Virtual Console
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Poll: What classic games do you want on the Wii?
We're not so sure that this rumored list of 26 titles for the Wii's virtual console launch is accurate, even if it's supposedly from a "trustworthy source." But we figured this was as good a chance as any to start a discussion of what games readers are actually interested in playing on Nintendo's enormously backwards-compatible system. Continue reading for a quick little poll on which of the listed games Joystiq readers would buy. Your favorite's not listed? Name drop it in the comments.
Tecmo gears up for virtual console
We've all known that Nintendo would be periodically releasing their own first-party games in the Virtual Console, but details have been surprisingly scarce regarding third-parties jumping on board. We know big names like Sega and Hudson would be giving gamers a taste of their illustrious pasts, but who else? Well, add another to the list, because according to a recent financial report, Tecmo will be aggressively supporting the VC.Perhaps best known (on Nintendo systems, anyway) for their superlative Tecmo Bowl and Ninja Gaiden trilogies, the addition of these games will provide yet another added boost for Nintendo's library. Although recent Tecmo titles have shown up on other systems, we'll get to experience the wonderful roots from which they came.[via Joystiq]
System 3 to release the first original Virtual Console games at launch? [Update 1]
Microsoft has garnered much praise for its Xbox Live Arcade service, which allows smaller developers to release casual games at a low price to the consumer. Some have been quite successful (see: Geometry Wars), and many had assumed Nintendo would offer a similar service through the Virtual Console feature of the Wii. With the low cost of development kits, many an indie game might grace the console, but nothing had been announced as of...yesterday. Well, okay, it's nothing official. However, according to the UK magazine Retro Gamer, the extremely old-school company System 3 (most known for their works on the Commodore 64 and Amiga consoles, for Pete's sake) are going to be releasing two games at launch for the Wii, revivals of old franchises: Gottlieb Pinball Classics and Leaderboard (a golfing sim). While no other information was given, it seems highly unlikely that these two relatively unknown games would be released in hardcopy alongside the Wii launch lineup, especially as Leaderboard has to compete against Wii Sports and eventually Tiger Woods. Perfect candidates for the Virtual Console, if we do say so ourselves.[Update 1: Changed Leadboard to Leaderboard, the proper name of the franchise.]
Sega does what Nintendon't on your PSP
If you're into classic games like me, you're probably eagerly awaiting the Nintendo Wii's Virtual Console feature so that you can play not only some Nintendo games, but some Genesis games as well. For those of you Sony fanboys that'll avoid the Wii like its a smelly grandmother, there's finally an alternative: Sega Genesis Collection, a compliation of nearly thirty Genesis games is heading to the PSP. The disc will not only come loaded with the games, but exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes footage. PSP owners can rejoice in knowing that an exclusive wireless multiplayer mode is being created just for them. Maybe it'll even support Game Sharing? (I hope so!) Here's the list of games: Alex Kidd Altered Beast Bonanza Bros. Columns Comix Zone Decap Attack Ecco the Dolphin Ecco: The Tides of Time Ecco Jr. Eternal Champions Flicky Gain Ground Golden Axe Golden Axe II Golden Axe III Phantasy Star II Phantasy Star III Phantasy Star IV Ristar Shadow Dancer: Secret of Shinobi Shinobi III Sonic the Hedgehog Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Super Thunderblade Sword of Vermillion Vectorman Vectorman 2 Virtua Fighter 2 Whoa... out of breath just reading that list. Visit 1up to see details about all of these classics.
Nintendo: Their own worst enemy
As we all know, Nintendo once ruled the video gaming skies. Titles were published for their systems or fell into the abyss. Soon, however, there came a time when the almighty Nintendo looked around in confusion as its once-loyal companions deserted them for greener pastures. The Nintendo 64 and Gamecube, though still playing host to some of the finest games of all time, fell by the wayside due to lack of third-party support. It is a problem that has plagued Nintendo to this day, and something they are desperately trying to correct with the Wii. There were, of course, numerous reasons for the desertion. The N64's stubborn refusal to switch from a cartridge-based format, lack of online support, and high licensing fees all took their toll on the gaming giant. But fundamentally, when a true competitor came along, third parties sought to leave the most frightful prospect of publishing for a Nintendo system: Nintendo themselves.
Opera browser optional?
The official Nintendo of Japan website was recently updated with some new information. Thanks to the Babel Fish, implanted in the skulls of all Wii Fanboy staff members, an accurate translation is as follows. 512MB of internal flash memory for storing applications, data, etc. Opera browser (optional) Short start-up times for applications stored in flash memory, such as virtual console games and the browser. That's interesting. Nintendo will certainly not offer two retail packages that differ only in the inclusion of a piece of software, and we doubt the browser will be sold as a traditional game at retail outlets. Therefore, the probable scenario is that Nintendo will offer the Opera browser as a download through their Virtual Console service, and most likely make you pay to do it. While we gnash our teeth, we also understand that those guys at Opera want a piece of the pie...and hopefully, it won't be terribly expensive.
Nintendo announces Wii Virtual Console pricing
The word is out, and it's not looking too bad for retro gamers in search of a fix. Nintendo's own president, Saturo Iwata, has announced that pricing for downloadable games in the Wii's Virtual Console will range from 500 to 1,000 Yen, about $4.50 to $8.99 in USD. This is in comparison to Microsoft's "points" system, which has you spending somewhere between $5 and $12.50 for a title, and whose library is considerably more limited than what Nintendo has planned for the Wii at launch -- which should include those tasty 1st party titles. Iwata also mentioned some of Nintendo's plans for DS integration, which could include use as a touch screen controller for the Wii, DS game play on the Wii (ala GameBoy Player), and demo downloads via the Wii. It's not hard to see why Nintendo would want to closely tie the two consoles together, given the crazy success of the DS, we just hope Nintendo isn't thinking they can get by with the retro and DS dollars without giving us a next-next-gen gaming experience on top of it.Update: As pointed out in the glad-to-have-them-back comments, this announcement was only for the pricing of new games available on the Virtual Console, with no word as to what retro titles will go for. We'll keep our eyes peeled, but for now just chalk this one up to some mistranslation and as a decent indicator of pricing to come.[Via Slashdot]
GarageGames hints at Virtual Console content
In an interview with Little Mathletics, one of GarageGames' promoters was tasked with answering a question regarding the indie developer's involvement with Nintendo's Virtual Console service. Like any good promoter, Jay Moore gives a wishy-washy answer that could just as easily be interpreted as a not-so-subtle hint.Q: Now that Satoru Iwata from Nintendo has essentially confirmed that the Revolution will feature original content on their download service, do you see yourself establishing the same kind of relationship with them?A: We've always said we'll be everywhere there is an opportunity to bring fun games to players with our tools and our games. I can neither confirm or deny any relationship with Nintendo or why GarageGames booth was right next to the Nintendo Gamers Lounge at GDC. Games like Marble Blast Ultra and Geometry Wars (developed by Bizarre Creations) have made the Xbox Live Arcade service an extremely appealing hub for smaller and often addictive games. Combining them with Nintendo's proven classics on the Virtual Console is sure to be deadly. [Via Revo DS-x2]
GDC Recap: Retro Revolution
The keyword that was bandied about during Satoru Iwata's speech at the Game Developer's Conference was "disruption". Through the DS, Mr. Iwata illustrated how Nintendo was disrupting the mechanistic game industry by creating new and unusual games, some which may not even have been considered as games if Nintendo hadn't pushed the idea that maybe, just maybe, exercising your brain was just as fun as exercising your trigger finger.Unfortunately for some (particularly us), the attention placed on Brain Training meant that not much information was revealed regarding that most secretive of next-generation consoles. Sure, Nintendo's strategy of unsettling the games industry is equally applicable to the Revolution, but what we really wanted was a few more cold, hard facts. Undoubtedly the biggest Revolution news (which we completely failed to predict) to emerge from the speech was Nintendo's announcement that the "best" Genesis and Turbo Grafx 16 games would be available on the Virtual Console service. What exactly "best" entails has yet to be seen, but we're fairly confident that we'll have once again the opportunity to wise fwom our gwaves.Iwata also implied that original content would likely be hitting the Virtual Console, possibly in the form of smaller games generated by independent developers. With plenty of retro power already backing it up, the service would truly enjoy the best of both worlds if it could obtain unique games on par with the Xbox 360's insanely addictive Geometry Wars. Let's just hope that the machine's 512MB storage capacity gets upgraded between now and E3, lest we constantly be switching SD cards in and out. It looks like we'll have to wait until E3 before we get any more substantial news on the Revolution front. And yes, that's still the console's name. For more coverage on Iwata's keynote, check out Chris Grant's ramblings over at Joystiq by clicking the "Read" link.
Virtual Console: Sega and Hudson games are a go!
Our trenchcoat-clad Joystiq informant, Christopher Grant is currently listening in on Satoru Iwata's GDC keynote and has informed us that Sega and Hudson have announced full support for the Revolution Virtual Console. To be more specific, the "best" titles from the Sega Genesis and the TurboGrafx will be available on the system's download service. Well, I guess that's not very specific at all. Regardless, I believe I speak for everyone when I say: Holy yes!More news (and a more fleshed out post) as soon as we get it.
Survey says: Virtual Console shaping up nicely
"Virtual console? That isn't anything like the Virtual Boy, is it?"As your spine and 20/20 vision will attest to, the Virtual Console and the Virtual Boy are thankfully very different things. For one thing, the Virtual Console actually lives up to its illustrious title, being able to take the shape of past Nintendo consoles (excluding the Virtual Boy) at the press of a button and allowing you to play some of your favorite games of yesteryear. It's certainly one of the Revolution's most appealing features, but the exact specifics up until now have been...well, not very specific at all.This may have something to with the fact that Nintendo appears to still be deciding about a lot of things regarding the feature. As a leaked marketing survey (complete with menu mockups and a list of games!) uncovered by 1up seems to suggest, they're not quite sure on how games will be delivered to the player and how exactly the costs will be managed. Gauging by the questions asked in the survey, Nintendo may be considering 3 different service models: Purchase: You'll pay a set price for the game of your choice, download it and then play it whenever you want. Rental: You rent the games for a specified period of time. This could be implemented in a number of ways, possibly having you download the game and then "unlocking" it for a month. Subscription: You pay a monthly fee which opens up the entire Virtual Console library for your playing pleasure. You download games and get to play them as long as you continue being a subscriber. We reckon the subscription model could work if it was reasonably priced and the library continued to grow consistently, but otherwise the ancient tradition of paying a fee and permanently receiving a game has always made sense to us. What's your take? Also, be sure to check out the full article for the list of Virtual Console games that appeared in the survey!
