Operation Rainfall

[BreakABone]

Now this is an interesting little movement.

I don't know how many of you follow Nintendo's localization records, but it has been pretty piss poor this generation. Finally, it seemed like gamers in the States have had enough and combined their efforts to get Nintendo to bring over Xenoblade, The Last Story and Pandora's Tower.

In general, these type of fan movements have had little effect due to them simply being like an online petition of some sort, but this operation has done things differently using the power of the internet.

They pushed Xenoblade to the number 1 game on Amazon.com through pre-orders, bombarded Nintendo of America's Twitter and Facebook page, sent snail mail to Reggie's offices in Seattle.

Anyhow, here is more about the movement and Nintendo's less than stellar track record this gen.

http://kotaku.com/5815447/how-badly-...oblade-for-wii
http://www.destructoid.com/letter-wr...r-204505.phtml
http://www.gameinformer.com/blogs/me...h-america.aspx
http://wii.nintendolife.com/news/201...tendo_facebook
http://wii.ign.com/articles/117/1179120p1.html
http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/a...o-the-wii.aspx
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...elease-article
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/26956
http://wii.ign.com/articles/117/1179129p1.html
http://www.destructoid.com/fans-brin....phtml#comment
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/editorial/26967
http://www.siliconera.com/2011/06/26...-fan-campaign/
http://www.rpgamer.com/rpgcast/rpgcast182.mp3 (from 1:04:08 ~1:08:39 live reactions to reading this thread.)
http://kotaku.com/5815716/nintendo-a...ving-them-rpgs
http://screwattack.com/blogs/ScrewAt...op-seller-list
http://www.joystiq.com/2011/06/27/op...n-of-wii-rpgs/
http://www.rpgamer.com/news/Q2-2011/062711a.html
http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20...00008-isd-game

~Edit~
And for the games
Xenoblade
<iframe width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/iAYBui5ghJ0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

The Last Story
<iframe width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/eIPPVGP8Mgg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Pandora's Tower
<iframe width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ilCxYjhRR6M" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[magus113]

I really hope they get on the ball with their localizations. Monolith Soft stuff is usually pretty cool, saying from experience since I've played Disaster: Day of Crisis, but how has Nintendo been ignoring everyone's requests or interests?

We know they want our money. The fact that people are saying that whatever Monolith Soft is hiring for for the Wii U probably won't make it to the US because of their localization track record, says something.

Also, Mistwalker stuff does well. People pay for what I think is a cult following for the games that studio is making, especially among former Final Fantasy fans. Lost Odyssey is the reason I still want to get my Xbox replaced I want to finish it that badly. I also heard Blue Dragon is good, and now that The Last Story is out and I know nothing about it...

...this sucks.

[BreakABone]

http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2011/06/xenoblade-the-last-story/

And here's the original article meant to link to

[Angrist]

What, you played Disaster and you didn't hate it?
You even got past the 5th level? :s

But yeah, I also hope we get these RPGs. Europe is already getting Xenoblade, so the English (and Spanish?) translation is already there for you guys.

[magus113]

But yeah, I also hope we get these RPGs. Europe is already getting Xenoblade, so the English (and Spanish?) translation is already there for you guys.

What I read on Joystiq about the localization was that it was going to be very British-ized and there's also the issue of the Wiis being region locked.

I have a soft mod on my Wii to be able to play such things, but for other people that don't know or don't want to do this for example, this is a big speed bump because it would require them buying another Wii just to play one game.

And Disaster: Day of Crisis wasn't bad! You just can't take it seriously.

[Angrist]

I also heard that the English (British?) voice acting is quite bad half of the time. But the game includes the original Japanese voices with subs.

I gave Disaster a chance, I really did. I just got so frustrated by every pixel and every soundwave of it.
Did you ever pay attention to how his footsteps sound? It's like they just smashed 2 random objects together and decided that was close enough.

[magus113]

I also heard that the English (British?) voice acting is quite bad half of the time. But the game includes the original Japanese voices with subs.

I gave Disaster a chance, I really did. I just got so frustrated by every pixel and every soundwave of it.
Did you ever pay attention to how his footsteps sound? It's like they just smashed 2 random objects together and decided that was close enough.

The English voice acting was very very very American, especially since I would imagine that was the choice cause it looks like an American city.

The voice acting is bad though, but that's because it's over the top, but that's what makes it fun!

Part of the reason why I liked House of the Dead: Overkill was because I didn't take it seriously at all and the game didn't take itself seriously either, which is perfect cause it lent itself to the grindhouse aesthetic. I dunno, just cause a game is bad critically doesn't make it not fun.

I think I was all over the place with this post, but you get the idea.

[Angrist]

We have what you want. http://www.cubed3.com/news/15826

All 3 confirmed for Europe. I so hope you will also get them!

[magus113]

We have what you want. http://www.cubed3.com/news/15826

All 3 confirmed for Europe. I so hope you will also get them!

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/06/29/nintendo-no-plans-to-localize-xenoblade-last-story-or-pando/

This was put out last week. NoA doesn't like North America very much I guess.

[BreakABone]

No real update, but to rub salt in the wounds, here's the English trailer for the game, Xenoblade

<iframe width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/t2Lc1o_7MYY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[magus113]

This looks so good.

MAN I hate NoA right now.

[Blix]

This looks so good.

MAN I hate NoA right now.

NOA does not want our money. =S

[magus113]

And of course The Last Story and Pandora's Tower are confirmed for Europe.

:mad: This face is for Angrist cause he'll be able to play them.

No offense Angrist.

NoA is really pushing my buttons nowadays.

[Angrist]

Hehe, the worst thing is I won't even play them. :(

Buy a PAL Wii. For $10 I'll gladly get rid of the horrendous Disaster: Day of Crisis for you.

[magus113]

Hehe, the worst thing is I won't even play them. :(

Buy a PAL Wii. For $10 I'll gladly get rid of the horrendous Disaster: Day of Crisis for you.

My Wii is softmodded to play games from other regions, but that's besides the point. I don't want to spend money on Xenoblade Chronicles for example if NoA is looking at getting the game here in America because it would make more sense for me to just buy it here...but why would I wait?

[DarkMaster]

Import that shit. It's what I'm doing.

[magus113]

Well needless to say, I've already tried it out for a bit yesterday.

It's good.

[DarkMaster]

On that note, anyone have a link to a good tutorial for soft-modding a Wii to play import games? I've found a few on my own, but I'd rather use one that I know someone here has used and had it work for them.

[DarkMaster]

Also on that note.... has anyone successfully used the Dolphin emulator on their PC to run Wii games? I'm not talking about pirating games, I guess you would use the Wii disc in your computer and burn an ISO of it, or something? I saw Xenoblade playing at higher resolution on Dolphin, and holy crap it looked good.

[Ginkasa]

On that note, anyone have a link to a good tutorial for soft-modding a Wii to play import games? I've found a few on my own, but I'd rather use one that I know someone here has used and had it work for them.


I would also like to know how to do this.

[Seth]

I can't remember what tuturial I used. My softmod works wonderfully! I'll ask my roommate and get back to you.

[Vampyr]

I would also like to know how to do this.

Me too.

I also want to "pirate" the games I've bought on the VC, in case my Wii ever dies.

It's so stupid that VC and Wii Ware purchases tie to the console instead of to an account.

[magus113]

https://sites.google.com/site/completesg/

Here is a good place to start. You can actually successfully softmod Wiis on System Menu 4.3U, E, and J now if I recall correctly using something called Letterbomb. All you need is to go to the site (http://please.hackmii.com/), enter your Wii's MAC address, copy the zip it gives you to the root of your Wii's SD card and the message will show up in your messages on the Wii menu.

After that you basically follow that guide to the letter. It also outlines any risks you run, but the process is practically idiot proof. Anyone can do it. It also outlines how to set up backup launchers for burned discs, or how to set up your console to USB load games from a hard drive, which I recommend because it not only loads faster in most cases, but it saves you from burning games if that's your thing. Theoretically owning game should make the backup launching through USB loading or burning legal. Theoretically.

Also quick note, the Trucha bug installer has a part where it asks you if you're going to use it for piracy or not. Say no. If you say yes, it doesn't install it and it's necessary to do all of the stuff required. The guy goes on an anti-piracy tirade and while I like to support the developers it's really annoying when he's setting up something that is blatantly used for piracy and then he blatantly restricts you from using it. It's stupid and a waste of time.

On Dolphin, Dolphin doesn't require a ridiculous PC to run games at 640x480 in a window, but once you want to start raising the resolution the requirements get a little crazy, but I've done it. Using a gamepad is a great solution for a game like Xenoblade with Dolphin since the game uses the Classic Controller as a method for input. If you do the softmod there's also a savegame manager app that converts Dolphin Wii game saves so that you can use them on a Wii if I remember correctly. So the saves are transferrable.

[magus113]

Joystiq also put up a guide to do it, given that you own a copy of the game.

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/19/how-to-play-xenoblade-chronicles-if-you-live-in-america/#continued

[BreakABone]

http://nerdsontherocks.com/games/power-hour-xenoblade-chronicles-wii/

Here are my impressions after 2 hours.

Put in an additional 3 or so since then, and have to say really enjoying the game so far.

If I had any complaints
-The textures in this game are ugly.
-So are some of the models
-The collectapedia stuff has to be done manually which is just an odd design choice
-Death really doesn't serve any purpose in this game. You don't lose much progress, keep all your XP and money and equipment. Actually, healing as a whole takes place after every battle.

[BreakABone]

Here are some brief and updated impressions after sunking 33 hours into this game.

1) The game is MASSIVE, I mean from what reading online, I'm not even at the half-way mark, though not sure HOW true that is since my characters are level 39 right now.

2) The game is both stunning and ugly at the same time. As we know, or at least should figure out from my time on these boards, I don't mind playing Wii games or games in SD, but this game has such a strong visual flair about it, that reallly shines, but at the same time it just looks like its being held back because it doesn't have a higher resolution which would make it just look that much more crisp.

3) the characters play differently. Generally in RPGs, most characters have their own unique move and stuff, and there's always that odd ball or whatever that plays just a bit differently than everyone else. This game really does make each character feel unique and special. The problem can come in that everyone specializes in like one thing, which forces you to keep certain characters. Like only 3 people so far can actually heal, one does it on a huge level, one does it on a basic level and another does it uniquely is all I'm gonna say. And since this game doesn't use potions or anything, you are pretty much forced to have one healer on your team. Then there are the enemy specific traits that only the main character can really debuff at the moment, and he is pretty much forced as a main stay. Which I wouldn't mind if the game allowed for 4 player teams instead of 3.

4) the combat system is fun and evolving. One of the biggest beefs I personally have with RPG games is after a while, the combat usually feels like a chore because its just going through a menu and pressing a command. Rinse and repeat for 100 hours or so. This game keeps you engaged by making it real time, but also can kind of relax and just kind of auto attack/run around the field if enemies really won't pose much of a challenge.

There's more I want to say, but I will just finish with this. I have a long way to go, but so far, this has slowly climbed my list of top RPGs of all-time, and perhaps one of the best games I've played this generation, and I've played a lot of them.

[DarkMaster]

This game is really incredible, having a great time with it, lvl41 right now. I'm playing on dolphin in 1080p, and it looks fucking glorious. The art direction for the environments is stunning. This is likely one of the best games of this generation, and I gotta admit it's really being held back on the Wii, especially with Nintendo of America being a bitch and not releasing it here. What an asbolute shame and a true crime against their more hardcore gaming audience.

It's such an amazing thing for me to see that JRPGs still kinda sorta exist, and not just in the form of shitty Tales Of games, or what have you. Really makes me sad at the current state of gaming. I will remain hopeful that more games like this will be released some day, in the not too distant future.

[BreakABone]

This game is really incredible, having a great time with it, lvl41 right now. I'm playing on dolphin in 1080p, and it looks fucking glorious. The art direction for the environments is stunning. This is likely one of the best games of this generation, and I gotta admit it's really being held back on the Wii, especially with Nintendo of America being a bitch and not releasing it here. What an asbolute shame and a true crime against their more hardcore gaming audience.

It's such an amazing thing for me to see that JRPGs still kinda sorta exist, and not just in the form of shitty Tales Of games, or what have you. Really makes me sad at the current state of gaming. I will remain hopeful that more games like this will be released some day, in the not too distant future.

Well Nintendo has two more RPGs to not publish in America. :lol:

But seriously, this really needs to be released here.

Probably won't light the world on fire, but one of their best games this generation, and the finest RPG this gen so far.

[Vampyr]

This game is really incredible, having a great time with it, lvl41 right now. I'm playing on dolphin in 1080p, and it looks fucking glorious. The art direction for the environments is stunning. This is likely one of the best games of this generation, and I gotta admit it's really being held back on the Wii, especially with Nintendo of America being a bitch and not releasing it here. What an asbolute shame and a true crime against their more hardcore gaming audience.

It's such an amazing thing for me to see that JRPGs still kinda sorta exist, and not just in the form of shitty Tales Of games, or what have you. Really makes me sad at the current state of gaming. I will remain hopeful that more games like this will be released some day, in the not too distant future.

Hold on, hold on.

I just started doing some research on dolphin. Can you really just put a Wii or Gamcube game in your PC's dvd drive and play it? That's kind of amazing. If so I'm going to pick up a bluetooth USB thing this weekend and hook my PC up to my TV.

Wii games in 1080p sounds awesome.

[Bond]

Hold on, hold on.

I just started doing some research on dolphin. Can you really just put a Wii or Gamcube game in your PC's dvd drive and play it? That's kind of amazing. If so I'm going to pick up a bluetooth USB thing this weekend and hook my PC up to my TV.

Wii games in 1080p sounds awesome.
Wait, what? Really?

[BreakABone]

Hold on, hold on.

I just started doing some research on dolphin. Can you really just put a Wii or Gamcube game in your PC's dvd drive and play it? That's kind of amazing. If so I'm going to pick up a bluetooth USB thing this weekend and hook my PC up to my TV.

Wii games in 1080p sounds awesome.

As far as I know, the dolphin emulator takes a lot of power, but if you have a strong enough PC.

Yeah upscales Wii games into 1080p.

[magus113]

Dolphin works like a champ if you've got the stuff. I need a slightly better PC to do the beefier stuff in 1080p though, hopefully I can get a new one soon what with the new moneys I'll be making at my new job.

I don't get my first paycheck until the 30th though. Even then it's budgeting time to pay off the credit card.

[Vampyr]

I'm probably going to use my work laptop, it's a beast.

I don't understand how a regular DVD drive can read Wii games though. Does that actually work, or do you need special hardware to rip them to an ISO?

[DarkMaster]

I just downloaded the ISO from a torrent site. I own the game so it's not a problem, right. With the right PC DVD drive you can rip Wii games to ISO format, I didn't try it but I imagine it works easy enough. Also there are applications that can be used through the Wii homebrew channel that will load a game disc completely to a hard drive, not sure if it makes an ISO or what, but that could be an option for you if you don't feel like downloading 7GB (Xenoblade is a big ass file). Also getting Dolphin to work perfectly is a huge pain in the ass, it differs by system specs as well as the game you're playing, and also the Dolphin build that you download. To my knowledge, Dolphin is updated very often and builds are constantly changing. I was about 30 hours into Xenoblade before I got my dolphin settings tuned to perfection, before that there were some occassional sounds delays and black flashes that filled the screen.

It sounds very daunting, and it is, but Xenoblade is worth it. Plus once you have dolphin working and know how to make it run well, you can explore all the great possiblities it allows, like playing Wind Waker in stunning high-res quality, Twilight Princess without the horrible blurriness that an HD tv gives it, and so on. Perhaps even Skyward Sword will run well on Dolphin and it will become the definitive way to play the game, I know I'll definitely be trying it out when I get my copy.

[BreakABone]

Without spoiling too much for the rest, where are you in the game?

And how have you been doing with the sidequests?

I swear, I turn on the game to make some story progress and spend 2 hours collecting and doing some side missions just because.

[Angrist]

Will my Intel Core2 Quad CPU Q6600 @ 2.40GHz with 4GB RAM and a GeForce 8600 GT (512MB??) be able to handle it? Because I'm really considering playing Skyward Sword on it (after I buy the Special Edition).

[Vampyr]

I just downloaded the ISO from a torrent site. I own the game so it's not a problem, right. With the right PC DVD drive you can rip Wii games to ISO format, I didn't try it but I imagine it works easy enough. Also there are applications that can be used through the Wii homebrew channel that will load a game disc completely to a hard drive, not sure if it makes an ISO or what, but that could be an option for you if you don't feel like downloading 7GB (Xenoblade is a big ass file). Also getting Dolphin to work perfectly is a huge pain in the ass, it differs by system specs as well as the game you're playing, and also the Dolphin build that you download. To my knowledge, Dolphin is updated very often and builds are constantly changing. I was about 30 hours into Xenoblade before I got my dolphin settings tuned to perfection, before that there were some occassional sounds delays and black flashes that filled the screen.

It sounds very daunting, and it is, but Xenoblade is worth it. Plus once you have dolphin working and know how to make it run well, you can explore all the great possiblities it allows, like playing Wind Waker in stunning high-res quality, Twilight Princess without the horrible blurriness that an HD tv gives it, and so on. Perhaps even Skyward Sword will run well on Dolphin and it will become the definitive way to play the game, I know I'll definitely be trying it out when I get my copy.

I think I'm going to give it a shot this weekend.

Also, I could probably find this if I googled enough, but is it possible to remap all the controls? I saw that you can use a 360 remote to play some games, but I was wondering if I could even do stuff like play Mario Galaxy and map "waggle" to the X-button, and "point" to the right analog, or something like that.

edit: OMG, it looks like it is: http://forums.dolphin-emulator.com/showthread.php?tid=2870

This is incredible. I can turn Wii games that had motion controls forced into them into real games!

Super Mario Galaxy...I will save you!

[BreakABone]

This is incredible. I can turn Wii games that had motion controls forced into them into real games!

Super Mario Galaxy...I will save you!

One of these days I will end you!

[Vampyr]

One of these days I will end you!

But I love trolling you so much! :D

[DarkMaster]

I'm at Eryth Sea, BaB. Area is tight as hell, loving it. Bitch wasn't lying when she said it was vast though, daaamn. Place is huge. Angrist, I think you would do pretty well with dolphin on that setup. Processor speed is the biggest aspect of running dolphin properly, and the more cores the better.

I play Xenoblade with my Xbox controller for Windows, works flawlessly.

[TheSlyMoogle]

ITT: Emulators make the wii playable.

So yeah I pirated the hell out of Xenoblade because nintendo is fucking stubborn, I was actually going to get another wii just to play it and Last Story.

[BreakABone]

I'm at Eryth Sea, BaB. Area is tight as hell, loving it. Bitch wasn't lying when she said it was vast though, daaamn. Place is huge. Angrist, I think you would do pretty well with dolphin on that setup. Processor speed is the biggest aspect of running dolphin properly, and the more cores the better.

I play Xenoblade with my Xbox controller for Windows, works flawlessly.

Ahh so we are at the same place!

I'm just not leveling up as fast it seems. Must double my efforts to do sidequests!

[TheSlyMoogle]

Ahh so we are at the same place!

I'm just not leveling up as fast it seems. Must double my efforts to do sidequests!

In other news I'm surprised as hell Earl is actually playing an RPG of this length.


That's all.

[Angrist]

Angrist, I think you would do pretty well with dolphin on that setup. Processor speed is the biggest aspect of running dolphin properly, and the more cores the better. Nice, thanks.

I think my PC already has a Bluetooth connection. There must be a special way to detect the Wiimote... guess I'll have to download Dolphin asap.
Edit: Oh, apparently the Bluetooth screen I'm in is just a Windows thing. I need an adapter first.

[DarkMaster]

If anyone is getting Dolphin to play Xenoblade, I recommend downloading build r7714M, it's not the latest Dolphin build but it's been tuned specifically for Xenoblade. Also if anyone wants to know what configurations and graphics settings I use, I will provide you with a hearty list!

BaB, what party are you using? I've been rocking Shulk, Dunban, and Sharla mostly. Melia subs for Sharla when I'm just questing around. Do you find Riki to be as pointless and useless a character as I do? I've tried him in battles multiple times, and... he sucks. Not sure what his purpose is, if any.

[BreakABone]

If anyone is getting Dolphin to play Xenoblade, I recommend downloading build r7714M, it's not the latest Dolphin build but it's been tuned specifically for Xenoblade. Also if anyone wants to know what configurations and graphics settings I use, I will provide you with a hearty list!

BaB, what party are you using? I've been rocking Shulk, Dunban, and Sharla mostly. Melia subs for Sharla when I'm just questing around. Do you find Riki to be as pointless and useless a character as I do? I've tried him in battles multiple times, and... he sucks. Not sure what his purpose is, if any.

I tried Riki and I don't get him, we have heavy-hitters in Dunban and Reyn.

Right now I'm main-ing Melia, she is an interesting character to use with Shulk and Reyn as my second.

I find that its just more useful to keep Shulk around since, well his weapon has so many needed powers.

[magus113]

If anyone is getting Dolphin to play Xenoblade, I recommend downloading build r7714M, it's not the latest Dolphin build but it's been tuned specifically for Xenoblade. Also if anyone wants to know what configurations and graphics settings I use, I will provide you with a hearty list!

BaB, what party are you using? I've been rocking Shulk, Dunban, and Sharla mostly. Melia subs for Sharla when I'm just questing around. Do you find Riki to be as pointless and useless a character as I do? I've tried him in battles multiple times, and... he sucks. Not sure what his purpose is, if any.

DM get me that config list you're using. I'm on a E8500 Core 2 Duo (I think) 3.0 GHz and an 8800 52 MB (pretty similar to Angrist) but I wanted to see if there were more fine tuned things I was forgetting since I can use my HDTV now to play the game in glorious 1080p.

[Angrist]

At the moment I'm really excited about all the possibilities. But I have to say it feels a bit weird, to be thinking I might be playing Zelda on something else than a Nintendo. Like I'm doing something wrong and I will regret it eventually. What if I lose the save file? What if my PC crashes?

[Vampyr]

At the moment I'm really excited about all the possibilities. But I have to say it feels a bit weird, to be thinking I might be playing Zelda on something else than a Nintendo. Like I'm doing something wrong and I will regret it eventually. What if I lose the save file? What if my PC crashes?

You can back up the save file.

[Angrist]

Yeah it's more of a cheating feeling I have. Oh and I also prefer my Wii/TV setup to my PC, at least for console games.
But we'll see. I'll test it with some other games to see how it feels.

[DarkMaster]

Here's my dolphin setup.

Config settings -

Under General tab: Enable Dual Core, Enable Idle Skipping, Framelimit 60, JIT Recompiler, Lock Threads to Cores

Under Interface tab: Use Panic Handlers

Under Audio tab: DSP HLE emulation, Enable DTK Music, Audio Backend is DSound, Sample Rate is 48000 Hz

Under Wii tab: Aspect Ratio 16:9 (of course)


Now for Graphics settings -

Under General tab: Backend is OpenGL, Fullscreen Resolution is 1920x1080, V-Sync, Use Fullscreen, Show FPS, Hide Mouse Cursor

Under Enhancements tab: Internal Resolution is 3x Native 1920x1548, No Anti-Aliasing, Anisotropic Filtering 1x, Post-Processing Effect Off

Under Hacks tab: Skip EFB Access from CPU, Virtual, RAM, Disable External Frame Buffer, Disable Per-Pixel Depth

Under Advanced tab: Nothing

To use a game controller like the Xbox 360 one or some other PC game pad, go to the Wiimote menu, for Wiimote 1 choose Emulated Wiimote, then click configure, select your device (gamepad), look for the area of the window that says Extension, choose Classic from the drop down menu, then configure underneath it, and proceed to setup up each button of your controller corresponding to a Wii classic controller pad.

Have fun!

[magus113]

Here's my dolphin setup.

Config settings -

Under General tab: Enable Dual Core, Enable Idle Skipping, Framelimit 60, JIT Recompiler, Lock Threads to Cores

Under Interface tab: Use Panic Handlers

Under Audio tab: DSP HLE emulation, Enable DTK Music, Audio Backend is DSound, Sample Rate is 48000 Hz

Under Wii tab: Aspect Ratio 16:9 (of course)


Now for Graphics settings -

Under General tab: Backend is OpenGL, Fullscreen Resolution is 1920x1080, V-Sync, Use Fullscreen, Show FPS, Hide Mouse Cursor

Under Enhancements tab: Internal Resolution is 3x Native 1920x1548, No Anti-Aliasing, Anisotropic Filtering 1x, Post-Processing Effect Off

Under Hacks tab: Skip EFB Access from CPU, Virtual, RAM, Disable External Frame Buffer, Disable Per-Pixel Depth

Under Advanced tab: Nothing

To use a game controller like the Xbox 360 one or some other PC game pad, go to the Wiimote menu, for Wiimote 1 choose Emulated Wiimote, then click configure, select your device (gamepad), look for the area of the window that says Extension, choose Classic from the drop down menu, then configure underneath it, and proceed to setup up each button of your controller corresponding to a Wii classic controller pad.

Have fun!

If you have a PS3 controller, Dolphin works better if you use it as a regular joystick controller instead of emulating an Xbox 360 controller, I find.

[Angrist]

:(
I tried installing 2 versions but it doesn't work.
The latest one for Windows 32bit has a corrupt zip file.
3.0 won't boot because VCOMP100.DLL can't be found.

And because of this firewall thing I can't go to the forums to see how to fix it, or try another version. (I downloaded the files at work.)

Guess I'll try again on Wednesday. Unless somebody knows what's wrong.

[Angrist]

Ok I got it working now (I needed to install Visual C++ something something).

I'm going to buy a bluetooth connector now. From what I've seen Zelda Twilight Princess is incredibly choppy, even at a low res. I hope I can fix that.

[Vampyr]

Well I've been playing Super Mario Galaxy this morning, in 1080p. :D I'm also using a real controller, and I've mapped the shake to a button.

I have news for you folks - doing a spin attack by pressing a button is actually easier, more fun, and more accurate than doing it by shaking the wii mote. Glad we settled that.

I actually can't run the game in x3 the internal resolution, even though my machine is kind of beastly. I have a core i7 processor. Graphics card isn't amazing, but isn't terrible either.

Right now I'm sticking with x2 internal res and no anti-aliasing. My game stays in the 45 - 50 fps range, although it gets super laggy curing cut scenes. Luckily there aren't many of those.

Also, I mapped the pointing of the wii mote to an analog stick, but that isn't working so great yet. I feel like I need to turn down the sensitivity of the analog stick, but I'm not sure if I can do that with this gamepad.

Anyone have any recommendations for settings SMG? I'm pretty pleased with it as is, but I'd be up for making it even better.

[BreakABone]

I finished Prison Island, and wow do things pick up there or what.

[DarkMaster]

I knew that person was going to be the person that it was... a little too cliche for me but it seems to be leading in cool places. This is the guy who gave us the insanely immense and complicated Xenogears and Xenosagas, after all.

[BreakABone]

I knew that person was going to be the person that it was... a little too cliche for me but it seems to be leading in cool places. This is the guy who gave us the insanely immense and complicated Xenogears and Xenosagas, after all.

I figured out the main "Mechon" from the first appearance. I mean come on the Prologue all but set it up.

And then when the new one came about, wasn't difficult to guess that either.

But a really well done scene with all the players, and playing with expectations.

[DarkMaster]

Ok, how long is this freakin game? I'm 50 hours in; asbolutely unheard of for any game that isn't an MMO by today's game-length standards. I know people who've beaten it and say they clocked 100 hours and still had side shit to do. I'm loving the game, the pacing is phenominal and everything keeps getting bigger and better, but holy shit.

[TheSlyMoogle]

Ok, how long is this freakin game? I'm 50 hours in; asbolutely unheard of for any game that isn't an MMO by today's game-length standards. I know people who've beaten it and say they clocked 100 hours and still had side shit to do. I'm loving the game, the pacing is phenominal and everything keeps getting bigger and better, but holy shit.

This is not a bad thing my friend.

[Angrist]

One shop here is selling Xenoblade incl. red classic controller for €45. That's less than a normal game (€50).

Still, I don't have time for an RPG, especially with Zelda coming out soon. Oh and I never was into JRPGs..

[BreakABone]

Seems like the game may be dropping in the US, exclusive to GameStop

http://p.twimg.com/AfqkpWVCQAAPE5c.jpg:small

Seems more official since Nintendo posted some artwork on their site

http://i.imgur.com/iNymO.png

[Angrist]

Awesome news for you guys.

[Vampyr]

Will purchase if true, but will probably play on the PC.

How important are motion controls - are they even used at all? If not it sounds like a perfect Dolphin game.

[Angrist]

I wonder if Amazon will be amused by the GameStop exclusivity: the game got to the top of Amazons pre-order chart.

[BreakABone]

Will purchase if true, but will probably play on the PC.

How important are motion controls - are they even used at all? If not it sounds like a perfect Dolphin game.

The game doesn't use motion controls at all. Actually, in Europe came with a classic controller.

Personally.. prefer Wii-Mote set-up since you can select moves while moving.

Anyhow, its official, here's the press release and trailer

XENOBLADE CHRONICLES COMING TO NINTENDO'S WII CONSOLE IN SPRING

Dec. 2, 2011

It's man vs. machine in a new game coming to Nintendo's Wii™ console in spring. Xenoblade Chronicles™ asks players to use the Monado blade to take on a seemingly endless series of invading Mechon robots in a sweeping role-playing adventure.

The main character is Shulk, a weapons researcher who must confront the Mechon by wielding the ancient Monado blade. It's the only weapon that has any effect against the Mechon, and it also enables Shulk to see the future.

Players can customize their characters with a variety of weapons and armor choices, as well as headgear, boots and gloves. As in many role-playing games, players can then gain experience and upgrade their characters. Players can watch their enemies, learn their tactics and unleash real-time counterattacks.

The vast open world of Xenoblade Chronicles is ripe for exploration. Players can avert their focus from the main story and venture out looking for other challenges and side quests. Hidden areas and unique monsters are scattered throughout the game's massive world, which players can explore freely.

Xenoblade Chronicles has already launched in Japan and Europe, and has received unanimously positive reviews, including several perfect scores.

Xenoblade Chronicles will be available exclusively through U.S. GameStop retail locations, http://www.gamestop.com and http://www.nintendo.com at a suggested retail price of $49.99 in the United States. Additional information about the game will be announced in the future. For more information, visit http://xenobladechronicles.nintendo.com.

http://www.twitvid.com/Q6G13

[Ginkasa]

The GameStop exclusivity makes me think that they had a lot to do with the game even making it over here. I don't know if there's any precedence for it, but I would be interested in finding out what, if any, deals GS made with Nintendo in order to get Xenoblade over here and exclusive to them.

[Angrist]

I think Nintendo figured it was too risky to publish the game the normal way... so they want to try this.

And if this doesn't sell, there's no way you'll get The Last Story and the other one.

[TheSlyMoogle]

This is surprising since gamestop and nintendo don't get along at all usually.

[BreakABone]

Oh finally finished the game!

It took me.. roughly 100 hours, but there.. done.. campaign!

[DarkMaster]

I stopped short of beating the last boss. Clocked around 60 or 70 hours I believe. A really great experience overall, truly a massive JRPG like those from the good old days. I loved the exploration and the huge environments, the only thing I wasn't crazy about was the story, which I ended up not really caring about that much by the end, hence not beating the last boss (the fight was hard so didn't feel like putting in the effort to grind).

I look forward to playing the Last Story when it comes out in Europe, sometime in Feb or March I think? I hope it works well on Dolphin like Xenoblade did.

[BreakABone]

I stopped short of beating the last boss. Clocked around 60 or 70 hours I believe. A really great experience overall, truly a massive JRPG like those from the good old days. I loved the exploration and the huge environments, the only thing I wasn't crazy about was the story, which I ended up not really caring about that much by the end, hence not beating the last boss (the fight was hard so didn't feel like putting in the effort to grind).

I look forward to playing the Last Story when it comes out in Europe, sometime in Feb or March I think? I hope it works well on Dolphin like Xenoblade did.

I actually enjoy the twist/story wrap-up after the final boss.
I recommend at least watching it on Youtube.
Wasn't what I expected.

[Vampyr]

Finally got around to getting things set up to play this game.

Dear lord. I'm only like half an hour in, but what a magnificent game this is. My nostalgia meter is in overdrive. I haven't played an RPG like this in a long time. But at the same time it isn't too old fashioned. The characters run really fast, you can save at anywhere you want, there is a fast travel system. Story is so good so far, it has really sucked me in.

One question, is there any point to materials, or should I just sell those?

[BreakABone]

Finally got around to getting things set up to play this game.

Dear lord. I'm only like half an hour in, but what a magnificent game this is. My nostalgia meter is in overdrive. I haven't played an RPG like this in a long time. But at the same time it isn't too old fashioned. The characters run really fast, you can save at anywhere you want, there is a fast travel system. Story is so good so far, it has really sucked me in.

One question, is there any point to materials, or should I just sell those?

Materials?
Like stuff enemies drop and you pick up from orbs?

Yes, to a degree
But the game generally tells you what is important.

[Vampyr]

The Last Story is coming to NA:

http://www.giantbomb.com/news/xseed-will-do-what-nintenwont-agrees-to-localize-the-last-story-for-north-america/3997/

[BreakABone]

The Last Story is coming to NA:

http://www.giantbomb.com/news/xseed-will-do-what-nintenwont-agrees-to-localize-the-last-story-for-north-america/3997/

At least, they were smart enough to announce this before the European release.

Guess can hold off until the summer

[Vampyr]

At least, they were smart enough to announce this before the European release.

Guess can hold off until the summer

Yeah, I'm worried that Xenoblade won't sell well because anyone in America who wants to play it already has.

I'll be buying it anyway, but I can't imagine the majority will.

[DarkMaster]

Going to start playing my import this weekend. Really looking forward to it.

[DarkMaster]

Last Story looks fantastic running on Dolphin. But just like Xenoblade, it's pretty unstable and is going to need a lot of config tweaking to run smoothly. Wicked combat system.

[TheSlyMoogle]

Honestly, I will pick up both me thinks. I had some issues while playing several parts of Xeno on dolphin. So would like to replay someday.

[DarkMaster]

This game becomes a damn mess in Dolphin once reaching the main town. Framerate is just destroyed, and it's a damn shame because it looks fantastic on dolphin. My import was cancelled because of stock shortages, so I think I'll be waiting for the NA release. By then maybe a good Dolphin build will be made, as well.

[BreakABone]

This game becomes a damn mess in Dolphin once reaching the main town. Framerate is just destroyed, and it's a damn shame because it looks fantastic on dolphin. My import was cancelled because of stock shortages, so I think I'll be waiting for the NA release. By then maybe a good Dolphin build will be made, as well.

I was under the impression... that the frame rate drops.. were actually from the game itself...

Seems to be pushing the little Wii to its limits

[TheSlyMoogle]

I was under the impression... that the frame rate drops.. were actually from the game itself...

Seems to be pushing the little Wii to its limits

That's part of the problem, but it isn't emulated too well on the dolphin either, however there was a specific version release of dolphin for xenoblade that sort of takes care of most problems. The biggest issue with it all was the sound for me. In areas where the frame rate would drop the sound would bomb too.

[Vampyr]

That's part of the problem, but it isn't emulated too well on the dolphin either, however there was a specific version release of dolphin for xenoblade that sort of takes care of most problems. The biggest issue with it all was the sound for me. In areas where the frame rate would drop the sound would bomb too.

In order to get Xenoblade working I had to download a custom build that had a sound patch built into it, and then download a separate "30fps patch" that let it run at 30 fps.

My machine is a beast and can run it no problem, you just have to get the patches in order for it to work.

[DarkMaster]

Yea Dolphin is very technical and very specific, you gotta hound the official forums and read up on what the dudes who program it are using for specs in each game. Last Story becomes unplayable for me, even with my beast of a PC. The fact that it isn't very stable on the Wii means it's doubly unstable on Dolphin. I really wish these games could just get a PC release somehow... they don't require motion controls at all. There's no reason why my top of the line PC that can run Skyrim flawlessly at 60fps with max settings can't handle a Wii game. And the difference in visual quality between the Dolphin version running at 1080p and the Wii game running at 480p is staggering. Oh well...

[Vampyr]

Xenoblade Chronicles is available for purchase at Gamestop today.

[Vampyr]

Pandora's Tower is now being ported over by XSEED.

http://www.destructoid.com/xseed-bringing-pandora-s-tower-to-north-america-in-spring-242520.phtml

[Angrist]

Wii U eShop HD release please?

[BreakABone]

Pandora's Tower is now being ported over by XSEED.

http://www.destructoid.com/xseed-bringing-pandora-s-tower-to-north-america-in-spring-242520.phtml

I really didn't expect this one to make it over and assumed most people gave up their fight for it.

[Vampyr]

I really didn't expect this one to make it over and assumed most people gave up their fight for it.

Yeah, The Last Story must have been successful for XSEED.

[BreakABone]

Yeah, The Last Story must have been successful for XSEED.

Their most successful title actually!

http://www.joystiq.com/2012/11/20/the-last-story-is-xseeds-most-successful-game-and-now-its-che/

[Jason1]

I actually really want to Play Xenoblade Chornicles, but I also am cheap and dont want to pay 50 bucks for it, which is still what gamestop is selling it for it appears. Maybe I'll check ebay...