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Wii Virtual Console getting Sega Master System games
Finally, you can relive your really good youthful memories via the Wii and its latest Virtual Console addition: the Sega Master System. That's right, if you happen to be nostalgic for a certain Z80A kind of action -- and you live in Japan -- you need only look to Nintendo's cash-cow for help. Starting this February, you can play Fist of the North Star and the hallucination-inducing Fantasy Zone to your heart's content, though just like other VC offerings we expect to see more games and more territories included later on. What's important for Nintendo to know is this: the sooner we're deep in a game of Wonder Boy in Monster Land, the happier everyone will be... so step on it.[Via Digg]
Star Tropics, King of Fighters '94 arrive on Virtual Console
Those are the only two titles you'll get this week, though we can't imagine anybody being displeased by the one-two punch of an intriguing island adventure and a 14-year old battle royal. Well, perhaps we could imagine someone turning his or her nose up to that, but only because said person doesn't enjoy being punched, a sensation that all too frequently accompanies the Wii's Virtual Console additions. Star Tropics (NES, 1 player, 500 Wii Points): Recoil in horror as you learn... that your... dear uncle... Dr. Jones... has been kidnapped! Obey flabby, shirtless men, embark on an epic island quest and question whether being constantly labeled as an "ace pitcher" is some sort of sexual advance! Also, murder a large snake by shoving a yo-yo down its throat! The King of Fighters '94 (NEOGEO, 1-2 players, 900 Wii Points): KOF up the money and SNK's Super Bogard Bros. is yours. The first edition in a long line of three-on-three team pummeling games, this may be worth some fisticuffs if you've not been swayed by the 89 sequels since.
Blades of Steel, Donkey Kong Country 3 and Rolling Thunder 2 land on Virtual Console
You already know that Ho-Ho's bringing a steaming pile of nothing to your favorite gaming retailer, but Nintendo's trying to make up for it with three new holiday releases on the Virtual Console. (And they're good, too!) Let's check it out.Blades of Steel (NES, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points): What, are you joking? It's Blades of Steel. Though maybe not the greatest hockey game ever made, it's at least the raddest. There are two team colors, there's fighting, what more could you need?Rolling Thunder 2 (Genesis, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points): Rolling Thunder 2 is sort of like a prettier N.A.R.C., except with a sexy lady cop. Except it has much better graphics and soundtrack. And there are no drugs. And no one explodes. OK, so it's nothing like N.A.R.C. besides the fact that they're both side-scrolling shooters. But at least it looks like a lot of fun.Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble (Super NES, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points): "Hey Phil, we need to make another DKC game. What Kongs do we have left?" "Well, there's Falco Kong, the Euro rocker with the heart of gold." "I'm pretty sure you just made him up." "OK ... how about Dixie and that creepy baby?""Sold!"
Cybernator, Alien Storm, Monster Lair coming to Virtual Console today
For years, the human psyche has been plagued by three basic fears: Monsters, aliens and robots. If there were four of them, they would be the four food groups of fear. This week, they're all converging on the Virtual Console, so you may want to start your begging for mercy right now. Cybernator (SNES, 1 player, 800 Wii Points): As near as we can tell, Cybernator is a 2D giant robot game, except the robot is dude-sized, which kind of defeats the purpose. Also: In Japan, this game is known as Assault Suits Valken, which is a much, much better title. Monster Lair (TurboGrafx16 CD-ROM, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points): Monster Lair is the third game in the Wonder Boy series, even though you likely won't find that written anywhere when you go to buy it. You may remember that we got The Dynastic Hero a couple of weeks ago, which is the fifth game in that same series. (We knew all this off the top of our heads, by the way. Don't even act like we checked Wikipedia.) Alien Storm (Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points): There are some things you grow less afraid of as you grow older, and then there are things you can only truly fear when you're an adult. The monsters in Alien Storm are just such creatures. Click that link, see if we're kidding. Those creatures are awful. They're like big hulking piles of face meat and scream lumps. Also: This is a game.
Wii getting gifting feature today
While Nintendo was busy talking about the new releases on the Virtual Console, they also let it slip that the new gifting feature was coming to U.S. Wiis later today. Come to think of it though, isn't taking the time to enter your buddy's Friend Code the real gift? We'd probably just go buy a fruitcake or something before we'd spend three hours doing data entry.That said, if you've already made the friend code commitment, you can simply enter the Wii Shop Channel, select what game to buy and send it off to a pal, rather than keep it for your greedy self. It's the gift that says "I like you, but not enough to turn off my video game console, put on pants and go to a store."
Virtual Console graced by Pokemon Snap, Ghosts'n Goblins, Baseball Stars 2
You've realized that they're just picking them at random now, haven't you? Unless the theme this week is "Games With Vowels in the Title," we honestly don't know what the unifier could be. It's OK though, Nintendo, we're more concerned about the games than the themes.Pokémon Snap (Nintendo 64, 1 player, 1,000 Wii Points): We've long been morally opposed to the whole Pokemon craze. We just can't condone beating animals senseless, locking them in prisons that are 1/10 their size and then forcing them to repeat the cycle of violence. We guess we're OK with Pokemon Snap though, which asks only that you take pictures of the little critters. Also, remember that this version has new Wii features.Baseball Stars 2 (NEOGEO, 1-2 players, 900 Wii Points): We're not familiar with Baseball Stars 2, but everything we've read about the game appears to be pretty positive. We only wish the Wii functionality could have trickled down here for all the big-screen TV-smashing action that we crave.Ghosts'n Goblins (NES, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points): Ghosts'n Goblins is the kind of difficult that other difficult games tell their children about to scare them into behaving. It's a classic, sure, but it's also enough to make you put your fist through a wall. We're sure it's fun if you're really good at it but let's be honest ... you aren't, are you?
Virtually give a Virtual Console gift with video
Sick of browsing the "Knitting supplies and Burt Lancaster movies" section of your local department store, trying to find a Christmas for your grandma? Allow us to suggest the perfect holiday gift: Ninja JaJaMaru-kun. Or Double Dribble. Or any of the dozens of other games on the Virtual Console, which you'll be able to gift to friends (and super-hip grandmas) beginning Dec. 11 ... as long as you live in Japan. The video above walks you through the process so you can see just how easy holiday shopping will soon be for our friends in the Land of the Rising Fun.Sadly, we don't know when we'll be able to use this feature, (it's supposed to be coming this month) so we'll have to make do with the third-hand joy of watching a virtual Japanese person give a virtual gift to his virtual Japanese friend. Hopefully we'll hear a U.S. date soon.
Pokmon Snap gets Wii functionality on Virtual Console
Next Tuesday, Japanese Wii owners will be able to download the underrated N64 title Pokémon Snap on the Wii's Virtual Console. Unique to this release, however, will be newly added Wii functionality, setting an interesting precedent for future VC releases.Dengeki Online reports that photographs taken in-game can be posted to the Wii Message Board, and sent along to friends using the Wii's internet connection. While this isn't a terribly interesting use of the Wii functionality, it does show that Nintendo is willing to add new features to Virtual Console titles. No word yet on when Pokémon Snap will be making its debut in other regions, but could other upcoming VC titles be receiving similar treatment?[Via CVG]
Nintendo estimates $33 million earned from Virtual Console
Fielding questions at a Tokyo press conference held by Nintendo and NTT regarding an internet service collaboration, Nintendo executive Shinji Hatano provided some rather vague commentary on the success of Wii's Virtual Console. According to IGN's Anoop Gantayat, the executive noted a previously mentioned figure of 7.8 million downloads across the service, with purchases generating 3.5 billion yen -- or approximately $32.33 million.Perhaps there was a hint of sarcasm then, when Hatano followed up with, "We're currently unsure if this is a lot or low. They're not bad figures." Really? Earning over thirty million dollars from games you approved years ago seems like it's a reasonable payoff for minimal effort, doubly so when said (overpriced) games include Double Dribble.
Overline gives Wii owners "The Shaft"
Punny headlines aside, The Shaft provides yet another way to control all those Virtual Console downloads clogging up your Wii menu. The wired, 6" x 11" arcade-style stick from previously unheard-of Overline Gaming merges the proud tradition and size of arcade fighting sticks with the svelte, plastic styling of the Wii. It sports analog control for Nintendo 64 games as well as digital "resting points" in the eight primary directions for older-school gaming. Pre-orders are currently being taken for white, pink and black version for mid-December shipment -- $39.95 for one or $69.95 for two.[Via Engadget]
Wii Shaft: the arcade-style joystick for virtual console titles
We have to believe that the name of this arcade-style joystick was chosen more for hype and less for, well, anything else, but nevertheless, it's yet another way to add even more retro to the virtual console experience. Slated to arrive just in time for the holidays, The Shaft will be available in arctic white, coral pink and midnight black, and it will darn near take up your entire lap, too. The oversized creation sports a customizable turbo function along with six control buttons, but we could certainly see this thing becoming an excellent chew toy for Fido if left unattended for an extended period of time. The 'stick can be pre-ordered right now for $39.95, or you can appear infinitely wise by snapping up two for "just" $69.95.[Via Digg]
Number of weekly VC games to increase?
Reggie's recent address in New York failed to tell us much that we didn't already know, though it did throw up the slide you see above, indicating that Nintendo is promising us 200 Virtual Console games in the US by the end of this year. We can probably all agree that the world would be a better place if Pilotwings 64 and River City Ransom were included in that number.But we digress. See, the folks over at Game|Life did the math, and discovered that would mean Nintendo has only eight Mondays left in 2007 to deliver 34 games. Average that out, and you get 4.25 games a week. Currently, of course, we only get three titles every Monday. So, is this a genuine miscalculation on Ninty's part, naughty marketing hyperbole, or will we really be seeing more retro goodness than normal pumped down our tubes in the coming weeks?Either way, Nintendo, we are now absolutely holding you to this. 200 by December 31st or you're ripped from our BFF collage. And we do not make such threats lightly.[Via The Tanooki]
Martinet: SMB3 to hit Virtual Console tomorrow
While we usually have to wait until Monday to find out the week's new Virtual Console releases, the folks over at GoNintendo got a special late night news tip treat from none other than Charles "voice of Mario" Martinet. In a voice mail, Martinet confirms that Super Mario Bros. 3 will be available on the Virtual Console tomorrow, along with the Genesis' Alien Soldier and the TurboGrafx-16's Power Golf (a.k.a. two filler games that no one cares about when placed next to freakin' Mario 3).One of the best-selling and best-received games of all time, the Virtual Console release marks the fourth official version of the game, including 1993's Super Mario All-Stars and 2003's Super Mario Advance 4 (and don't forget the awesomely unofficial hack, Mario Adventure). Will you be buying yet another copy, or just using this excuse to crack out a classic version?
Wii not getting a hard drive because "it's like an iPod"
Although the Wii's Virtual Console channel has been a smashing success, there's always a price for fame: quite a few gamers are running up against the storage roadblocks of Nintendo's console and starting to wonder about expansion options beyond SD cards -- like, say, a hard drive. Sadly, however, Ninty's not having any of it, with Nintendo of America PR manager Eric Walter saying that "we really don't want people storing every single game they buy on their drive." Sounds silly, but since VC titles are yours for keeps, Nintendo's position is that you can delete games and "go back and get them any time," or, presumably, build a small library of SD cards. This odd line of reasoning also led Walter to say that he likens the situation "to putting music on your iPod; you listen to it for a while, and then you get tired of it, and you pull it off, and you put some new stuff on." Clearly Walter does not know how often we listen to the Clash on our iPods -- or how often we rock Super Mario Brothers 1 through 64. Either way, it looks like the mothership has spoken for now -- looks like it's up to the third parties to figure out a way to make it all better.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Castlevania II, Samurai Ghost, Magician Lord scare up Wii VC
With Halloween just around the dark and eerily-lit corner, Nintendo has released its latest batch of classic console offerings for the Wii's Virtual Console Monday smorgasbord, including Konami's strange but nonetheless fantastic action RPG hybrid Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, which to this day still has many of us humming its tunes while lathering up in the shower. But for the sake of argument let's assume you are not the sort of person who likes thwarting the undead with a thorny whip -- perhaps you'll enjoy what else this week has to offer: Castlevania II Simon's Quest (NES, 1 player, 500 Wii Points): The gem of this latest batch, Simon's Quest reminds us that not only is it a horrible night to have a curse, but also that that shifty riverman has a thing for Dracula's heart. Samurai Ghost (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points): If you can't beat'em, join'em seems to be the motif in Namco's 1992 side scroller, as Samurai Ghost has you floating about as the undead ronin Kagekiyo on a quest for revenge and, we assume, candy. Magician Lord (Neo Geo, 1-2 players, 900 Wii Points): The latest Neo Geo release to crop up on the Virtual Console, Magician Lord is also one of the most fondly remembered among the pricey platform's library, and we're all too eager to rejoin the shape shifiting Elta, the last of the magician lords, on his quest to throw down with the nefarious Gul-Agieze.
Nintendo Wii Virtual Console gift giving service
In another portion of the 'absolutely no Wii price cut' story we covered earlier this morning, Nintendo's prez unveiled a feature that allows people to "send each other games over the internet using the Wii's shopping channel." The explanation by AP is a little too quick and dirty for our taste, so we've contacted Nintendo's PR for a cleaner explanation. The piece says that users will be able to select a game to send as a gift to another user and when the recipient accepts, "the Wii automatically launches the shopping channel and begins the download."Like we said, we're looking to get more details on this potentially great service. We just need to know things like: Does this mean grandma needs to comprehend the multi-digit friend codes? Does the person need to be a friend first? Isn't it easier just to give a Wii Points gift card? We hope to update you soon with the answers.
New on the Virtual Console: Golden Axe 3, Lunar Pool, Ninja JaJaMaru-kun
We think that after this week, we can all agree that there's no rhyme or reason to Nintendo's Virtual Console selections each week. This Monday, you can play pool on the moon, play the third Golden Axe game, or play a ninja-based title unreleased outside Japan. If there's a theme there, we ain't seeing it. Ninja JaJaMaru-kun (NES, 1-2 players, 600 Wii Points): Never released outside of Japan before now, someone didn't think you were ready for Ninja JaJaMaru-kun. But now, you can experience all the awful music, marshmallow ninjas and (apparent) sperm capturing you can handle. (Side note: We're not sure what the extra 100 points for Japan-only games is going to, but it certainly isn't New Name Creating Guys. Lunar Pool (NES, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points): OK, we'll buy that mushrooms can embiggen you to twice your regular size. We'll allow that there's a golden triangle out there that has a tendency to break but can also give you superpowers. But pool on the moon? Please, the infeasibility of carting the necessary equipment up there is reason enough to discount it, but, hello? Gravity? We can only go so far with you. Golden Axe III (Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points): Though the third Golden Axe wasn't originally released here, you PS2 and PSP owners who bought the Sega Genesis Collection are familiar with the title. For the uninitated: It's Golden Axe. ... Oh, and (for part of the game) you're a panther dude. Enjoy.
TurboGrafx-CD games coming to Virtual Consoles worldwide
The news leaked out of Japan late last week, and now Hudson has officially announced its worldwide plans for TurboGrafx-CD games on the Wii's Virtual Console. In a press release today, Hudson announced the games will be available starting in October in Japan and "soon thereafter" in Europe, North America and Australia for 800 Wii Shop points.The release promises over five TG-CD games in 2007 and over ten in 2008, but doesn't go into any details on which specific games will be available. Even so, we're relatively sure that Japanese shooter Cho Aniki won't be among those classics coming across the pond. It's a shame really -- if there's one thing guaranteed to shake up the American shmup market, it's a game full of homoerotic shots of shirtless, musclebound men.Previously: TurboGrafx-CD games coming to Japanese Wii VC
Thrustmaster unveils the T-Wireless NW Wii classic controller
We're not certain how many people are clamoring for Virtual Console controller that apes the look-and-feel of the 360 controller, but Thrustmaster's got you covered with its new T-Wireless NW controller. Eschewing the need to plug into the Wiimote, the NW comes with a receiver dongle that plugs into the Wii's GameCube ports -- a design decision that doesn't seem quite right to us. On the other hand, it's just $19.99, the same price as a Classic Controller, so we'll see how gamers respond when these things ship in October.[Via IGN]
First crop of Neo Geo games for Virtual Console announced
Though Japanese Wii owners have been salivating over the Neo Geo titles they can or will soon be able to download through the Virtual Console, U.S. owners have not been so lucky. Sure, we knew that they were coming, we just didn't know which ones to expect. That was rectified yesterday by SNK, which announced that Fatal Fury, World Heroes and Art of Fighting would be coming to the US VC for 900 points a pop. More titles, SNK says, will follow up in the coming months.What we still don't know is exactly what date those months will be coming after. The first Neo Geo game hit Japan on Tuesday, but we have no clue when they'll be arriving here. Our psychic powers tell us it will be a Monday, but things get hazy after that.
