Poll - Are you still excited about the Virtual Console?
Monday, April 7th, 2008 at 7:39am by David
It seems like over two years ago that we heard the prophets tell us about a legendary place where we could play all of your favorite classic video games. Now that the Virtual Console has been part of our lives for a while, we want to know:
Are you still excited about the Virtual Console?
Be sure to share your impressions in our comment section!
April 7th, 2008 at 7:47 am
Although the last few weeks have been terrible, like today, I still have faith in VC. I mean, there are a lot of potentially good things to come out. I’m especially waiting for the good stuff I grew up with from Master System and Genesis.
April 7th, 2008 at 8:02 am
I don’t really know what they are waiting for, release the good stuff already!! Not the obscure japanese pig fighting ninja games. Don’t worry Nintendo, if you put out 2 good games on one day, people will still be back next week.
April 7th, 2008 at 8:03 am
For me, the weird thing is that unless you hit the Internet or sign up for Nintendo’s email newsletter about the VC, you’d pretty much never know about which games come out every week.
I have a friend who didn’t even know about the Everybody Votes channel. We showed them how to download it and they’ve had a lot of fun with it since then.
April 7th, 2008 at 8:21 am
Yeah thats true, you hear about the VC games that came out on monday days later! whats taking so long to create a mailer?
April 7th, 2008 at 9:11 am
Actually, when they release a new Wii Channel, Nintendo sends a message to the Wii, which shows up on the Message Board.
They should do the same for the VC.
April 7th, 2008 at 9:16 am
I was before, but not really anymore. There’s been so much crap lately, coupled with my near lack of memory on my Wii that I just can’t really bother to focus on it at this point.
April 7th, 2008 at 9:29 am
I’m disillusioned in that they pitched the VC as being backward compatibility, but most of the games my family had for the NES aren’t available yet and we’d have to buy them again anyway. That’s not backward compatibility, anymore than Namco Museum or the GBA NES Classics line was backward compatibility.
But there are still a lot of games I haven’t played and want to, so I guess I’m still excited enough for Nintendo’s purposes. We’ll see how I feel after WiiWare’s been out a while.
April 7th, 2008 at 10:02 am
I love the VC since it has given me the chance to play some of the games I wanted to play back in the day but couldn’t because owning more than one system at that point was impossible. I especially enjoy Genesis, NeoGeo and Turbo CD games.
I also like that we’re getting some good import games through the service. I own quite a few imports, such as Sin and Punishment, but had never heard of DoReMi, which is a great SNES platformer. I tend to be more of a reatro gamer so the VC was a big reason for my interest in the Wii to begin with.
April 7th, 2008 at 10:14 am
Retro games are great, and seeing what arrives for Virtual Console is still a treat for me every Monday. Of course that doesn’t mean I bother buying VC games unless they get me really excited…
April 7th, 2008 at 10:24 am
With the addition of C64 I got my hope back. International karate = best fighting game ever!
April 7th, 2008 at 11:11 am
I’m still big for the VC, it’s because of it that I was able to play the first 2 Metroid games, getting the originals on eBay are way too expensive, and the save-state feature the Wii gives is great, especially for games that used to need passwords.
I just wish they’d start releasing some true classics, gimme Kirby Superstar. Also more Japan only releases..
April 7th, 2008 at 11:21 am
Noone should be able to say that the VC is a bad idea. I mean, I could hook back up my SNES, and hunt around on Ebay to find a decent copy of Super Metroid to buy, since I never got to play it back in the day, OR, I could simply pay a fraction of what I would have to pay for an original copy to play it on my already-hooked-up Wii. That’s important to me. Also, the developer gets money for a game THEY made, as opposed to the money going to some guy I buy the original cartridge from. That’s cool, too.
As far as what selection is being released… Yeah, it seems kinda funky. But that’s okay, it’s not like there are any future releases I really NEED to play right now, I can wait to enjoy them in the future.
I’d say the one dream of mine on the virtual console that has been crushed is the idea of making them available to play through the WiFi connection against other folks. I don’t really want to buy Mario Kart 64 all over again, even though that’s one of the best party games I’ve ever owned, but I may have if they would have made it compatible with online play. It’s really not a big deal to me, but just one of my dreams.
April 7th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
I’m still excited for the games that I’ve gotten. There hasn’t ben anything interesting released in quite awhile though. I’m still hoping that they’ll put handhelds on there too, gameboy games hold up surprisingly well blown up to tv size.
April 7th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
The coolness has worn off for me. There hasn’t been a release I’ve wanted in a very long time. I can’t say it’s been a disappointment overall, but the last few months definitely have been. Especially after they dropped it to only 2 releases a week and in some cases one.
There are still a lot of games I want but I have no idea when they are coming. I was hoping Super Smash Bros. was going to be one since they did the Metroid thing and Super Mario Bros. 3 around when Galaxy game out. Plus Castlevania and Castlevania 2 have both been released and I would have thought by now Castlevania 3 would be availiable but no. One of the reasons I even wanted VC games is for Castlevania Bloodlines on the Genesis, and that’s not out yet nor do I even know if it ever will be; it’s the only CV game I’ve never played. I’m still waiting for Majora’s Mask, and I’m really hoping that with the remake of Bionic Commando coming to Xbox Live Arcade and PSN next month that the VC gets the original NES version around the same time. I guess we’ll see.
April 7th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
I voted YES but upon seeing 2 “ok” titles released a week (as opposed to 4 as was originally promised or even 3), my interest is slowly waning if only because you can only hope for a game to come out for so long before you start losing hope.
April 7th, 2008 at 12:57 pm
Basically, every week that goes by without Majora’s Mask, I get a little more fed up with the whole thing.
April 7th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
I’ve been very disappointed lately in what they’ve been releasing, but in general I’m still very excited about the idea. Also, never haven owned a N-64, it’s been great being able to download some of the bigger games from that system, without having to invest in the system itself. Games like Paper Mario 64, Super Mario 64, and Zelda Ocarina of Time have been great additions to our Wii titles.
April 7th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
I voted “No” on account that a) there have been too few N64 games released so far; b) I’ve come to realize that new versions of most classic games are far better than the originals and that their greatness is based on pure nostalgia; c) Now that I have the Xbox LIVE Marketplace, I’ve seen how classic games constrictions can severly limit their fun factor, and that with some little upgrades (e.g., PacMan CE) the games can feel fantastic. But the VC will never make those upgrades to any of its games! (e.g., Mario Kart 64 online? Why not??)
April 7th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
For me, it’s more “yes and no,” but I voted “no” for a reason, as the negative outweighs the positive for me.
Here’s why I voted “no.”
The games they have been releasing lately have been mostly sub-par, and they have restricted themselves to two at a time only, now. Also, they have not been making use of the “Japan Only” titles that they utilized once. I wish they would release more N64 titles (Majora’s Mask and DK64 come to mind immediately).
Here’s why I might have voted “yes.”
Pokemon Snap’s use of WiiConnect24 proves that VC games have the potential to use Wii’s unique features, too. It gives us hope for things like online leaderboards (if you’re into that sort of thing) and a Wiimote-compatible version of Duck Hunt, just to name a few of the many ideas VC faithfuls have thought of. Plus, they haven’t released all of their best titles yet (which is fine: it gives me something to hope for every Monday).
So for me, it’s a mixed bag. But I think they could be doing more with the VC than they are doing, and that’s a shame.
April 7th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
I’ve voted “no”, just because I get the impression they don’t give a toss anymore. For sure, Nintendo found it a great idea at the time, along with the rest of us, but now I feel they’ve come back on that. If it wasn’t for the energetic enthusiasm of Hudson or Sega, we’d have a shitty update each week, I fear.
On the other hand, the lack of interesting updates makes you take a look in the VC catalogue, and for sure, there’s a lot of interesting stuff that got released early. I just WANTED something a few weeks back, and decided to give Soldier Blade a go. Best VC purchase yet!
April 7th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
Nope. An update every monday isn’t enough when every monday you get shit thrown in your face. I was excited for Sin and Punishment and Alien Soldier. That gave me hope that we would see all those international titles we have pined for (I’m also slightly excited about Cho Aniki seeing a release here) but we have yet to see the floodgates let loose and the quality titles surround us. That and the N64 selection sucks. Where’s my Snowboard Kids?!?!
April 7th, 2008 at 4:38 pm
I voted No, even though I still feel yes. The part in me that is still excited about the VC has nothing to do with Nintendo’s delivery. Despite Nintendo’s best effort to release crappy game after crappy game, the fact that Zombies ate my Neighbors was rated last year in March gives me hope that maybe someday…somehow I’ll get to play it again.
Like I said, no, because Nintendo has beaten it out of me. Yes, because I need one week to be swayed back.
April 7th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
That reminds me, another reason I vote no is because I think it’s a shame that they didn’t update the games at least a bit in some cases, i.e. having online co-op play is a fantastic idea, one utilized on Xbox Live Arcade. Not to mention they even took some minor stuff out.
April 7th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
Classic games should not be RAPED. Updating a classic game, as what has happened on XBLA with games like Contra, is utter BLASPHEMY!
Pixelated art has its own character, which most of the time does not translate well at all to higher resolutions. So I’m grateful that when I buy a game from VC, like Ghouls ‘n Ghost Genesis – not the horrid POS Super G’nG SNES, which I also own, it still retains the same charm I had known when I was younger.
So far I’ve got most of the games I’ve wanted, so I’ve been happy with VC. The 2 games I’m waiting for are Buck Roger Doomsday Device — one of the best console RPGs — and Starflight.
April 7th, 2008 at 9:54 pm
How hard would it be to release an update for mario 64 or Ocarina of Time that allows for true widescreen. Aren’t there already PC emulators that do this? (I think there are, but I’m not sure!)
April 7th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
Kirby 64 was my son’s #1 favorite game on Wii, until Brawl was released. I too love the virtual console for the N64 games, since I never owned one back in the day.
But I’ve really got my hopes pinned on WiiWare. I hope we’ll see some daring & fun titles from that.
April 7th, 2008 at 10:15 pm
I voted yes cause I’m still waiting for Elevator Action, Duck Tales & California Games for NES.
April 8th, 2008 at 11:39 am
“No”
Monday’s are bad enough as it is. Waking up to find 2 or 3 new turds on the VC doesn’t help.
April 8th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
I voted “no,” but I have never been all that jazzed about the VC.
It is an undeniably terrific feature, and I’m happy that Nintendo added the Wii Shop channel to the system menu. It’s been a tremendous success for them so far, and it is a great way for people who never played the old systems (or people who’ve lost their hardware over the years) to catch up on Nintendo history.
But for me, playing these old titles on Wii just…doesn’t feel right.
I don’t sell or trade games or hardware in. Once I have them, I keep them, so I still have my NES, SNES, N64 and GCN hooked up, all of which are in mint condition and great working order. When I want to play Super Mario Bros. 3, I play it on the NES with the NES controller. It just feels right, something about that the Wii VC cannot duplicate.
I’d rather pay a little more on eBay for an actual cartridge, too. I feel that buying these old games SHOULD require some footwork on my end. I don’t want to own a $5 digital copy of Ice Climber, I want the cartridge for my collection.
If that makes any sense at all. I’m sure there are other purist-types out there.
April 8th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
Every VC game with multi-player should be playable with people on your Wii Friends list that also have the game. If pc emulators can do it, why not the Wii? I would have voted yes if Super Mario RPG was out, but it’s not. Many great N64 games are not out. They’re only delaying the inevitable. I doubt many people waiting for the better games are downloading the trash that releases each week. If Nintendo doesn’t hurry up and do right by the VC for us, the homebrewers will. I don’t think Nintendo wants to send a paying customer to the freebie zone.
April 8th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
Bii, the Wii doesn’t even have the original version of certain games. We didn’t get a proper arcade Pac-Man, we got the subpar NES version. At least Pac-Man CE on XBLA maintained that luminous, trippy feeling the original Pac-Man had, rather than just being a slightly squished and less colorful version like the NES one. (If I remember right, though, you can still get the original Pac-Man as well on XBLA, so you can have the unadulterated version with no 5-minute limit per game.)
I don’t know about Contra because I didn’t like the original and wouldn’t try a remake, but games like Galaga and Pac-Man (and even Nintendo-owned titles like Donkey Kong) deserve treatment more like what XBLA is doing and less like the VC.
April 8th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
@raindog469
We’re talking about Virtual Console, not Virtual Arcade, so what I stated is correct. The Wii is getting direct ports of the original consoles, which although they’re generally sup-par when compared to the arcade versions, they still carry a classic charm that my fundamentalist-classic-console-gaming-side objects to being modified.
I would like to see original ‘untouched’ arcade releases on the Wii, like the Neo Geo games, but the majority of my favorite arcade games were enjoyed more so at home on a console port, rather than in the arcade, so I really don’t care to see them modified. This would only take a way from the nostalgia. Besides, if you still have a decent CRT tube, these games look great on it.
This generation of lazy-young-naive-developers can keep their grubby hands off the greats.
They’ve already KILLED one of my favorite series by making it Plaskool friendly… *grumbles*
April 9th, 2008 at 11:39 am
Allowing you play the classic 2 player games on the VC with someone online is hardly “raping” the game.
April 10th, 2008 at 12:54 am
Well, that’s what you say, but as far as I’m concerned (having done the bulk of my arcade gaming in the arcade and been disappointed with the NES, due to having started gaming in about 1976) the arcade versions of these games are the definitive ones, and Nintendo’s “rape” is no better than XBLA’s “rape”. Meanwhile, some people who are younger than you probably think charging money for games with lousy graphics is “rape”, and therefore the remakes are the gold standard…. if they play them at all.