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Castlevania precursor Vampire Killer coming to Wii U Virtual Console...in Japan
One of the earliest entries in Konami's long-running Castlevania series is due for resurrection via the Wii U's Virtual Console service in Japan on December 17, Nintendo revealed this week. Originally released for MSX home computers in 1986, Akumajou Dracula (aka Vampire Killer in European territories) resembles the 8-bit NES Castlevania aesthetically, but takes a more open-ended approach to its gameplay. This exploration-focused style returned in 1988's Castlevania 2: Simon's Quest, and became a defining element of later series entries like Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Unfortunately, given that MSX games are not featured in the Virtual Console's catalog stateside, it's unlikely that Vampire Killer will see a North American eShop release. Castlevania fans will have to be content with recent Wii U Virtual Console releases like Dracula X and Aria of Sorrow instead. [Video: World of Longplays]
ESRB rating suggests Gradius V is headed for PS3
Initially released on the PlayStation 2 in 2004, Gradius V may soon be making an appearance on the PlayStation 3, assuming a new ESRB rating is to be believed. The rating - "T for Teen" with "Mild Fantasy Violence" - offers no information on when we should expect this PlayStation 3 version of Gradius V, nor any word on what might differentiate it from the original version of the game. That said, it seems likely that Gradius V will be released as a downloadable title, owing to both its hardcore fanbase and the middling sales it produced at retail in 2004. Whenever it arrives, Gradius V will mark the first English-language entry in the series since 2008's Gradius Rebirth, a WiiWare pseudo-remake of the four Gradius games released for the Japanese MSX home computer system.
Japanese Nintendo downloads: Excitebike, Reversal Shooting
Japanese gamers get to experience the joy of Excitebike with a different camera angle and online play today, with the release of Excitebike World Rally (as "Excitebike World Race"). It's a pretty faithful adaptation of the original, something that can't be said for Tecmo's Are? DS ga Sakasa Desu Kedo: Gyaku Shooting, a shooter with elements of its own Star Force, but played from the other side -- and with the DS upside down. Using the DS's touch screen, players control the enemies firing downward at what is usually the player ship. DS ga Sakasa Desu Kedo: Sakasa Drops takes the same approach and applies it to a falling-block puzzle game. Check out a trailer for Shooting after the break. Quarth (MSX, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points) Contra (MSX, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points) Excitebike World Race (WiiWare, 1-4 players, 1,000 Wii Points) Are? DS ga Sakasa Desu Kedo: Gyaku Shooting (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 DSi Points) Are? DS ga Sakasa Desu Kedo: Sakasa Drops (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 DSi Points) Artist ni Narou! Minna no Nurikai Museum Hen (DSiWare, 1-2 players, 500 DSi Points) Hobonichi Rosenzu 2010 (DSiWare, 1 player, 500 DSi Points) Renjuku Kanji: Shougaku Sannensei (DSiWare, 1 player, 500 DSi Points)
Final Fight 3, Metal Gear headline Japanese Virtual Console lineup next month
Metal Gear kept Japanese Wii owners waiting last month, as publisher D4 Enterprises missed the game's announced November release window. The tactical espionage action progenitor has snuck into December's lineup, along with another November refugee, Yie Ar Koutei no Gyakushuu. December will also see the arrival of Final Fight 3 for SNES, which features Guy and Haggar along with two new characters, all doing what they do best: punching people, eating garbage, and destroying lots of barrels. Of course, no Virtual Console schedule is complete without shmups, and December will see two: Ordyne, an adorable side-scroller from Namco, and Zaxxon, a classic Sega shooter with a confusing perspective. See the list after the break. [Via Andriasang]
Japanese Nintendo downloads: MSX games, Eco Shooter, and 16 more
There's an incredibly diverse selection of games on the Japanese Wii and DSi Shops today -- 12 different games on Wii, and 6 on DSi. Think of this as Nintendo's online version of the holiday rush. Most interesting among the multifarious offerings: a few forgotten Konami MSX games on VC, and 530 Eco Shooter on WiiWare. That's ... an Intelligent Systems-developed shooting game about shooting cans. The cans are alive and move around. It's weird. Also weird: Nintendo's Neratte Spot! for DSiWare, which is about throwing bombs into the mouths of fish. The whole list is after the break, because it's crazy long.
MSX returns to Virtual Console in Japan with ... Metal Gear!?
There hasn't been an MSX game released on Virtual Console in Japan since July 2008. Konami has decided to start releasing its MSX library on Virtual Console, and as a result (should these games actually come out), the MSX selection will more than triple in November. Which just means it'll go from a whole two games to seven. One of the MSX classics planned for November? The original Metal Gear! Only available in America as a bonus with Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence, the debut of Hideo Kojima's verbose series will be on Japan's Virtual Console for 800 points sometime next month. The full list of planned releases, which doesn't include whatever arcade games Bandai Namco will overcharge for, is after the break.
Rare Fire Emblem sequel on Japanese VC in July
Nintendo has updated their Japanese Virtual Console site with a list of fifteen games coming out in July. That's nine more than we got last month. Even if we don't believe that the MSX games are actually going to come out (Eggy? Released?) that's a lot of games for Japan to enjoy.One of the more interesting titles is Fire Emblem: Thracia 776, which was released on the Super Famicom game download service called "Nintendo Power." Much like the rewritable Famicom Disk System disks, the "Nintendo Power" cartridge was a rewritable flash cartridge that could accept games downloaded from store kiosks. A cartridge version of the game came out later.A couple of retro-tastic Taito games show up this month: Chack 'n Pop is a direct precursor to Bubble Bobble (even including the same Monsta creatures), and Kiki KaiKai is the original Pocky & Rocky (also an ancestor of the recent Heavenly Guardian). The full list of releases is after the break.
Surprise, again! MSX games support USB keyboards
D4 Enterprise just opened up a new area of their "Project MSX" website that provides information on the MSX game(s) available on the Japanese Virtual Console. This site, which is designed similarly to the VC sites operated by Sega and Hudson, is going to be an excellent resource for learning about obscure MSX games as they come out, with boxarts, screenshots and game descriptions. The page for the sole MSX game currently available, Aleste, revealed surprising, previously unknown information about the Wii's MSX emulator: specifically, that Aleste supports the use of USB keyboards, in addition to the Wiimote, GameCube controller, and Classic Controller. It makes sense since the MSX is a computer, but this is the first new control option for a Virtual Console game since the service began.
MSX games get deluxe treatment on Virtual Console
Japan had to wait long enough for the first MSX game to show up on the Virtual Console that anything extra D4 Enterprise (or Nintendo, or whoever makes the emulators for the VC) could do to make the experience a pleasant one is welcome. Aleste features an extra "MSX Option Menu" that is accessed via the minus button, which allows players to choose between MSX hardware-based music and the more advanced FM music that, back when the MSX was real hardware, required an add-on card.Impressively, you can also swap the two fire buttons via the "Button Change" option. It's a good thing for Nintendo that they'll never bother to release this over here, because the four people who would download an MSX game would get spoiled.
Surprise! MSX game finally available on Japanese VC
Unable to resist the opportunity to release a game late even as they were releasing it on time, D4 Enterprise has finally released one of their two planned MSX games (which are now over a year late). Aleste has been added to today's lineup of Virtual Console games, for 800 Wii Points. The other announced MSX game, EGGY, has been postponed for an unspecified amount of time.Sliding a single release in under the wire is sort of an inauspicious debut for the MSX, but it's better than seeing those two games delayed over and over again, loitering at the bottom of Nintendo's Virtual Console lineup page.[Via Inside-Games]
May's VC games for Japan: May include MSX games
Nintendo has released the planned May lineup of Virtual Console games for Japan, and while it doesn't include any megatons (like last month most certainly did), there are at least a lot of games on the list. The first two MSX games, Eggy and Aleste, are supposed to make their fashionably late appearance, but we find it a lot easier to believe that they'll be bumped for some Wonder Boy ports.Other interesting games, which may actually be released, include: Front Mission Series: Gun Hazard, a shooter similar to Cybernator (in fact director Toshiro Tsuchida worked on both games) and based on the Front Mission series of strategy games; Star Parodier, the "silly" Star Soldier game; and Martial Champion, a CD-based Street Fighter clone from Konami. Hit the break for the full list!
2007 officially over: MSX games finally dated
Every week when we go to look up the Japanese Virtual Console releases, we look down at the MSX section and notice the projected "2007" release date for EGGY and Aleste and wonder when Nintendo's going to get the memo. We ... just didn't see them meeting that ship date -- not because we don't have faith in Nintendo or in D4 Enterprise, but because 2007 has been over for almost two months now.Finally, the dates have been changed to something that doesn't require time travel to meet: May 2008. Will either of these games actually come out in May? We're getting impatient ... for games that will probably never be released outside Japan![Via VC Reviews]
Nintendo teases two new Virtual Console consoles
With support for the NES, SNES, N64, Genesis, TurboGrafx, and NeoGeo already built into the Wii's Virtual Console platform, it's easy to forget that there are still classic consoles missing. On Nintendo.co.jp's newly redesigned Virtual Console page, there are two suspiciously empty slots in the grid of compatible consoles.We're pretty confidant one of those is still reserved for the MSX, but what about that eighth slot? Will Nintendo steer the VC into heretofore portable waters? Or perhaps they'll consider something from the pre-NES era? Or are they going to surprise us all and offer something disc-based, coupled with a hard drive peripheral? ... yeah, we're guessing Sega Master System too.%Poll-7410%[Via Go Nintendo]
The mysterious D4 Enterprise speaks about their Neo Geo plans
It's not SNK putting Neo Geo classics on the Virtual Console. They're off releasing compilations and embarrassing DS games. The company responsible for your sudden access to Blue's Journey is D4 Enterprise, who has been obtaining licenses for Neo Geo games from SNK and putting the games on the Virtual Console.Gamasutra's Brandon Sheffield spoke to D4's Shinobu Shimizu about the company and their Neo Geo plans. Basically, D4 plans to release SNK Playmore properties (and, as shown by World Heroes, ADK games as well) in a very faithfully-emulated form, with the possibility of a few concessions made to new gamers. Selectable difficulty in Magician Lord is cited as such a change.D4 already has experience with enabling retrogaming on rare systems -- they got their start with the 1Chip MSX device, a new, cheaper version of the MSX computer (pictured). It is no surprise, then, that D4 is behind the plans to put MSX games on the VC.
Neo Geo games to hit Virtual Console worldwide
In an interview with IGN, SNK Playmore USA President Ben Herman revealed that Neo Geo games would be available for the Wii Virtual Console in all regions sometime this summer. The games, some of which originally retailed for over $200, will be priced for download "just a little above the Super NES point" of $8 per game, Herman said. What a difference 17 years makes ...Herman didn't reveal exactly which games would be initially available, but hinted that they were "looking for games that haven't been available" through anthologies or remakes. Herman also hinted at plans to make classic SNK content available for Xbox Live and Sony's upcoming PlayStation Home service. Add in the Neo Geo games currently available on GameTap and these once hard-to-find games will soon be available around every corner.[Update: Fixed error regarding Metal Slug and King of Fighters being some of the first considered games. Thanks Cain Highwind.]Previously: Neo-Geo & MSX to join Wii VC (in Japan)[Thanks hvnlysoldr]
Virtually Overlooked: SD Snatcher
var digg_url = 'http://www.digg.com/gaming_news/An_impassioned_plea_for_a_Wii_VC_release_of_Konami_s_SD_Snatcher'; Welcome to our weekly feature, Virtually Overlooked, wherein we talk about games that aren't on the Virtual Console yet, but should be. Call it a retro-speculative.We didn't intend to cover the same series two weeks in a row, but recent developments in the world of Virtual Console made a discussion of a Konami RPG for the MSX2 computer seem timely. Maybe, we thought, our prayers for Snatcher caused the universe to swing things our way a little bit. Well, here's another appeal. SD Snatcher takes the violent, gritty, sci-fi detective story of Snatcher, and presents it as a turn-based RPG populated by big-headed "super deformed" characters. We choose to believe this decision was some postmodern playfulness from Hideo Kojima-- deliberately downplaying the dramatic aspects of his game and overlaying obvious videogame conventions on top of it, like when Psycho Mantis in Metal Gear Solid read your memory card. Or it could just have been that Japanese gamers like RPG's a lot.
Neo-Geo & MSX to join Wii VC (in Japan)
Neo-Geo and MSX are dusting off their parts and going for some of that virtual pape', joining the swarm of out-of-retirement consoles on Wii; the two will debut this spring in Japan (and likely worldwide shortly thereafter). Nintendo has already confirmed Eggy (Eggerland?) and Aleste (both 800 Wii Points) for MSX, but has yet to list any Neo-Geo titles. Additionally, more third parties want in on the Virtual Console enterprise, including G-Mode, Pony Canyon, Spike and (obviously) SNK.Both new VC formats have the to potential to bring notable franchises to the download service, including Neo-Geo's Fatal Fury, Metal Slug, King Of Fighters, and Samurai Showdown; and MSX's Bomberman, Castlevania, Contra, Dragon Quest, Elite, Final Fantasy, Gradius, Metal Gear, Puyo Puyo, and Wizardry.[Via CVG]
Japanese Virtual Console gets two new systems
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Japanese_Virtual_Console_gets_two_new_systems'; Japanese Wii owners are quite the lucky folk, as word hit today that the Wii's Virtual Console service in Japan will be getting games for the NEO GEO and MSX systems. Games for those systems will be available to Japanese consumers come this Spring, so there is still a bit of waiting. No word has hit on whether these systems' games are going to be available to Virtual Consoles outside the region, but we hope that's the case as it could pave the way for more systems to appear on Nintendo's digital downloading service.[via CVG; thanks prof-KOS!]
PSone downloads begin on 11/22... in Japan
In just a few hours, Japanese PS3 and PSP owners will be able to download and play PSone games on their PSPs. The following titles will be available for only 525 yen (less than $5) each: Resident Evil Director's Cut (Capcom) Konami Antiques MSX Collection Vol.1 (Konami) Konami Antiques MSX Collection Vol.2 (Konami) Bishi Bashi Special (Konami) Arc the Lad (SCEJ) Jumping Flash! (SCEJ) Hot Shots Golf 2 (SCEJ) Silent Bomber (Bandai Namco Games) Tekken 2 (Bandai Namco Games) Playback of the games requires the newly released 3.00 firmware. PLAYSTATION 3 owners will be able to play the downloaded games on their home consoles in the future.[Via IGN]
Profile: foreign systems that America missed
1UP profiles four systems that never made it to the US: MSX (1983) - Metal Gear and Dragon Quest debuted on this platform, which had a enough support to compete with Nintendo's Famicom in Japan. X68000 (Sharp, 1987) - its power came with a price: $4,000; it did feature some impressive ports of Castlevania, Ghosts 'n Goblins, and Strider. PC-FX (NEC, 1994) - TurboGrafx-16's successor; easily trumped by PlayStation, degrading into "a breeding ground for crappy anime and porn games." WonderSwan (Bandai, 1999) - Bandai had an exclusive license to port the original Final Fantasy titles ... until the games eventually landed on GBA. Good news is Americans didn't miss much.
