Considering that the Wii Speak peripheral has a special code to unlock the channel, it seemed like Nintendo wanted to lock these units to a specific console similarly to the software DRM as of late. It seems like this isn’t entirely true, as Nintendo will give replacement codes to customers who lost the original code, or need to transfer their Wii Speak to another Wii due to a console exchange. The question is, will Nintendo provide new codes to people who buy second hand Wii units?

At this point I think it can go either way, publishers and developers alike have discussed their dislike of second hand software and units. But in all honesty I think it will be based on how you talk to customer service. If you tell them you bought it at the flea market they might be a little upset, but if you tell them that you are transferring the Wii Speak from one Wii to another (The flea market guy’s Wii to yours), they shouldn’t have any problem providing it.

Gameindustry.biz

With the amazing controls that were added to the Wii Edition of Resident Evil 4, it would seem foolish not to think about a possibility of a Resident Evil 5 port. Capcom has indeed been pondering this question, the game’s producer, Jun Takeuchi, has stated:

Hmm…honestly speaking, we’re kind of pushing the 360 and PS3 to their limits right now, so it would probably be pretty difficult to create a Wii version of RE5.

Even though a Wii port at this position seems difficult, I can’t help but get the feeling of “Sour Grapes” from various Wii fans/haters that have stated, “If Capcom doesn’t do it, it probably wouldn’t be any good anyways.”

Destructoid

Everyone knew that copyright issues would be a problem with the song creation tool in Guitar Hero: World Tour. So it should come as no surprise that two of the most popular songs for download, based on the Mario and Zelda franchises, have been removed from the service.

Luckily, for anyone who has already snatched up the tunes, they are safe and sound on your console. Any newcomers, however, can ease their woes with other classic video game tunage from Metroid, Sonic, and Final Fantasy among others. That is, at least while you can.

MTV Multiplayer

Woah! Say what?!?! It looks like the developers of the game Star Wars: The Clone Wars did in fact know about the Motion plus attachment before it’s E3 debut, contrary to popular knowledge that nobody from LucasArts knew about this beforehand. Producer Ken Fox from Krome, who has been working on Lightsaber Duels for the Wii has stated:

Yes, Nintendo did give us a heads-up about MotionPlus. As far as I know, MotionPlus won’t be available until 2009, so it won’t be in our game since it launches in November 2008. We feel the original remote enables fans to live out the fantasy of wielding the Wii remote like a Lightsaber. We’re very proud of the experience that Lightsaber Duels provides.

Oh well, I figure that there will eventually be a Star Wars game that will feature 1:1 light saber control. I guess we will all have to wait for a realistic light saber game later than sooner, but again a motion plus-less Wii remote is still better than dual analog sticks.

N-Europe

Many of us have been familiar with the title The Conduit for a while now, but recently the developers at High Voltage Software have provided a short video displaying some of the new Quantum3 engine extras they have been working on.

Here’s hoping that High Voltage will provide the Quantum3 engine as “middleware” to other development teams similarly to the Unreal 3 engine for the 360/PS3. With it’s fully customizable controls and it’s ability to push the Wii’s hardware beyond the scope of what other developers realize these days, it can easily give us an array of enjoyable first person shooters.

You Tube

Even though the announcement for Punch-Out!! was last week, a trailer hasn’t shown up in all it’s glory until recently. It’s nice to see that this game will keep it’s “old skool” charm, and has given classic characters such as King Hippo their worthy current-gen counterparts.

It’s also reassuring that Nintendo is keeping with the non politically correct characters. I screamed like a little girl with joy when I seen Von Kaiser’s huge German mustache, and giggled when I found out Glass Joe keeps croissants in his boxer shorts while he fights. On another note, when did Little Mac become brown?

You Tube

Considering it’s all the rage these days for internet junkies to post their opinion on who is “cooler” on a blog site between pirates and ninjas, most of us “Gamers” don’t bother wasting time posting mindless rants on the subject. We know that that the game Pirates VS. Ninjas Dodgeball will give us the ultimate answer. While this game has been previously confirmed for XBL, Gamecock president Harry Miller has stated:

The competition between the Pirates and the Ninjas is so huge that battles are breaking out all over. We’re happy to bring this grand conflict to the Wii, and give players the chance to help determine who the ultimate champions are.

So who would win in a fight, Raphael (The Ninja Turtle, not the painter/architect) or Long John Silver? While some lose sleep over that, I’m curious who would win in a dodgeball fight between a terminator or “Bub” from the original Day of the Dead movie. That’s right, you can also select robots and zombies as well!

Pirates VS. Ninjas

While there are many haters these days with their “OMG…the Xbox grafix are better” comments floating around the web, I know that there are plenty of you out there that are excited about the Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop port. While the trailer above doesn’t show hundreds of zombies on the screen, just remember that this is an early build and Capcom has stated that they have a goal to provide at least 100 simultaneous zombies on the screen. This trailer also shows a few new enemies as well as the first look into the “Resident Evil 4” engine/controls.

Along with the new enemies, engine and controls, Chop Till You Drop will also feature other changes such as multiple save slots, camera options, and motion controls for various weapons. I just hope that they put a muzzle on Otis, he is the one of the reasons why I never finished the XBOX 360 version.

YouTube

In true “Grindhouse” fashion, Sega has provided us with a trailer for their newest The House of the Dead title. While The House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return is an excellent compilation, a new story line is something that Sega has kept us all waiting on. Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino would be proud.

YouTube

It is no secret that Caslevania is one of my favorite franchises, dating all the way back to my gaming days in 1987. It’s unique take on the Dracula mythology, mixed with intense action 2-D platforming have become a staple with goth titles these days thanks to various chapters on the Nintendo DS handheld. While many of us might be a little disappointed with the direction the series is going with Castlevania Judgement, it looks like there is hope for a full fledged original Castlevania feature. Koji Igarashi states:

With regards to WiiWare, I’m evaluating that right now, and to be honest, I think a 2D Castlevania game on WiiWare might be the right approach.

I wonder if they will follow in Capcom’s footsteps and provide a retro look, or stick to a contemporary Castlevania title with all the bells and whistles. Either way, Komami will have have hit on their hands.

Nintendo World Report