Wii Update Kills GC Freeloader

[Angelic Lapras King]

From what I understand, thanks to the firmware update yesterday, the Wii will no longer play the Freeloader that lets you play your import GC Games on your Wii.

Oh boy.... o.o

[Taint Smack]

C-c-c-combo Breaker

[Jonno]

It killed my GCAR too.

[Refa]

Originally Posted by Angelic Lapras King

From what I understand, thanks to the firmware update yesterday, the Wii will no longer play the Freeloader that lets you play your import GC Games on your Wii.

Oh boy.... o.o

Just get an original Game Cube, they're selling them for $30 each at Game Stop.

[timp29]

What do you mean? Could the PAL wii play NTSC GC games? Or in Australia, will my UK Ikaruga and Zelda collection no longer work? I will seriously stab some face if this is the case.

Oh wait... was this that freeloader disc thats lets you load NTSC on PAL. Slaps forehead

[hansolo350]

Originally Posted by timp29

What do you mean? Could the PAL wii play NTSC GC games? Or in Australia, will my UK Ikaruga and Zelda collection no longer work? I will seriously stab some face if this is the case.

Oh wait... was this that freeloader disc thats lets you load NTSC on PAL. Slaps forehead

I think he was talking about how there's no firmware updates for the GameCube so a freeloader for that wont stop working. The GC was region locked.

[Refa]

Originally Posted by hansolo350

I think he was talking about how there's no firmware updates for the GameCube so a freeloader for that wont stop working. The GC was region locked.

Exactly. Besides, who doesn't love the original Game Cube?

[Juice_Lee]

Another good reason to keep my Gamecube, then.

[Refa]

Originally Posted by Juice_Lee

Another good reason to keep my Gamecube, then.

Eh, are there any good imports (serious question) for the Gamecube?

[Tull]

Originally Posted by Refa

Eh, are there any good imports (serious question) for the Gamecube?

You decide http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_GameCube_games

[Tides of Chaos]

Originally Posted by Refa

Eh, are there any good imports (serious question) for the Gamecube?

If you like anime in their original language then importing the games from Japan may be your only option as most games only include the English Language option or are never released here at all. A great example would be Naruto: Gekitou Ninja Taisen 4. (or in the US, the never released Naruto: Clash of Ninja 4). Instead of releasing that game with a Japanese option, they melted Ninja Taisen 3, 4, & EX into one game: Narto: Clash of Ninja Revolution. Needless to say, I was dissapointed by that move. (although I am intrigued by Revolution 2, which includes original characters)

[Juice_Lee]

I can't think of too much stuff I would import offhand, no. I guess the two biggest reasons for my to keep my Gamecube would be the ability to use my action replay and my gameboy player.

[davyK]

Originally Posted by Refa

Eh, are there any good imports (serious question) for the Gamecube?

It's worth getting NTSC Ikaruga as the PAL version runs at 50Hz and skips frames.

Puzzle Collection is nice - Dr. Mario , Panel de Pon and Yoshi's Cookie with 4 player support. It comes with a GBA cable and you can download NES versions onto the GBA.

Mr Driller is apparently superb but it won't save unless you have a Japanese GC - it won't save with a Freeloader.

Maybe I'm wrong but isn't Pacman vs not available in PAL? I got NTSC Pacman World 2 with Pacman vs. bonus disc just to play that.

[SKTTR]

Cubivore is a Gamecube game I always wanted to import from NA.
I wanted to play that game since it came out in Japan for the N64 in 2001.
Still there's no EU version available.

[SegaFan]

Originally Posted by davyK

Maybe I'm wrong but isn't Pacman vs not available in PAL? I got NTSC Pacman World 2 with Pacman vs. bonus disc just to play that.

If I recall it came with R: Racing Evolution in Europe.

Lack of freeloader is something that affects me because I have a few American GC games that I bought back in the day to beat the European release dates/prices. I've kept my old GC but it would be nice to play them on Wii.

Also, the Wii Freeloader is blocked now and I think that's particularly bad. I now have to choose between not playing some of my legally purchased games, not having Wii Shop channel or going down the route of homebrew and all the risks involved with that. A choice that has, unfortunately, forced me to neglect my Wii recently. Updatable firmware has done nothing but bad for gaming.

[Betagam7]

Originally Posted by SegaFan

If I recall it came with R: Racing Evolution in Europe.

Lack of freeloader is something that affects me because I have a few American GC games that I bought back in the day to beat the European release dates/prices. I've kept my old GC but it would be nice to play them on Wii.

Also, the Wii Freeloader is blocked now and I think that's particularly bad. I now have to choose between not playing some of my legally purchased games, not having Wii Shop channel or going down the route of homebrew and all the risks involved with that. A choice that has, unfortunately, forced me to neglect my Wii recently. Updatable firmware has done nothing but bad for gaming.

I agree, I detest firmware updates. They're just a further means to control on consoles that already come wrapped in padlocked chains.

If companies like Nintendo would just give people what they actually wanted such as no region locking, 60hz as standard etc, then they wouldn't have people turning to illegal methods in the first place! If anyone can explain to me why it doesn't make sense to Nintendo to have a region free Wii but at the same time perfect sense to have a region free DS then I'd love to here the explanation.

[Jogurt the Yogurt]

Originally Posted by Betagam7

If companies like Nintendo would just give people what they actually wanted such as no region locking, 60hz as standard etc, then they wouldn't have people turning to illegal methods in the first place!

Gross oversimplification.

I guarantee you with 100% certainty that if Nintendo were to make a region-free 60hz console with an open, built-in homebrew development and publishing kit, then folks would still turn to illegal methods to emulate old NES/SNES ROMs and play burned copies of games they don't own.

[Joxe]

The mere reason for region coding is to sell different versions in different regions to establish a knowing for the market and put the extra advertising on the games that usually sell well in each region. I can probably speak for both of us, Betagam, when I say that it would be a lot cheaper for the both of us if we would import all games from America instead of buying them in Sweden due to our high tax-rate.

The DS is another matter though, people usually brings it along when traveling into different countries and regions and I think that Nintendo is having the DS region free to get away from all the "this game I bought in (country) doesn't work in my DS, I want a refund". Hardly everyone knows that games have different region coding as a standard.

Of course, those are just my speculations but I think they aren't too far away from the truth.

[Betagam7]

Originally Posted by Jogurt the Yogurt

Gross oversimplification.

I guarantee you with 100% certainty that if Nintendo were to make a region-free 60hz console with an open, built-in homebrew development and publishing kit, then folks would still turn to illegal methods to emulate old NES/SNES ROMs and play burned copies of games they don't own.

It may well be a "gross oversimplification" if we are talking about people's reasons for pirating old NES/SNES Roms. As it stands however I wasn't.

I was talking about Nintendo blocking the ability to use disks like Freeloader and play import titles. As far as I know, Freeloader has never helped to enable the playing of ROMS, just legitimate Nintendo games many of which Nintendo has willfully chosen to deny to certain regions or released in a crippled 50hz format over here.

As a result of freeloader and because of Nintendo's insistance on releasing crippled 50hz VC games some people have turned to homebrew (the illegal methods I mentioned) as a way of playing the games they legitimately paid for and/or forcing them to play in 60hz wheras previously they would have settled for using a freeloader.

I'm still waiting to hear the justification for blocking freeloader's use with a firmware update just as I'm still waiting to here the justification for the DS being region free but the Wii not being. So we can take our DS's to other countries? yeah and many of us would like to be able to do that with out £200 home consoles too!

[Betagam7]

Originally Posted by Joxe

The mere reason for region coding is to sell different versions in different regions to establish a knowing for the market and put the extra advertising on the games that usually sell well in each region. I can probably speak for both of us, Betagam, when I say that it would be a lot cheaper for the both of us if we would import all games from America instead of buying them in Sweden due to our high tax-rate.

The DS is another matter though, people usually brings it along when traveling into different countries and regions and I think that Nintendo is having the DS region free to get away from all the "this game I bought in (country) doesn't work in my DS, I want a refund". Hardly everyone knows that games have different region coding as a standard.

Of course, those are just my speculations but I think they aren't too far away from the truth.

The problem is that the world is moving on without Nintendo. People don't stay in the same place forever anymore. I have friends I grew up in England who live in Canada, Thailand, France and Japan and I myself currently live in Sweden. Sony and Microsoft are both leaving it up to the publisher to decide if their games are region free but Nintendo is, as usual, stubbornly refusing to move with the times and will eventually be left behind again, just as it was with the N64 and its insistance that cartridges would remain a viable format for console gaming. Just as it was while online gaming took off on 360 while it shook its head dismissivly and preferred to pursue GBA connectivity. Just as the music industry sniffed at the MP3 format and arrogantly refused to embrace it until it was too late.
The Wii's novelty is almost over now with motion controllers and talks of ports coming to PS3 and 360. Nintendo needs to wake up and embrace the 21st century and stop thinking it can behave as it did in pre-internet times.

Even if we accept the region coding argument and argue that by blocking Wii-freeloader Nintendo is trying to keep control of its market shares does this satisfactorily explain its decision to block the GC freeloader, a device that disables region locking for an obsolete console who's games, while playable on the Wii, only exist as a second hand market?

That just screams 'control freak' to me. As if Nintendo is cackling to itself "and they thought they'd got away with it...watch as I disable there device 5 years to late to make any real difference to my profits but enough to give them a bad day!"

What next? A firmware update that disables all NES content in GC Animal Crossing and replaces it with Super Tortimer?

Firmware's rise to prominence, combined with the shocking PAL issues the Wii has had ensures that I have bought my last PAL Nintendo console. Well done Nintendo. You've finally made a permanent grey importer out of me.

[sponge]

i thought you could use freeloader to boot up burned copies of games. that would be a good reason to block its use.

as for why not region free? probably only because nintendo has a presence in each of the different regions, and they operate almost as separate companies. this is only logical on their part, and of course not logical for the user-end part, who just want to play games. but thats my guess.

and the DS may be region free, but thats also probably why you can find torrents of every DS game ever made to the tune of 10GB or so (probably more), and an adapter to play them for $25 or less. maybe the traveling around thing makes sense, it is meant to be a portable device. but being region-free certainly helped make bootlegging the games MUCH easier.

just curious, what do they say to you when you have voiced your concern over this region-free mess? i seem to remember you being one of the ones who frequently contacts companies with your issues. you did complain about this, right?

[Betagam7]

Originally Posted by sponge

i thought you could use freeloader to boot up burned copies of games. that would be a good reason to block its use.

It would indeed...if it were true. Do you have any evidence that it is?

Originally Posted by sponge

as for why not region free? probably only because nintendo has a presence in each of the different regions, and they operate almost as separate companies. this is only logical on their part, and of course not logical for the user-end part, who just want to play games. but thats my guess.

Nintendo has the exact same presence in the DS market, operating in exactly the same way.

Originally Posted by sponge

and the DS may be region free, but thats also probably why you can find torrents of every DS game ever made to the tune of 10GB or so (probably more), and an adapter to play them for $25 or less. maybe the traveling around thing makes sense, it is meant to be a portable device. but being region-free certainly helped make bootlegging the games MUCH easier.

Yes, because being region encoded has made bootlegging and distributing SNES/NES/Megadrive Roms ever so difficult hasn't it. Seriously I have no idea where you are coming from with this argument.

Originally Posted by sponge

just curious, what do they say to you when you have voiced your concern over this region-free mess? i seem to remember you being one of the ones who frequently contacts companies with your issues. you did complain about this, right?

This happens to be a videogame forum where the topic is "wii update kills GC freeloader". As you seem to be implying that I shouldn't express my opinion without first having complained direct to the source of my disgruntlement then I'm not sure that you should be taking part in the discussion either, least of all expressing contrary views to my own as I don't recall recieving a formal letter of complaint from you before.
If you search about you will see that I recently contacted Nintendo about a rather more serious firmware issue. i.e the bricking of innocent people's Wii's and recieved several replies most of which would have embarrassed the average pre-schooler. If you can provide me with a better contact at Nintendo that might produce more worthwhile results then I will get right on that for you. Until then your droll attempts at sarcasm are misplaced and would be better directed at those that flood messageboards with endless complaints but never get off their posteriors to make their feelings known about the issues that concern them outside of the safety of their forum bubble.

[Jogurt the Yogurt]

Originally Posted by Betagam7

It may well be a "gross oversimplification" if we are talking about people's reasons for pirating old NES/SNES Roms. As it stands however I wasn't.

It is a gross oversimplification regardless of—and indeed precisely because of—the specific nature of what we are talking about. I wasn't trying to counter or detract from your point or anything though, just picking on some unhelpfully exaggerated rhetoric.

Personally, I couldn't be fussed about the Freeloader at all, but I can see why it would have a special following among Europeans.

[SegaFan]

as for why not region free? probably only because nintendo has a presence in each of the different regions, and they operate almost as separate companies. this is only logical on their part, and of course not logical for the user-end part, who just want to play games. but thats my guess.

That's probably the reason but that's Nintendo's failing if they are structured like that, we're the end users. Sony and Microsoft manage it. I would never have thought a few years ago that even Sony, who once had the popular importer Lik-Sang shut down, would be one of the ones leading the way in region free. But I would go even further, I want to see digital downloads available in all regions in all languages. There's nothing unreasonable about that.

i thought you could use freeloader to boot up burned copies of games. that would be a good reason to block its use.

I've never heard of this. But even if that was true I'd still not be too happy about being prevented from using my Freeloader in a legal way. How they prevent the illegal activity is not my problem, but I suggest making the Wii region free would be a good start.

[sponge]

Originally Posted by Betagam7

It would indeed...if it were true. Do you have any evidence that it is?

just looked it up. i guess its not true, unless your wii is modded. then you wouldnt need freeloader anyway. so you could mod your wii to solve your problem....

Originally Posted by Betagam7

Nintendo has the exact same presence in the DS market, operating in exactly the same way.

DS is still 'portable' and thats all i said really. its a small difference but it might be their logic on it.

Originally Posted by Betagam7

Yes, because being region encoded has made bootlegging and distributing SNES/NES/Megadrive Roms ever so difficult hasn't it. Seriously I have no idea where you are coming from with this argument.

i wasnt talking about SNES/NES/MEGADRIVE roms, so maybe thats why you are confused. i said DS roms, and i suspect them to be easier to pirate since they are not region encoded. meaning i can play a pirated jap rom just as easy as a US rom. if there were region encoding it might be more difficult to do so, both on the user-end thief part and the pirate-coding part.

Originally Posted by Betagam7

This happens to be a videogame forum where the topic is "wii update kills GC freeloader". As you seem to be implying that I shouldn't express my opinion without first having complained direct to the source of my disgruntlement . . . Until then your droll attempts at sarcasm are misplaced and would be better...

i think you misunderstood me. i was genuinely curious if you had contacted them on this. if anything, its because i remember that people here actually do contact companies on stuff like this. im not implying that you should 'shut up if you havent talked to them' or anything like that. honestly could care less....

dont get so snippy at me i was just trying to make some conversation. sorry if you think i was being sarcastic, i wasnt.

and to be clear, i dont think that the wii should be region coded, or that region-coding has anything to do with actually slowing/stopping piracy. not to any real extent anyway. i was more talking about what nintendos logic might be in what seems like an illogical decision. yknow, participating in the thread? cool.

[Betagam7]

Originally Posted by sponge

i wasnt talking about SNES/NES/MEGADRIVE roms, so maybe thats why you are confused. i said DS roms, and i suspect them to be easier to pirate since they are not region encoded. meaning i can play a pirated jap rom just as easy as a US rom. if there were region encoding it might be more difficult to do so, both on the user-end thief part and the pirate-coding part.

I know you weren't talking about NES/SNES/MEGADRIVE roms, there is no confusion on my part about that.
I mentioned them because they are widespread in their existance as pirated ROMS and the fact that they are region encoded hasn't hurt that one bit. If anything they are more commonly available than the pirated DS games you talk about so the argument that region encoding somehow makes it more difficult to pirate is shown to be patently not the case with the widespread use and availability of these ROMS.

Originally Posted by sponge

i think you misunderstood me. i was genuinely curious if you had contacted them on this.

If that's the case then I apologise. I just feel that I'm one of the last people that people should accuse of moaning on messageboards without complaining to the people responsible (even though this is one of the few things I havn't yet gotten around to complaining to those responsible about yet)