This might not be of great interest if you only own a Wii console, but interestingly the interview managed to open a can of worms regarding the possibility of the NES version of Bionic Commando coming to the Virtual Console. Capcom's Ben Judd lamented that "this couldn't happen".
Whilst we were not given much insight on exactly why Bionic Commando on the VC "couldn't happen", but over at Capcom's official forums, Capcom's Christian Svensson shed a bit more light onto the situation, stating that it's not a Capcom issue, but a Nintendo issue. It seems Capcom have tried to make Bionic Commando on the VC happen, but to no avail, it seems. This only leaves us to speculate as to why Nintendo blocked Capcom's plans to put Bionic Commando on the VC. The forum chatter is revealing however:
Guys, you have to take this up with Nintendo. This is NOT, repeat NOT, a Capcom issue. Ben has tried very hard (and even I got involved at one point) to make what you’re asking for happen… alas, it is not in the cards.” - Christian Svensson, Capcom Entertainment Inc. - Vice-President of Strategic Planning & Business Development
Nintendo have always been known to act in mysterious ways but this would appear to be a deliberate attempts to avoid promoting games destined for their competition's platforms. As misguided as this might be, perhaps in Nintendos world this makes sense?
What do the VCR crew think? Are Nintendo being a bit naughty in holding back on Bionic Commando?
Source: IGN
Comments 79
This is ridulcous...Now I'm not happy...What if this is how they're treating Super Mario RPG? Earthbound? All those beautiful games that could be on there... For shame Nintendo, for shame!
This seems stupid... on the other hand, Nintendo sometimes seems to make some stupid decisions, but they wouldn't have made as far as they have if they were stupid, so I guess there's a method to the madness.
Viral-
its not the same thing with Super Mario RPG because it was only on the SNES.
so releasing SM RPG wouldn't promote any other platforms.
This might explain why we don`t have Mega Man here.
Wow, Nintendo must really be trying to kill the VC. What's next? No more Mega Man games? Or Castlevania? Or even Ninty franchises like Zelda or Mario?
This is quite a shock. I've never played it before and I've been desperate for it to hit, and I thought surely it would because of the new one.
At least the new ones are also coming to the PSN, so I can at least get a feel of what the NES version's like.
So let me get this straight. Nintendo won't allow Bionic Commando on the VC because there are remakes coming to PSN and Xbox Live? Are they scared that people will buy the remakes after playing the original? If anything, perhaps people would want to download the original after playing the remakes, so I don't see how Nintendo would lose money. Is this why we aren't going to see TMNT II on the VC, because it's on XBox Live? But if that's the case, Double Dragon is on Live too, and it's coming to the VC. I dunno, this whole thing sounds fishy...
Bionic Commando is on Capcom Classics Mini Mix for GBA.
Yes, this sounds strange. It´s highly possible it´s because of the new Bionic Commando and Rearmed, but I too think Nintendo would benefit from putting it on VC. It would surely be a synergy effetc. But we all know Nintendo always do whatever they want^^
Maybe they are playing the waiting game,or they have already decided what will be on the VC this year.
What ever it is, it's not a smart move Nintendo
Does this kill hopes for 1942 and Commando?
I think it really boils down to the Hitle- OOPS MASTER-D presence in the game. You know, when it was originally released my cousin finished the game and went back to the store to tell the manager the game had Hitler in it. That guy was shocked as hell! (Me and my cousin were, 'Wow it's Hitler! Shoot his !'
You could get away with it then, I suppose, but I don't think you can now, what with gramps and granny having gone casual on the Wii. 'Eckt! It's a dat Hitler on the Wii! Who made this , IBM?!'
It's because XBL gets a Remake but Wiiware doesn't.
Nintendo can be such crybabies
Yeah, the Master D/Hitler imagery makes more sense to me than the idea of not wanting to promote sequels appearing on other consoles. Nintendo's had a history of not lending support to games that include whatever Ninty deems to be "inappropriate" content; Examples are Devil World for the NES, or Luc Bernard's (developing Eternity's Child for WiiWare) holocaust themed DS game, Imagination Is The Only Escape, or even deciding not to push an AO rated version of Manhunt 2. They have very strict regulations for what can and what cannot appear in a Nintendo endorsed game, and have even resorted to censoring content. Years ago, Nintendo went so far as to clothe "naked" statues in the background of SNES's Castlevania 4, and removed the ability blow up a Hamster by sticking it in the microwave from the NES's Maniac Mansion.
Those who are exploding the issue out of proportion, including Nintendo's own games in the potential implications, are somewhat hilarious. Nintendo won't release its own games on the VC because they're being released on other platforms? Please. It also has nothing to do with Mega Man, since Mega Man is already on the VC in Europe.
No Bionic Commando (yet) is indeed a shame, though. I'm still not entirely convinced by this explanation, but whatever.
Also worth noting that Nintendo put Bionic Commando through hella changes before it hit shelves in Europe and the US. The game was originally titled "Top Secret: The Resurrection of Hitler." Nintendo did a number on the game, changing the Nazis to the BADDs, Hitler to Master D, and turning all the Swastikas on the flags and podiums to Germanic WW2 style eagles. Honestly, I find it all pretty confusing; I mean, who would take offense to shooting the out of a bunch of Nazis. For real, that exploding Hitler head scene is all happiness and joy.
Good old Nintendo works in mysterious ways more than any deity ever could...
Well, thats one game crossed off the list of possible releases, out of the hundreds of possibilities we still could get.
Not too fussed. If you really want to play it, buy one of the rivel consoles or a NES for the full NES library...
Well this frik'n sucks... T.T
Not surprising. Nintendo is probably holding back on a lot of great titles.
Jerks.
Seriously though, I don't think Bionic Command on the VC is going to influence the new BC sales much. The people who are buying it anyway will still buy, and the noobs who didn't play the original will still be up for grabs.
Then again, I probably wouldn't buy it on VC anyway. I'm picky.
I'm actually going to defend Nintendo on this one. I think this has to do with the fact that the new Bionic Commando(the 3D one, not the 2D remake) is coming out on the 360 and PS3 instead of the Wii. Frankly, I think Capcom had a lot of nerve trying to get Bionic Commando on the Virtual Console. Capcom doesn't want to bring out any new Bionic Commando games on a Nintendo system, but they have no problem trying to make a quick buck off of the original. Give me a break.
Im on the side that thinks its just because of the whole Hitler thing over the fact that Wii is missing out on new Bionic Commando stuff.
Damn it!!! I love that game!
Doesn't Smash Bros. Brawl have a music track from Metal Gear Solid 4, a PS3 game? Nintendo didn't seem to mind doing that, though Snake has to use explosives instead of guns.
I think it's more likely that they're uncomfortable with the exploding Hitler head. But then, what about Splatterhouse?
"Nintendo's had a history of not lending support to games that include whatever Ninty deems to be "inappropriate" content; Examples are Devil World for the NES, "
...which was released in Europe...
"This might explain why we don`t have Mega Man here."
...we do. In Europe.
Did Europe suddenly stop existing or something?
I don't see how it could possibly have anything to do with the game's content (Hitler, explosions, guns). The game was released on the NES. That's the version that would be released on the VC—censorship, changes and all. I don't think Nintendo's censorial standards have got tighter since then.
"I'm actually going to defend Nintendo on this one. I think this has to do with the fact that the new Bionic Commando(the 3D one, not the 2D remake) is coming out on the 360 and PS3 instead of the Wii. Frankly, I think Capcom had a lot of nerve trying to get Bionic Commando on the Virtual Console. Capcom doesn't want to bring out any new Bionic Commando games on a Nintendo system, but they have no problem trying to make a quick buck off of the original. Give me a break."
Very true... never thought of that...
Isn't it basically like Nintendo blocking SSBB because it has Solid Snake promoting Metal Gear Solid (a mostly PlayStation franchise)?
Firebrand, the Wii wouldn't be able fo handle the new one, lol.
"Isn't it basically like Nintendo blocking SSBB because it has Solid Snake promoting Metal Gear Solid (a mostly PlayStation franchise)?"
Capcom allowed GameCube exclusives to come out for the PS2. Capcom made promises they couldn't keep. Nintendo is still angry at Capcom because they were relying on Resident Evil 4 to push GameCube sales.
Konami allowed Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes to come out for the GameCube. They never made any promises to Nintendo beyond that.
"Firebrand, the Wii wouldn't be able fo handle the new one, lol."
That's not the point. The point is that Capcom again chose Nintendo's competition for one of their prominent titles.
I agree with Jogurt, why would Nintendo prevent a game from being released on the VC due to content that they ALREADY RELEASED in the 80's or 90's? Just because it has to do with Hitler and Nazis (I've never played the game but that's what I hear) shouldn't be a reason either, in the Medal of Honor games you are killing Nazis.
Ok, I can understand why we did not get games made by Rare, such as Conker, Banjoo and kazooie and Pefect dark. But this is not a smart move. Nintendo, we think you are great, but you would not be here today if it was not for many companys such as Capcom.
If you MUST block Bionic command from VC, then PLEAS: DO NOT BLOCK ANY OTHER CAPCOM-TITLES FROM VC.
It wouldn't be because Nintendo doesn't want to promote games on other platforms. After all, Nintendo is more than happy with Viva Pinata coming to the DS despite the 360 having 2 titles in the series.
Also, the censorship issues wouldn't be an issue because these days there are proper rating systems available for video games (while back then there was no real system until Mortal Kombat freaked out enough parents). And if we were getting a NES port, wouldn't all the questionable content been taken out back when it was originally made thanks to Nintendo's original level of censorship?
I agree with you jg233.
Okay, the thing with the 3D Bionic Commando makes more sense to me. If Capcom isn't willing make a new one for the Wii as for PS3 and XBox 360 then why giving them quick mones for doing nothing but lending rights?
I hope Nintendo won't do this with other Capcom titles...
At least we already got Contra : Alien Wars before Nintendo could block that one.
"Nintendo's had a history of not lending support to games that include whatever Ninty deems to be "inappropriate" content; Examples are Devil World for the NES "
nintendo made that ...
Just because it has to do with Hitler and Nazis (I've never played the game but that's what I hear)
Its true the Japanese version had Hitler and the Nazis but for the US and European versions Hitler became Master D and the Nazis the Baads. All the Hitler and Nazi referances were cut off except...the final boss was still Hitler. Oops.
Anyways thats not the issue since 5 minutes with a tile editor sorts that out. Maybe that is the issue and Capcom USA are too dumb to spend 5 minutes with a tile editor...
My personal thought. I'm not particularly bothered as my VC stance is i'll stick with my emulators but for the people who would like to give Nintendo+Capcom $5 its a let down* (my money is better spent on WiiWare). Now if Capcom were to make a Bionic Commando game for WiiWare (or anything for WiiWare, they currently have nothing in development)...
*-Though personally I can't trust Capcom after the whole 5 Gamecube exclusives only 3 of which Materialised and 2 of those ended up on other systems with extras added.
Perhaps if Capcom were making a new Bionic Commando for the Wii and not just the other systems, they would put the original on the VC.
I think it makes perfect sense.
Nintendo giveth, and Nintendo taketh away.
@LOCKELOCKE dont forget the brutal censoring duke nukem 64 got, it was awful.
Thats a real shame about BC. I think I remember playing that one years ago on C64, the second level would never load!
Nintendo needs to just act like responsible intelligent grown ups and get this game on the VC.
Capcom also really needs to get sorted and put the remakes on Wii or Wii Ware.
It's a little bit both their faults imo.
"Perhaps if Capcom were making a new Bionic Commando for the Wii and not just the other systems, they would put the original on the VC."
Exactly. Frankly, Capcom and other 3rd parties need to step it up this year. The Wii is a proven success and I'm tired of 3rd parties treating it as an afterthought.
You know, it might not be coming now, but whos to save it won't EVER come? Who know, Nintendo might relax a little and just allow its release in a few year time (When the NES library is running low no doubt...)
And people wonder why Nintendo has poor third party support. This goes far beyond just upsetting the fans, this is a direct blow to sales for Capcom. Releasing the original game on the VC would have increased Capcoms sales of the remake and new game. Granted, that would have given Nintendo's competitors a boost in sales as well, but that's not the point.
Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony all have more than enough money to survive their competitors getting more sales than one another, but what Nintendo is doing here is burning yet another bridge with a third party developer, and a big one at that.
Nintendo's starting to go down the slippery slope it did once upon a time with Square way back when. We'll just have to see how it plays out, but this does not bode well for Nintendo and it's third party developer partnership. They ALWAYS come first.
well this sucks
There you go people.
This is exactly why I have completely given up on the VC. As far as I'm concerned, Nintendo bordered on false advertisement when they first boasted about the VC. This IS NOT what any of us expected. Among all the games that have someones name or movie title attached (Riddick Boew Boxing, Star Wars, WWF wrestling) among all the games that have been remade on the DS and GBC (Dragon Warrior, Final Fantasy), now even favorites like Bionic Commando aren't being released.
Screw Nintendo and their POS console.
Makes sense to me. Why help the other guys get some free promotional value for the updated Bionic Commando game for their system when Capcom screwed Nintendo and wouldn't put it on there?
We've seen the whining and arguments over it and I think in part there is merit considering the point and click/motion nature of the controller on Wii would be great for going nuts with the claw arm. So in the end it may suck not being on the VC but I think it's fair turn about on Capcom for shafting Nintendo on the new BC downloadable game and fair turnabout not giving promotion to the other guys who do get it.
If that is the logic they used I fully support that move because if a third party is going to screw you by not giving you the new game, but then wants to release the original as a tossed bone + obvious extra advertising for the new stuff elsewhere, good for Nintendo.
Christian Svensson says:
"Please remember, Nintendo calls the shots on what goes up on VC, not third parties."
What I believe is that Nintendo decides what will come on VC, not Capcom. And that is, Nintendo says when Bionic Commando should come on VC.
So please, no rash conclusions. It never says Nintendo is exclude a possibility. I believe it will come.
"Releasing the original game on the VC would have increased Capcoms sales of the remake and new game. Granted, that would have given Nintendo's competitors a boost in sales as well, but that's not the point."
Actually, that is the point.
"Nintendo's starting to go down the slippery slope it did once upon a time with Square way back when."
Hate to break this to you, but it was Square who stabbed Nintendo in the back. They had a good relationship with Nintendo during the Super Nintendo years. They even had Square develop the Super Mario RPG. Then Square blindsided Nintendo and made Final Fantasy VII for the Playstation instead of the Nintendo 64. Square even made fun of the Nintendo 64 in their advertising campaign, saying it would have been impossible to put Final Fantasy VII on a cartridge.
"Nintendo needs to just act like responsible intelligent grown ups and get this game on the VC."
Okay, the higher-ups at Nintendo aren't schoolchildren, and they don't make business decisions just to spite people. There's definitely a reason for everything they do, whether we peons can think of it or not. I personally think that all this means is Nintendo doesn't want to release Bionic Commando right now. In case you haven't noticed, they've been scaling back--maybe because Wiiware is coming, maybe because they want to save some quality releases for the later years of the Wii. They might just want to hold off on Bionic Commando for a while, so they turned Capcom down. Maybe.
On second thought, all the censorship I brought up before is tied in with NOA (Nintendo of America). Like Adament pointed out (Devil World being released in Europe), Europe had a totally different screening process or mabye, like Japan, had none at all, I don't know. Devil World's censorship in the US had to do with NOA's obscure rules about portraying religious figures and symbols. I don't know how NOA factors into the VC or if it even does, so on second thought, I'd have to say that BC's failure to appear on the Wii probably has nothing to do with the game's content.
@ firebrand
"Hate to break this to you, but it was Square who stabbed Nintendo in the back. They had a good relationship with Nintendo during the Super Nintendo years. They even had Square develop the Super Mario RPG. Then Square blindsided Nintendo and made Final Fantasy VII for the Playstation instead of the Nintendo 64. Square even made fun of the Nintendo 64 in their advertising campaign, saying it would have been impossible to put Final Fantasy VII on a cartridge."
Hate to break to you but Final Fantasy VII could have not been made on a cartridge, it took about million times the size of a maximum cartridge. And Square was right that the cd was the future of gaming, so Nintendo was wrong and paid the price.
Was the NES version of Bionic Commando re-released on any other system than the GBA? I want to play it on a TV. That's why I'm asking. (I no longer have my game boy player)
I don't think the NES version was re-released on any other system. The Capcom classics collection had the inferior arcade version. This news makes me want to track down the GBA capcom collection.
"Hate to break to you but Final Fantasy VII could have not been made on a cartridge, it took about million times the size of a maximum cartridge. And Square was right that the cd was the future of gaming, so Nintendo was wrong and paid the price."
Square wanted to play king maker to Sony. That's what the move was about. And isn't it funny that when Square decided to repair relations with Nintendo, it was so they could develop for a cartridge based system, the GameBoy Advance.
I think there's so much more to this story than what we are hearing. Not to defend one side or the other but I don't think this is a confirmation of anything at this point. If Nintendo really is blocking this games release, it's likely because of Hitlers inclusion, name change or not, but again, we don't know the whole story.
Damn, that game was awesome. Come on Nintendo, don't deny us this piece of magic.
With WiiWare arriving in NA and Europe in about a month, it looks like the Virtual Console will take a seat in the end of the school bus. It really doesn't help any matters if Nintendo's blocking off Bionic Commando due to the remakes being on the PSN and Xbox Live.
I would understand from a game like Goldeneye, one of the N64 most prized games. But from Bionic Commando? Man, Nintendo is simply shattering my expectations for the VC.
Nintendo's refusal to allow BC's release can't be due to the exploding Hitler head. Two years ago BC was released for GBA on Capcom Classics Mini Mix and it included the exploding head in all its glory. It has to be something more sinister, like Nintendo not wanting to help Capcom promote the 360/PS3 remake as has been suggested. Either way I'm not happy. BC is one of my favorite games of all time.
"Hate to break to you but Final Fantasy VII could have not been made on a cartridge, it took about million times the size of a maximum cartridge."
Because of all the FMVs. The game itself could've been done on a cart with no problems.
Firebrand, could you be any more of a Nintendo Fanboy? I mean, really, it's almost saddening.
Square wanted to publish FFVII on the Playstation because it had more power for what they wanted to do as a developer. Staying with Nintendo would have held them back, especially with the lackluster sales of the Nintendo 64 in comparison to the PS1.
Nintendo, if I recall correctly, were the ones that took things terribly when they found out that Square was planning to publish the next major installment of Final Fantasy on a different platform, and shut their doors to them. This also lead to one of the reasons for the eventual removal of the then VP of Nintendo.
And you're right, Square DID repair relations with Nintendo because they thought it stupid to develop for just one company, when they could expand their profits by developing for all three. It has nothing to do with them wanting to go back to developing on cartridges. They just saw the GBA and DS as profitable, and went back to publishing for them.
But you should also keep in mind, however, that since the incident between Nintendo and Square, Nintendo has yet to get an "official" title in the Final Fantasy series. All they've gotten have been ports and spin offs. Final Fantasy (Insert Number here) is still remaining Sony exclusive, and if the rumors of FFXIII being the last numeral Final Fantasy prove to be false, than it's most likely going to stay that way.
But stop being a Nintendo fanboy, and look at things objectively. The point that Microsoft is getting a bit of advertising with the release of Bionic Commando on the VC is NOT the point. If it were, than Nintendo shouldn't have allowed Phantasy Star II or III to be on the VC, as it would push the sales of the Xbox 360 and PS2 sales of Phantasy Star Universe. Same deal with Golden Axe, or Sonic the Hedgehog, or Mega Man. Even a Final Fantasy game could, in theory, be said to market towards Sony's continued acquisition of the main series.
What you're doing is being a fanboy, and making it seem that Nintendo has always been the ones wronged in the past. This, to my knowledge, has NEVER been the truth. Nintendo is not the happy go lucky, fun loving, friendly to everyone company you seem to think it is. It has some VERY dark moments in it's past, and in it's present. Nintendo has had a record of treating it's third party developers poorly, and they still are with this kidney shot to Capcom.
Like I said before, third party developers make or break a system, and right now Nintendo seems to be burning every bridge they can with third party devs because, for some unknown reason, they believe that they can support the system all by their selves, which is going to turn around and bite them in the butt.
And lastly, to Adamant, remember that FFVII's cinimatics weren't the only problem. The battle animations (In particular the summons), would have pushed the N64 far beyond what it was capable of. The massive amounts of pre-rendered maps as well would have caused a lot of problems as well. RE2 for the N64 had enough issues as is when it was released on the N64, there would have been no chance FFVII could have been placed on the N64 without severely cutting back major aspects, such as over world size, map quantity, battle animation detail, and the like.
Well, the word is out. Nintendo has full authority on Capcom VC releases because Capcom licenced them their classic titles. So Capcom really has nothing to do with it, it's Nintendo's decision entirely. Still, BC could be a future release, since up to now Nintendo hasn't allowed its appearance. I didn't find any word on whether this decision is final.
Ness012345,
Anyone who has read my past comments knows I have been very critical of the way Nintendo has handled the Virtual Console. But, yeah, I am a Nintendo fan. If I wasn't, why would I have bought a Wii? Why did you buy a Wii?
"Well, the word is out. Nintendo has full authority on Capcom VC releases because Capcom licenced them their classic titles. So Capcom really has nothing to do with it, it's Nintendo's decision entirely. Still, BC could be a future release, since up to now Nintendo hasn't allowed its appearance. I didn't find any word on whether this decision is final."
Very interesting. So, we've all been screaming at Nintendo and each other these past few days for nothing.
This thread is hilarious. Most of this uninformed anti-Nintendo whining and woe-is-me victimization is even worse than the supposed fanboyism that's being condemned.
Worst news yet.
"But, yeah, I am a Nintendo fan. If I wasn't, why would I have bought a Wii?"
Exactly, this isn't about console war nonsense, this is about Nintendo dramatically mismanaging a service with limitless potential.
Worst news yet.
"Well, the word is out. Nintendo has full authority on Capcom VC releases because Capcom licenced them their classic titles. So Capcom really has nothing to do with it, it's Nintendo's decision entirely. Still, BC could be a future release, since up to now Nintendo hasn't allowed its appearance. I didn't find any word on whether this decision is final."
This pretty much confirms what I had said earlier about not knowing the whole story. I think there are far too many people out there who assume just because certain games have yet to reach the service, like Earthbound, Mario RPG and yes, even Bionic Commando, that they will NEVER come. We have to be patient.
From what I understand, Nintendo obtains the licenses from all these companies for thier backlog of classic titles and they make the decisions as to when they are released, because it's their service. Capcom probably doesn't have a clue as to what Nintendo plans for ANY of their titles, as it seems to be kept pretty well under wraps. Not just from developers but from anyone besides the few who actually make that decision, it seems. sighs
The reason the service has slowed down for the time being is simply business. Why would you offer a bunch of cheaper, quality alternatives when you've got more than a handful of high profile software releases coming out? It makes no sense to compete with yourself, right? I fully expect that after May, both the amount and quality of the releases will improve significantly. It already has in Japan, where Brawl, Wii Fit and Maro Kart have all been released. (To which, the VC releases improved AFTER the fact).
"Why would you offer a bunch of cheaper, quality alternatives when you've got more than a handful of high profile software releases coming out?"
Well, maybe because they promised they would? Seriously, VC needs to stand on its own and apart from Wii releases. There's no excuse for the 1 game policy. I don't think VC releases 'bite' Wii releases either. If MK would be releases simultaneously with MKWii, both would have been sold abundantly. There's always people who want to buy good games, regardless their frequency of appearance. There, I said it.
@RoninDennis
Exactly when did Nintendo promise that? Seriously I want a link to this information with quotes, because as far as I know, nothing like that was ever promised. Also, Nintendo has one week with a single game release and suddenly it's a policy?
Nintendo, as a business doesn't just look at the people who can afford to buy as many games as fast as they are released, which believe it or not, is probably a much smaller part of the Wii market. It's about maximizing profits, and I'd bet money that they used last years "promotional" releases as an indicator if this is something they should continue doing. Obviously games like Super Metroid and Mario 3 sold well but there must have been some kind of indication that they could have sold better, perhaps if released during a software drought.
Admittingly, this is all speculation on my part but it seems the most likely explaination. We have Brawl, Kart and Fit, all coming out in the first half of the year, they've put so much resources in assuring these games are a success (Wii Fit being the largest amount spent on marketing in Nintendo's history) so it's vital that those games get as much lime light as possible.
If June comes and the half assed releases continue, then you have my permission to call me out on this but I think you'll be too busy playing your awesome new VC releases to care.
@Rapadash6:
A quick Google search didn't bring it up immediately, but when the VC service was announced Nintendo announced that the release schedule was 3-4 games each week. Initially we got that, hopefully we'll get that again. The reason people got pissed off with 1 game weeks in the first place is because 3-4 games a week WAS policy.
'Also, Nintendo has one week with a single game release and suddenly it's a policy?'
Uhm, don't know which planet you went to on your almost 5 month vacation, but apart from two weeks the US and EU only had a one game update each week. You can check the archives on this website for infromation with quotes.
Also, you can justify almost any Nintendo move with 'it's just a business' rap. Hell, they could release one level of one game each week and it would still be profitable 'business'. The thing is, a company also has a responsibility to its clients as far as I'm concerned.
Like I said, good games get sold no matter when they are released. Mario 3 would still be no.1 if it were released simultaneously with three AAA Wii titles, and new Wii owners will buy these games as well. Nintendo's Long Tail strategy with VC defeats any speculation on what is and what is not good for business. In fact, IMHO they would make even MORE money if they release more VC games. They're cheap, unlimited in supply and people've got the cash. One could even put a psychological spin on it, since when people are happily buying (good games) they will buy even more.
Lastly, June sees Brawl released in Europe, so by your logic we would see even less VC over here. We'll see.
@RoninDennis
First of all, the number Nintendo gave was an AVERAGE of 10 new games a month. This is a give or take number, a guesstimate if you will, and definately not a promise.
While in Europe there have been a few more single game release weeks than in North America, we've had an average of two within the last 4 months. Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't Europe have a week recently that offered not two, not three but FOUR titles? Last week saw three with one NES game and two C64 games, need I remind you. Sound's like the situation is already improving for you guys.
Lastly, I'm not trying to defend anything Nintendo does, as I hate the VC drought as much as you do. I'm just merely stating that this is probably the cause of it. You have to remember this is service that's only a year and a half old and not every classic title is eligable for rerelease, whether we like that fact or not. They have to span these game releases over the remaining lifespan of the console. There's also a chance this service will spill over onto the next console as well, so what's the rush to release your entire inventory now, exactly?
You can't deny that if they released everything at once, some games would never get noticed, GOOD games. Also it's not as simple a process as just dumping ROMs onto a server for people to download. Did you know that every VC title comes with it's own independant emulator? This is for quality assurance, which means Nintendo still has to go through processes to assure that these games run properly, which sometimes means tweaks to the emulators that run them. This is not just first party titles either, but anything that appears on the service, it's all in Nintendo's hands and it isn't exactly effortless.
I say stop bitching about droubts because they will come and go. Just enjoy the games you are able to play at the moment, and like you said you have Brawl to look foward to. Yes, you might not see some AAA VC games during that release period, but trust me, you won't care.
This idea that Nintendo thinks sales of their major software titles would suffer because of VC sales still seems ridiculous to me. Someone's gonna buy Double Dragon instead of Brawl? Really?
@Rapadash6:
True, I found the source that Reggie said that from January 2007 Nintendo will release 10 additional VC games a month. Until 2006 their release schedule was geared to 30 titles, which explains the 3-4 games a week quote. You can call it a guesstimate, whatever that is, I call it a promise or commitment. Fact is, bar the las few weeks, for almost six months we got nowhere near that figure.
If one strays from the commitment, one needs a good reason. Another reason of irk was that we never got any. Your point that it is difficult to emulate VC ROMS is vapid. If they could do it before, why not now, as indeed, the C64 4 game launch week clearly shows, they can?
Well, we just don't know whether improvement is on the horizon, for as you know, we had two weeks with 4 and 3 games, we immediately had a week with only one game, PS3 in Europe, DD in USA.
Look, I'm not one of those whiners who wants everything right now and Goldeneye and Final Fantasy 7 to boot. Far from it. So I'm going to ignore your comments on that. What I'm saying is that VC is underperforming, and I still stand by my point that VC should stand on its own, without regard to Wii releases. Because they are DIFFERENT. If I can buy Brawl AND Double Dragon II on one day it will be a happy weekend for me.
Even if I don't have the money now, I can buy the games I really want later. If I don't want the game at all (like NES Volleyball) I'll NEVER buy it, even if I urinate dollar bills on Sundays. It's that simple (did I mention the Long Tail business scheme yet?).
I don't need Nintendo to decide for me whether I can afford 5 or 1 game. They have more than enough to release, so they should damn well release like they said they would. Deviation from that policy need a clear reason. There isn't any, since they give none. VC isn't hell as of yet, but it could damn well be a lot closer to heaven. Business schmischness. Nintendo has a superengine on their hands that they're pulling with two toothless donkeys. Fer shame. My last words on it, too!
@RoninDennis
Guy, I totally agree on most of your points. I'm not trying to trivialize your frustrations, as I share them too. My problem is that some people are pushing the panic button way too soon on this. We can't just assume that sinse it's slow right now, that things will remain that way. Like you, I just want answers and because of the lack of said answers, I speculate. Never did I state any of my theories as fact nor do I think they are a valid excuse for the current situation. It's just the best and most logical reasoning that I can come up with.
I'm sorry if it felt like I was attacking you, because as a fellow retro gaming fan, we should be celebrating the joys of the service on this forum rather than arguing about why we're in a VC depression right now. Sadly that's just the state of things at the moment, and I do my best to stay hopeful that it will get better. Maybe that's why I can be a little over defensive on the subject, I just don't like negative VC related articals like this one as they are very discouraging.
On another note, you guys got a nice little update today. ^^' Congrats!!
No mega man II...no bionic commando...? crud..
I actually do agree with Rapadash that while its unfortunate the VC is going through a bit of a drought things will get better.
It's probulay because Nazis are in the game (or at least related in the censored version).
Either way, this further proves my theory that Nintendo is trying to avoid putting more violent games on the VC. XP
It could be the head-being-blown-up-thing...
It's a shame. A real shame.
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