Wii FreeLoader now available, mod-less region-free gaming

29 Comments by Christopher Grant Feb 28th 2008 5:46PM
Filed under: Nintendo Wii

Finally! After being rendered useless by an August update (that is, if you could get yours to work at all) Datel's previously Gamecube only FreeLoader disc has been released for Wii, promising region-free gaming without the hassle of modding your console. Available in the US for $19.99 and the UK for £9.99, it should be enough to keep European gamers from waiting a rumored three extra months to play Super Smash Bros. Brawl ... which may be just enough time before Nintendo releases another system update, and we begin the whole process over again.

[Thanks, Marlon]

Tags: Codejunkies, Freeloader

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(Page 1) Reader Comments

star: Feb 28th 2008; 6:24PM

wiiloader..... obvious name choice

Loudfiero: Feb 29th 2008; 7:32AM

what about: fWiiLoader?

Jagotje: Feb 28th 2008; 6:30PM

Sweet, Brawl here I come.

NoE can go fuck themselves, specially after the way they've completely refuse to properly announce a release date for Brawl over here in Europe. June is it now? Reggie said fall? I'm done waiting.

And also I'm surprised they didn't use any Wii pun with that sort of name.

ssuk: Feb 29th 2008; 8:20AM

I'm with you, Nintendo doesn't give a shit for Europe, they haven't done for the last 20 years, no reason for them to start now. Brawl just shows how quickly Nintendo can slip up on AAA titles for Europe, especially when they're force feeding us two AAA titles to compensate... Which I'm still pretty fucking confused why they don't just work on Brawl with as much haste as they have done with Wii Fit and MKWii. But regardless, Brawl wont be the last game we'll have to wait for unnecessarily.

I'll also be getting this so I can finally play my import GC games on the Wii as well. I got my Wii post-AR blocks. Bastards.

info: Feb 28th 2008; 6:30PM

Forget playing SSMB and waiting. I have a bunch of Japanese Donkey Kongas I want to play again :-)

WiNG: Feb 28th 2008; 6:37PM

So, I guess NA CAN play RE Zero?

Phillip: Feb 28th 2008; 6:45PM

Comments are borked! Sweeeet!

Battledrill: Feb 28th 2008; 7:33PM

Naruto here I come! Yes yes yes!

Mills and Boom: Feb 28th 2008; 7:58PM

Is Joystiq broke?

DemonGSides: Feb 28th 2008; 9:13PM

Comments are deadddddd

bender: Feb 28th 2008; 9:19PM

There is a serious problem. I can't read the comments on any thread. If someone clicks on my profile, will you tell me if you can read them on the main page.

Burli: Feb 28th 2008; 11:23PM

Friiloader has a nice ring.

Nintendo's treatment of europe is unexusable, this is karma to bite it in the ass. SSBB will be mine. If I have to keep my wii offline and gameless until SSBB releases in europe to avoid updates, I will. Fall release, no thanks!

ssuk: Feb 29th 2008; 8:23AM

With Nintendo's new firmware, you can actually avoid games with software updates, because the console will tell you before you load the game if it needs an update. How nice of Nintendo to give us that foresight. =)

Evan: Feb 28th 2008; 11:48PM

Sweet! I prefer Japanese-style games over American adolescent violence-porn, and being able to play Japanese games is a big reason why I love the DS! With this, I'll be able to enjoy Japanese games on my Wii.

t_m: Feb 29th 2008; 12:09AM

I hope it works for a while... i've wanted a Wii since launch, but I haven't been able to buy one cos of the region thing. (i currently live abroad, but i'm only a beginner in the local language).

I've been meaning to buy a modded one, but if nintendo don't break this then its much easier...

ThornedVenom (Patapornographer): Feb 29th 2008; 12:49AM

Thank you Freeloader for delivering justice against unfair regionalization (remember back before launch when it was announced that the Wii wouldn't have region-locking?).

It's just that things are considerably harder with Wii updates. -_-

Kye Wii60DF: Feb 29th 2008; 3:22AM

Im all for region-free but won't the japanese games be in japanese?

I can't read kanji :(

Mogwai: Feb 29th 2008; 4:50AM

Bloody No More Heroes :)
If I get the JPN version of SSBB it will still be only in Japanese won't it?

ssuk: Feb 29th 2008; 8:29AM

All Nintendo's first party games are Japanese only for JP release. It's that extra layer of region coding, the language barrier. See, if hardware lock outs don't do the trick, Nintendo bet on many people not being able to read a particular language to help divert them from importing a game from another region. And let's face it, if you're from an English speaking country, not many people know another language very well and most the time they're European languages, not asian languages.

psyborg: Feb 29th 2008; 5:00AM

Guess this means US gets to play MarioKart one day one.

Sweet.

Coldplayer: Feb 29th 2008; 6:02AM

I think it's stupit! Stupit! Know why? because They don't ship to us Aussies! That's Why!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1eshgrtgheb rfhdeszjfgnkgehls wslg; js;bejbl;er s;ej;rgljaqpiwg1w4608686408535864247996479y6! Stupid! I hate u all! Nintendo Sux!

Menuboy: Feb 29th 2008; 8:12AM

Any proof this actually works? Metroid Prime updated my firmware for me if I get Brawl is it going to update it again and block this Wiiloader?

Knoxximus: Feb 29th 2008; 10:58AM

Umm, is there a link for the US version yet?

brian: Feb 29th 2008; 12:23PM

The one joystiq linked to it the US version.

I don't think there is different versions of it.

Fedule: Mar 1st 2008; 2:05AM

All of this is awesome, but what about those updates that they bundle with certain games (not least of all Brawl)? Won't that still brick consoles?

tomkun: Mar 4th 2008; 12:10AM

what about the firmware update by nintendo that rendered the GC freeloader useless?
Did it also render this new version useless, or this one still works?

Mogwai: Mar 13th 2008; 12:56AM

This won't ruin anything or get disabled will it? I thought Nintendo had something to do with the Gamecube Freeloader.

Mogwai: Mar 13th 2008; 12:56AM

This won't ruin anything or get disabled will it? I thought Nintendo had something to do with the Gamecube Freeloader.

Dengar: Mar 29th 2008; 11:46AM

Well, I'm playing the US version of Brawl now. If the unthinkable happens and my freeloader stops working, I hope the EU version will be out. It'll be a pain to have to unlock everything again, but c'est la vie.

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