It's with some curiosity that we observe the continuing clamour and passion for the Virtual Console, a service that generates as much buzz as it often does criticism. The appetite among keen Nintendo fans for retro downloads seems to remain strong, especially when rare or previously untapped games return. 2016, so far, has been all about the first generation of Pokémon, with the arrival of Red, Blue and Yellow not only exciting fans but also dictating early marketing for the franchises' anniversary. It's not often we have multiple hardware bundles for Virtual Console games, yet here we are.
The demand for retro downloads has certainly had some highs in this generation - the release of EarthBound and later EarthBound Beginnings - which is actually NES title Mother - was greeted with a lot of excitement, while the early days of the 3DS Virtual Console in 2011 and 2012 were high profile courtesy of various Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Gear releases. The Wii U has trod a particularly quirky path, with Game Boy Advance and DS releases arriving that are clearly designed to be enjoyed on the GamePad. Sure, you can play these games on the TV, but the smaller screen of the controller is far kinder to past generation portable resolutions.
For all of the positives and moments of excitement, though, the Virtual Console has - in other ways - faded from prominence and been a source of criticism in this generation. One part of this is the smaller available library, even with some new platforms included. The Wii Virtual Console, when it launched, was a revelation and a fertile land for publishers keen to profit on old games - a diverse range of third-party titles and platforms like Commodore 64 and retro Arcade games arrived as various companies took a punt on what was, at the time, a fresh idea. In reality the Wii Shop market was never likely to be big enough to deliver profits to all involved, however, and in this generation relatively few third-parties have contributed many games - SEGA, Capcom and Konami are a few among a small band.
The weight for supporting the Virtual Console has fallen largely on Nintendo, then, and its own standards in presentation - and the realities of obtaining ratings etc - have led to a trickle of releases. Rarely a week goes by where comments in our Nintendo Download articles don't reference the demise of the Virtual Console, especially on 3DS where releases are becoming increasingly rare.
Yet the Virtual Console isn't dead, not in the long term - what it needs is a reboot and a new approach. Nintendo has naturally evolved it to introduce more platforms - as mentioned above - and offers discounts for those that have transferred repeated games from their Wii to Wii U, but those are small steps to what can come in the future. The existing Virtual Console model, with an overhaul, can continue as a brand.
What's absolutely clear, based on the past couple of years, is that games arriving in download form for the first time can be a success. The 3DS eShop all-time bestsellers charts point to the popularity of various Game Boy titles - and even a few NES releases - while on the equivalent Wii U results there's EarthBound, a range of games previously released on the original VC and a few key Wii titles. These Wii downloads are an interesting case-in-point, as the highest selling of these in the UK is Metroid Prime Trilogy - not only is it fantastic value with three outstanding games, but at launch it was half price. We recall seeing it storm to number one on the eShop at launch, unsurprisingly.
Admittedly saying great games at cheap prices sell lots of copies isn't exactly a revelation, but does show the degree of critical mass that can be achieved if you subsidise or heavily discount products. It's basic commerce, and helps explain why companies like Google and Amazon - for example - have happily flogged gadgets at a loss, just in order to get their tablets and the related online marketplaces (Google Play and Amazon's app store) into people's hands. Rather than make a profit on everything, you select products for which you're happy to make a loss or, perhaps in the case of Virtual Console games, make less of a profit on each download.
Up to now, barring the occasional promotion, Nintendo has stuck to a relatively rigid formula and pricing structure. That's arguably been justifiable in this generation, but Nintendo has an opportunity in the next generation to use the Virtual Console to really drive consumers to the eShop and enable them to experience more content. We've seen elements of this with some games promoting their retro equivalents, the success of NES Remix and the weirdness of amiibo Tap, but there are less gimmicky and simpler ways to get these downloads on more systems in the NX generation; even on Wii U and 3DS, but a change in direction for those systems seems very unlikely at this stage.
One idea we'll revisit from many moons ago is bundles. We're not sure Nintendo will be generous enough that all of our content from Wii U and 3DS will be cross-play on new hardware for free - though naturally we'd love that - but the era of paying 5 bucks for a NES game should end. Instead of selling the first three Super Mario Bros. titles separately, throw them together for $5, or sell them individually for $2. Incentivise bundles while bringing prices down to reflect the real world away from enthusiasts - like some of us - who'll pay over-the-odds. If Nintendo doesn't give itself too much work to do in formatting these releases for its next hardware it should pass that saving on. As mentioned above, accept little to no profit per sale in order to simply drive consumers to the system and its eShop.
Tentpole releases, ie those that have never been released for download before - ahem, GameCube? - can be an exception and command typical current day prices, of course. Our point is that Nintendo's interest in strengthening its brand and credentials wouldn't be harmed by making Virtual Console games readily available for less. Young audiences can see what all the fuss is about, and why the 30th Anniversary of The Legend of Zelda is a big deal, as one example.
Beyond bundles that combine franchises and famous titles together in competitively priced packs, there can be policies and promotions to give these titles away. We've seen some of this from Nintendo already in different regions, so this is hardly an outrageous suggestion. A big Mario game is out? Release it with a code that can be redeemed on a chosen retro Mario game from a small list of choices. Likewise with Metroid, Zelda and various other franchises.
Then we have the My Nintendo loyalty program, which is due to launch in March. Part of its plans are to offer downloadable content as rewards for games played or activities completed, while discount coupons and Birthday discounts were also cited last October. Like much of what we've suggested above, Virtual Console content could be ideally suited to promotions through this service. Part of the monthly allure of Club Nintendo in North America was in its regular rewards, which often consisted of downloads; it seems natural that this could be the case in the new program too.
One practice we think is unlikely - so naturally Nintendo will counter that and announce it forthwith - is a subscription service, which many (including us) have suggested in the past. While we like the idea of a virtual Loot Crate of sorts for old games, our suspicion is that Nintendo will still want to either make money from VC downloads or, at the very least, incentivise them by bundling them together and/or with other games. We shall see, but we think a Virtual Console equivalent to PlayStation Plus is a long shot.
While we always acknowledge that Nintendo goes to more effort with Virtual Console games than simply dumping ROMs on the eShop, a new generation does give the company a chance to shake up its approach. Rather than another area from which to target profits, the use of bundles, promotions and loyalty-based giveaways can add a little extra spice to the service. Yes, there'll likely be scope to sell new downloads at a premium rate - as we're seeing with Pokémon gen one on 3DS - but older, repeated content can serve a different purpose. Readily available classic games can introduce new players to Nintendo's legacy, or reward loyal fans and thank them for their commitment to the company's systems.
After two generations and three systems following a conventional model it's time to shake things up, and make the old new once again.
Comments 119
Well, it would be nice to play TurboGrafx 16 and Sega games without the need of using the Wii Virtual machine. But... I'm not going to have it my way am I?
It's tough being a fan of the VC when living in NA. I'd love to support it more but Nintendo just doesn't get it.
This is just a spit back of every long winded "this is what nintendo should do because we say so" virtual console argument thread ever
@OneBagTravel Nintendo of America seems to exist in a bubble. Other regions don't exist to them except when they have to mention them like in directs.
As weird as amiibo tap was, it did get me thinking. What if full games came preloaded on the amiibo itself. If for example, you bought a Ness amiibo, you get Earthbound, or if you bought a Link amiibo, you get the original Legend of Zelda. They could even release different variants of characters that come with different games (ie one Mario amiibo would get you Super Mario Bros. 3 and a different looking Mario,maybe in another position or art style, would get you Super Mario World). It would seem like a great way to carry amiibo forward to the NX generation.
Leave it to Nintendo to ruin something that started off so great. I could write an entire memoir of complaints I have with the VC service. My current gripe is how EU has all the games that NA gamers want. Somehow Nintendo isn't aware of this and makes hardly no effort to have games release simultaneously with the European region. This could be forgivable ONLY if the year wasn't 2016 and the internet didn't exist because we wouldn't know, outside of a video game magazine, what was being released across the big pond.
@Dankykong Nailed it.
@OneBagTravel Of course Nintendo gets it. The VC isn't a priority because it makes little profit. It's not worth actively supporting.
All of the Wii VC titles should be on the Wii U VC by now. It is perplexing why this hasn't happened yet. The same goes for the 3DS VC which has been dead for quite some time now.
I know many want GC games on the VC but I would rather them release the other back catalog games first and then focus on GC and Wii releases.
Hopefully they will fix this with the NX
@OneBagTravel
For sure. For every VC game NA gets, Europe gets 2 better ones. Especially with Wii games on Wii U. Infuriating.
@Dankykong
I can see where you're coming from, but think of it this way: Most people aren't mad that they aren't getting their precious Mother 3. They're mad that a once-great service has been reduced to ash, with NOTHING coming out besides Mega man battle network 17 part 2 every week. It isn't that one game that we need: We need actual effort put into a service that Nintendo provides
The 3ds lacks Virtual Console games. no one buys un-popular games, plus having SNES or GBA would have made 3ds sales high. More people would buy more Virtual Console games. Having GameCube games on Wii U or the NX would make more sales on launch. Nintendo would make more money this way of having games we want.
Gamecube! Gamecube! GAMECUBE!! This reminds me I need to finish so many VC games. I'm addicted to purchasing them.
Gameboy, Game Boy Advance and DS games have a new platform for Reto gamers to enjoy these games on, the 3ds.
These games, released for the Wii U are Nintendo's way of saying ' we told you that the gamepad is great, we did not get it wrong, look at all these Retro games that can be played on it, its our third console'.
All you have to do is turn on your Wii U and when the game loads you play it on the gamepad. Simple. One thing though, don't walk away from the Wii U or you will be out of range. You have a good 20 feet as long as you remain in direct site, the signal won't go around corners.
But we have improved things. Soon you can play away from the Wii U, in another room, at your mates house or on the bus, its the all new gamepad but for now we are calling it NX.
So much untapped potential it is maddening.
Forget the third party games for now and give me every Nintendo made game. Star Wing, Lylat Wars Yoshis Island SNES, Gamecube etc. Plus give us option of US
or PAL version and provide am option to stretch the screen!
I just hope Nintendo has put a system in place that we don't have to effectively start collecting them all again with the release of the NX.
If the NX is a handheld console hybrid, having the full VC catalogue from Wii/Wii U/3DS would be great and then they can just add more to it.
As modern games become more and more about squeezing every penny out of us I yearn more and more for older games. It is a gold mine for Nintendo!
I am a huge fan of VC, but I do agree that its content is running thin. I for one would love GCN or more Wii titles! Right now I just want Xenoblade to come to NA... 😔
@SBandy I never downloaded much on the Wii, but I've been quite active on my Wii U. I would hate to lose those games or be forced to purchase them again. Hopefully MyNintendo( I think that's what the new loyalty service is called) will correct that. After all, I recall a chart they showed off in a Direct that suggested it would connect in some way with the Wii U, 3ds, NX, and even smartphones.
So much petty complaining here. The real important question is why isn't Cory in the House DS on VC, and why the greatest anime of all tine Cory in the House is not on Wii U's Crunchyroll. Absolutely sickening.
The virtual console is precisely why I hope Nintendo's NX is inevitably something of a software platform for dedicated gaming hardware predominantly: the idea of a permanent virtual console, where all games are available going forward for all future NX devices would be amazing, and avoid the service being neglected like it is now. Yes, I can still access Wii titles through a different menu, but it's hardly the same, and lacks the features of the new VC releases. Given how easy I imagine it'd be to get NES, SNES, and N64 emulators running on nearly anything (my 2010 smartphone could do them all without too much bother), I feel like something like an Eternal Virtual Console where you buy these games and/or anything tied into a Nintendo Network ID already is available and promised to work on all NX hardware would be logical and a big hit for Nintendo, so it wouldn't require new effort with every single generation: do it once, make it available for good, and encourage people to buy them with confidence.
"This is just a spit back of every long winded "this is what nintendo should do because we say so" virtual console argument thread ever"
And totally worthless too, since Nintendo doesn't listen anyway. But yeah, you have to fill a site in some way when there is TOTALLY no news!!
Personally, with the NX on the horizon, I hope that they at least do this. Build all of the Wii U games that are in the creation and planning stages and finish them. Then, as the NX gets popular, use the Wii U as a retro machine to still somewhat get their money's worth. That should at least keep the Wii U going for at least 3 more years... Just an idea.
The good old Konami gave us a good example of virtual console into the games. Mystical Ninja had full level of games. Nintendo could encorage producer to put some old bits of games and connect to eshop if you are in the mood, then sale the game in a really low price.
Snowboard kids!!
I wouldn't say there is nothing profit in the virtual console. I'm just not desire much profit can come from their current model. I think as one of the VC problems should be solved with the universal account system. This hopefully will keep customers from having to repurchase games they have owned on other systems.
Personally, I would like a some sort of a subscription service at the right price point. Maybe, if they adopted the Kindle Unlimited plan where you could for lack of a better term check games out.
Let's say you pay $10 per month, and can have two or three games checked out at a time. You would then need to turn a game back in before you get the next games. It could be some variation of that and I'd probably pay for it.
Sometimes I forget the 3DS has a VC service
@CatMarioTime nintendo's thinking of us, not wanting to doom us to an eternity of never leaving our TV screens
Ah the Virtual Console Nintendo's biggest gimmick. I remember back when the Wii was announced and it was announced that we would be able to get every game that was available on NES and SNES, boy did that turn into a lie. Sadly that promise did get me to buy a Wii. Now the VC is just a joke. The just release the same games over and over and over. They need to make deals with these companies to get the more obscure games or even the popular ones like Ducktales, TMNT II etc. It can be done Nintendo is just to cheap to do it.
The VC concept was never the problem; it's been the execution. Knowing that purchases are tied to individual systems (at least up until recently) and you'd lose them if your system went down (or if you trade up for a next-gen console, which is STILL an issue for NX adopters unless they hold onto their Wii Us) makes it crystal clear that your "purchases" are nothing more than glorified, GROSSLY overpriced rentals. The harsh truth is that you never really own anything in digital form; once the servers get pulled and/or the service goes down, your games are there for as long as your hard drive lasts.
And back to pricing for a moment. The VC has had many iconic and beloved games we can all agree; the problem is that Nintendo thinks nostalgia makes them worth anywhere from $5 to $10-plus apiece, which is absurd for 20 to 30 year-old titles that've already seen countless recycles. And they're notoriously stubborn regarding offering substantial discounts or markdowns on their recent and current-gen digital stuff as well. PSN, XBox LIVE, and Steam are ALL eating Nintendo's lunch in the digital arena for the reasons listed above, and unlike Nintendo's archaic system, all of their digital items transfer between same-generation consoles at the very least.
I wouldn't be ranting like this if I didn't care about this topic. When the VC first debuted I supported it big-time...and eventually lost much of those investments due to how the VC is handled. Until that changes, it can die for all I care; something has value only if you can afford/justify the price, and in turn when there's a semblance of security in one's investment.
@Tasuki
That's not true!
The NA and EU rights for most 3rd party titles are held by various companies and the 3rd parties who own the IPs.
There are numerous rights per each retro titles.
Add that to cost of rerating of games for the eShop platform by each rating body as required by each territory, it becomes quite expensive.
You are looking at a minimum of $10,000 just to get it rerated globally.
3rd parties aren't willing to sign deals that allow thier games to remain on the services in perpetuity. They also don't want to pay the cost of related to them.
3rd parties are refusing for the most part to support PS4, Xbox one and the eShop with their retro titles.
Hell Wii U has the biggest catalog of retro 3rd party games with Xbox One and PS4 practically having nothing.
Nintendo is rapidly running out of first party releases for many of their systems.
@Yorumi For somewhat different reasons (got tired of being recommended games on here, only to not find them on the VC), I decided to start collecting retro games too! But, like what you said, the insufficiency of the VC still made me go, "I could totally just go buy physical copies of these games."
I wonder how many people are like that?
Emulate more systems. Either reduce the price per title or add some bells and whistles to justify the MSRP (digital instruction book scans, output options like RGB) . Just bring over all the Wii eShop VC titles, already. More than one title per week would be swell.
I think Nintendo could get away with a service like Playstation Now.
It is said that Square Enix hasn't brought Mana or FF over to the PAL/NTSC regions Wii U's VC because they don't believe they will sell.
So a service that everyone has to pay for to access everything old Nintendo I think is a win for publishers and Nintendo alike.
What I'm really hoping for is that the NX will have all of the Wii U and 3DS virtual console games straight away, but I'm doubtful of this.
@Mario-Man-Child Last time I checked Nintendo Life isn't the only source of Nintendo news.
On topic: NoA really has no idea what it's doing with the VC. I would hope it'll get better with the next generation but NoA had disappointed me time and again so I won't be getting my hopes up.
sell me a 100 dollar streaming box with virtual console. Then sell me old NES and SNES,N64 etc. controllers for 30 bucks, and I will be so freaking happy and so would Nintendo, because they would make millions.
I'd love to see a future Humble Nintendo Bundle that includes some Virtual Console games (cross-platform and region-free), but that might be asking too much.
I do like the idea of buying bundles of games or content. They did try something like that with the Mii Plaza games and Smash DLC, where you'd save a little if you bought everything at one shot.
At this point, I feel like the Virtual Console is a sort of wish fulfillment more than anything else. I've noticed some fans get upset if some game from their childhood or something they read about isn't included in a weekly update (kind of like Smash Bros. DLC), but maybe I just don't understand the sense of entitlement these folks have (eg: give us Mother 3 or worst service ever, blah blah blah. OMG, Metroid Zero Mission...now give us this or that. ... Seriously, are you even playing these things or just collecting to have a digital copy?). I'm a Nintendo fan, but the truth is the company doesn't owe its customers a thing. They are a business to make money and appease shareholders. I admittedly have a wishlist of games in my head that I'd love to see on the VC (eg: Mystical Ninja 64; Bomberman 64; Super Paper Mario; et cetera), but that's just it: wishful thinking, nothing more. If it comes out or if Nintendo announces they'll try and release it (games get sidetracked or cancelled at times), great, we'll buy it. If not, Nintendo has over thirty years of games in its repertoire with tons of classics already available on the eShop (or, alternatively, the Wii Shop Channel) to buy and enjoy.
And that's my two cents...back to work, I go.
I want the Nintendo NX to be the NCoryintheHouseX.
@thatguyEZ I couldn't agree more, NoA has compelled me to scratch my head more than anything else..ever.
Too much negativity and not enough Cory in the House
@Mario-Man-Child I'm going to kindly ask you to stow it, because I don't need to be a long time reader of this site to have an opinion or see the lack of parity between the EU and NA VCs. NA is missing a ton of stuff that EU has and it'd be great to have. Xenoblade's eshop release? SMRPG? Mario vs. Donkey Kong? Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon? I can go on.
NoE isn't perfect either. They're missing Super Mario Advance 1 and 2 which is mind-boggling.
I can get a lack of parity between JP and the other regions. There's so many games that just won't come out since they were JP only. But the lack of parity between NA and EU is just stupid, especially for the English speaking countries.
@Mario-Man-Child I couldn't disagree more about the negativity, but I suppose our standards for 'too much' negativity are simply different. As customers we have every right in the world to criticize a company's performance and Nintendo isn't exempt from that. No one has asked them to release them all at once but they've had nine years at this point the the VC is still missing some too games from all the supported platforms. If you're willing to accept sub par support from Nintendo that's fine, but that doesn't mean everyone else will.
@Yorumi,
The ultimate insult was when Rare Replay released on the XBox One and pretty much single-handedly gave it nearly twice the number of N64 titles as the Wii U's own eShop selection. I'm not necessarily advocating Nintendo release every game they ever made at once, but even compared to the selection on the original Wii the Wii U's eShop VC selection is clearly lacking. With the NX already on the horizon the eShop (at least the Wii U's offerings) is a Dead Man Walking; support for it is going to drop off even more than the phoned-in effort we've had to date. And it'll get even worse for Nintendo and the future of the eShop/VC if people's digital purchases don't somehow carry over, because all the people who will by then have been burned TWICE (Wii and Wii U) won't be too keen on investing in another round of the same retreads and same-as-retail-priced games that won't transfer/upgrade between consoles.
@IceClimbers "It's not worth actively supporting."
Here's a question, what does Nintendo consider worthy of supporting?
Not AAA titles, b/c they couldn't get either Star fox Zero or Zelda U out on time.
Not mobile, b/c they couldn't even get freaking Miitomo out on time.
Not their fan base, b/c they couldn't get the new Club Nintendo up and running when they said they would.
Not marketing, just ask Devils Third and Fatal Frame.
Just what does Nintendo consider worthy of doing on time? It's like the entire company spends all of its energy not talking about NX. The only thing worthy of effort is silence, they are a bunch of slow working monks.
@rjejr
Actually Nintendo has exhausted it's NES, SNES, GB, and soon to be GBC first party catalog.
At the rate it is going, they soon will have exhausted their GBA, DS, and N64 first party libraries.
Some first party games cannot be released on the VC due to rights issues.
3rd parties just don't view it worth it this gen for Xbox One, PS4 and Wii U to release their games outside of a few 3rd parties.
Most VC games won't sell enough to breakeven, let alone make a decent profit.
Wii VC didn't turn a sizable profit for most 3rd parties, with many taking a loss.
Sony and Microsoft haven't bothered to get retro 3rd party games for PS4 and Xbox One out side of a handful of titles.
If Sony and can't do it, what makes you think Nintendo will?
What we want vs what Nintendo will do are too different things. With the way that Nintendo have been handling the VC lately, I feel that any equivalent on the NX either won't happen or will end up being a repeat of the current situation.
I really don't want to spend out for my VC collection for a third time if the VC moves over to the NX, so I'm keeping my WiiU where it is, hooked up to my tv.
The Virtual Console is a brilliant service executed as poorly as possible. Its selection and prices are weak, and its emulation is subpar. Nintendo really needs to step their game up if Virtual Console is on NX. And hopefully they won't restart again.
@Xenocity "what makes you think Nintendo will?"
I don't think Nintendo will do anything, that's why they're called Nintendon't.
Not too keen on the possibility of having to purchase me Virtual Console games again. Two times is enough for me so unless they are super discounted I will just continue to play them on my Wii U and 3DS.
I must have been really naive and dumb, but back when VC was announced, I thought it would be so simple and inexpensive for them to get their huge back catalogue of games out to us - especially when you consider how easy it is with emulators nowadays. Obviously I was wrong.
Most people also don't understand why Nintendo are charging £5 for such old games, and to be honest... I don't either.
The biggest VC 'crime' is there being no SNES or GBA VC on 3DS... seriously Nintendo? What's up with that?
The VC for 3DS has not seen the light of day. We are getting Pokemon Fire/Red/Yellow, but to say that it's a good thing is an understatement.The last one I bought was Lufia for GBC and that was like a year ago. Of course the 3DS should have GB, GBC, GBA, DS, NES, SNES, Gamegear, and Genesis games on the VC. WIIU should have GB, GBC, GBA, DS, NES, SNES, Gamegear, Genesis, Dreamcast, N64, Gamecube. and WII. That being said, third party is the problem. Look how slow Nintendo is: one a week for WiiU and none a week for 3DS. There is more to VC than just Mario, Zelda, and Metroid. The wii had a lot. Sure you can go to annoying Wii mode and you know it's annoying. SquareEnix only loves Japan. I have checked out Japans VC and it has so many RPGs. I'm better of cracking out my homebrew Wii and that is the point. I should not have too. I remember being mad that nothing came out for Wii VC. Wii had so much more and so many different consoles. The VC now looks like the Zombie apocalypse. Im not sure what they should do but this ghost town of VC games is garbage.
I might have said it once before but if it not I'll say it if it wasn't for the VC service I probably wouldn't have bought a Wii, had I not bought a Wii or I wouldn't have bought a Wii-U. I am a keen, big supporter of VC.
I'm still kinda pissed that Nintendo broke their promise of bringing GBA games to the 3DS Virtual Console. I feel that their list of GBA games that appeared on their initial Ambassador Programme was relatively short.
If only they toned down on bringing GBA and DS games to the the Wii U VC, they would listen to their fans (which I think they don't), and they would bring any kind of GBA and DS games to the 3DS VC.
They can start by a) taking off the limit of the amount of games you can get (Nintendo UK have td me there is no limit, and yet I am told I have no more available slots despite having 300 GB left on my 500 GB external hd), and b) reducing the prices, at the very least on a 'buy more save more' policy (I'd probably just buy it all if all SNES games were 100 for £100 etc). I love my Wii U as a hub/jukebox of video games, but it's rather bothersome that I've run out of 'slots' and have maybe 5 things I can delete (Netflix, BBC, etc). I do have 2 Wii U's (long story), but you can't even transfer games between the two (which would be awesome for having the best on one and less than great ones I wanted out of curiosity one the other - but then if they just had 500gb to start with, and no ridiculous limit of 'slots' then I wouldn't need to even want such a ridiculous set up anyway).
So yeah, the VC is a gold mine not even fully realised and badly executed for people who have no will power when it comes to buying them (ahem).
@Moon
Another issue is that Pokemon Pinball is NOT on the 3DS eShop, yet Pokemon Pinball Ru/Sa IS available on the Wii U eShop.
@rjejr
Funny...
There is nothing Nintendo can do that Sony hasn't already tried.
Most 3rd parties will never make a profit on releasing their old games on the VC, PS4 PSN, Xbox One, or even Steam.
The cost of rereleasing them even digitally greatly outweighs the amount of people who will actually buy them.
It's no big secret that most VC games don't sell well at all, unless it is a Mario title.
GBA games on 3DS wouldn't kill Nintendo, especially given they're not working as the Wii U killer apps Nintendo thought they would turn out to be.
@AlexSora89
You know o3DS cannot properly emulate GBA games, that is why Nintendo hasn't released them for sale.
n3DS could handle it, but Nintendo doesn't want to bother as 3DS VC sales are said to be quite low for GB.
Just picked up Sin and Punishment N64 for my Wii U. Its a shame to realize that Nintendo will probably move on with the NX. I already transfered my Wii VC to Wii U. I wish they would carry over Wii U and 3DS VC to the next generation.
@Cyberbotv2
Nintendo has talked about content carrying over to NX and not having to restart the VC each time.
Though it will probably be up to the developers.
Sony did show that people don't mind having to rebuy games for new hardware.
Only NeoGaf complained about all PSN titles not carrying over to PS4.
Also XBL titles don't carry over to Xbox One either.
If Sony does it, then Nintendo should do it too as not to buck industry trends.
As a gesture to Wii U owners, I don't think it's beyond possibility that they would let us transfer our collections over to the NX - things like this would help iron out any grumbles about any 'abandonment' issues. I'm excited about what they'll be doing next time in any case - it does seem like they want a seemless experience, which bodes well if so.
@kshixson
I have wondered if NX might actually be a streaming device what with the cloud based patent and the new account system. Plus, NX stands for no-eXecute in programming essentially meaning code can be run from a protected memory, but not written to it. So, could NX actually run games from a server and save in the cloud only?
Probably not. I wait to be shot down in flames, but it's just an idea.
@Xenocity Just a small correction, some Xbox Live Titles can be played on the Xbox One if they are included with the backward compatibility lists.
So far, some of my XBL games that I owned on the 360 like Doom, Doom II, Wolfenstien 3D, Perfect Dark, and Sonic CD are all playable on my Xbox One. And I know others like the Golden Axe Collection, Pac-Man Championship Edition, and other games.
Its not all the XBL games on the 360, but its a decent number of them.
I honestly don't have a problem with the price structure at all. Having said that yes there should be way more sales and bundles. What I DO have a problem with is all the hundreds and thousands of classics that this service could have if Nintendo would just make a concerted effort!!
Asteroids, centipede, millipede, space invaders, rainbow islands, ninja warriors, crazy taxi, Berzerk, frenzy, Qbert, scramble, super cobra, house of the dead series, virtua cop 1&2, virtua fighter series, nights into dreams, zoo keeper, zaxxon, defender, joust, robotron 2084, pitfall 1&2, river raid, stampede, frogger, carnival, tapper, spy hunter, gorf, wizard of war, pooyan, crazy climber, Galaga 88, rally X, dragon spirit, rolling thunder 1-3, hydro thunder, operation wolf/thunderbolt, Alex Kidd series, afterburner 1&2, Outrun, phantasy star 1-4, streets of rage 1-3, golden axe series, Shinobi series, columns, jungle hunt, bubble bobble, Phoenix, New Zealand story, Qix, Space dungeon, rastan, thunderfox, Darius series, elevator action, front line, gain ground, sonic series, gauntlet 1&2, paperboy, rampage, rampart, xybots, road blasters, smash TV, sinistar, marble madness, klax, toobin, Satans hollow, tempest, missle command, battlezone, black widow, super breakout, arkanoid, mr Do, kaboom, crackpots, enduro, Grand Prix, freeway, HERO, megamania, keystone kapers, sequest, star raiders, 1942,1943,side arms, commando, mercs, gunsmoke, section Z, legendary wings, forgotten worlds, metal slug series, rygar, bad dudes, lock n chase, Congo bongo, caveman ninja, burger time, Joe n Mac, secret agent, vigilante, Mortal Kombat 1-4, NARC, Popeye, APB, cyberball, Total carnage, xenophobe, primal rage, arch rivals, super sprint, wacko, super monkey ball, phelios, gaiares, MUSHA, sunset riders, a boy and his blob, toe jam n Earl, castle of illusion, steel empire, night trap, dragons lair, space ace, sports talk baseball, wings of wor, thunder force III & IV, insector X, splatterhouse 1-3, wonder boy series, teddy boy, fantasy zone 1&2, rocket knight adventure, space channel 5, Daytona USA, Sega rally, clockwork knight 1&2, space harrier, panzer dragoon series, power drift, shining force series and soooooo many others!!!! Did I miss any? Tons!! This my friends is what the vc COULD BE!! Don't tell me about Nintendo doesn't hold these properties cause I know this already...BUT -they should be aggressively pursuing them and get them on their service!! This list was off the top of my head!! I didn't even dig in!!
@Sakura well I hope your right as long as Nintendo makes most of the IPs available. I would to stream SNES games from a hand held while being driven to the polo game in my autonomous conversion van.
@joey302 Now that you mention it, for all I know, Nintendo should have a Virtual Console library like GOG.com, in which they have a huge library of old games. And even most of them are remastered for modern PC's. Look up System Shock: Enhanced Edition by Night Dive Studios.
@Dankykong
I hope you're not actually defending Nintendo's lame and half-arsed practices
They should flood the virtual console and use it as a selling point with regards to available library. Also never underestimate nostalgia in older gamers, and having a busy virtual console can only help the exposure of the little Indies.
There are a lot of positives to a busy virtual console.
Never mind the VC games - I certainly hope NX is DIRECTLY backwards compatible with the Wii U library...I don't want to have to launch and wait for some Wii U emulation mode to boot up. The Wii backwards compatibly is terrible. We (well not me) must be foolish....since most of us who already own Mario Galaxy 1 and 2, and Punch Out.. are willing to re-buy them at $20 each just because they rapid load into Wii. No upscaling, visual improvements or anything.
Its gotta be terrible having a large, previously paid-for VC library of games on the Wii, which you need to boot into, wait, then load up with the wii-mote..after getting up to turn on a wireless sensor bar..ugh.
The more bad or cheesy decisions that get made, the less I'm willing to look the other way just because its Nintendo.
I think they need to have some type of unlimited lifetime license for all the first party classics on all future Nintendo hardware or software platforms...and give everyone like me who have already bought them once or twice a significant discount. I actually bought SMB3 for both the Wii U and 3DS...so instead of charging me a $10 or $15 for the unlimited lifetime license, charge me only another $5 for the NX, Super NX NX-64, NX-cube and on. I know this would never happen though.
Nintendo, you big jerk, stop getting Virtual Console wrong >:[
My ass is bleeding
People hoping for good VC stuff are dreaming. Nintendo has gone blind to what people want and their stubbornness has killed an amazing service.
@John_Enigma
Nintendo broke a lot of promises this generation. Good be tough for them to earn back my trust.
I really hope that Nintendo isn't offering a lot of the same titles on both Wii U and 3DS because both virtual console services will be combined in the NX. That way all of the snes, n64, gba, nds, and wii games on the Wii U and the gb and gbc games on the 3ds will be available under one roof with only the NES titles the ones that people ended up double dipping on.
@ikki5 your ass is bleeding
VC made me decide to purchase the Wii. It also led me to a great lil website, www.vc-reviews.com .
What Nintendo has to do with NX VC, in my opinion that is, is ...
I know, I have some tough demands and I'm certain Nintendo won't fulfill them but that's the ideal way for me on how to handle VC and bring a fresh breathe of air into it. Overall, I think VC is a vital part at making the NX the ultimate Nintendo experience (I think NX stands for Nintendo Experience tbh).
@kshixson this going to sound crazy probably, but I wouldn't be surprised if NX didn't have some component like that available.
I mean, the $100 box might be a stretch, but I think NX is priced cheaper, and I think NX finds its niche with people who want more substance than what they can get on the iPhone, Apple TV, or Amazon Fire TV. With there IP's, they could own and somewhat creat the market.
I don't mind paying what they ask for but they are really half arsed ...shit, not even that they are ROMs farted out with a bare bones emulator. In fact, I've injected Wii VC titles with ROMs of games not on the service and they performed and looked better with zero effort on my behalf.
I wood like ammibos that are little replicas of the old boxes or cartridges with the game stored on them. Just kidding Nintendo. Please do not do anything remotely like that.
There has to be a solution to making the old Wii Shop more accessible from the Wii U menu?There's hundreds of games there on our Wii U's already just waiting to be purchased but hidden behind the slow and clunky Wii mode.An app with a direct link to the old shop,and a Wii VC app on the Wii U menu that launches the game directly instead of going into Wii mode is surely manageable.
How about
1: Make sure the NX has a way to make it easier to put multiple games out on VC at once
2: Every region gets every game at the same time
@CatMarioTime Crunchyroll is a company that provides japanese entertainment (animation , dramas). RWBY is an exception.
I still don't see why the pricing structure for VC games is so criticised. I have no problem paying five or seven dollars for a NES or SNES game, that's a bargain for a lot of them.
If the virtual console isn't going to see any further change on the wii u, then I'd like to see a physical disc release from Sega and Nintendo. The disc could contain games from both companies 8 and 16 bit consoles. They could even include games not previously released on the virtual console service.
I'd like for Square-Enix to support the thing again, at least in America — they're still very much releasing games in Japan. They have a lot of titles that people would gladly like to experience, not the least of which is the totally unreleased Terranigma for myself. I'm sure there are folks who would like to play Secret of Evermore, EVO: Search for Eden, Robotrek, maybe even Rad Racer and 3D Worldrunner.
@ikki5 they have already released good vc stuff. Why do you have to be so angry and bitter on this site all the time? Nearly every comment you have made for months and months is negative. Nintendo screws up a lot of stuff but I'm starting to get a boy who cryed wolf vibe from you.
@Mbrogz3000 I think a lot of folks who picked up those Wii games didn't have them. I live in North America and so far I have picked up the three on the service I did not own. Punch out, prime trilogy, and kirbys return to dream land. The last two have gone up in cost a lot to the point that 20 bucks is a good deal.
@Sabrewing Right? I just picked up FF7 on ps4. Got a few FF remakes on my iPhone as well. SE support really dropped off after the Wii and DS. At least I can play my copy of chrono trigger on 3ds.
@faint There's plenty of angry fan's. At least they care enough to stick around and support the company. Most of the people I know haven't cared about Nintendo since the GC day's. Many of them are parents. The kids are happy with their tablets and skylanders on PS3.
My biggest concern is that gamecube titles are being abandoned, at least for the wiiU. With 2 of the best GC titles released in HD (Zelda WW and TP) and another 2 bundled on a wii download (as part of Metroid Trilogy) that leaves very few first party GC games left to release. Fans are demanding a new F-Zero so GX may end up getting a HD remake too, Sunshine may get the same treatment and that leaves only Mario Kart DD and SSB Melee. There may be others that are brilliant but may not have received the critical acclaim they deserved or I just forgot them, don't lynch me. The point is, I'm concerned Nintendo have left GC from the WiiU and may shift it's development over to the NX or abandon it altogether. Of course, I hope I'm wrong!
@LavaTwilight Pikmin, Paper Mario, Mario Golf, Mario Tennis, Mario Smash Football, Eternal Darkness, Baten Kaitos 1 and 2, Battalion Wars, Animal Crossing, Wave Race, Luigi's Mansion...
Just to name a few...
(I didn't name any third party game like Monkey Ball, Metal Gear, Star Wars Rogue Leader, Resident Evil which all could get a revival.)
VC is another area where Nintendo's old-fashioned short-sightedness has cost them dear. Wanting to fleece long term fans by making them pay over and over for ROMs on different machines means it isn't worth it to them to go through certification processes over and over.
Hopefully in the future they can avoid this by NX taking more of an iOS approach. They should only have to certificate games once, do the little bit of conversion work once, then have them carry forward onto future Nintendo hardware. They have to lose the cashgrab of multiple sales but if they could see it for once, its better in the long run.
There's so much more they can do. Freebies with new games, multibuy offers, tie-ins with Amiibo, and of course a subscription option. Or even makibg sure all territories get all the games-its baffling why North America constantly lags behind. They've shown no imagination with VC so far, just looking to fleece long-term fans. They have an incomparable back catalogue and need to use it better.
@Priceless_Spork I ran into that issue with my wii a long time ago, you'll be amazed at how many classic games a little 32 gb sd card can hold, I literally possess 60% of the virtual console and like 12 wiiware games on there and I still have left ton of free space.
I'm with you on the frustration with the vc, mostly because the wii started something that sadly we won't see on the wii u: arcade games. Hell, I thought that since the PS3 and X360 got wonderful things like the konami arcade classics like X-men, The Simpsons and TMNT, we would be getting them for the wii u, but nope, NO ARCADE GAMES. I just hope that we will see them on the NX.
@Chandlero of course I was just referring to 1st party games too, there were some great 3rd party games. Pikmin is an awesome game and I'm a huge fan of the series but since they were both redone on the wii there's not a huge loss atm.
I did forget Luigi's Mansion, Eternal Darkness is a great game too.
@Xenocity
"Sony did show that people don't mind having to rebuy games for new hardware."
Nintendo have been showing that for years too. Sony also showed how it should be done with multibuy offers.
"Only NeoGaf complained about all PSN titles not carrying over to PS4."
Only true if Neogaf is the only site you read. Lots of complaints elsewhere.
"Also XBL titles don't carry over to Xbox One either."
Some do with potential for more to be added.
"If Sony does it, then Nintendo should do it too as not to buck industry trends."
Ha ha ha. Right. So Nintendo who studiously ignore most industry trends should then use them as their latest excuse when it suits? Good one.
There was a time when the idea of the the Virtual Console was genuinely exciting, but Nintendo's really dropped the ball imo.
This kind of thing is where the future of retro-gaming and where a proper "virtual console" is really at:
And it appears Nintendo's not even sniffing around this kind idea.
These days virtual reality, and its mind boggling potential, has me more excited than anything I've seen Nintendo do in a long time—give or take a few random cool games (Super Mario Maker being a recent Nintendo game that I genuinely enjoyed).
If you want to understand why I'm so excited about VR, more so than pretty much anything else going on in gaming right now—and why I really wish in my heart of hearts that Nintendo was doing something in the VR space—then check out these links:
http://www.inceptional.com/2016/01/07/so-why-am-i-so-excited-about-virtual-reality/
http://www.inceptional.com/2016/01/15/heres-a-few-cool-vr-videos-i-recently-watched/
Why oh why isn't Nintendo making a frikin VR console/peripheral! Yeah, I actually know the real answer—prohibitive cost—but still.
For me, the only hindrance in regards to the virtual console is that it is a digital download only service. I'm running out of room on my Wii U as it is, and have never actually used an external hard drive with a console before. I believe I've got one that works with my Wii U, but how long are they supposed to take to be checked and formatted by the Wii U?
In any case, there are plenty of virtual console games that have my interest, with the ones that interest me the most being those which never arrived in my country physically like Kirby's Dreamland 3, Sin & Punishment, Super Mario RPG, and Drill Dozer.
Perhaps if I had ever utilised the Wii virtual console service, I'd be more critical of the Wii U's virtual console, but regardless of what it does, it'll always be more of an extra feature that is nice to have rather than something I ponder too much upon. If there is anything I'd like to see in regards to the Wii U virtual console, I'd simply like to see more games that never came out in the respective regions, perhaps even Japan only games being translated. I have a great time with The Mysterious Murasame Castle on the 3DS virtual console, and would love to be able to play the likes of Panel De Pon and Shin Onigashima.
I might be wrong but I don't think there can be much profit potential in Virtual Console. Sure lots of nintendo fans on nintendo sites are asking for more VC games, but the wider public aren't really interested in retro, or, more accurately, aren't interested in spending a lot of money on retro. Even the comments here bear that out, with people saying VC games are too expensive.
They could use the titles as incentives, but then they were doing that long before VC (e.g. Ocarina of Time came with Double Dash). If it were worthwhile I'm sure they would again.
I think the VC was a great concept that failed in execution and Nintendo is unlikely to get people excited about it on the NX.
It was too expensive to get the casual fan involved to a great degree. It was too lacking to get the retro game collector excited enough to ditch old consoles. And competitor products seem to be very competitive (psn rereleases, steam releases/remasters) so it's no longer something new.
I said it once, I've said it twice, I've said it a hundred times, and I'll continue to say it. Nintendo is sitting on a gold mine with the VC. The VC on the Wii is what really pushed me to want a Wii. Having the libraries from the consoles of the past and that "oh so lovely" untapped category that stares me in the face, as a kid that grew up with them and spent many a one hours in them, I'm talking about Arcade. Oh the possibilities. Just think of having some arcade goodness in your hands, Ala 4 player TMNT, TMNT:TIT, Simpsons, 6 player Xmen, etc etc. And the light gun games, House of the Dead, Carnevil, the Wii-mote is ideal for those. XBLA is a thing of the past now since MS has abandoned it, well time for Nintendo to harness it, I can't be alone in thinking that. A guy can dream right.
As for the WiiU VC, that's a joke, sadly. The entire Wii VC library should've been available from the start, with improvements coming in time. Adding the DS and Wii titles were going in the right direction, but what happened? Hardly anything is released anymore, and to this day STILL no GameCube VC. I think Nintendo just needs to have a division dedicated to the VC. The potential is there, I'd rather play retro games than 80% of games out on the market today. I don't have the time to hunt down old favorite titles, especially when something like the VC is just sitting there......waiting.
@Souldin To be fair: For VC titles (excluding Wii titles) the WiiU have more than enough internal memory.
@SepticLemon : exactly! I have (almost) all the Big N titles I could ever play. I was fancinated by the Wii VC's offering of titles on other systems and ARCADE GAMES!!! I still can't believe I can play the real Baseball Stars 2 at home. But where the heck is Out Run and arcade Punch Out!! ????
I also like seeing rare titles like Wild Guns on the VC. The gamer in me wants to play games like that without dropping silly amounts of money on a cart.
Big N is missing an opportunity by not remastering its eariler titles for HD screens, which the VC could accomodate. How great does Super Mario Bros look in Super Mario Maker? Glorious, right?! Sure Big N would have to do some work and would have to sell it for more than $5, but at $10-12, I'd be throwing money at it.
Get the Square Enix Games onto the virtual console - DS versions if possible.
Get the old japanese only games translated over "FE - Binding Blade" "Mother 3" IDK - there must be more.
Get that gamecube controller support going - so we can have Super Mario Sunshine and Luigi's Mansion.
Give us some paid Splatoon DLC.
Finally make a proper remaster of Zelda II the Adventure of Link. In 3D - with the enhancements that Shigeru originally intended.
One Billion Dollars. (jk)
TRUTH is their emulation at best overall is poor and lazy and obviously for the most part grossly overpriced, Everdrive and original hardware for me im afraid. .
Nintendo need to sort out the pricing of the VC. €10 for DS games is too much when I can play any game on the platform for free elsewhere. The same goes for Wii games. €20 is again too much. It's cheaper to buy most of them from Ebay. Obviously there's the exceptions like Metroid Prime Trilogy and Xenoblade Chronicles.
@AtlanteanMan I don't totally agree. When I upgraded to the wii u I could transfer all my wii vc games. With an option to upgrade to the wii u vc versions for $1.50AU per game. Going to the wii mode is annoying but I can still access old downloads that I can't upgrade. This xmas I bought a ps4. I have a ps3 with many ps store games. I foolishly figured that hey if nintendo has a transfer system surely the often celebrated ps4 does too .. ahh no ! As far as I can tell it doesn't .. am I doing something wrong ? .. or is it sony??
Well, $5 for castlevania is a great deal. $5 for ballon fight is straight up wrong. $8 for Donkey Country is an awesome deal. $8 for nothing cause nothing has come out for SNES in a while. Most of my games are upgrades from the Wii anyway. So it's $1-$2 dollars. The DS games far and few. The GBA slim to none. I am crying right now. Atleast I have my pacifier.
A subscription might work, but I have over 100 VCs for Wii and about 40 games for WiiU with 60% of them being the same game. Let us not forget club Nintendo. They offered games that you already had.
Unifying the systems would be a start. I didn't purchase 1 NES game on my 3DS and I shouldn't have to. I think they should just release a good portion of them already on the NX.
I own most of the classic Nintendo games so bundle will not work for me.
Buying a new IP and rewarding you with a game might work but again they need not be so arbitrary.
@luigifan624 im with ya- see my vc wish list above!! Nintendo is cheap and lazy but they should be hunting these vc titles down!
With great homebrew and emulators on 3DS now and on WiiU via vwii, Ninty should just dump every nintendo rom on the eshop and charge £1-£2 per game! Beat the pirates and rake it in. I just installed Retroarch on my N3DS yesterday and the emulator cores including Snes play like a dream... Much better than even PSP now. WiiU emus are naturally even better still and run perfectly!
I still remember when Nintendo first revealed Virtual Console. They made a big deal out of it, and people loved it. When they finally did release it for Wii, there were some issues, but overall, it was relatively well handled.
For some reason, this ended with Wii U. Something must have happened behind the scenes to throw off and abandon Virtual Console, because the 3DS was getting a decent trickle in yet was cut off, the Wii U didn't even have 1/4 the amount of effort put into it's version of VC compared to Wii, and the transfer of previous titles owned on Wii forced users to pay more money to use them on the Wii U VC.
It's as if the service was sabotaged... How can anyone mismanage such a system so poorly? This is why I stopped buying from VC with Wii U and 3DS- because other services elsewhere, like GOG, make Nintendo's handling of their legacy look like self flagellation using spiked flails by comparison. I also wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo simply shifted over to focusing on Amiibo, to minimize their software efforts.
If a return to VC is made with NX, then everyone needs to have an accessible library on their account, with little hassle, plenty of support, and infinite any time downloads from your library. GOG has already made a shelf looking page for their libraries, maybe Nintendo should follow suit, and make your library look like a virtual Retro gaming cabinet? I hope they really go all out next time.
@CatMarioTime Oh my God! You need to go to the doctor... Dr. Mario! Bahahahaha!
But seriously. You need medical attention. Maybe some multicolored pills will help?
@Superryanworld they have posted an angry quip just about everyday for the last six months. If it is so negatively affecting them then maybe they should move on
@Sligeach for free. You mean emulation. Well I guess they should make everything a dolor since you can illegally download it. Pttthhhhh
@fortius54 Oh yeah, I don't think that the $100 box will be the NX, I would like Nintendo to off something like along side the NX.
This article, like Nintendo, is really missing the point. The underlying problem with the Virtual Console is that there is no such thing. That is to say that there is no single Virtual Console. To date, there have been three, and each (the Wii's, the 3DS's, and the Wii J's) has been tied to a single device, has had its own library, and has required separate purchase of games. If, instead, the Virtual Console was a single platform that would run on all Nintendo devices (present and future) then gamers would be able to make lasting purchases that equated to real ownership and continue a game's save file between home console, handheld, and next-gen devices. Third parties would be encouraged to release games on a platform with this model as a game would have the advantage of being available for all time from a single effort of porting. This would be of great value to Nintendo directly as well, as Nintendo would no longer be in a position of needing to re-release games every time they put out new hardware. A game purchased would be a game purchased forever, but a game released would be a game released forever as well. Until this is done, "The" Virtual Console will always be limited by its very concept and design.
Virtual Console support in NA is criminally lax. One thing that I've always wondered is who ultimately decides what gets released in a specific region. Like, is it completely up to NoA to release VC titles or is that a decision that comes from NCL? How much of a back and forth dialogue is there between the two? Is NCL just not giving the go ahead for NoA to release games or does NoA simply choose not to release anything? I was always sort of under the impression that NoA was more or less just a marketing and localization firm and that all decisions came from the higher ups in Japan. I will, however, openly admit that I am highly ignorant of the internal structure of the company and have no experience or education in business so there's a good chance that anything I have to say is completely invalid. Still, it is interesting to ponder.
Subscription fee would be brill for all of the Nintendo back catalogue of games plus all of Sega's catalogue n afew others aswell wishful thinking I think tho lol.
@strongest_link
Yes! That! I also would be forgiving of a few bugs in releases when transferring systems. Nintendo has really strict quality control standards, and I think that has kept games that would be perfectly playable off of systems. Nintendo just has to develop a working emulator for each system and test the games for MAJOR issues (e.g. are colors showing up right?). Additional bugs could be reported by gamers and patched as needed. This frees up QA testers from testing parts of games that AREN'T issues. Yes, users are beta-testing, but if that was made clear as part of the system transfer process, and games bought were free (or very very cheap to transfer), I doubt people would have a problem with it.
For example, ambassadors got GBA games on 3DS. However, because the system has to go into DS's old "GBA mode" to play them - they won't release them as VC titles, since they can't overlay the VC's features on them. However, I would say that things like save state and button mapping our less needed on GBA games, since by the GBA era native save systems were pretty good and the button layout is not too different on the 3DS. I'd rather have the games without the features than no games at all.
One of the issues that needs to be solved is the ratings issue. Games that have no content changed (e.g. all VC games) should not have to go through full re-rating every time they're released on a new system; it's time consuming and expensive. Once a game has been rated on one system, there should be a cheap and quick process to carry that rating onto a newer system even if it's years later.
Sony has a bigger and better VC library at this point. There are so many good PS1, PS2, PSP games available on their store that I cannot keep up. And they are still releasing them. We got Mega Man Legends not looking my ago. Meanwhile, Nintendo cannot even get GBA working on their own damn handheld!!! It's a joke at this point and it has made many long time Nintendo fans like myself just give up on it getting any better. They still cannot even get an account system going so I don't have to keep buying the same game over and over. I hope something amazing happens in 2016 because right now all I have is a 3DS and no plans to buy anymore Nintendo games this year outside of the DQ games. Nintendo is losing fans and money over their stupid decisions.
Nintendo should do polls in the social media and miiverse for the games that people want on Virtual Console, i think the hype will be increased
@faint What's a dolor?
Nintendo has an amazing service, it is just that there is such a cluster of copyrights involved in a lot of retro games that makes it difficult to get some of the good stuff.
Now what they do need to figure out and fix is release schedules. If a game drops in Japan and there is a NA/EU version then get it out the door. Double if there is a release in NA or EU. There is no real barrier to release elsewhere outside maybe a recertification. I've heard the excuses and they are very poor.
I got no problem with the price of the VC games at all. I feel that many complain too much about this.
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