OK, I don’t have any of the new systems. I probably won’t until at least January either.
But the Virtual console has me intrigued. I was thinking of getting the 360 as my first new system, but the Wii might prove better because of this feature. Could someone explain how it works and what games are planned for it? Is it a SNES emulator basically? Are the games reworked in any way, or can I just play the classics as they were in the day? How does the controller work with these old games?
Is it a SNES emulator basically?
Well, more than that since there also are Genesis/Mega Drive, Turbo Grafx and NES titles available.
How does the controller work with these old games?
-Julian
N64 too.
As far as I’m aware, here’s how the virtual console on the Nintendo Wii works:
The consoles that are emulated are the main Nintendo home consoles (NES, SNES, and N64). There are already Sega Genesis games on the system, but I don’t think there’s been any confirmation about whether there will be Master system games. (Are there any worth revisiting?) There is Turbographix 16 support as well. There has been rumors about Epix releasing some Commodore 64 games, but I haven’t heard anything about that.
From reports, the NES, SNES, N64, and Genesis emulation is excellent (many are reporting that they look better than they did on the original systems), but the TurboGraphics 16 has some issues. The VC DOES NOT currently support 16:9 output, so, since all these games were designed to be played on 4:3 displays, they will be stretched unless you change your Wii output mode. I’ve read that this was intentional, but I hope that they find a way to not stretch the displays on widescreen displays.
There’s a limited selection currently, but Nintendo has announced that they’ll release new games weekly. These games are emulated, so there’s little reason for delay other than Nintendo wanting to space out their big sellers throughout the system’s life.
The games that are currently available are:
NES Games (500 Wii Points)
* Mario Bros.: Mario and Luigi punch turtles.
* The Legend of Zelda: The original Hyrulean adventure.
* Donkey Kong: The game that put Nintendo on the map.
* Pinball: Mario moonlights as a paddle in this one.
* Soccer: Another early NES sports title. About soccer!
* Wario’s Woods: A falling-block puzzle game starring Wario.
* Solomon’s Key: A surprisingly difficult puzzle-action game.
SNES Games (800 Wii Points)
* F-Zero: A futuristic racer that reinvented the genre.
* SimCity: Make your city awesome and you’ll get a statue of Mario!
N64 Games (1000 Wii Points)
* Super Mario 64: The template for 3D platform gaming.
Genesis Games (800 Wii Points)
* Sonic the Hedgehog: Spiky guy, attitude, goes fast. You know this one.
* Altered Beast: This bestial brawler will make you wise fwom your gwave!
TurboGrafx 16 Games (600 Wii Points)
* Bonk’s Adventure: Carnivorous caveman antics.
* Bomberman '93: Explosive multiplayer mayhem.
Here’s a list of some of the other games that will be available. I believe we should see almost every first-party Nintendo game on the system. How much third parties will be involved has yet to be seen, but I think the initial batch is encouraging.
You can play most games a number of ways; either with the Wii remote (which turned on its side is a comfortable NES pad), with a GameCube controller, or with a “classic” controller that plugs into the Wii remote and is shaped like a SNES controller but with two analog sticks.
-Scott-
Thanks, Scott. Nice list and explanation. How do you get the points though? Is it only through purchasing games?
From what I read on gamespot , you can either buy point cards at a store, or use your credit card each time to buy a game.
I’m pretty disappointed in the selection (no Super Mario World?!), which appears to have been artifically limited by Nintendo for the sole purpose of increasing sales of crappier games (under the theory that people wouldn’t purchase those games if better ones were made available at the start).
Well yeah. Why blow their entire wad at once?
The PR boost if they could advertise having every game made for their past systems available for download? (Which, if I recall, is closer to what people initially expected when this service was first announced.)
But, yeah, in the cost-benefit calculation, Nintendo concluded it was better for their bottom line to limit the selection and give consumers less choice. I understand the business decision, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it (or see it as anything but the anti-consumer money grab that it is).
Is there any reason to buy the “Classic controller?” It isn’t required for any one single Virtual Console game, is it? Also, why couldn’t they have just made it a wireless controller, or just a normal wired controller? I don’t like the idea of it tethered to the Wiimote by a two foot cord.
I picked up “Bomberman '93” to check out the system. It’s all very interesting, if a little overpriced. There’s definitely some thought put into how these things are going to work on they system, and they do look great.
I’m still kind of gob-smacked that they’d put out the NES version of an arcade game rather than just putting out a version of the machine itself.
Seems like a gamecube controller can used for anything a classic can, but not the reverse (classic can’t play gamecube games)? So just get a gamecube controller?
Well, you can also turn the Wiimote lengthways and use it like a regular controller with D-pad and A and B buttons. It actually works rather well.
I think that really goes back to the manpower issue in putting this stuff on the console in the first place. It’s easier to put together emulation for a system (say NES) and then tweak and test the games to be sure they’re “right” than it is to emulate all the different arcade hardware.
This stuff doesn’t just port itself to Wii on its own, and from what I’ve heard over the last ten years, there is a lack of smart manpower in the industry as it is. This just adds to the need for programmers with some smarts as well as to your payroll.
I mean, it’s not like Microsoft has been pumping out Live Arcade content daily either. It takes time, and it makes sense not to sell it all at once unless you’re going to do it like Gametap. I imagine that type of thing will happen further down the road when they’ve established a longer list of games.
So you don’t like the idea of it tethered to something that’s sitting right next to you, but you’re okay with it being tethered to your console sitting across the room?
Only if by “people” you mean “morons”.
The problem if you give people too many choices right off the bat is they tend to pick nothing at all…
You do KNOW how many games that is, right?
If the cord is long enough yes. I mean, if there was a longer cord for the Classic Controller to attach to the Wiimote - and maybe there is, I don’t know - it wouldn’t be so bad. But I can just picture myself constantly pulling the Wiimote off the couch everytime I moved.
I am quite lazy and clumsy though, so maybe no one else has this problem.
Really though, I’d prefer a completely wireless controller.
From the sound of it, the Classic Controller is completely redundant anyway, so it’s kind of a moot point if you ask me (which you didn’t).