come to fruition in the latter part of the adventure. For those looking for production values and storylines similar to the Final Fantasies and Dragon Quests, you might want to look elsewhere, as Opoona tends to focus more on exploration of Landroll’s beautiful surroundings than trying to tell an epic story.

Opoona bills itself as a “lifestyle RPG,” which is a rather curious choice of words for Koei, but makes more sense as Opoona unfolds. The majority of the game revolves around Opoona completing various side-quests and missions to advance his rank as a Ranger and make his mark on society on a whole. Along the way, Opoona can pick up optional side-jobs that can trigger storyline events, garner him new items and money, and even increase friendship levels with his fellow Landrollians (which become increasingly important towards the end of the game).

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Prospective players looking for a job system similar to those found in tactical RPG’s should likely look elsewhere, as the bulk of Opoona’s jobs are merely optional side-quests that can be completed at the player’s leisure. While four or five jobs may be required for the story to progress, the majority are simply fun diversions that provide Opoona with new opportunities if you’re so inclined. Even though the game could probably be plowed through in about 20 hours, most players will find themselves spending somewhere between 25-35 leveling up, building friendships, completing missions, and otherwise exploring Landroll before the inevitable final throwdown takes place. Completists could find themselves investing almost twice as much time, as there is quite a good amount of secrets and quests to uncover towards the end of the adventure.

First Applications and Games from the Wii’s Twilight Princess Hack!

As you’ve probably seen over the past few months, the Wii homebrew scene has been growing like crazy due to the developments with the Twilight Princess hack. With a “soft mod” type hack available for the Wii, all it takes to run your own homebrew applications are a SD card, the internet, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, and a little work. After getting all your stuff set up and loaded onto the SD card, you can load up some emulators that have been created so far, as well as unique homebrew applications.

So far, a small handful of applications have been ported over to the Wii, ranging from the expected (like the Tetris hack), to the archaic (look at Pong!). One of the more recent releases from the Wii Scene is this barebones Chess game, ported from a simple C++ chess program written way back in 1997. While they may not be the most exciting of games at the moment, the Wii homebrew scene is just starting up and showing mounds of potential.

Check out these games already ported over to the Wii!

Pong (Poor quality, but you get the idea)

Tetris (With launching instructions!)

Opoona - Impression

Well, look what we have here! MyWiiNews was lucky enough to get our hands on a review copy of Opoona, the quirky interstellar RPG that will be hitting store shelves this Tuesday, March 25. While I’ve only had the game for a couple of days so far, Opoona looks like it just might be the breath of fresh air that we all hoped it would be. Read on for our hands-on impressions of the game, and check back later on this week for our full review!

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It’s been somewhere around five or six hours since I first popped in Opoona, and it’s certainly unlike anything else available for the Wii. From its unique controls, to the overall structure and story of the game, Opoona is certainly in a league of its own. Opoona begins his eponymous adventure aboard his parent’s spaceship en route to a relaxing family vacation. Within seconds of meeting his family, everything suddenly flashes red and sirens erupt from all corners of the room. Opoona’s family flees to the escape pods to save their lives, desperately hoping for help from the planet below.

After three days of unconscious slumber, Opoona’s journey finally begins. As he awakes, he meets Serge, one of the many concierges of Tokione, the largest residential dome on Planet Landroll. Serge explains that there are a handful of different domes on Landroll, each specifically designed to keep out the recurring onslaught of enemy Rogues that currently plague over half of beautiful planet. After a bit of initial testing and preparation, Opoona finally embarks on his first journey.

A Rogue Approaches!
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Five hours into Opoona, and it’s obvious that I’ve barely cracked the surface of what this game has to offer. Opoona is a self-proclaimed “lifestyle RPG” that revolves around exploring Planet Landroll and obtaining licenses for the colonies, searching for employment, procuring friendships, and much more. Opoona begins his quest as a Ranger, a sort of “warrior class” that explores the land outside the domes and rescues people overwhelmed by enemy Rogues, but can eventually branch out and try a myriad of different vocations that offer new side quests, minigames, and more. He attacks through his “energy bonbon;” the bouncy orange ball atop his head that can be lethally chucked at foes by flicking the Nunchuk’s joystick. It’s a simple system that has a lot of potental and surprising depth, and will be interesting to see how it works with multiple characters later on.

Speaking of adventure, Opoona’s art style creates does a wonderful job enveloping you into its colorful surroundings. From the absolutely massive dome of Tokione, to outlying grassland areas and hotels, Planet Landroll manages to feel both cohesive and expansive. As with most cel-shaded games, Opoona looks much better in action than in screenshots, and doubters should at least see it moving before passing judgment. Equally impressive is its music, hand crafted by Final Fantasy XI veteran Hitoshi Sakimoto, which has to be some of the best futuristic tunes I’ve ever heard in an RPG. Even though its graphics may be a little rough around the edges, the Opoona’s overall aesthetic is charming beyond words.

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As most people who have picked up the Wiimote have noticed, controls are of the utmost importance to Wii games. I was initially skeptical of Opoona’s unique, one-handed control scheme that allows for the entire game to be controlled solely through the Wii’s Nunchuk. After spending over five hours trying to figure out which setup works best (you can use the standard Wiimote setup as well), I’m still finding myself switching between the two different setups. On the one hand (pun not intended), the Nunchuk setup is beautiful in its simplicity, and actually works rather well. But after cutting my teeth on Super Mario Galaxy, I can’t shake the comfort that comes from using both hands to control Opoona, especially with the ease of camera control that the Wiimote offers. So far, I’ve found that two-hands is good for getting down to business in big battles and when exploring places quickly, while the single-handed Nunchuk route is great for casually getting from place to place. We’ll see how this changes as the game progresses.

While Opoona succeeds through its expansive landscapes and endearing art style, it also has a few annoyances that occasionally grind my gears. Firstly, the fact that the camera is completely uncontrollable when exploring in the field seems like a huge hurdle for a game that focuses so much on exploration. I’ve also found it’s particularly easy to get lost in the domes, as the map on your PDA-esque device is a bit lacking, but that’s just a matter of time. Also deserving of mention is the occasionally shabby localization, with confusing lines such as “Opoona won the battle handily!”, and mysteriously delicious morsels known as “CALORY CUBES” that seem to make little sense on their own. It’s by no means unplayable, but chances are anyone who enjoys critiquing language will have a few giggles here and there.

There’s so much packed in Opoona that it’s difficult to try and efficiently sum it all up without turning this into a full-blown review. Even if it’s a little rough around the edges, Opoona has a certain air and charm about it that I haven’t seen in an RPG since Earthbound. Even if it’s not for everyone, it’s certainly shaping up to be an enjoyable and unique experience that you can only find on the Wii. Stay tuned for MyWiiNews’ full-length review, discussing Opoona’s battle system in length, and giving the adventure a final verdict that will help you decide whether to buy or rent this quirky, quirky game.

Read the full in-depth Opoona Review!