C64 games coming to Wii's Virtual Console
By Joshua Topolsky 
posted Feb 21st 2008 12:48PM
posted Feb 21st 2008 12:48PM
[Thanks, Nico]
Read - Virtual Console: C64 is back! [Finnish site]
Read - C64 on Wii Virtual Console
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Oh i am in heaven. I request flimbos quest!...
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*
@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
now thats old school
*goes streaking*
yeah, check out those sideburns! a single pixel at that!
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.
That is wicked! California Games for me!
wow, a reason to buy the Wii
Bring on Blackhawk. Nothing like blowing things up to Ride of the Valkyrie.
COMMANDO!
That looks so horrible, it's awesome!
"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.
That game looking "horrible" should serve as a reminder to gamemakers nowadays who think great graphics can make up for poor gameplay...
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!
Good memory sire!
Flight Simulator II FTW!
http://fshistory.simflight.com/fsvault/fs2-c64.htm
elite... ive been trying to remember that game since forever. that was a damn good game
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.
! Bruce Lee ftw! My first ever video game!
Wouldn't mind Thalamus games, Hwkeye, Retrograde and Creatures as well!
lol, did he just call you 'Sire'?
That really tickled me for some reason..
You forgot Hunchback
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 =)
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.
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.
Hell yeah, Bruce Lee!
The levels look like he's in China, but the green sumo dood? Could never figure that one out.
OMG!
Law of the West FTW!
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
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.
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.
$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.
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 :|
agreed. rip off price. i would expect them to be £1 each.
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.
"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.
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.
"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.
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.
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.
michaelportent,
"Perfect crime"... You're stealing games and you're calling Nintendo criminals? Oh the irony.
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!
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.
awesome! something to build a skulltrail box for!
How are you downloading VC games on a PC?
Jumpman Jr.
I was so addicted.
Ok, I'll play...
1. Bruce Lee
2. Blue Max
3. Impossible Mission
4. California Games
5. Ballblazer
6. Archon
7. Beachhead
Boulder Dash FTW!!!
WHERE'S LOAD RUNNER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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...
Ghostbusters FTW!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmvuH2QpXvc
I love next-gen gaming!
Is there no love for Space Taxi?
Those people needed help getting to the next hoverpad dangit!
Hey, taxi!
Pad 3, please.
Thanks!
:)
you forgot...
*crash*
or at least that's the kinda skills this (at the time) 7 year old had!
Heck, who am I kidding, I'll probably still suck at it...
I think I'll stick with the Pandora when that comes out for the emulation side of things, to be honest.
Five hundred points is completely out of bounds. If they were 100, I'd totally get a bunch of titles that I just vaguely remembered, etc, but at 500, I MIGHT get one or two... That is, after I get a Wii...
YYYEEESSS!!!!! OMMFG!!!
Let's see. Must haves (beyond International Karate)
- The Last Ninja
- Defender of the Crown
- Anything from Epyx
- Anything from Muse (Space Taxi, Castle Wolfenstein, Beyond Castle Wolfenstein)
- Racing Destruction Set
- Mail Order Monsters
.
.
Sh*t! I'm so thrilled by list news that I can't even think straight! There were just too many awesome games on the C64...
Just PLEASE for the love of God don't duplicate the speed of the 1541! That was the only NON-fun thing about the C64. :)
Well, I dunno. That 300-baud MODEM (back then it was a "MODEM", and not yet a "modem") was pretty non-fun. My first online experiences were sllllloooooowwwwwwwwww....
And there were some AWFUL printers for that computer.
Forbidden Forest!!!
Turrican.
You know this to be true.
Turrican was an amazing platform-shooter but I think the Amiga version was better, if only because the graphics were a considerable improvement over the C64 version. Still, if I had to choose between the C64 version or nothing then I'll have the C64 version since it's still a classic game. Shame they made a mess of the series when it went to the consoles...
Heh.. I *definitely* know this to be true..!
And I agree with Kelmon - the Amiga version(s) were definitely the best ones.
jumpman. that is all.
funny thing about nostalgia, you can't go back.. because when you do, you realize how far we've come, and wonder how you ever put up with graphics that poor. Keep your nostalgia in your head.
And if graphics were the only thing that made a game fun to play, then the PS3 would be outselling the Wii.
Another Visitor! Stay awhile... Stay, FOREVER!
I hope you mean Archon II! That kicked Archon's ass.
Also, i want Mancopter, Summer Games, and H.E.R.O!
H.E.R.O!!!!!!!!!
DAMN!
back mounted rotors navigating caverns!
Honestly, 200 points would've been nice. It would give me something to do with the spare 200 everytime I buy 1000 points and then get a SNES title. Of the 400 from a TG-16 title...instead of having to wait several cycles for the points to even out.
This is awesome to share with our kids!
Bring me:
Rocky's Boots (Come on; logic circuits, people)
Spy vs. Spy (Punji sticks and secret submarines)
Muppet's at Sea (Fozzie jokes & Ms. Piggy dress-up)
Math Munchers (Should need no introduction)
It wont be the same as sliding monolithic black 5.25" disks into the C64 slot and closing the latch, but these games were fun and edutaining. That's right I said "edutaining".
Oh man, and yet another reason to finally fork over the dough for a Wii.
-Impossible Mission
-Test Drive
-Law of the West
-Summer Games/Winter Games/World Games/California Games (God, I loved those!)
-Boulderdash (which is still one of the best games ever made, imo)
-Spy vs. Spy
I wonder if we'd ever see the ultimate Mario clone, the Great Gianna Sisters?
And let's not forget the, ah, shall we say, "racier" titles, that made us all laugh our asses off as pre-teens in the basement, like Stroker Ace. ROFFLE. Great times.
I never understood the whole nostalgic gaming thing. It's one thing to hang on to games of yore that you already have, but paying for something like International Karate... what do you get from playing a game like that today? It doesn't have humor (like Monkey Island for example), it doesn't have engaging plot (like Bladur's Gate for example), it doesn't have interesting puzzles (like King's Quest 6). It seems to me that action games, or sports games, or platformers, ride on their graphics and mechanics - which have gotten, to some extent, better over the years. So what is enjoyable about playing a game like that today?
(I'm not being an ass, or a smart ass, honestly curious)
"It seems to me that action games, or sports games, or platformers, ride on their graphics and mechanics - which have gotten, to some extent, better over the years."
Well, in most cases, the games aren't better than then. Back then, it was incredibly easy to learn how to play. One, maybe two buttons, and your control stick... or very basic keyboard commands.
Today, in order to play the same sports game, you need 8 buttons and a D-pad and you need to remember that to kick someone in the face you need to press X,Q,1,1,2 while rotating the analog stick counterclockwise and holding down the left trigger. (okay, so I'm being a little cheeky)
Either way, the reason people play them is largely for nostalgia.
We all have great memories of sitting in front of the C64 monitor as kids having fun with our friends playing all these games. The bad memories of corrupted copies, chunk chunk chunk of bad disk access and never being able to land that front flip on BMX in California Games have long since faded. Only the laughs and good times remain.
That's easily worth 5 bucks.
Oh, before I forget, although it's just wishful thinking:
Too bad we couldn't get a C64 shell, too.
Nothing more nostalgic than writing simple BASIC programs that caused epileptic seizures and printed "I'M COOL" over and over again on the screen.
Microsoft would have an issue with it because Commodore Basic (whether on the VIC, the C-64, the C-128, or Amiga) was Microsoft Basic.
They wouldn't allow it unless Nintendo cross-licensed some of their titles for the Zunephone.
Archon
Ultima
Epyx Olympic Games
Dr. J vs. Larry Bird
but how to put with remote for move? i dun see how they guys know when make c64 that it work for wii for the place in time we are now.
I remembered having a lot of fun playing C64 games back in the day. So much so that I bought a 100 in one C64 game cart on clearance for $10. After I played a few games I really wished I had my $10 back.
Load "*" ,8,1
Bring me Karateka!!!!!
And of course, I have much love for Bruce Lee.
It used to take a flippin' half-hour to load that thing from my tape drive.
I want Alternate Reality! That RPG was ahead of its time.
I almost forgot:
Raid over Moscow
Hot damn those were good times. Playing games on a 13" Sony Trinitron TV.
so when are the ZX Spectrum coming to VC ?
doh!
"So when are the ZX Spectrum Games coming to the Wii VC"
Begin!
*POW!*
FULL POINT!
Wont necessarily come to the States. Europe had a much greater love affair with the C64 than the US ever did. They were still using them in many places while we'd moved on to 386s and 486s. Ever notice how so many of those demo groups were Dutch or Scandinavian?
Isnt this Karate Champ?
How about:
Aztek Adventures
Pitfall 2
Radar Rat Race
Dot Gobbler
Jupiter Lander
Q Bopper (not Q Bert...the C64s own version)
Clowns
Sea Wolf
I could go on and on...
I'll wait until they roll out the Amiga games, but it's awesome they are making these available. Some of the old games have just never been beat.
...how about the various Microprose titles?
F-15 Strike Eagle
Silent Service (although others swore by GATO)
Gunship
etc.
Microprose got gobbled up by Hasbro Interactive, which was sold to Infogrames, which became Atari, etc.
Personally, on the PS3/PSP side of things, I'd love to see the Atari ST/Amiga ports of the Psygnosis titles. It should be doable since Sony owns the rights to them.
Europe had a bigger affair for the Atari ST and Commodore Amiga. Psygnosis, Ocean, US Gold, etc.
DUD3! Tight! Beach Head, Hard Hat Mack, Dino Eggs, ETC...
For me, the Commodore 64 was all about Defender of The Crown.
"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."
so you want ME to pay for the games YOU pirated? riiiight. i actually had to wait months for them to drop in price or be available in the school library.
i wanna be an airborne ranger... i wanna live a life of danger... could vic20 games be soon also?
Oh man - C64 my first computer! And International Karate was one of the first games I had too. Hmmm - guess I better not sell the wii after all!
I do wonder though - nostalgia value aside - some of these might seem pretty lame now for those of us who have gotten used to Xbox 360's and the like.
I'm tempted to reject this just because it's International Karate and not International Karate+ with the 3 player chaos and key press that makes all their trousers fall down (sadly, I can't remember what the key press was but found it terribly amusing as a small boy). But, these are classic games so I'll have a bash at them and hope more come.
Now when they come with Amiga games, I'm gonna be really psyched!
Would be so cool playing Wings again... though ofc I could jsut use UAE, but still a bit more fun to do it on the big screen.
Not for me thanks, I still have my C64 with modem, floppy and tape drives up in the attic, I wonder if all my games are still playable
FYI- Raid on Bungling Bay was the first game programmed by Sims/Spore creator Will Wright.
When I want to get my C-64 fix, I just grab it out of storage, hook up my trust 1541 drive....... Load"*",8,1...... and off I go!
All this and nobody has mentioned BC's Quest for Tires.
IK+ rules White Wins!! Red and Blue could do Better woooooaaaaahhhhhh(in best bruce lee style)
I am hoping for Montezuma's Revenge. I played this one with my dad as a kid, and it was one of his favorites. I taped sheets of graph paper together to mark where the keys, coins, and enemies were. I liked how you kept going down into the underground pyramid design of the game until you reached the center with all of the coins in it. Then, you get reset back to the top, but it gets progressively harder as the bottom level is now dark, and you have to know from memory where the platforms are. Anyway, a really awesome game for its time and one I'd love to see on the virtual console.