…when a pertinent question about the limited Wii system memory was raised, Laurent Fischer, managing director of marketing at NOE, easily slipped into talking about how “geeks and otaku” were the only people who would want this issue addressed.
– Edge Magazine/Next-Gen, 6/11/08
This infamous moment was not the smoothest comment in the world, and the apology was kind of half-assed, too. Still, Mr. Fischer’s remarks got us to thinking: What if he’s right? What if the only people worried about running out of space on their Wii are geeks and otaku? Well, then, it stands to reason that geeks and otaku are the ones who are downloading and enjoying WiiWare and Virtual Console titles the most, and the ones for whom the games are intended. On that line of reasoning, we’ve decided to help out/worsen the problem by making you worry more about your Wii Storage space — by filling it with games.
GameCyte is proud to announce its first giveaway contest, specifically aimed at you geeks and otaku who want your Wii storage issues addressed! The prize is a mess of Wii Points — stock up on your Wii Shop Channel account and overload your casual, family-oriented console, the way it was clearly never planned to be by its architects. Two prizes will be awarded; 4000 Wii Points ($40) for first place, and 2000 Wii Points ($20) for one runner-up.
How can you win the points? Well, we’re going to be giving them away to certified geeks and otaku, so it’s your job to prove to us that you are the most dedicated geek/otaku on the planet. To enter, simply leave a comment on this article, and within its confines, detail to the world your proudest/most shameful otaku moment — the greatest, most outrageous length to which you have ever gone for the sake of gaming. Have you forsaken family, friends, health, hygiene or sanity in the pursuit of a must-have title or a marathon play session? For once in your life, that’s okay; we’ll even pay you for it! Be warned, however, that we at GameCyte will not impress easily: We’ve already done the usual stuff like importing expensive single-use peripherals, gathering together four GBAs and link cables to play Crystal Chronicles, eBaying multiple systems in an effort to acquire another, staying up for midnight launches, and yes — we’ve all trekked across the Japanese countryside in pursuit of an elusive favorite. Think you can top us?
Entries are being accepted for two weeks, through Monday, July 7th, 2008, just in time for the first Wii Shop update of July. All entries must be in by 11:59:59 p.m. Pacific Time on 7/7/08. Winners will receive their Wii Points via redemption codes through email — please be sure to use a valid, working email address when submitting your comment. Good luck!
June 25th, 2008 at 11:15 am
1. I once sung Sonic Rush Adventure’s “new venture” out loud at work while doing a fusion dance with a pizza box during rush hour while the boss was there
June 30th, 2008 at 11:01 am
i once went into work singing the Super Mario Brothers(NES) theme song…du du du dudududu…….lmfao
June 30th, 2008 at 11:03 am
didnt leave my email addy the first time oooops
June 30th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
I once drove and hour away to a Guitar Hero competition…only about 10 people came. I came out in third, and guess what the prize was? Some fast food coupons and library books. I drove an hour for that?
June 30th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
You guys want something crazy? Hear this, just a few months ago, I got Mario Kart Wii. It got a little boring, so pop! Came an idea. The Wii Wheel is a useless peice of junk, so why not think of new ways for the Wiimote casing? One was taping the controller to a dish, but it was hard to turn because the Wiimote didn’t always reach through the sensor bar. So came the stupidest-I mean innovative, idea. I placed some tape over the accelerate button, found a hat, and taped the Wiimote on the hat. There was no blocking of the sensor, and it was totally hands free! So yea, there goes my entry for one of the funniest things I did for gaming.
July 1st, 2008 at 10:22 am
My crazy fanboy thing? I’m building an NES portable out of spare parts, an old PS2 Controller with a built in screen, and a pirate famicom system I found at the flea market. I would have said “I BUILT a NES Portable,” but I accidentally broke the screen and i’m looking for a suitable replacement.
Here’s part of the case the main board and controller are in, with AV out for normal TV use!: (Controller made from Authentic NES pad parts!Plays just like the original!)
http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/972/withavoutqk1.jpg
Here is a picture of an awful pirate game running on the screen, as well as proof it runs off of 4 AAs!
http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/6707/frankenesoc4.jpg
This is a video i made when I first tested the screen with the pirate famicom board.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KiavBERSQY
I was pretty disappointed to have broken my screen - I was almost done with the unit! Live and learn, it’s back to scouring the flea market for old hand held TVs and spare parts for me.
If I get lucky and find what I need before the contest is over, I’ll repost with a video and picture of the working unit playing from cartridge.
July 3rd, 2008 at 10:29 pm
BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!
Thought I was a dork before? It gets better - while looking for spare parts to fix the broken project I posted about before, I wound up building something that actually works! Check it out: I went to the flea market this morning in hoping to find a replacement screen - While I was looking (I never found one for the record,) I came across another cheap famicom pirate with no cables, adapters, or 2nd player controller. The vendor was willing to part with it for $3.
When I got the pirate console home, I discovered that it didn’t work. I decided to make it faster, stronger, and well.. make it work.
Here’s what I wound up with:
http://img360.imageshack.us/img360/4193/famicart1wt9.jpg
A NES in an NES CARTRIDGE!
I couldn’t get the device to power on from the AC plug that came with it. As usual with these things, the AC plug and A/V out were part of the controller board - I decided not to trust it and threw it out. Instead I powered it with 4 AAs, as I did not have another AC plug handy. After some trial and error, I managed to wire the NES pad to the unit. A little cutting and hot glue later, and I had a Famicom in a cartridge!
I might convert it to a portable later, but for now, it’s just an easy, portable famicom system - and it was fun to build. If you start it without a game in it, you get the option of playing same on-board games, such as MARIO and DUCK HUNT, so you at least get what’s advertised - although I don’t have anyway to attach a light gun.
I didn’t mean to cut the cartridge port so long that it went off the end, and the controller needs a longer cord, but hey - i built it out of spare parts! I didn’t have any spare controllers with longer cords!
Here are some pictures of it working, plus a picture of a weird pirate hack that came on it. (These things always come with knock-off game or hong-kong-originals(Nes NES games made just for the pirate market. They are generally terrible.)
http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/4784/famicartrockmanzd7.jpg
The “Famicart” playing Rockman 4. I just got this game in the mail today!
http://img238.imageshack.us/img238/664/teletubbiehk7.jpg
An onboard hacked version of Mario Bros. that has you playing as a Telletubbie. There’s also two different versions of Ninja Turtle Donkey Kong Jr, and some sort of Toy Story themed Bomberman Clone.
http://img119.imageshack.us/img119/2816/y2kandholdinmn0.jpg
If you start the system without a cartridge this “y2k” screen comes up before giving you a list of terrible knock-offs to choose from.
There! A complete, finished product, and a more complete entry for the Geeks and Otaku Contest!
Oh, on a last note - A Sean writes for the website, so maybe I should go by Seaniccus in the comments? I would have already edited my name in the last reply, but I don’t have the authority - and because this is a contest thread I left it as Sean in this one for consistency. I don’t want readers (or staff) to be confused.
July 7th, 2008 at 10:18 am
36hr Marathon to beat the game in the first run. I’m getting way to old for this now. But all work and no play makes for a boring day~!
exotic1@tdstelme.net
July 7th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
I regularly edit the List of Wii Titles article on Wikipedia. It was my idea to split it into region lists and I regularly add games and make sure links are working correctly.
July 7th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
I went to a flea market and bought a Mario Party cartridge, thinking it was rare, for $20. Right around the corner, I found the actual N64 for $20. Hehe.
July 7th, 2008 at 6:50 pm
I finished Halo 3’s main campaign on its release day with two others, staying up close to 3am (and still making it to work that day).
July 7th, 2008 at 7:08 pm
Hrm… not videogamey, but definitely gamey…
I suppose I could mention my love for the board game Arkham Horror… and how I routinely managed to get my friends to play it despite games often lasting 6+ hours. In which everyone almost always lost. Or I could mention my “Ghostbusters” mod which introduced very successful new gameplay mechanics…
I think the following best represents my game geek level though…
I learned how to play the game Settlers of Catan while on vacation, and upon returning home immediately sought it out, vaguely remembering having seen it for sale at the local (and AWESOME) comic shop.
There I found it. For $500.00 CA they had the deluxe wooden chest 3D board edition OR the $30.00 cardboard edition.
I do not regret my decision at all.