Since the other thread was quite a mess, with two misleading pages about the wrong product, followed by 16+ pages of asking the same questions every two pages or wondering what the hell is going on with shipping, it seems to be a good idea to make a new thread now that we know it's real and it works.
Here you'll find (or at least I'll try to provide) a summary of what we know, what we don't know, and what we kind of figured out about the Freeloader for Wii, and I'll update the OP everytime someone confirms a game to be fully working with the Freeloader, so please be as kind as to mention which version of the game (US/PAL/JAP) you're playing and on which region of the console.
Also keep in mind that I'm only a human being, so if you find something to be missing in this thread, just tell me and I'll add it. You may also encounter some spelling/wording mistakes here and there since English is not my main language, so feel free to point them out too.
Well, here we go :
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Where to buy it ?
You can buy the Wii Freeloader on CodeJunkies, which is Datel's official site, but it has been proven to suck, so don't.
Plus, consider that
/!\ UNF UNF UNF FREELOADER NOW ON PLAY ASIA UNF UNF /!\
And it's fucking CHEAPER (about 14 shipped). No reason to refuse now.
PAL VERSION
US VERSION
JAP VERSION
Also note that while CodeJunkies doesn't accept PayPal payments, Play-Asia does, so if you don't have a credit card you might want to go with them.
Why would I buy it ?
If you're a US gamer, then you'll be able to play Mario Kart in April, or some JP games that you know will take a looong time to come out in the States, if they ever do. As a PAL gamer, this is the best day of your life. You can shit over NOE's shittypolicy shit, the one that made you wait 'til last September to play Super Paper Mario, even more to play Trauma Center SO, and now until June to play Smash. Plus, since Euro is stronger than USD, you'll save 10 to 20 euros on every game you buy. Basically : you get your games faster AND cheaper. And you get Smash Bros Brawl NOW.
Also, there's the case where a game gets f'd up when it comes out in PAL land. With the Freeloader you'll be able to play the Original Version of No More Heroes, as well as the "not-missing-half-the-characters" version of Naruto GNT EX 2.
And if you're a Japanese gamer, er, well... Maybe you like Stupid Attorneys ?
What about firmware updates ? Could they block my Freeloader ?
As the freeloader is an absolutely unofficial product, yes they could, however, remember that downloadable updates are never mandatory, so you might just want to be careful and wait for someone less clever than you to bite the bullet ;-P
Also, there's this bit of information Datel told (by phone) to some guy on some forum :
(source)
Well, downloadable updates aren't mandatory, but what about the on-disc updates, the one I'm forced to go through in order to play Super Mario Galaxy for instance ?
The Freeloader bypasses the request for all on-disc updates, so if said update is only there for pirates pissing purposes only and isn't needed for the game to run, the game will run smoothly.
However, if the on-disc update is required in order for the game to run properly, then you'll have to use the « Alternative Method » :
(full scans here thanks to Shafto)
Basically, the Freeloader will update the system in a selective way, only installing the components required by the game.
Will playing a game through the Freeloader affect online play and online functionnalities of said game ?
Well, there's no problem with the US version of Smash Brawl at least.
Also,
Online Brawl is NOT "region locked", the only thing that could prevent you to play with a friend is him being too far away from you to allow for a sufficiently lag-less match, and by "too far away" I mean "really, REEALLY far away" since US players are within reach of European players.
So yeah, with your US copy you'll be able to play with your PAL friends. Actually you'll even get a better connection quality.
What's a good site for import ?
There are plenty of sites you can buy your games from, I'm only going to mention two of them, the most well known and reliable ones.
Play-Asia will allow you to purchase US and Japanese games at interesting prices, with a surprisingly wallet-friendly $3.40 worldwide shipping fee. Plus it's easy to get a '$5 off ' coupon with the help of GAF.
VideoGamesPlus.ca is for US games only. It's often said to be faster than Play-Asia, which is no surprise since it's based in Canada. Shipping to Europe is 7.49CDN though.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GAMES TESTED BY GAF
Of course the Freeloader is supposed to work with every game, but as it is 100% unofficial, some problems might occur with some games. And even without this small risk, it's always good to be sure, especially if you're the skeptical type or if it's your first time importing something.
I'll update this section everytime a gaffer confirms a game to be running smoothly. Don't forget to mention which version of the game (US/PAL/JAP) you're playing and on which region of the console.
*WORKING GAMES
** Wii Games
Super Smash Bros. Brawl JAP on PAL console here won't boot on a system with modchip
Super Smash Bros. Brawl US on PAL console here won't boot on a system with modchip
No More Heroes US on PAL console here
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption US on PAL console here
Super Mario Galaxy US on PAL console here
Super Paper Mario US on PAL console here
Trauma Center Second Opinion US on PAL console here
Ghost Squad US on PAL console here
Rayman Raving Rabbids US on PAL console here
Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles US on PAL console here
Zack and Wiki : The Quest for Barbaro's Treasure US on PAL console here
Wario Ware Smooth Moves US on PAL console here
Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz US on PAL console here
Nitrobike US on a PAL console here
Trauma Center : New Blood US on a PAL console here
Harvest Moon Wii JAP on a US console here
Simple Wii Series vol. 4: The Shooting Action JPN works on PAL here
And Simple Wii Series vol. 6: The Wai Wai Combat JPN on PAL here
Harvey Birdman US on PAL console here
Naruto Shippuden: Gekitou Ninja Taisen EX 2 JAP on a PAL console works fine here
** GameCube Games
Baten Kaitos US on PAL console
Baten Kaitos Origins US on PAL console [URL="http://www.rllmukforum.com/index.php?s=&showtopic=179782&view=findpost&p=4868106"]here
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles US on a PAL console here
Viewtiful Joe JAP on a PAL console Works but with messed up cutscenes. here
Metroid Prime US on a PAL console here
Shikigami No Shiro 2 JAP on a PAL console here
Ribbit King US on a PAL console here
Mario Golf:TT US on a PAL console here
Timesplitters 3: Future Perfect US on a PAL console here
Resident Evil 4 US on a PAL console here
PN03 JAP on a PAL console here
Tales Of Symphonia US on a PAL console Has some weird graphical glitch here
PN03 US on a PAL console with some audio glitching in the opening cutscene
Beyond Good & Evil US on a PAL console (slight graphics errors) here
Phantasy Star Online Ep1&2 US on a PAL console here
Puyo Pop Fever US on a PAL console here
Def Jam Fight for NY US on PAL console here
Harvest Moon (All of them) JAP on a US console here
WaveRace BlueStorm JPN on PAL console - OK but black flickering lines at the top of the screen
Viewtiful Joe JPN on PAL console - OK but slow cinematics
P.N.03 JPN on PAL console - OK
Auto Modellista US Tuned JPN on PAL console Perfect
Billy Hatcher JPN on PAL console - OK
*NOT WORKING GAMES
Viewtifull Joe US on a PAL console here
Naruto Gekitou Ninja Taisen 4 JAP on a PAL console here
Zelda The Wind Waker US on a PAL console here
Animal Crossing US on a PAL console here
Sonic Gems Collection JAP on a PAL console here
Star Soldier JAP on a PAL console here
PC Genjin JAP on a PAL console here
Alien Hominid US on a PAL console here
Battalion Wars US on a PAL console here
Chibi Robo US on a PAL console here
Geist US on a PAL console here
Killer 7 US on a PAL console here
Viewtiful Joe 2 US on a PAL console here
Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble US on a PAL console here
Killer7 JAP on a PAL console here
Alien Hominid US on a PAL console here
Super Monkey Ball 2 US on a PAL console here
Super Robot Wars JAP on a PAL console here
Winning Eleven 6 JAP on a PAL console here
Mega Man Network Transmission US on PAL here
Konjiki no GashBell Yujyo TagBattle 2 JPN on PAL console - Does not load here
Luigi Mansion JPN on PAL console - OK but black flickering lines at the top of the screen here
Nintendo Puzzle Collection JPN on PAL console - Does not load here
R:Racing Evolution JPN on PAL console - Does not load here
Zelda 4 Swords JPN on PAL console - Does not load here
Kururin Squash!! JPN on PAL console - Does not load here
Kinnikuman 2 JPN on PAL console - Does not load here
Viewtiful Joe 2 JPN on PAL console - Does not load here
Naruto Gekitou Ninja Taisen 3 JPN on PAL console - Does not load here
Super Robot wars GC JPN on PAL console - Does not load here
Mario Golf Familiy Tour JPN on PAL console - Resets on course here
Rockman X Command Mission JPN on PAL console - Does not load here
Giftpia JPN on PAL console - Does not load here
Odama US on a PAL Wii does not work - here
Here you'll find (or at least I'll try to provide) a summary of what we know, what we don't know, and what we kind of figured out about the Freeloader for Wii, and I'll update the OP everytime someone confirms a game to be fully working with the Freeloader, so please be as kind as to mention which version of the game (US/PAL/JAP) you're playing and on which region of the console.
Also keep in mind that I'm only a human being, so if you find something to be missing in this thread, just tell me and I'll add it. You may also encounter some spelling/wording mistakes here and there since English is not my main language, so feel free to point them out too.
Well, here we go :
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Where to buy it ?
You can buy the Wii Freeloader on CodeJunkies, which is Datel's official site, but it has been proven to suck, so don't.
Plus, consider that
/!\ UNF UNF UNF FREELOADER NOW ON PLAY ASIA UNF UNF /!\
And it's fucking CHEAPER (about 14 shipped). No reason to refuse now.
PAL VERSION
US VERSION
JAP VERSION
Also note that while CodeJunkies doesn't accept PayPal payments, Play-Asia does, so if you don't have a credit card you might want to go with them.
Why would I buy it ?
If you're a US gamer, then you'll be able to play Mario Kart in April, or some JP games that you know will take a looong time to come out in the States, if they ever do. As a PAL gamer, this is the best day of your life. You can shit over NOE's shitty
Also, there's the case where a game gets f'd up when it comes out in PAL land. With the Freeloader you'll be able to play the Original Version of No More Heroes, as well as the "not-missing-half-the-characters" version of Naruto GNT EX 2.
And if you're a Japanese gamer, er, well... Maybe you like Stupid Attorneys ?
What about firmware updates ? Could they block my Freeloader ?
As the freeloader is an absolutely unofficial product, yes they could, however, remember that downloadable updates are never mandatory, so you might just want to be careful and wait for someone less clever than you to bite the bullet ;-P
Also, there's this bit of information Datel told (by phone) to some guy on some forum :
(source)
Well, downloadable updates aren't mandatory, but what about the on-disc updates, the one I'm forced to go through in order to play Super Mario Galaxy for instance ?
The Freeloader bypasses the request for all on-disc updates, so if said update is only there for pirates pissing purposes only and isn't needed for the game to run, the game will run smoothly.
However, if the on-disc update is required in order for the game to run properly, then you'll have to use the « Alternative Method » :
(full scans here thanks to Shafto)
Basically, the Freeloader will update the system in a selective way, only installing the components required by the game.
Will playing a game through the Freeloader affect online play and online functionnalities of said game ?
Well, there's no problem with the US version of Smash Brawl at least.
(source)
Also,
Online Brawl is NOT "region locked", the only thing that could prevent you to play with a friend is him being too far away from you to allow for a sufficiently lag-less match, and by "too far away" I mean "really, REEALLY far away" since US players are within reach of European players.
So yeah, with your US copy you'll be able to play with your PAL friends. Actually you'll even get a better connection quality.
What's a good site for import ?
There are plenty of sites you can buy your games from, I'm only going to mention two of them, the most well known and reliable ones.
Play-Asia will allow you to purchase US and Japanese games at interesting prices, with a surprisingly wallet-friendly $3.40 worldwide shipping fee. Plus it's easy to get a '$5 off ' coupon with the help of GAF.
VideoGamesPlus.ca is for US games only. It's often said to be faster than Play-Asia, which is no surprise since it's based in Canada. Shipping to Europe is 7.49CDN though.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GAMES TESTED BY GAF
Of course the Freeloader is supposed to work with every game, but as it is 100% unofficial, some problems might occur with some games. And even without this small risk, it's always good to be sure, especially if you're the skeptical type or if it's your first time importing something.
I'll update this section everytime a gaffer confirms a game to be running smoothly. Don't forget to mention which version of the game (US/PAL/JAP) you're playing and on which region of the console.
You're now quite a lot contributing to this thread, and I can only thank you for that, but the direct consequence is, updating the OP is getting harder when I have to face like 3-4 posts with each 10 games and everyone presenting their list as they want, so I'd like to ask you, from now on, Everytime you post a list of games you tested, please post it in the same format as in the OP :
[Name of the game] [Region of the Game] on a [region of your console] console
Thanks again to everyone
*WORKING GAMES
** Wii Games
Super Smash Bros. Brawl JAP on PAL console here won't boot on a system with modchip
Super Smash Bros. Brawl US on PAL console here won't boot on a system with modchip
No More Heroes US on PAL console here
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption US on PAL console here
Super Mario Galaxy US on PAL console here
Super Paper Mario US on PAL console here
Trauma Center Second Opinion US on PAL console here
Ghost Squad US on PAL console here
Rayman Raving Rabbids US on PAL console here
Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles US on PAL console here
Zack and Wiki : The Quest for Barbaro's Treasure US on PAL console here
Wario Ware Smooth Moves US on PAL console here
Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz US on PAL console here
Nitrobike US on a PAL console here
Trauma Center : New Blood US on a PAL console here
Harvest Moon Wii JAP on a US console here
Simple Wii Series vol. 4: The Shooting Action JPN works on PAL here
And Simple Wii Series vol. 6: The Wai Wai Combat JPN on PAL here
Harvey Birdman US on PAL console here
Naruto Shippuden: Gekitou Ninja Taisen EX 2 JAP on a PAL console works fine here
** GameCube Games
Baten Kaitos US on PAL console
Baten Kaitos Origins US on PAL console [URL="http://www.rllmukforum.com/index.php?s=&showtopic=179782&view=findpost&p=4868106"]here
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles US on a PAL console here
Viewtiful Joe JAP on a PAL console Works but with messed up cutscenes. here
Metroid Prime US on a PAL console here
Shikigami No Shiro 2 JAP on a PAL console here
Ribbit King US on a PAL console here
Mario Golf:TT US on a PAL console here
Timesplitters 3: Future Perfect US on a PAL console here
Resident Evil 4 US on a PAL console here
PN03 JAP on a PAL console here
Tales Of Symphonia US on a PAL console Has some weird graphical glitch here
PN03 US on a PAL console with some audio glitching in the opening cutscene
Beyond Good & Evil US on a PAL console (slight graphics errors) here
Phantasy Star Online Ep1&2 US on a PAL console here
Puyo Pop Fever US on a PAL console here
Def Jam Fight for NY US on PAL console here
Harvest Moon (All of them) JAP on a US console here
WaveRace BlueStorm JPN on PAL console - OK but black flickering lines at the top of the screen
Viewtiful Joe JPN on PAL console - OK but slow cinematics
P.N.03 JPN on PAL console - OK
Auto Modellista US Tuned JPN on PAL console Perfect
Billy Hatcher JPN on PAL console - OK
*NOT WORKING GAMES
Viewtifull Joe US on a PAL console here
Naruto Gekitou Ninja Taisen 4 JAP on a PAL console here
Zelda The Wind Waker US on a PAL console here
Animal Crossing US on a PAL console here
Sonic Gems Collection JAP on a PAL console here
Star Soldier JAP on a PAL console here
PC Genjin JAP on a PAL console here
Alien Hominid US on a PAL console here
Battalion Wars US on a PAL console here
Chibi Robo US on a PAL console here
Geist US on a PAL console here
Killer 7 US on a PAL console here
Viewtiful Joe 2 US on a PAL console here
Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble US on a PAL console here
Killer7 JAP on a PAL console here
Alien Hominid US on a PAL console here
Super Monkey Ball 2 US on a PAL console here
Super Robot Wars JAP on a PAL console here
Winning Eleven 6 JAP on a PAL console here
Mega Man Network Transmission US on PAL here
Konjiki no GashBell Yujyo TagBattle 2 JPN on PAL console - Does not load here
Luigi Mansion JPN on PAL console - OK but black flickering lines at the top of the screen here
Nintendo Puzzle Collection JPN on PAL console - Does not load here
R:Racing Evolution JPN on PAL console - Does not load here
Zelda 4 Swords JPN on PAL console - Does not load here
Kururin Squash!! JPN on PAL console - Does not load here
Kinnikuman 2 JPN on PAL console - Does not load here
Viewtiful Joe 2 JPN on PAL console - Does not load here
Naruto Gekitou Ninja Taisen 3 JPN on PAL console - Does not load here
Super Robot wars GC JPN on PAL console - Does not load here
Mario Golf Familiy Tour JPN on PAL console - Resets on course here
Rockman X Command Mission JPN on PAL console - Does not load here
Giftpia JPN on PAL console - Does not load here
Odama US on a PAL Wii does not work - here