C64 games coming to Wii's Virtual Console

Just when you think all of your nostalgic fantasies have all been fulfilled, along comes Nintendo with a little extra joy for your retro heart. That "little extra" in this case happens to be Commodore 64 games for your Wii. You read that correctly, people -- C64 games are headed to the system's Virtual Console, starting with International Karate and Uridium, which will run you 500 Wii points apiece. Right now, the rollout appears to be taking place in Europe only, though we suspect it'll head over to our shores sooner rather than later. While you're waiting for that to happen, maybe now is a good time to exercise your digits and polish up on your IK trash talk.

[Thanks, Nico]

Read - Virtual Console: C64 is back! [Finnish site]
Read - C64 on Wii Virtual Console

[emailtabs @ Feb 21st 2008 12:53PM]

Oh i am in heaven. I request flimbos quest!...

[Gian @ Feb 21st 2008 1:07PM]

ooo...I was for just a second in heaven, too...then I realized it was not Yie Ar Kung Fu.

When they bring Yie Ar Kung Fu to Virtual Console, I'll be dancing around my office like a fool. It was one of my favorite arcade games as a kid.

*sigh*

[Harkonian @ Feb 21st 2008 1:24PM]

@Gian: Yeah, but without the Epyx FastLoad cartridge installed it will take forever and a day to load the game... ;)

For all you young'ins:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epyx_FastLoad

[Alexander @ Feb 21st 2008 12:53PM]

now thats old school

*goes streaking*

[phanbouy @ Feb 21st 2008 2:14PM]

yeah, check out those sideburns! a single pixel at that!

[Wolfticket @ Feb 21st 2008 5:44PM]

That single pixel is just as effective as how ever many thousands of polygons they'd use today to render each individual hair in his cool sideburns. Minimalism for the win.

[dataminer49er @ Feb 21st 2008 12:55PM]

That is wicked! California Games for me!

[AutoTom @ Feb 21st 2008 12:55PM]

wow, a reason to buy the Wii

[Carbonize @ Feb 21st 2008 12:57PM]

Bring on Blackhawk. Nothing like blowing things up to Ride of the Valkyrie.

[Steve Young @ Feb 21st 2008 2:07PM]

COMMANDO!

[Dr. Evil @ Feb 21st 2008 12:58PM]

That looks so horrible, it's awesome!

[John B @ Feb 21st 2008 2:39PM]

"Horrible" is completely relative, my friend! Considering the THOUSANDS of hours I spent playing the C64 during the 80s, that screen capture looks absolutely *glorious* to me.

[turrican @ Feb 22nd 2008 11:50AM]

That game looking "horrible" should serve as a reminder to gamemakers nowadays who think great graphics can make up for poor gameplay...

[JayVe @ Feb 21st 2008 12:59PM]

Oh Please!

* Paradroid
* Ultima IV - Quest of the Avatar
* Usagi Yojimbo
* Elite
* Bruce Lee
* Defender of the Crown
* Last Ninja
* Airborne Ranger
* Archon
* M.U.L.E.
* Bards Tale
* 'Gold Box' SSI D&D games - Pool of Radiance | Curse of the Azure Bonds
* Archon
* Mail Order Monsters!

[emailtabs @ Feb 21st 2008 1:00PM]

Good memory sire!

[Dr. Evil @ Feb 21st 2008 1:11PM]

Flight Simulator II FTW!

http://fshistory.simflight.com/fsvault/fs2-c64.htm

[sinjinn @ Feb 21st 2008 1:21PM]

elite... ive been trying to remember that game since forever. that was a damn good game

[erac3rx @ Feb 21st 2008 1:23PM]

Dude. The Last Ninja series. Holy crap. Last Ninja II was so far ahead of its time, and the music was kickass.

I also want Skate or Die, just for the intro screen with the awesome high pitched music. Jumpman was also a classic, I popped that 5.25" floppy in many a time.

[MJ @ Feb 21st 2008 1:38PM]

! Bruce Lee ftw! My first ever video game!

Wouldn't mind Thalamus games, Hwkeye, Retrograde and Creatures as well!

[Aashish Jain @ Feb 21st 2008 2:36PM]

lol, did he just call you 'Sire'?

That really tickled me for some reason..

[Sir Fatty @ Feb 21st 2008 2:55PM]

You forgot Hunchback

[NovaLand @ Feb 21st 2008 4:27PM]

Ultima IV exists in a PC-version with enhanced craphics, quite a wonderful version: http://free-game-downloads.mosw.com/abandonware/pc/role_playing_games/games_u_z/ultima_iv_quest_of_the_avatar_vga.html

I'd love to see mail order monsters again tho =)

[Marshall @ Feb 21st 2008 4:58PM]

Defender of The Crown is available to play on Cinemaware's website. Unfortunately, the shockwave version isn't identical, since I used to be able to raid castles with both eyes closed, and I couldn't do it any more. I think it doesn't allow as many clicks per second or something.

[ZeroCorpse @ Feb 21st 2008 5:13PM]

I've been BEGGING for an updated version of Mail Order Monsters for ages.

I'd also love to see:

Law of the West
Raid on Bungling Bay
all of the SCUMM games from LucasArts
Starflight
Impossible Mission ("Another visitor... Stay a while... Stay FOREVER!!!")
Way of the Exploding Fist
Jumpman & Jumpman Jr.
Star Control I & II
Archon I & II ( In know you mentioned it, but it bears repeating)
Karateka (Bow to the princess, dammit!)

-- Am I the only person who ever played "Law of the West" ??? It was a western first-person adventure game. You were the new sheriff in town, and various townsfolk would walk up to you and start a conversation. Depending on the way you answered them, the game would go in different directions. For example, the town doctor was a drunk, and you could call him on it (which would likely mean he'd ignore you if you were shot) or offer him a drink (which would mean he was too drunk to help you if you were shot) or chastise him a little but part on good terms (which meant he'd save your life if you got shot).

It was a hilarious, cheesy game.

If this sort of stuff becomes reality on the Wii, then I may have to buy one after all.

[r8derhed5150 @ Feb 23rd 2008 9:36PM]

Hell yeah, Bruce Lee!
The levels look like he's in China, but the green sumo dood? Could never figure that one out.

[JayVe @ Feb 22nd 2008 11:20AM]

OMG!

Law of the West FTW!

[Bad Mojo @ Feb 21st 2008 12:59PM]

I loved some of those games.... but seriously $5 bucks?
Maybe $2 or $3, or a package deal.... but 500 points?

Methinks a little on the overzealous, greed side.

Nostalgia be damned :P

[Chebwa @ Feb 21st 2008 1:05PM]

Yeah, I feel like people would drop two bucks on an oldie like that just to "check it out." For a fiver, Nintendo is only going to pull in people who remember (and enjoyed) these games and want another go at 'em. They'll never realize that and drop the prices, though. Lame.

[michaelportent @ Feb 21st 2008 1:08PM]

Virtual Console is essentially Nintendo printing money. Most of the titles they're emulating have been emulated for years on PC, but people still buy them out of nostalgia. It's the perfect crime.

[JayVe @ Feb 21st 2008 1:08PM]

$5 is totally reasonable for a bit of nostalgia. Yes, you could get 10 C64 Virtual Console games for the same cost as one full-price Wii games. Or you could get 5 N64 Virtual Console titles. Hell, Heavenly Sword is $60 for around 6 hours of gameplay. That's $10 an hour! If you think that's fair, then a $5 C64 game would have to occupy someone's attention for a half hour.

Some people spend more than $5 on a beverage at Starbucks.

[Carbonize @ Feb 21st 2008 1:14PM]

I only used to pay 99p (£0.99) for my Commodore games back in the days I owned one. The days of Ocean and Codemasters and really bad movie tie ins :|

[sinjinn @ Feb 21st 2008 1:24PM]

agreed. rip off price. i would expect them to be £1 each.

[Zak @ Feb 21st 2008 1:29PM]

Yes, because it's still 1983 and inflation doesn't actually exist. I'm actually going to the gas station right now to demand gas for $1.24 a gallon and then I'm going to buy a small stack of comic books for $.65 each. Right after I put on my breakin' outfit.

[Chebwa @ Feb 21st 2008 1:49PM]

"Yes, because it's still 1983 and inflation doesn't actually exist."

That applies to NEW GAMES. Allowing you to buy a few 1s and 0s (VERY few 1s and 0s in the case of a C64 game) over an ethernet cable isn't costing a hell of a lot of money. They could charge fifty cents for a C64 game and still profit. There's no box, no manual, no cartridge, and they sure as hell weren't making a dime off of these games recently BEFORE the Virtual Console idea.

It's greed. Not inflation.

[bbrase @ Feb 21st 2008 1:55PM]

ZAK hit the nail on the head!

IT'S FIVE DOLLARS! Dear god, and the thing is you turn around and buy a $60+ current gen title and not bat an eye. Pretty DAMN cheap entertainment if you ask me.

[sinjinn @ Feb 21st 2008 3:14PM]

"Yes, because it's still 1983 and inflation doesn't actually exist. I'm actually going to the gas station right now to demand gas for $1.24 a gallon and then I'm going to buy a small stack of comic books for $.65 each. Right after I put on my breakin' outfit."

you arent taking depreciation into account. there are better flash games available on the web for free.

[ZeroCorpse @ Feb 21st 2008 5:21PM]

As a Commodore owner during the supposed "great video game crash", I didn't notice there was any such "crash" and was playing games all through the 80s.

$5.00 for these games is fair, though, and here's why:

Did ANY of you actually PAY for your C=64 games? Be honest. The Commodore 64 was THE most-pirated system ever. Hell, I wouldn't know what an uncracked version of half those games looked like upon typing> LOAD "*",8,1

Most of us played them for free in the 80s, when we were young and blissfully unaware of how bad piracy was. The trade in C=64 games in schools across the country was legendary. I wouldn't be surprised if half the C=64 games only sold a few copies, and yet we ALL played them because the same cracked versions were traveling by hand from person to person. There was even commercially-available game copying copy software at the time.

So I feel that giving $5.00 now for games that I know were pirated like mad in the old days is probably fair. It's probably MORE than fair.

[Chebwa @ Feb 21st 2008 7:34PM]

I don't think "I bet you stole the game before, so they should charge you whatever they want" is a really valid excuse for their pricing plan.

[N30 G30 @ Feb 21st 2008 11:51PM]

michaelportent,
"Perfect crime"... You're stealing games and you're calling Nintendo criminals? Oh the irony.

[KangMin @ Feb 21st 2008 12:59PM]

oh joy!
I can't wait until they make PONG for my $300-rare-hard-to-come-by system to play games such as PONG
plus! it'll be a *NEW EXPERIENCE* with my Wii mote!

[Jon Doe. @ Feb 21st 2008 1:11PM]

Dude. Don't like it, don't pay it. Pretty simple, no? It is better to have the option then not. Plus stop bitching and plug in a traditional remote into the Wii and be done....damn fanbois.

PS- Its $250 fanboi.

[phanbouy @ Feb 21st 2008 1:07PM]

awesome! something to build a skulltrail box for!

[Chebwa @ Feb 21st 2008 1:50PM]

How are you downloading VC games on a PC?

[Sean @ Feb 21st 2008 1:18PM]

Jumpman Jr.

I was so addicted.

[blank @ Feb 21st 2008 1:27PM]

Boulder Dash FTW!!!

[CraigJ @ Feb 21st 2008 1:31PM]

Ghostbusters FTW!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmvuH2QpXvc

[rawd @ Feb 21st 2008 1:31PM]

I love next-gen gaming!

[kpfeif @ Feb 21st 2008 1:32PM]

Ok, I'll play...

1. Bruce Lee
2. Blue Max
3. Impossible Mission
4. California Games
5. Ballblazer
6. Archon
7. Beachhead

[Frank Palazzi @ Feb 21st 2008 1:35PM]

WHERE'S LOAD RUNNER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Thunderbuck @ Feb 21st 2008 5:39PM]

There's actually an old NES version of Lode Runner already available on the VC.

HOWEVER, I have to admit that one of my all-time fave games is "Championship Lode Runner" for the C64. Unlike the games that used Commodore's kind-of-crappy sprite animation, CLR was written in machine code and was VERY responsive.

I thought the levels were amazingly clever, too. Yes, I'd like to see the original, C64 Lode Runner, too...