c64
Latest
Commodore 64 coming to European Virtual Console in 2008
Another classic game console has joined Nintendo's Virtual Console lineup. A press release on the Nintendo Finland site announced that Commodore 64 titles will appear in the European Wii Shop Channel. That C64 is coming to Virtual Console isn't surprised (we've known since 2006), but we now know a timeframe (sometime this year) and a price of 500 points (€5 / £3.75) per game.The first two games for the shop will be Uridium and International Karate. Are these games really worth the price of an NES title? Other recent Virtual Console platform additions include the Sega Master System. No word on when C64 will find its way into non-European Wii units.[Via VGB, NWF]
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
Commodore 64 games coming to European VC later this year
We've known since late 2006 that Nintendo intended to add classic titles from the Commodore 64's library to its Virtual Console service, but Nintendo of Europe has been hesitant to reveal any concrete details until now. According to NoE, the C64 games are only planned for release in Europe so far, and they will be available to purchase for 500 Wii Points (€5, approximately $7.35) later this year. 500 Wii Points?! That's as much as an NES release on the Wii Shop Channel!Nintendo has already confirmed Uridium and International Karate as potential VC titles, both of which you can find video for after the post break. The 25-year-old console has a line-up of over 4,000 games to draw from, so it's guaranteed that we'll see regular C64 releases for years. Maybe this means that Nintendo will start putting out three to four Virtual Console games a week again.
Spectrum, C64 collections coming to DS in Europe
Alten8, the British company who is currently co-developing Eternity's Child, has a couple of interesting retro collections on the way to DS and Wii. Spectrum All-Stars is a collection of games for the ZX Spectrum, and C-64 All-Stars will contain Commodore 64 games. The identity and number of actual games on each collection is unknown, although we can guess the Spectrum contents, at least, from the roster found in the PC version.Not that it matters. We don't know what any of these games are. The fact that the Spectrum is a complete non-entity for U.S. gamers, combined with the fact that Alten8 itself is British, leads us to believe that those ESRB ratings are more the result of a boxart template than of any intention to release the game outside of Europe. ESRB searches for "Spectrum" and "C64" bear out this theory; Alten8 has not received ESRB certification for either of these games.Too bad. We'd like to try some "Speccy" games and see what it was like to be a British gamer in the '80s.
Impossible Mission screens are evidence of actual Wii Ware
These screens of Impossible Mission may not scream "next-gen graphics" to you, but consider these points: first, sometimes Wii games look like this; and second, this is purportedly a downloadable Wii Ware title. That said, we think the hand-drawn 2D is sharp and colorful, and we personally enjoy the look. So maybe we'll add a third point to our rebuttal: shut up, nonexistant straw man.Nintendo World Report has a European/Australian release date of August 31 for Impossible Mission. If that's true, it means that Wii Ware games are on the way sooner than we thought. It's probably not true. We expect some more announcements from Nintendo before games just start showing up.[Via Digg]
Rumor: Impossible Mission remake going to Wii Shop?
Oh, good, another one of those vague, confusing rumors we love so well! Infendo is reporting that the latest issue of Nintendo Power reveals a downloadable Wii Shop version of the Commodore 64 classic Impossible Mission. Infendo seemed to think that the Wii Shop version would be the same as the DS remake. However, the resulting NeoGAF thread made the situation seem a lot less clear.Apparently, publisher System 3 also plans to release a retail disc of Impossible Mission. It would be kind of weird to release the same game on disc and the Wii Shop, right? But it would also be weird to release the exact same game for Wii and DS. After all, the DS is not the PSP. So, with no real information to go on, let's do some speculatin'! Here are all the possibilities we can think of: The same game is coming out for both the Wii and DS. Unlikely. The DS game will be downloadable on the Wii, and will release concurrently with a separate Wii version. The DS and Wii remakes will be separate and accompanied by a Virtual Console release of the C64 original. This seems more plausible. LIES!
Homebrew DTVii joystick brings tilt-sensing to the C64
While the Wii and PS3 are getting most of the motion-sensing attention these days, Commodore 64 enthusiast Doug Garmon seems intent on proving that his old school system is also up to the task, developing a homebrew joystick that not only packs an accelerometer, but is wireless to boot. As you can see in the video after the break, the whole setup appears to work quite well, although it doesn't exactly provide a full-range of motion-sensing abilities, confined instead to a still-impressive tilt action. While this particular version of the controller makes use of C64-compatible DTV unit instead of an honest-to-goodness Commodore 64, Doug isn't about to let the hardcore Commodore fans among us down, saying he has receiver for the C64 "already made" but hasn't yet tested it.[Via Hack a Day]
Calling all C64 fans: Impossible Mission screens
Here's something we still don't believe we're seeing: a DS remake of the Commodore 64 hit Impossible Mission. And judging from the character art, it casts players in the role of Almost Keanu Reeves But Just Edited Enough That Hopefully Nobody Gets Sued. We love that guy! The game involves searching for password components in randomly-generated rooms, then using those passwords in control rooms, while avoiding enemies and manipulating platforms with computer terminals.This was supposed to release in January, and didn't, but at least it still appears to exist! We don't know if this will get released outside of Europe, since Commodore fandom is a mostly Euro phenomenon. European fanboys: how do you feel about C64 remakes on the DS? And how off the mark were we with our description of the game?We've included a few screens after the break.
Shredz64 project bringing Guitar Hero to the Commodore 64
We've already seen the Guitar Hero controller hooked up to a PC, but hardware hacker Toni has decided up the difficultly level even further, endeavoring to wire the ubiquitous plastic axe to his Commodore 64, complete with an all new "Guitar Hero-like" C64 game. While he's still quite a ways from fully realizing that goal, as the pic above and audio clip on the page linked below show, he is making considerable progress, with all of the guitar's buttons working, although the whammy bar, sadly, remains silent. Unfortunately, it's also been over a month since the last update on the project, so we can only hope that he hasn't given up on it -- there's undoubtedly countless C64s just waiting to be dusted off as soon as the DIY guide is ready.[Thanks, Joseph S]
C64 games to hit Virtual Console
For those of you out there who fill your hobby hours with finding new and innovative ways to bring Commodore 64 games to new platforms (like the DS), we're sorry. Epyx is trying to trump you. On the bright side, at least we can enjoy some old school action on the Virtual Console. Epyx was responsible for a long list of titles in the eighties, and since there's no confirmation on precisely what they'll be offering on the Virtual Console ... that's right, it's speculation time. What would you shell out five bucks for?If you need us, we'll be busy practicing our Hot Doggin' in anticipation of Winter Games.
Connect your Commodore 64 keyboard to your PC via USB
This Danish hacker has converted an older clacky Commodore 64 keyboard to a more modern real-deal USB keyboard. We won't bore you with the gory details, but if you're interested, Mikkel Holm Olsen has a long play-by-play account of his travails on his website, linked below. Apparently, he was asked to create the keyboard for some buddies of his, a Commodore 64 revival band, appropriately called "Press Play on Tape." We honestly had no idea there were so many Commodore 64 fanboys in Denmark, but given their progressive culture it only makes sense that they're super obsessed with oh, only the best computer system ever.[Via MAKE:Blog]
