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It seems like every time we bring up online multiplayer, someone else brings up voice chat -- or the lack thereof. It seemed worth further discussion, so we thought we'd ask: is the lack of voice chat in impending online Wii games a real problem for you? We rarely use it with other systems, so for us, it's not such an issue, but we know others often slap on the headset before descending into the field of online play. And of course, when playing online with friends, it is nice ... so perhaps it's a good match with friend codes after all.

We know it's early, but you may want to go ahead and ring the bell that wakes the defense forces: Nintendo has revealed their online plans for Super Smash Bros. Brawl. And Friend Codes are, as you probably feared, in full effect. Luckily, if you don't mind a pared down experience, it's possible to play without them.

If you're competing with a friend, you'll be able to send personalized messages to them as you battle that you'll map to the D-pad. If you play against a stranger, no records are kept of the match. You also won't be able to see a stranger's name, and you won't be able to send messages. So you can stop planning all the creepy things you'll say about about your undying love of Pokemon and how well-sculpted your glutes are right now, child predators! Friend Codes have saved the day again.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

So far, the Wii's online mutliplayer has been a little sketchy. Pokémon Battle Revolution and Mario Strikers Charged have seemed okay, but Madden '08 has been having a few issues, and of course, the question of Super Smash Bros. Brawl and whether or not it will be online continues to give gamers cause to chew their nails with fear. There are numerous other titles that many think should have been online as well. Where do you think we'll stand with the online situation by this time next year? Do you think the kinks will be worked out?

The next installment of Electronic Arts' Madden 08 will feature online multiplayer but will not be using Nintendo's friend code system, according to associate producer Damian Zerr in an interview with IGN.

"Madden Wii doesn't support the Wii friends system during online play," he said. "This is something we're still working on with Nintendo. For now our online play uses your EA Nation Persona to search and manage your EA Messenger account." IGN does not press further as to why EA made this decision, leaving us to only speculate the reasons why. Perhaps EA is as distraught with the system as many Joystiq readers have conveyed.

No voice chat will be available during online play, relying instead on EA Messenger for communication (details on how were also not given), but alongside DS connectivity was not ruled out for Madden 09.

[Via Nintendo Wii Fanboy]

We all complain about friend codes sometimes. In fact, it's just about our favorite topic to moan about (except for lamenting the gap between Ace Attorney games). But does the presence of friend codes ever prevent you from playing a DS game online? Have you ever thought, wow, this whole Mario Kart thing is sure awesome, but I think I'll go play something online on my 360 instead?

Certainly someone (and all their friends) is playing online, and it's not just us during Game Night. But is it you?

Do friend codes turn you off Nintendo WiFi?
	No, I play online regardless. Nintendo forever!
	Sometimes it seems annoying, but I try not to let it deter me.
	Between friend codes and dropped connections, I don't play online that often.
	Yes, I definitely go online more with other systems.
	I don't play online.

Those oft-discussed Nintendo friend codes may be more universal than previously thought. In an interview with Gamers.fr, Mario Strikers Charged producer Justin Dowdeswell of Next Level Games said that the friend codes used for online games are tied to your Mii character and does not change between games.

"Each Mii created generates a Mii code that never changes. This code will thus be used for all other online games in the future," said Dowsedell (according to a translation done by Joystiq).

Each Wii console can hold 100 Mii characters. There are one trillion possible 12-digit friend codes; some quick number-crunching reveals that Nintendo can only build ten billion Wii consoles in its lifetime. Only ten billion? Way to limit your sales, Ninty. (We're going to spell this one out: that's sarcasm.)

Update: Falafelkid at Wii: Definitive speculation contacted Dowdeswell via phone, who said that "he never intended to comment on any other titles, nor would he know about how they implemented online features."

Dowsedell comments as they appear above were a translation of his original words done by this writer, which we should have made more clear. However, we feel our translation was accurate to the best of our knowledge. As it was written in the interview: Chaque Mii créé génère un code Mii qui reste invariable par la suite. Ce code servira donc pour tous les autres jeux jouables en ligne dans le futur.

We have contacted Dowsedell ourselves to learn that, indeed, he is not sure and was not speaking for how online will be handled with other games. "We're just aware of how we're handling Strikers stuff ... That's not to say it won't happen, but I'm not aware of that," he said to Joystiq via phone.

We apologize for any misunderstanding of Dowdeswell's words specifically stemming from the phrase "all other online games in the future" (intended to mean Strikers Charged matches and not other Wii games).

[Via The Platformers]

Update 4/25 10:50am: Despite appearing on GamesPress this morning (now conveniently missing) and still being mirrored publicly at GamesIndustry.biz, it looks like this strange, terse announcement (and it's accompanying screenshots) for Excite Truck 2 is ... a fake. We've asked Nintendo for a comment on the "announcement." The original post is saved after the break. 11:25am: CVG says, "Nintendo has confirmed [the announcement] to be fake."

MTV News' Stephen Totilo sacrificed countless hours and, some would say, his sanity to try and right Nintendo's wrongs -- doing the video gaming world an immeasurable favor in the process. He tried to make Nintendo's inscrutable friend code system easy to remember using our old buddy, mnemonics. The answer: "friend sentences." Taking a page from the savvy folks at places like 1-800-MAT-TRES (leave off the last S for "savings"), Totilo sought out the help of PhoneSpell.org, a service capable of turning at least 10 of your 16 friend code digits into something that resembles language, and ended up with a solution, of sorts.

Our question? Why sixteen characters? A telephone number is limited to ten digits, eleven for some international numbers ... did Nintendo expect to sell more DS and Wii units than the telephone? (Don't answer that.) Regardless, if you want to rock some multiplayer Wii (whenever Metroid drops) hit Stephen up at ELF-ON-OX-7-YIP-06 or us at MER-5585-SEA-FIX-JUDO. Easy! Now, what's yours?

Not that Pokémon -- only the second best-selling game franchise evar -- needs any marketing spin to excite sales of its predestined two-headed spawn Diamond & Pearl, but Nintendo does seems eager to herald the game's impending arrival as a sort of "My First Celly" for DS toting youngsters eager for chatter. Of course, this is simply the ability to chat with registered friends using DS's VoIP capabilities, enabled by the new Pokémon game. While it's a far cry from pending productions and possibilities proposed by the competition, VoIP on DS is a little used feature that has the potential to be a unique selling point.

Sure, it's tethered to Wi-Fi hotspots, but the technology offers the promise of safe communication -- in terms of both who your kid be talkin wit' and potential costs (or lack thereof) -- for concerned parents looking to serve their whiny offspring. Then again, DS VoIPin' lacks the much desired 'prank call' feature. With mischief muted, your preteens are gonna have to settle on playground gossip. That, or they could actually engage in some good ol' pocket monster melee. Imagine that.

Pokémon Diamond and Pearl are scheduled for release on April 22.

The good folks over at GoNintendo are referencing an informal interview by one "Falafelkid", whom they claim to be as reputable as they come. He has apparently spoken with some GameSpy PR people (whom we have attempted to contact and failed miserably), who will be partnering with Nintendo to provide online functionality in upcoming games. The grim, grim news?

Falafelkid: Just one last question to make absolutely sure I have got this right, please. If I have a friend roster in one game, that roster will not be available to me in any other game. I have to build up an entirely new list for each title, right?

GameSpy: The answer to your question is yes, for the Wii friend lists are game-specific.

Ughhhhh. We don't want to take this as fact, but the mere prospect leaves us depressed and in a need of a rainbow or something to cheer us up. The Wii maintains an internal friends list as is; why can't games simply access said list and use it universally across the platform? Why, Nintendo, why?

Friend codes. Nintendo's self-imposed restriction on online gaming has been a burden to many who want to play with their friends without having to share a different 12-digit friend code for every game. When the Wii was revealed to have a console-specific friend code, we thought Nintendo had somewhat listened to the community's grumblings. When Pokemon Battle Revolution, the first online Wii title, launched in Japan with friend codes, we realized the folly of our optimism.

Square Enix's Senior Vice President Hiromichi Tanaka empathizes, highlighting the friend code system as the primary reason they haven't brought an online game like Final Fantasy XI onto the console. In an interview with Cubed's Adam Riley, Tanaka reveals that the RPG powerhouse is now in negotiations with Nintendo about "resolving this point of contention." A publisher of Square Enix's magnitude does not necessarily guarantee Nintendo will listen, but perhaps Nintendo will ease off or at least allow exceptions for some titles.

Then again, Final Fantasy XI on the Wii would surely be profitable even if gamers were required to enter over 300,000 12-digit codes to fully experience the world. That's how much, we suspect, Wii owners our clamoring for Nintendo to join the rest its brethren in this generation.

[Update 1: As White Rose Duelist and others have pointed out, Pokemon Battle Revolution's extra friend code might be an exception and not a rule, and Elebits is a cited example where one can exchange in-game pictures with Wii friends. However, as we do not have any other details from impending online games, and Nintendo has not readily clarified, we're just not sure.]