4.7 Million Wii Virtual Console Downloads [Archive]

bapenguin

06-01-2007, 08:52 AM

According to Next-Gen.biz (http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5831&Itemid=2), Nintendo has sold over 4.7 Million games via their Virtual Console service for the Nintendo Wii.

The figure equates to over 1000 downloads per hour since November 19, 2006.

The top five classic games downloaded to date are Super Mario Bros (NES), Super Mario 64 (N64), Mario Kart 64 (N64), Super Mario World (SNES) and The Legend of Zelda (NES).

Zelda II – The Adventure of Link will become the 100th classic game available for download via the Wii Shop Channel when it is released on June 4.

"With an Internet connection rate reaching 40 percent, Wii owners have more options than ever to find the kinds of games they love to play," said George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications.

Damn, that's a lot of downloads for a bunch of expensive roms.

Draconis

06-01-2007, 08:55 AM

:rolleyes:

Yes, yes...Expensive...as in having to buy them off of the shelf in hard to find stores and paying exorbitant prices for old games.

Truly, the Nintendo Wii VC is a virtual rip off.

Tip. Don't like the price, don't buy em. Obviously, others doesn't have insomuch of a problem.

Sorry, had to beat the dead horse before it rose from the grave, because said comment is obviously going to incite another such long thread.

~Sighs~

Put simply, I like the price. I have no problem with it. I do however think it would be wise for Nintendo to put up a demo channel for the VC games. No one would argue with this.

Yellowman

06-01-2007, 08:56 AM

I have yet to buy one...

CrashCart

06-01-2007, 08:57 AM

Rex Dart

06-01-2007, 08:59 AM

I have this very distinct memory of Nintendo releasing classic NES games for the Gameboy Advance at the price of $20. I remember many people saying, "This is outrageous! I would never buy an NES game for that much! $5 would be perfect!"

Hence, anytime I see someone call the Virtual Console overpriced, I can't help but feel amusement.

Roc Ingersol

06-01-2007, 09:08 AM

So that's what? one download per 2 Wiis?
Good for them. Good for digital distribution.
Maybe they'll start making original titles for it.

For me: I've spent time with emulators. I've had the rose-tinted glasses of memory ripped off my face and been slapped down by reality - hard.
The vast majority of old games are not worth revisiting, and certainly not for $5+ a pop.

KSmitty

06-01-2007, 09:08 AM

I've bought a few. I had some good times playing Tecmo Bowl, Punch Out and Streets of Rage 2 with my friends. Actually my girlfriend and I were just playing Galaga last night.

Yellowman

06-01-2007, 09:10 AM

For me: I've spent time with emulators. I've had the rose-tinted glasses of memory ripped off my face and been slapped down by reality - hard.
The vast majority of old games are not worth revisiting, and certainly not for $5+ a pop.

That is complete and utter bollocks.

EDIT - The 'vast majority of old games...' part, not the price part. I too have played emulators, but I can enjoy games for the fun and challenge and not be put off by the dated visuals. Besides, if a game is fun and has good art direction you forget the visuals entirely.

Lutheran

06-01-2007, 09:10 AM

I am pretty positive original downloads are coming in the not to distant future.

Draconis

06-01-2007, 09:12 AM

What a "great" choice for the 100th game released. Zelda 2 wasn't really all that bad, but it's an odd choice to celebrate with.

Still haven't downloaded any VC games yet. I may get Link to the Past just because I love that game and I don't feel like digging out my SNES.

I'm a little hesitant about buying any content in case I need to send my Wii in for repairs. Something I've been thinking I need to do since seeing the graphics artifacting problems in Twilight Princess. Haven't seen them in a while, but it could have something to do with the fact that I don't play many games on the Wii lately, though.

How long is that warranty again?

Hey, look at it this way Man. At least if you send in your Nintendo Wii for repair, they'll transfer your VC games over to the new console if it is needing as such.

Unlike MS who pretty much tells you that you are SOL and to log in to Live to play your Arcade Games, you filthy pirating bastard.

I'm not kidding. That is literally their attitude.

Rirath

06-01-2007, 09:22 AM

Damn, that's a lot of downloads for a bunch of expensive roms.

Never bought a single title off the virtual console, never plan to.
Unless: They start offering original, Live Arcade style content.

http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2006/09/14

See panel 3.

Repaying Nintendo for the exact same games got old ages ago.
(To be fair, I don't rebuy old games off XBLA either.)

UnderHero5

06-01-2007, 09:23 AM

Hey, look at it this way Man. At least if you send in your Nintendo Wii for repair, they'll transfer your VC games over to the new console if it is needing as such.

Unlike MS who pretty much tells you that you are SOL and to log in to Live to play your Arcade Games, you filthy pirating bastard.

I'm not kidding. That is literally their attitude.
Also, if you tie your Wii store account with your nintendo.com account, all you'll have to do it log back in on the new Wii and it knows what games you own, and you can download them again. It'll tie those games to your account rather than the console itself.

My friend had the artifacts in games, and had to send his back. Nintendo did transfer all of his VC games, but they were tied to his account anyway, just in case.

As for VC sales. I've bought a few VC games. I think people's biggest problems with the prices is that they might feel compelled to "catch 'em all" and have a large library of classics on their Wii, but the prices are just enough to where that would get expensive. If you only buy games you know you'll like, and really want, the prices aren't that bad though. They are definitely no worse than spending $10 for 6 player models in MUA, at least you're getting a full game for your 5 - 10 bucks, regardless of it's age.

That said, I would LOVE for the prices to go down, but I don't think they are unreasonable. I don't make any impulse buys with the current prices though.

Beelzebub

06-01-2007, 09:23 AM

Sounds to me like people making 4.7 million poor decisions. Nintendo is laughing all the way to the bank at you fools.

UnderHero5

06-01-2007, 09:25 AM

Never bought a single title off the virtual console, never plan to.
Unless: They start offering original, Live Arcade style content.

Repaying Nintendo for the exact same games got old ages ago.
(To be fair, I don't rebuy old games off XBLA either.)
Well yeah, that would get old... but you don't have to keep buying the same games over and over. Most of the VC games I bought, I had never played through (Except Mario 64 and Mario Kart 64, both of which are worth 10 bucks to me, since I don't own them any longer on my N64).

crashedout

06-01-2007, 09:30 AM

Damn, that's a lot of downloads for a bunch of expensive roms.

I fully agree but some people will pay any amount for convience.

Roc Ingersol

06-01-2007, 09:36 AM

That is complete and utter bollocks.

EDIT - The 'vast majority of old games...' part, not the price part. I too have played emulators, but I can enjoy games for the fun and challenge and not be put off by the dated visuals. Besides, if a game is fun and has good art direction you forget the visuals entirely.
I've tried playing the stuff you remember fondly from those days. Some stuff holds up well, sure. Dragon Warrior, SMB3, etc. I don't hate old games on principle -- I still play the shit out of XCom.

And it has absolutely nothing to do with visuals.

But most of the NES games i sank so many hours into: contra, rush n attack, battletoads, rygar, castlevania, ghosts n goblins, golden axe, etc. They just do not stand up well. The controls are sloppy, the response is sluggish, the mechanics (lack of save points, etc) are weak, the gameplay is... well sometimes it's alright if you can suffer through the controls and mechanics.

They were fun, yes, back when I didn't know better. Now that I do, and I can choose better titles, there's really no point going back for most of them. Why suffer battletoads when I can play Psychonauts? Why play old-ass castlevanias when I can play Alien Hominid?

I don't hate them or deny the fun I had years ago.
But today? I'm gonna choose to play something else.

Draconis

06-01-2007, 09:39 AM

I've tried playing the stuff you remember fondly from those days. Some stuff holds up well, sure. Dragon Warrior, SMB3, etc. I don't hate old games on principle -- I still play the shit out of XCom.

And it has absolutely nothing to do with visuals.

But most of the NES games i sank so many hours into: contra, rush n attack, battletoads, rygar, castlevania, ghosts n goblins, golden axe, etc. They just do not stand up well. The controls are sloppy, the response is sluggish, the mechanics (lack of save points, etc) are weak, the gameplay is... well sometimes it's alright if you can suffer through the controls and mechanics.

They were fun, yes, back when I didn't know better. Now that I do, and I can choose better titles, there's really no point going back for most of them. Why suffer battletoads when I can play Psychonauts? Why play old-ass castlevanias when I can play Alien Hominid?

I don't hate them or deny the fun I had years ago.
But today? I'm gonna choose to play something else.

~Blinks~ Are we playing the same game? Maybe somethings wrong with your hardware dude, but all of those games you listed I have played and still play to this day, and they respond just fine. The gameplay mechanics are fine, fun factor is fine...well...save battle tards. That is just a game in the sheer excersize of the art of frustration.

As for why play those old games? Oh I don't know. Nostalgia maybe? You should try it some time man. I remember things playing those games of old that I would never remember without doing as such. It's like looking in a freaking photo album and remembering the good ole days and what it feels like to be alive for me.

Baron Samedi

06-01-2007, 09:40 AM

They were fun, yes, back when I didn't know better. Now that I do, and I can choose better titles, there's really no point going back for most of them.

Damn straight. I made the mistake of picking up Castlevania for GBA two years back. I die so much in that game because of the jump.

hideouslywrinkled

06-01-2007, 09:40 AM

I'm going to buy Actraiser this weekend. I never had a chance to play it back in the day. In order to not do the VC thing, I'd have to get my SNES out of storage, track down a cartridge and then hope it doesn't have a bad battery.

Or I can spend eight dollars to play it on my TV, on a system that's already hooked up and with a wireless controller.

I hardly see how that makes me an idiot. I don't know about you guys, but for the hour or two of work I'll save by buying the game through the VC, my time is worth a lot more than $8 I'll spend.

Evil Avnovice

06-01-2007, 09:42 AM

God forbid that $5-10 is asking way too much. :rolleyes: If these games went back to their original pricing of $50-69.99, that'd be perfect. :rolleyes:

I guess it's frowned upon that some people would like to own some of their games legally and on a system they're currently using. Let's not forget the lack of HD graphics and voice chat. :rolleyes:

PacerDawn

06-01-2007, 09:56 AM

And how much do people really play these nostalgic VC games once they buy them? Nostagia for old games typically lasts a day or so, but no longer than a week. Most games that people want to keep playing they usually still are, no matter how old they are. Games that people look at and think "Yeah, I remember that one!" typically are only fun for a very short period before the nostalgia wears off.

I would say the only good use for the VC would be to buy games that you still like to play, only you don't want to have to keep dragging out the older consoles to play. Or more recent games that hold up well over time but don't have modern versions for the Wii (Mario Kart N64, etc).

But buy a game for nostagia, and more than likely you will be sore you spent the money on it, which is I think where most of the complaints come from.

Podfork

06-01-2007, 09:56 AM

Roc Ingersol

06-01-2007, 10:03 AM

~Blinks~ Are we playing the same game? Maybe somethings wrong with your hardware dude, but all of those games you listed I have played and still play to this day, and they respond just fine. The gameplay mechanics are fine, fun factor is fine...well...save battle tards. That is just a game in the sheer excersize of the art of frustration.
More power to you. I've played them on everything from the actual hardware (yeah, ROB still works too), to PC-emulators to handheld emulators on winCE devices and my n800.

It's not that the games are running slow. It's the general wonkiness of the controls and lack of features and changes in game design that I've grown accustomed to.

Example: castlevania. You hit jump, you jump. There's no analog control for height of jump. You're going full-height jump every time. The margin for error on landing a jump isn't slim - it's zero. There's a 1 pixel cut-off between making and missing - and that pixel isn't a visible part of your sprite.
There's no jumping onto stairs. You have to go near the stairs and press up. you can't press up just past the stairs nor can you press up just before the stairs. On the stairs you can't press right or left to move, you must press up and down. You can't jump when you're on stairs. You can't hop off near the top/bottom of stairs. You're stuck to the stairs until you slowly walk to the very top or bottom.

Are they huge problems? No. It's just annoying. It's a growing pile of annoyances that contribute to the game getting put down in favor of something better.

As for why play those old games? Oh I don't know. Nostalgia maybe?
Nostalgia is the worst reason to play old games or watch old movies or tv shows. If they're good, cool, play em and watch em cuz they're still good.

But the stuff we remember fondly? It's not all good.

I picked up the D&D cartoons on VHS years back for nostalgia. That was also a mistake. I can still whistfully remember having a good time watching it though. I remember making my brother laugh donkey kong cereal out his nose during the episode with the skeleton knight (dek-something... dekeron? deklon? something like that).
Sitting through the actual episode now though? not that fun.

Whimbrel

06-01-2007, 10:03 AM

I know that hamespot did a graphics comparison of the backwards compatibility of certain xbox games on the xbox360 and I was really surprised that they looked so much better. Does a game like Super Mario 64 look noticeably different on the Wii? Has anyone done a graphics comparison? I tried Crash Bandicoot on the PS2 and I thought it looked really horrible, but I don't know if that console had backwards compatibility problems or if games were ever supposed to look better.

In any case, I think the N64 is at a pretty sweet price point now. You can get a ton of games and a console for next to nothing on ebay. Since I don't have a wii, I am playing these old school games old school and I think they cost even less than on vc.

AbeLincoln

06-01-2007, 10:09 AM

I just got a wii points card as a belated graduation gift, and I was thinking "all right, now I have no excuse not to get some VC games!"

Then I looked and couldn't find anything that made me want to buy right away. Don't get me wrong there are plenty of good games there, and I'm sure hidden gems that I'd never heard of, but the stuff I really wanted wasn't there. General Chaos on the Genesis... Dr. Mario for the NES. Weren't they supposed to start releasing Neo Geo games? There's a bunch I'd buy there. Bomberman was about the only thing I'd impulse buy.

I was just a bit dissapointed and so didn't even add the points into an account. I think I'll be saving the points and waiting for the monday updates. I'm just saying I couldn't "find the games I'd love to play" Georgy.

UnderHero5

06-01-2007, 10:11 AM

Happy to pay $10 for an old game you've probably already played or paid for once already and has had minimal development invested in it and represents nothing added to the experience is one thing..

..but I sure as hell hope such people are NOT the same ones who cry "rape!" at the notion of paying $10 for brand new maps for next/current gen games the expand on the original gameplay and reinvigorate the mutiplayer aspect of some titles. Heck, some of the games I'm thinking of would be regarded as triple-A games.

After all, that would be double-standards, right? And I know nobody who complains or talks about principles on internet forums has double standards.

Right?

Right.
It's all about value for my dollar, to me. Like I said, most of the VC games I've purchased are ones I never got the chance to play (mostly vertical shooters at this point, I love vertical shooters). Now, since they are new to me, what difference does it make whether they were developed yesterday, or 15 years ago?
If I'm getting enough enjoyment out of the purchase to make up for the cost, then who cares? The work was put into making the game at some point. This would be my first time paying for the game... 5-10 dollars for a full game (assuming I enjoy said game) doesn't seem unreasonable to me.
8-10 dollars for two multiplayer maps for a FPS, or a few character models, DOES seem unreasonable to me. That's just me though. I'll spend my money on what I deem a value, you spend yours however you'd like.

I don't think people should be buying VC games for nostalgia though. That would be a bad purchase. As others have said, nostalgia usually wears off within a day or so... then you're left with a shitty game.

I also have to agree that MOST classic games that I have fond memories of completely blow when I go back and play them. The vast majority, really. Some age very well... others make me wonder wtf I was thinking when I was younger. I'm sure the same will happen one day with current games. Better things come along and spoil us, you just don't realize it until you go back and play some of the games you remember being so good.

Camel

06-01-2007, 10:15 AM

So far the only VC games I've bought have been some 64 games that I never got around to playing (Mario 64, namely). Well, that's a lie...I did buy Gunstar Heroes too so I could play multiplayer on a bigger screen.

Other than that, I've been more than happy playing these games for free on an emulator over the years. For people with a stronger sense of ethics than myself, however, I can see why the VC is popular.

Gorvi

06-01-2007, 10:16 AM

Draconis

06-01-2007, 10:16 AM

It's all about value for my dollar, to me. Like I said, most of the VC games I've purchased are ones I never got the chance to play (mostly vertical shooters at this point, I love vertical shooters). Now, since they are new to me, what difference does it make whether they were developed yesterday, or 15 years ago?
If I'm getting enough enjoyment out of the purchase to make up for the cost, then who cares? The work was put into making the game at some point. This would be my first time paying for the game... 5-10 dollars for a full game (assuming I enjoy said game) doesn't seem unreasonable to me.
8-10 dollars for two multiplayer maps for a FPS, or a few character models, DOES seem unreasonable to me. That's just me though. I'll spend my money on what I deem a value, you spend yours however you'd like.

I don't think people should be buying VC games for nostalgia though. That would be a bad purchase. As others have said, nostalgia usually wears off within a day or so... then you're left with a shitty game.

I also have to agree that MOST classic games that I have fond memories of completely blow when I go back and play them. The vast majority, really. Some age very well... others make me wonder wtf I was thinking when I was younger. I'm sure the same will happen one day with current games. Better things come along and spoil us, you just don't realize it until you go back and play some of the games you remember being so good.

Nostalgia can be a poison.

However, my tastes are a bit better and they aren't poison in general. Nostalgia is also flavored for me in the old packaging of NES Cartridges and old Game systems etc.
I only buy VC games I don't already have generally speaking.

Like Splatterhouse for example. That was awesome to be able to finally play that game, and it was worth the money to me.

The Great Gatsby

06-01-2007, 10:17 AM

Sounds to me like people making 4.7 million poor decisions. Nintendo is laughing all the way to the bank at you fools.

Hahaha. Good one.

Just because some people don't have a problem with the price or that they enjoy playing some classics, doesn't mean you need to classify them as making poor decisions.

You poor or something? Hate the classics? Whats your beef?

Don't like it, don't buy it. Simple as that. Don't be rocking the boat for everyone else, 'mo.

Abednigo

06-01-2007, 10:25 AM

I love the VC and have bought about 8 games from it. I've played about 10 minutes of 2 of them, and about an hour of Castlevania 4. The rest I haven't touched. I kind of like just having them available to play if I want without having to drag out three systems. Of course I can't do that now since I sold all my old systems on Ebay a few years ago (don't stone me). I can't even imagine how much money Nintendo is making on the VC. All the 1st party stuff must be just pure profit at this point.

Johan

06-01-2007, 10:28 AM

Damn, that's a lot of downloads for a bunch of expensive roms.

I just don't get it, actually. I really just don't get why people are buying these things.

Tabasco

06-01-2007, 10:30 AM

So far I have bought 10 VC games, and I have been satisfied with each purchase. They are all games that I used to own and lost, or never got around to owning in the first place. I'm the kind of guy who loves hooking up his NES for a weekend or whatever, so for me the VC is ideal. To be completely honest, I have played more VC than actual Wii games. :o

Gorvi

06-01-2007, 10:31 AM

I just don't get it, actually. I really just don't get why people are buying these things.
2 reasons that I can think of : Nostalgia for games that you played in your youth or playing a game you were always interested in, but never got the chance to.

Lothair

06-01-2007, 10:40 AM

2 reasons that I can think of : Nostalgia for games that you played in your youth or playing a game you were always interested in, but never got the chance to.

Well, his emphasis was on "buying," which makes me think that he either meant:

1) They're too expensive.

-or-

2) You could get them for free elsewhere.

My response to the first is that $5-$10 is really not all that money for a full game, even if it is 20 years old. People spend that much daily for coffee, and people spend a hundred times that for a console. It's true it could probably be a bit cheaper, but they're hardly too expensive, or else 4.7M people wouldn't be buying them.

As for the free thing, this is true, but I imagine what keeps people to the VC is a combination of a) wanting to act ethically and b) convenience. The ethics thing I don't want to get into, you either act ethically or you don't and I don't want to get into the situation of either praising people who do or condemning people who don't.

As for the convenience: many people already pointed out it's very convenient to have the games you want to have access to in one place, and for me I know I prefer to play games relaxing on a couch instead of in front of a computer at an emulator. Not to mention how annoying it can often be to find the ROMs you want, going to any number of sketchy websites, to find that one game. All of that adds up to being about $5 worth of value to me.

Camel

06-01-2007, 10:42 AM

I just don't get it, actually. I really just don't get why people are buying these things.
Says the man of 1000 XBLA games. :D

MrDrinkingLysol

06-01-2007, 10:42 AM

2 reasons that I can think of : Nostalgia for games that you played in your youth or playing a game you were always interested in, but never got the chance to.

Yes, but why are people buying them when you can download them free of charge? I don't care if it's illegal and neither should anyone else because you're not gonna get caught no matter how many ROMS you download. If you're willing to throw your money away on games that you don't have to pay for, then I guess that's your decision. Doesn't mean it's a good idea though.

Heretic Machine

06-01-2007, 10:46 AM

DylonCorp

06-01-2007, 10:49 AM

I don't care if it's illegal and neither should anyone else because you're not gonna get caught no matter how many ROMS you download.

Way to live up to your name, kid.

Gorvi

06-01-2007, 10:49 AM

Yes, but why are people buying them when you can download them free of charge? I don't care if it's illegal and neither should anyone else because you're not gonna get caught no matter how many ROMS you download. If you're willing to throw your money away on games that you don't have to pay for, then I guess that's your decision. Doesn't mean it's a good idea though.
Well, I can only speak for myself, but I'd rather actually pay for a game than pirate it. Sorry, I'm just not a thief. Now if you own the game already, that's one thing. Great. Also, I'd assume that no matter what platform you're talking about, having the convenience of being able to play them easily on your TV (and not having to hook up 9 consoles) is worth the relatively small amount of money. Especially with the VC, where all the downloads are for older, cartridge based systems that would be a pain in the ass to keep out, let alone the space the games would take up.

Don't get me wrong, I think some of the stuff on the VC is a total ripoff, the Genesis games in particular since many of them are available in a readily available compilation that just came out last year for 2 current platforms.

Evil Avnovice

06-01-2007, 10:56 AM

I don't care if it's illegal and neither should anyone else because you're not gonna get caught no matter how many ROMS you download.

I guess Nintendo really did waste their time on Virtual Console. Why buy legally when we can pirate them and brag about it to our fellow e-penises? http://mazeguy.net/angry/duh.gif :rolleyes:

Pajawa

06-01-2007, 11:02 AM

So far I've picked up a bunch of VC console titles. Most of them are games that I either enjoyed as a kid ( Galaga, Streets of Rage 1+2, Super Contra 3, Excite Bike, Ice Hockey) games I liked but never owned (Mario Kart 64, Star Fox 64) or games that I never played but felt I missed out on (Mystical Ninja, Gunstar Heroes).

Are these games over-priced? They could definitely be cheaper, but considering that a game rental at Blockbuster nowadays will run you between $6-10, I consider it more worthwhile and convenient to buy a game from the VC store than run out and rent one of the admittedly lackluster Wii titles to date.

As for the emulator debate, I would rather play Super Contra 3 with my buddies downstairs on my 32" TV than off of my laptop.

To sum up, I buy, and continue to buy VC games. Sure, I could get "teh romz" or whatever off the intraweb, but just because I have fond memories of old games and choose to pay a premium to play them on a bigger screen with my buddies shoudn't mean I'm wasting my money. It just means I don't consider the cheapest "value" commensurate with the greatest fun factor.

/rant

Tabasco

06-01-2007, 11:04 AM

Downloading ROMs is fairly lame to me. I prefer to play games on my TV with the classic controller. I mean I could buy a controller for my PC, but my TV is much bigger than my monitor. Plus it's nice to give people money for their work. I pirate music, but if I like a band I buy their CD as well. For me pirating stuff is a good way to check it out to see if I want to actually pay for it. Most of my friends are musicians, and piracy really hurts people who put a lot of time and work into their product. Granted, there are plenty of companies and musicians who put out half-ass products that no one should ever pay for, but that's another issue altogether.

TheFlyingOrc

06-01-2007, 11:11 AM

Some games are worth the price, some aren't, it's as simple as that. Not all games were equal for the NES, SNES, etc...., so they don't all hold their value as well. I'd gladly pay $10 for Starfox or Demon's Crest. Would I pay that for most other SNES games? Hell no.
This is actually my biggest complaint with their pricing scheme. It's not like demand is limited, but it seems to be they'd get a lot more money out of a terrible game if they put it at a slightly lower price. I don't understand why pricing is "by system".

TheFlyingOrc

06-01-2007, 11:14 AM

KSmitty

06-01-2007, 11:14 AM

Actually, I'm a big retro gamer, and I'll tell you right now that 99% of the libraries of the NES, SNES, Genesis, Master System, and TG-16 are not worth playing. Not for free, and certainly not for a price. There are a lot of titles out there that are worth playing, this is true, but they're in an extremely small minority.
Which is a great argument against buying VC games indiscriminately . If you are sure to pick up games that you know you love and will play repeatedly you haven't really 'wasted' your virtual money.

TheFlyingOrc

06-01-2007, 11:16 AM

Actually, I'm a big retro gamer, and I'll tell you right now that 99% of the libraries of the NES, SNES, Genesis, Master System, and TG-16 are not worth playing. Not for free, and certainly not for a price. There are a lot of titles out there that are worth playing, this is true, but they're in an extremely small minority.
This is not true of the SNES. Considering I can think of 20-30 good titles if you gave me a minute, in your logic, there must be 3000 SNES games. Jerk.

Yellowman

06-01-2007, 11:32 AM

Actually, I'm a big retro gamer, and I'll tell you right now that 99% of the libraries of the NES, SNES, Genesis, Master System, and TG-16 are not worth playing. Not for free, and certainly not for a price. There are a lot of titles out there that are worth playing, this is true, but they're in an extremely small minority.

Well I see what you mean, but from that perspective I would say gaming today was exactly the same. If not worse.

Vagabondllama

06-01-2007, 11:34 AM

This is how I look at it:

Any game on there is going to be FAR cheaper and more convenient to purchase than actually acquiring an actual copy of it.

In that sense, the VC is a VERY good deal.

Gunstar Heroes for 8 dollars instead of 20+shipping? Awesome.

agentgray

06-01-2007, 11:44 AM

I have bought three:

Super Mario World, Kid Icarus, and Punch Out!

By far, I've played more Punch Out!

Talon-

06-01-2007, 11:47 AM

Gorvi

06-01-2007, 12:02 PM

Don't tell me you wouldn't gladly pay 5-10 bucks to play Super Mario RPG, Chrono Trigger, or FFIII (VI). You're flat-out lying or just a hater. Now I don't know the status of the last two. I know Nintendo has the rights to reproduce Chrono Trigger, so I'm going to assume it's just a matter of waiting.

I would gladly lay down 50 to play Chrono Trigger on my big TV again.
I doubt you'll ever see those 3 on the VC, SE would never allow it. They'd make much more rereleasing or remaking them. And why would Nintendo have the rights to Chrono Trigger? That's 100% a Squaresoft product. Now, Super Mario RPG I could see, but I doubt Nintendo has the full rights to that.

TheFlyingOrc

06-01-2007, 12:04 PM

I doubt you'll ever see those 3 on the VC, SE would never allow it. They'd make much more rereleasing or remaking them. And why would Nintendo have the rights to Chrono Trigger? That's 100% a Squaresoft product. Now, Super Mario RPG I could see, but I doubt Nintendo has the full rights to that.
Super Mario RPG has been confirmed, I believe.

No Final Fantasy will ever come out on Virtual Console.

Crono Trigger I would say has about a 25% chance of coming out. Not likely, but possible.

Gorvi

06-01-2007, 12:09 PM

Super Mario RPG has been confirmed, I believe.

No Final Fantasy will ever come out on Virtual Console.

Crono Trigger I would say has about a 25% chance of coming out. Not likely, but possible.
Very nice if the Super Mario RPG thing has been confirmed, I really liked that game a lot. I may still have my original cartridge somewhere, too bad I don't have a functioning SNES. :(

TheFlyingOrc

06-01-2007, 12:14 PM

Very nice if the Super Mario RPG thing has been confirmed, I really liked that game a lot. I may still have my original cartridge somewhere, too bad I don't have a functioning SNES. :(
Nintendo hasn't said anything, but SMRPG received an ESRB re-rating, meaning it's in the pipes somewhere.

Heretic Machine

06-01-2007, 12:15 PM

Which is a great argument against buying VC games indiscriminately . If you are sure to pick up games that you know you love and will play repeatedly you haven't really 'wasted' your virtual money.

Personally, I'm just buying games that I absolutely adored, and either don't own the cart for (Star Fox 64; Splatterhouse) or can no longer play on my TV (Kirby's Adventure, because my damn NES needs new pins). I won't say whether or not I download ROMS... but I certainly wouldn't see a problem with other people participating in such things ;)

Well I see what you mean, but from that perspective I would say gaming today was exactly the same. If not worse.

I'd say you're looking through rose colored glasses. The extreme majority of games on the older consoles weren't just bad, or unfun; most were actually broken. The average game back then had the quality of a shitty licensed GBA title today. I don't think that holds up with today's games. While there are still enormous stinkers that are totally unplayable, most games are at least tolerable to a point, even if they're not worth money.

TheFlyingOrc

06-01-2007, 12:20 PM

I'd say you're looking through rose colored glasses. The extreme majority of games on the older consoles weren't just bad, or unfun; most were actually broken. The average game back then had the quality of a shitty licensed GBA title today. I don't think that holds up with today's games. While there are still enormous stinkers that are totally unplayable, most games are at least tolerable to a point, even if they're not worth money.
I agree with you in regards to the NES/TG16 - but this wasn't the case on the SNES, in my experience.

sixtyfps

06-01-2007, 12:32 PM

By my reckoning, I've d/l'd 18 VC games. Yes, there're two DVDs jam-packed with console ROMs at the ready; but most of those games suck ass, and the volume-unzipping process takes ages. I don't mind buying (and even re-purchasing) licenses to play excellent games, especially when it's this natural and feels so right.

Hemalin

06-01-2007, 12:59 PM

I just don't get it, actually. I really just don't get why people are buying these things.
http://www.wastedtalent.ca/comics/Games/wt_sillygamesonly.png

Heretic Machine

06-01-2007, 01:15 PM

http://www.wastedtalent.ca/comics/Games/wt_sillygamesonly.png

I'm going to be sobbing myself to sleep tonight thinking about that poor EA Sports guy.

Headcase

06-01-2007, 01:20 PM

I was just a bit dissapointed and so didn't even add the points into an account. I think I'll be saving the points and waiting for the monday updates. I'm just saying I couldn't "find the games I'd love to play" Georgy.

I have the opposite problem and I'm not proud of it. I bought a card when I bought my Wii at launch figuring "what the hell, they'll be good for original games one day", and then slowly spent all the points on games (Bomberman '93 for the 5-player action, Zelda because I never beat it, and TJ&E because the randomization makes it fun to play a few levels here and there). Then I bought another card because it was convenient, and ended up buying Punch Out because it's Punch Out and Blazing Lazers because of the hardcore fans surrounding the game.

All good purchases, but damn, I'm out almost $40 CAD for 5 old games! Not prudent shopping :o

Then again, The Wii's limited library and abundance of good rentals (as opposed to good buys) has saved me some $.

Yellowman

06-01-2007, 01:26 PM

All good purchases, but damn, I'm out almost $40 CAD for 5 old games! Not prudent shopping :o

Yes but you could of paid twice as much and got Spiderman 3... so you didn't do too badly.

Camel

06-01-2007, 01:34 PM

jadkins555

06-01-2007, 01:47 PM

Says the man of 1000 XBLA games. :D

To be fair at least the XBLA games offer new features like upgraded graphics & online play & leaderboards. Some day I may get a Nintendo Wii almost exclusively for the VC but right now I just can't justify it.

Heretic Machine

06-01-2007, 01:48 PM

To be fair at least the XBLA games offer new features like upgraded graphics & online play & leaderboards.

Most XBLA games aren't old games to begin with. Original content FTW.

Camel

06-01-2007, 01:53 PM

To be fair at least the XBLA games offer new features like upgraded graphics & online play & leaderboards. Some day I may get a Nintendo Wii almost exclusively for the VC but right now I just can't justify it.
Yeah I know. I love XBLA games. I was just giving Johan a hard time. :)

shnastybiznastic

06-01-2007, 02:20 PM

I have yet to buy one...
Sorry about that. I hope you can find something worthwhile in the future. I have spent over $100 on vc titles so far, though.

Johan

06-01-2007, 02:39 PM

Says the man of 1000 XBLA games. :D

38, dammit!

Oh hell...caught in my own web! :o

Yellowman

06-01-2007, 03:00 PM

Sorry about that. I hope you can find something worthwhile in the future. I have spent over $100 on vc titles so far, though.

It's not that there is nothing I want, I just tend to spend any money I reserve for gaming on Wii games. And they keep me plenty occupied.

court12b

06-01-2007, 03:09 PM

Heretic Machine

06-01-2007, 03:43 PM

My gripe with the VC is it feels like I'm back at Sears, 20 years ago looking at a box graphic through a glass case. No gameplay screenshots, no description. How is this any way to shop for games?? Sure I can go hunt down reviews online, but then I'd have to get out of the VC menu and go all the way over to the Opera Channel. WHAT IS THIS THE MIDDLE AGES? (man I started out serious but I guess that is kind of a stretch for a rant)

These days, people seriously into emulation set up front-ends with video clips, screenshots, and box art of their games. I do find it rather annoying that Nintendo can't do the same thing when they're trying to sell you these games.

jacktion

06-01-2007, 05:22 PM

Damn, that's a lot of downloads for a bunch of expensive roms.

You think that is expensive? Weird. I think they are really cheap.

How quickly does someone spend 5 bucks? Pretty quickly. I buy a soda at a movie for 5 bucks. I get a burger and fries for 5 bucks. So to get an actual full game that I can play forever? That is a pretty good deal.

I guess these games seem expensive since most hardcore computer nerd types have been illegally stealing them for free. $5 does seem like a lot compared to "free".

But when you consider that a crappy cd by some top 40 band is like $15. Dvds of Bernie Goes to Camp are like $12. And new games are $60 these days, I consider getting a full game for $5 dollars to be a good deal.

But different strokes for different folks. Some people reuse aluminum foil too. If that is what you are into then go for it. There's nothing wrong with saving money.

Opty

06-01-2007, 06:34 PM

These days, people seriously into emulation set up front-ends with video clips, screenshots, and box art of their games. I do find it rather annoying that Nintendo can't do the same thing when they're trying to sell you these games.
Ask and ye shall receive (http://wii.nintendo.com/virtualconsole.jsp) unless you meant within the virtual console system itself.

Heretic Machine

06-01-2007, 10:19 PM

Ask and ye shall receive (http://wii.nintendo.com/virtualconsole.jsp) unless you meant within the virtual console system itself.

Ya, I meant presentation on the actual console. They really don't give you much to go on at the screen you actually buy these things on.

shnastybiznastic

06-01-2007, 10:45 PM

Ya, I meant presentation on the actual console. They really don't give you much to go on at the screen you actually buy these things on.
As compared to what? The only emulator I can think of that even does a little of what you are talking about is mame, and even then it's just marquees and side panel art.

baz

06-02-2007, 12:22 AM

Whenever a VC thread like this comes up, I am always surprised by the number of people who downright refuse to download roms. Out of curiosity (not trying to be a smartass here), do you guys not download music either? I dunno if it's because I've been downloading crap off the internet since I was a kid or what, but I've never felt even the slightest bit of remorse over getting roms or mp3s or whatever.

Yo ho, a pirate's life for me!

I don't pirate anthing, and I haven't ever since I graduated from Uni and been working. At university I did play a lot pirated games and have a fair bit of pirated music.

I think if you love something you should be willing to support it. I love gaming and the only way I can support it is by paying for games. There are more good games than I can finish now anyway, as I'm always busy as hell at work.

Heretic Machine

06-02-2007, 12:40 AM

As compared to what? The only emulator I can think of that even does a little of what you are talking about is mame, and even then it's just marquees and side panel art.

Like I said, front-ends. I doubt I'm aloud to get more specific than that on these particular forums so I'll just avoid it. If you feel curious, just Google around for "emulator front ends."

shnastybiznastic

06-02-2007, 01:28 AM

Like I said, front-ends. I doubt I'm aloud to get more specific than that on these particular forums so I'll just avoid it. If you feel curious, just Google around for "emulator front ends."
At the risk of getting in trouble, I'll look this up. I have been toying around with the idea of a mame cab for a while now, so it's completely pertinent information.

edit: Oh! I get it now. I thought you were talking about a different type of software. Color me understanding.

It's not that there is nothing I want, I just tend to spend any money I reserve for gaming on Wii games. And they keep me plenty occupied.
Okay. If you do ever get interested, the VC is a Treasure trove (see what I did there?) of scrolling shooters.

shnastybiznastic

06-02-2007, 01:57 AM

Yes, but why are people buying them when you can download them free of charge? I don't care if it's illegal and neither should anyone else because you're not gonna get caught no matter how many ROMS you download. If you're willing to throw your money away on games that you don't have to pay for, then I guess that's your decision. Doesn't mean it's a good idea though.
Well, that is a terribly framed argument. It doesn't even try to touch on the sustainability of such a system. In addition, there are many documented cases of emulator users and programmers running afoul of the law. I can link you to a few if you want, but it's really not hard to chase them down yourself.

As far as downloading old games, I agree, we should be able to. I, however, agree for a more well thought out reason than that I will simply not be caught. I tend to believe that our intellectual property laws are unjust. About the longest period of protected IP that a rights holder should have in my opinion is ten years.

Now, I also buy games on the VC. Quite a few, actually. The reason for this is that I care more about playing the games for a trivial expense than I do about saving a few dollars. In fact, I would probably use the VC service even if everything on there was in the public domain. The price is right, and I don't mind compensating someone for their delivery network and reverse engineering efforts.

Tohoya

06-03-2007, 07:20 PM

Never bought a single title off the virtual console, never plan to.
Unless: They start offering original, Live Arcade style content.

http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2006/09/14

See panel 3.

Repaying Nintendo for the exact same games got old ages ago.
(To be fair, I don't rebuy old games off XBLA either.)

I guess if you already bought the old game on the old platforms, it might seem like a ripoff from your persepctive. (actually, not always: the cost is so low that I think it can be worth it to download it so you don't have to hook up your N64 every time you want to play Paper Mario). But this applies to all gaming releases. If you've already got the game, don't buy it. Nobody says "ZOMG EA AM GREEDY BASTARDS MAKING ME BUY EVERY GAME ON THREE PLATFORMS XBOX, PS2, AND GAMECUBE!" You buy it for one platform, and ignore the rest. Why should old games be any different?

The market has spoken. The vast majority of people prefer paying 5 dollars to play some of their NES favorites to tracking down old carts at a flea market and hooking up their NES every time they want to play a new game, even if it costs a bit more. Kudos to Nintendo. If you still prefer to track down carts at flea markets, by all means continue: Nintendo isn't forcing you to buy it.