Now we're going to get into a bit of technobabble, so bear with us. Follow the directions and press 1 or A when prompted. Put the SD card in your Wii and run the D2X CIOS Installer from the Homebrew Channel.
SD card goes back to computer! Now download this zip file and extract its contents to the sd:/apps directory in your SD card.
Next you'll want to install D2X, a custom " IOS" system (the operating system the Wii uses to access hardware features). Follow the directions and press 1 or A when prompted.Īssuming you're still connected to the Internet (like we told you before), select "Download IOS from NUS." Continue following the instructions and press 1 or A when prompted.Īt Step 2, press 2. Put the SD card in your Wii and run the IOS236 Installer from the Homebrew Channel. Make sure your Wii does not have any GameCube memory cards inserted. Then go to this website, download the zip file and extract the files to the sd:/apps directory in your SD card. Put your SD card back in your computer reader. We're almost there! You just have to install a few pieces of software, and then you'll be playing those sexy European games on your plain old American Wii. (You might also want to consider installing BootMii, which will back up your files in case something goes wrong.)
You'll be presented with a series of prompt messages – read them, pressing 1 or A when asked.
It should automatically install the HackMii Installer. (More top-tier hacker humor!)Ĭlick on the envelope.
Now hunt through the folder until you find a red envelope with a bomb inside of it. Open up your Wii messages by using the Wiimote to click on the envelope on the bottom right. Take your SD card out of your reader and insert it into your Wii. Insert your SD card into the reader, then extract the contents of Letterbomb.zip to the card by unzipping the file with WinRar or a similar program, then dragging everything into the SD card's folder. You should now have a file named Letterbomb.zip. Then click either "cut the red wire" or "cut the blue wire" – it doesn't matter. Keep "Bundle the HackMii Installer for me!" checked and type in the captcha. Your System Menu version should be "4.3U," for United States. Go to this website and type in your MAC address. Your Wii's MAC address (this can be found in the Wii menu by going to Wii Options/Wii Settings/Console Information)Īn external hard drive and USB cable (optional)
(Special thanks to NeoGAF for helping out with some of the instructions here!)Ī Wii with updated firmware (version 4.3)Ī PC reader for your SD/SDHC card (this is built into many modern computers) Now, there are many ways to hack your Wii, but we'll be focusing on the easiest: a brand new program called Letterbomb. You might have to dish out a few extra bucks for overseas shipping, but just consider it reparations for when your ancestors stole their colonies. Though you might have some luck at an import store like Video Games New York, plenty of British websites will deliver to U.S. So here's how you can import European Wii games and play them on your American Wii. That said, we want everyone to be able to play fantastic games like Xenoblade, no matter where they live. It should be noted (and we can't stress this enough) that you should not use your hacked Wii to illegally download or pirate games.
If you have an American Wii, you can only use it to play American games - until you hack it. Problem is, Nintendo region-locked the Wii. Since the game is available in English, all you have to do is get your hands on a European copy. Xenoblade, developed by the minds at Monolith Soft (also responsible for Xenogears and the Xenosaga trilogy), may join the ranks of Mother 3, The Last Window and Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland as a game that Nintendo refuses to bring here no matter what anyone says. By the way, we reached out to Nintendo of America once more, who had no comment as of publishing time. The same goes for The Last Story and Pandora's Tower, two other hardcore Wii titles that have both been lined up for Europe.
This should be fantastic for everyone involved - except Nintendo won't bring it to America.ĭespite outcries from both fans and media - and the Wii's dismal software lineup for 2011 - Nintendo of America has remained stubborn, insisting that it has " no plans" to release Xenoblade in the United States. The Japanese role-playing game has received impressive critical acclaim in the European press, garnering a solid 91 on Metacritic. We American RPG fans can do nothing but grit our teeth this week as we watch Europeans tear open their brand new copies of Xenoblade Chronicles, which Nintendo released for Wii in PAL territories today.