Nintendo Wii Freeloader – Quickly And Easily Play Your Gamecube Import Games On Your Nintendo Wii – Part 1

Any hard core gamers knows that many of the best games - or at least the most unique games, come right out of Japan. Most of these games never see the light of day in the United States or Europe and gamers are left wanting and drooling for games they'll never have the chance to play. At least that was the case with the Gamecube and now also with the Nintendo Wii. Then along came a little disc called the Freeloader, that allowed any Gamecube to play any Japanese game with ease, with no mod chip required and no need to open your console.

Why do I mention Gamecube and Wii playing import games? Simply because the Nintendo Wii is also compatible with every single Gamecube Game, including the FreeLoader disc. Because the Nintendo Wii can boot Gamecube Discs / games, you can also load the Freeloader and finally take advantage of all of the great Import games on the market. The Nintendo Wii Freeloader is a disc, that allows any Wii owner to play import Gamecube games without a mod chip. As you may have guessed, the Freeloader was not actually manufactured for the Nintendo Wii, but was instead a product that has been out for several years (with various updates) for the Nintendo Gamecube. Since the Wii can play Gamecube games and is backwards compatible, it will also load the FreeLoader on any Wii console allowing you to play any region Gamecube game with ease.

Now, if this were just any kind of disc, I wouldn't write a review on it. And often times, when I talk about import games, people ask me why I would want to play games that are all in Japanese and can't be played anyway. Or ask me what the big deal is with these games from Japan. The fact of the matter is, over 60% of Japanese import games can be played with no problem. I'm a big fan or racing games and some of the BEST racing games for Gamecube have only been released in Japan. The same would go for first person shooters. But more than that, some of the games are just so very unique, so well designed, that you must try them. You'll immediately become an import game fan once you do.

Regardless of the genre of games you like. By being able to play import games, you're actually expanding your software library, or at least the available selection by thousands of additional games. Many of these games you won't hear about at your local Blockbuster, or in magazine. But online review sites like IGN.com or GameSpot.com have entire sections devoted to import games and import gaming, because there are a tremendous amount of great games available.

This brings us back to the Freeloader. The Freeloader was developed by Datel as a means to cut out the need for installing a mod chip in your Gamecube console to have access, and the ability to play these games. Before the Freeloader, you would need to install a Gamecube Mod Chip like the Xeno Gamecube or the Viper Gamecube chip to play your import and personally backed up games. While the Freeloader won't let you play backup games, it will effortlessly allow you to play Import games from any region on any Gamecube.

I want to also say that this is NOT an article to promote the Freeloader as the next best thing since sliced The Legend Of Zelda for the Gamecube or Nintendo Wii. If you're not into Japanese games, or import games in general, and have no interest in them, then the Freeloader is not for you. It doesn't offer any extras or advantages for any Nintendo Wii or Gamecube owner who is happy to just play the offering of games available in their own country. Its sole purpose is to allow gamers like myself, and tens of thousands of others, to enable the playing of Import games. While I am stressing just Japanese games in this article as they are my own personal favorite. European gamers can also play the latest games released only in the USA on their PAL Gamecube or Nintendo Wii systems as well. Gamecube import games are not just from Japan. If you're a fan or Rally racing games, many of the best games in that genre are released in the UK and Europe.

Just how do you use the Gamecube Freeloader on the Nintendo Wii? First of all, think of it as a Nintendo Wii Freeloader. Insert the disc into your Nintendo Wii just as you would your Gamecube, and then select it from your Wii Dashboard. It'll load up, and you'll be greeted by the Freeloader main menu, where you'll have several selections. While it isn't loaded with features that'll blow you away - that is exactly the reason it's so easy to use. I suppose there aren't really a slew of features you could pack in to software that is intended to do just one thing - play import video games. We can thank the simplicity and ease of use due to the few options it has.

The Freeloader is easy to use, both on the Gamecube and the Nintendo Wii console. You simply put the disc in the Gamecube or your Nintendo Wii, wait for it to load and then pick the map representing the region you want to play. You'll then have to eject the disc from your Nintendo Wii, or open the Gamecube lid, and take out the Freeloader, put in the game you want to play and it will just load for you. It couldn't get any easier really.

In closing, the Freeloader for the Gamecube or Nintendo Wii is meant to do one thing, and one thing only. It does it with ease and work perfectly each and every time. It's not intended to do anything else. Comparing it to other software or add ons for either the Gamecube or the Nintendo Wii would be pointless. If you want to start getting the latest import games without having to wait until the hit the local market - if they ever do at all, then the Freeloader is the easiest and cheapest way to get you started.

Is it possible to legally copy WII games?

When you lay out between $30 and $60 for a single Wii game, it can be extremely disconcerting when one of those games gets scratched, dented or otherwise damaged and stops working. Unfortunately, many Wii games don't respond particularly well to disk cleaners, either. One little accident, and you're out that $60.

Fortunately, you can legally copy your Wii games. While it's not exactly an intuitive or an easy process, the good news is that it can be done. However, one of the things that makes copying Wii games a problem is that your Wii console won't just play those backed up games without some changes.

The kinds of things you need to do to your Wii console inorder to get it to play a game that you've backed up can be a bit scary. If you're not careful, you can wind up voiding your warranty and destroying your Wii console completely.

One way to do it is with a special "mod chip." This chip is soldered into the board of your Wii console. Obviously, opening up your Wii console and attaching new electronics to the inside of it will void your warranty. Unless you're an expert at these sorts of electronic tasks, you probably aren't going to take the risk.

You can, however, use those copied Wii games by modifying the software on your Wii. This is a more attractive option, as changing the software on your Wii doesn't void your warranty. However, with system updates and such you may find that you have to wait to download the latest Wii system software until the vendor that provides your software changes adapts the software for the new Wii system update.

There is also a way to copy your Wii games in such a manner as that you don't have to change your Wii console around at all. You don't need to add a mod chip, and you don't need to modify the system software. Programs such as "Game Copy Pro will actually allow you to create a copy of your Wii game that will play on the Wii. You make the copy on your PC using the Game Copy Pro software, and it encodes the disc in such a way that your Wii can read it correctly.

The act of copying the Wii game is completely legal. While there may or may not be legal implications to playing the games or making modifications to your Wii system, you can safely copy your Wii game legally without any concerns. Of course, if you want to be certain, talk to an intellectual property attorney who is experienced in dealing with the laws as they relate to video games.

Where can I download wii games for free without the mod chip?

QuackQuack asked:


I got a new wii for my kids and I am finding out that there are web sites that offer free wii games for a membership fee. Are these for real? And do I have to get the mod chip?

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