Harmonix Wants a Hard Drive on the Wii

Rock Band

This comes as no surprise, but the reason that Rock Band sucks so much on the Nintendo Wii comes down to the fact that the Wii doesn’t have a hard drive. Harmonix wants people to know this too. Rob Kay, design director at Harmonix has stated about downloadable content, “The whole problem is there’s nowhere to store it” and that “If the platform could do it, we’d jump on it.”

So will the out-of-touch idiots at Nintendo listen to this advice and get with the times or will they shrug it off as something that they believe isn’t wanted by gamers. Probably the latter for now, but I sure wish Nintendo would think about this one already. Nobody likes storing stuff on little SD cards.

New Gamecube Controller Coming

White Gamecube Controller

It’s obvious that Nintendo gamers love the Gamecube controller as opposed to the Wii-mote for certain games, such as Super Smash Bros., when Nintendo decides to release a new one. This new controller will be white, which should go nice with your Wii, and will cost 2000 Yen or about $20 USD. Right now the controller is Japan-only though and will be available sometime this month.

Sam & Max is Coming to the Wii

Sam & Max

The very popular detective team that is Sam & Max have been confirmed by Telltale Games to be hitting the Nintendo Wii. Wii owners can expect a compilation of episodes that were originally released from the first season of Sam & Max.

Earthbound 2 Coming to North America

Earthbound 2

The hugely popular cult classic, Earthbound, has a sequel by the name of Mother 3, which was never released worldwide, but news comes today from Nintendo that the game is finally in the process of being translated and will be hitting North American shores on the Wii before this years holiday season. This is great news to RPG fans everywhere. This will be the Virtual Console release of the decade!

Nintendo Wii Gets a Price Cut

Nintendo Wii

Nintendo has announced today through a press release that the Nintendo Wii is getting a price cut of $50. The price cut will take effect immediately. So head on over to Best Buy and see if you can find one.

Wii-Kly Update: Old, Old, Wonder Boy and a Boring Racer

Two more games have been added to the Virtual Console this week. The one worth mentioning is Wonder Boy. This game comes from the Sega Master System, meaning this game really is a vintage title. Not a bad choice. The second game being offered this week is Cruis’n USA. Not much to say about this one. You probably remember it as a racing game where the only thing really exciting was the ability to do a wheelie in the car during a burnout. Weeeeee! Check out the full press release below.

It’s a week of fun-filled firsts at the Wii™ Shop Channel. Each of the latest game offerings represents the first title in a memorable series that has influenced many subsequent titles over the years. Whether you prefer high-speed drives or side-scrolling adventures, it’s clear that these classic games have lasting appeal. What’s more, Wonder Boy is the first-ever Sega Master System title to be made available via Virtual Console.

Nintendo adds new games to the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time every Monday. Wii™ owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are:

Cruis’n USA

Cruis’n USA™ (Nintendo 64®, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone, 1,000 Wii Points): Ever felt like driving to the Golden Gate Bridge, Mount Rushmore and the White House in one day? Well then, gear up to put your racing skills to the test in a frantic trip across the United States, following a route that you won’t find on any map. Whether it’s the rolling hills of Appalachia, the flowing cornfields of Iowa or the crowded tunnels below Chicago, you’ll find yourself too focused on the intense racing action to worry about the scenery. Get started by picking from a garage full of cars to find the one that best suits your style—if you’re good enough, you’ll even find a few hidden ones to round out your selection. Then choose one of three different playing perspectives and get ready to hang on tight. With five difficulty levels, the ability to remove traffic or other racers, and two- player simultaneous racing, it’s enough to make you forget all about finding that next rest stop. Just watch out for the cows, OK?

Wonder Boy

Wonder Boy (Sega Master System, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone—Comic Mischief, 500 Wii Points): As Tom-Tom the Wonder Boy, it’s up to you to rescue your girlfriend Tanya from the vile clutches of the monster that has kidnapped her. To do so, you must navigate a series of worlds in a race against time to reach your goal. Along the way, you’ll battle foes and collect fruit that will add to the amount of time you have to complete your mission. You can also receive helpful power-ups from various eggs, but make sure to avoid the bad eggs and poisonous mushrooms that sap your precious vitality. Find the magic doll in each level to open up hidden areas, and make it to the very end of your journey to rescue your one true love.

Mario Kart Wii Contest

Mario Kart Wii

Mario Kart Wii Contest in the UK

So this sucks if you live in the US (me) but at 30 various GAME locations in the UK, you’ll be able to participate in the Mario Kart Grand Wii Tournament. First of all, you’ll be one of the first people to play the game, and second, you’ll have a chance to win a Mario Kart VW Beetle Convertible. The contest will take place on Saturday, April 5th and the game will be released 6 days later on the 11th. I want a Mario Kart Beetle. I’m not sure how long I could put up with the name calling though. Not because it’s a Mario Kart themed ride, but because it’s a VW Beetle. Put Mario on my Jeep and I’ll rock it all over town.

Capcom Wants North America Aware of Monster Hunter

Monster Hunter

Monster Hunter is a huge hit over in Japan. It’s pretty much the equivalent of Halo, here in the States. But why hasn’t it caught on outside of Japan. Probably because of the very low amount of advertising that Capcom has put into it over here. Well that’s all about to change.

Capcom’s Chris Kramer has stated that he believes that Monster Hunter 3 for the Wii could be just as big as it is in Japan, in North America. In my opinion, it really should be. I was in the beta test for the first Monster Hunter on the Playstation 2, I absolutely loved the game. I hope the third installment really takes off.

Rock Band Wii Confirmed

We already knew Rock Band would be coming to the Wii eventually, but the game has now been officially confirmed by Harmonix. Wii owners will finally be able to play the game in the U.S. and Canada on June 22, 2008. The “special bundle”, or the complete set of the game, will retail for $169.99, and come with the game, drums, microphone, a wireless guitar, and will include 63 songs, and 5 bonus songs. The only bad part is that the Wii version will not have downloadable content. That sucks. I say save up for an Xbox 360 or PS3 and use your Wii for only 1st party titles.