This week isn't very interesting for the US Virtual Console, sadly. It is suggested that this week you take a look at WiiWare instead.
The only VC release this week is Ninja Combat for the Neo Geo. After seeing the success of games like Final Fight and Streets of Rage, Alpha Denshi decided to attempt a beat 'em up themselves. While graphics-wise the game looks ok (Although the actual animation is less great), the rest of the game is rather uninspired. SNK only very shortly after this released their own attempt at a beat 'em up, Burning Fight, which was sadly every bit as dull as Ninja Combat.
That's all this week on VC, unfortunately! But on WiiWare, you get the splendid Toki Tori (1000 Wii Points instead of 900 like in Europe) and Protöthea, a remake of a PC game by Ubisoft. Check out WiiWare World for more info.
Comments (69)
Yay, Toki Tori.
Another bad week for the US on the VC side of things.At least you guys can now buy Toki Toki eh?
Yes I must say the VC is stale. Wii Ware has been much more interesting. Maybe some better classic games will come out this summer. Hoepfully Nintendo has not abandoned the VC. I can't help but think that Wii ware will put out 2 games a week. I really feel it will drop to one game and the Virtual Console will pick up.
Nintendo can fellate me for all I care. PS3 and 360...show me the goods cause you get my money from now on.
Maybe Ninty are trying to get people to buy past tiltes. NA's top 20 hasn't had a 3rd party title in it for ages. So maybe they're not happy with the state of it and are thinking up ways to change that.
Man, another bunk week.
Wow, we have gotten omega-screwed on VC for the last 3 weeks.
More garbage, thanks Nintendo.
Well, these games has to come out eventually anyways.
The most boring thing about all the VC is that the top ten list is just Mario, Kirby and such. The mass should be excavating other games.
I'm happy about Toki Tori but there is no excuse for this single VC release. Europe has been getting 3 games consistantly for well over a month now aside from WiiWare week where they still got something at least. I'm so tired of waiting for our situation to improve and I thought this would be the Monday that would start to happen. I won't bitch too much about it because it doesn't help at all but I will say that this is quite frustrating.
Now you know what our December and January were like. Bad week for you guys, but you got some decent Wiiware stuff at least.
Yay for Toki Tori - Boo on another VC letdown. Someone at the big N needs a big kick between the legs.
Why do we keep getting crap?
Because below the single layer of well known and awesome games from the eighties and nineties is about nine layers of crap. Games that didn't get talked about, didn't given attention and basically overlooked and forgotten about because they were crap at the time of their original release. The Virtual Console wouldn't last long at all if all they gave us was good games. Surely we would be happy but then Nintendo couldn't squeeze more money out of those of us who are ill informed about which are bad games.
Besides, if a game can come on the Virtual Console; unhindered by licenses, defunct companies, companies not willing to put their games on VC etc... then it probably will regardless of quality.
I also believe that Nintendo treats WiiWare and Virtual Console as one. As far as they are probably concerned, they gave America three games today. One good, one unknown and one crap. Its just that Virtual Console got a single crap game today.
We'll probably get this game this week too. I hope you get Samurai Shodown next week.
i think it's because they're trying to promote the WiiWare games more. But I'm still frikkin' pissed that we don't have Vectorman. i mean, what could honestly be keeping it from a U.S. VC release? It doesn't make any sense!
There's still plenty of games yet to reach Europe that have been released in America for ages. I suppose its a drawback due to the shared region nature of this site. Europeans and Americans know exactly whats going on in the others country yet NoE and NoA are two very different entities. Coupled with Nintendo's screwy release schedule (see the article on WiiWare World) and the whole Shop channel is something of a joke.
More Poo from our beloved VC. NINtendo won't stop until wii do. Wiiware is doing better but this is about VC. NINTENDO will try to sneak in whatever sold the least back in the day to make up for lost sales and so far it's working because only the fanboys are buying these games. ( Hi there J.K. hows your week? )
Lack of sales will show the company a need for improvement on the VC.
VC weekly game shout out: -Rescue embassy mission
-Araknoid
Hard luck US. again...
Another bad VC week the US. There was me thinking you guys would get Samurai Shodown since you guys are long over due.
Why do we have to pay an extra 100 points for Toki Tori? It's the dollar, isn't it! Thanks a lot, Dubya!
At least WiiWare is picking up the slack, because VC has really been letting me down for most of '08.
@firebrand: I agree with you 100% in regards to that extra $1 for Toki Tori. I wanted to wipe out my Wii Points and 900 points would've been perfect but now they go ahead and make it 1000 points. If I buy that once again I will be 100 points short of a game!
Also this weeks VC release sucks IMO as usual. I remember in 2007 when people said "I hope 2008 is a good year for the VC." Well here we are 6mths later half way through 2008 and the VC has been for the most part crap.
Either way I think Nintendo is promoting Wii Ware and want people to look there.
ChocoDK:
"Also this weeks VC release sucks IMO as usual. I remember in 2007 when people said "I hope 2008 is a good year for the VC." Well here we are 6mths later half way through 2008 and the VC has been for the most part crap."
I didn't think 2007 was a bad year, but 2008 is the pits. The bad releases might have something to do WiiWare. Also, I think the reason we're getting all these Neo Geo games lately is because the SNK Arcade Classics collection is due out for the Wii at the end of the year.
Guess I'll just keep playing Dr. Mario...
Good god, the noise of whining is unbearable!
Meh. At least there's Toki Tori!
Did they forget the SMS? Why do they add more systems and not support them?
I could really go for SMS games, for sure! I just got unstuck in Breathe of Fire II, though, so I am busy enough at the moment. But I would still probably download some good SMS games if they start coming out more....
(hank hill voice) im gonna have to kick someones ass!!!!!!
"Also, I think the reason we're getting all these Neo Geo games lately is because the SNK Arcade Classics collection is due out for the Wii at the end of the year."
Most certainly. See - these games are almost all early Neo Geo games, from the time before SNK had truly found their place, and they're getting released because they're relatively small compared to later stuff. SNK is trying to unload it's entire library, just like Hudson with the Turbografx, and that means we're not only getting the most well-known and popular games. Stay put, though - the Neo Geo had an extremely high ratio of awesome games, so we'll hit a stream of gold once they're done releasing stuff from these early, bumpy years.
@Adamant
Yeah, but Neo Geo games are also $9! And I havent seen any worth that except maybe Metal Slug.
King of Fighters '94 was well worth the money. By the time KoF'95 comes, I'll have more than got my moneys worth out of it.
@Objection_Blaster: KoF94, Magician Lord, Fatal Fury, Top Hunter and Baseball Stars 2 are all WELL worth 9$ each.
Here's hoping we get Bomberman 1-3 for the SNES next week. Let's all collectively hold our breath.
@ BB Sting-
ahaha. that was a good one.
The US won't be getting ANY interesting VC releases until the dollar gets strong again. Nintendo isn't stupid. They know that X number of people are going to download the hot titles regardless of whether they release it now or later. If later they can release it at the same price for a stronger currency then they make more money. Our economy is the reason Europe has gotten a million great VC releases and we've gotten crap. Wiiware wise it's a different story: All the developers of those titles are currently in the hole for development costs. They can't afford to wait for a better time to release. Expect wiiware releases to start stinking soon too, though.
Or.......... They could just charge US an etra 100Wii points for VC games Could be a long time before the Dollar matches the Euro again my friend.
"The US won't be getting ANY interesting VC releases until the dollar gets strong again."
Yeah, it's not like we just got Metal Sl... oh.
Unless by "interesting games" you mean "those 5 games I've decided are those I don't hate", that's pure crap.
And stop whining about Earthbound and Mario RPG, Jesus F. Christ!
lol @ all the whining and conspiracy theories.
No good VC releases because of a weak dollar? Oh no, of course not, Nintendo is putting a hold on Earthbound because they want to promote WiiWare, right?
Guys, the easiest solution is usually the right one: Nintendo has very little planned as far as release dates are concerned. Look at the differences between the US and Europe. There are games that have been out in Europe for months (ESWAT, anyone?) that I'm STILL waiting for.
I don't think any planning goes into what day a game is released, I just think they put a limit on how many games can be released on a specific Monday, and they wouldn't put two blockbusters together. That's a pretty simple equation.
Plus, if Nintendo dumped every game you want on the VC in a month, you wouldn't have the money to buy them all right away. Or, you'd be too busy playing X to play Y, X and Y both being games you want to play. I'm still playing LandStalker, which has been my "rainy day" purchase... I bought it after the US hasn't seen a release that interests me in a few weeks. I suggest all of you whiners and conspiracy theorists go back to one of those games you were on the fence with and download it. I did that with LandStalker, and I'm really happy with it.
RevolverLink: I COMPLETLY agree with that. Can you guys still releasing good titles now please?
If you notice the ESRB list is flooded with Neo Geo titles latley. However, I think I might wait and rent the SNK classics. It's is a good way to demo all of the Neo Geo games and some that are not released yet. Last night I started playing Soldier Blade and Lords of Thunder. Even though I am dissappionted with lack of VC releases, I would have never played Zelda OOT, Lords of thuner, Mario 64, Soldier blade if it were not for the service. Although I am really hoping they will bring out Super Monico GP and Lakers vs. Celtics
Oh yeah guys. Nintendo holding off on releasing games in the US until they can make a better profit. Yeah, that's a TOTAL conspiracy theory. Give me a break, they're a company. And I'm not talking about Earthbound and Mario RPG. I'm talking about the differences between the Europe catalog and the US catalog, specifically games like those released during the hanabi festival. Europe has strong currency, europe gets decent VC titles. US has weak currency, we get weak VC titles.
@el cabarto- This theory does make sense but at the same time I find it hard to believe they'd wait for the economy to improve before releasing better VC games. This is a slump that could potentially last YEARS, afterall. Would Nintendo really risk not selling thier best titles during the height of Wiis popularity waiting that long? I'd say we are more likely to see price increases in VC games before Nintendo resorts to just holding back everything, IF that is indeed the reason for North America's release slump.
@Adamant
Magician Lord, Top Hunter- never heard of those...but they sound cool!
@Everyone
Let's face it: we all whine, but there's something good (or more than one) that we've missed that we're too whiny to download because we want a certain 2 RPGs and some European-only games with a Blue guy. I want those games, too, but I also havent gotten Sin and Punishment, F-Zero, Breath of Fire II, or any of the great Neo Geo games. If you've LITERALLY gotten everything on VC that you even remotely want...well, then, you are rich...and spoiled. But thats beside the point. Go look through VC and see if there's anything that'd be great for a rainy day before you come back with Earthbound pitchforks and SMRPG torches. I have mine ready, too, but let's give it a break for a while.
@ Objection_Blaster-
now you're going to be attacked with Earthbound pitchforks and SMRPG torches.
good point though.
I don't think the dollar being weak has anything to do with it. It doesn't make a difference whether they make money now or later, if they make available the games people want, they will buy and they will continue to buy into the future. Personally, I believe this is an attempt to boost popularity to WiiWare. But they are kind of like apples and oranges... and so are the people who buy the games. Those who buy games of the VC buy those games they've always loved or yearned to play. Those who buy games from WiiWare are not looking for those old games but new gaming ideas and all that good fun. But I mean, if you are giving more to only one of those groups, the other group is bound to be dissapointed. And I don't think we can hate on Nintendo so much for doing this, they want to get WiiWare out there so it's JUST a popular; they are trying new things. So props to you Nintendo. And I think we who wait for the VC releases we want, well we just have to be patient and wait for everyone else to get a peice of the pie before we get a second helping. I hope that makes as much sense as it did in my head hah.
@ Zyzzybalubah
So what you are basically claiming that they haven't released good games this whole year because of WiiWare? And how does that at all explain why you americans seem to be getting the worst end of releases?
No offence but the weak dollar has alot to do with anything that is paid with dollars. Nintendo is making better money in Europe so we are higher in priority. Plain, simple and undeniable.
Get Adventures Of Lolo 1...that kept me busy for a long time...especially when I couldn't be a level on my first 10 tries. lol...
People should give these games a go :
Adventures Of Lolo
Neutopia
Super Metroid
Bonk's Adventure
Streets of Rage
Kid Chameleon
Splatterhouse
Lolo is an awesome game. I am working on Adventures of Lolo 2 right now. Of course I am stuck, but only temporarily I guess you are almost always stuck in that game, though, between plays....
@ Viral
Also Lords of Thunder and Soldier Blade
How many great games have yet to be released...
Nes- 700+ / Neogeo- 150+ / Super Nintendo- 100+ / Nintendo 64- 300+ / Sega Genesis- 100+ / Turbo graphix- 100+
So that's like 1500 games. If by miracle Nintendo decided to release just 2 games from any sytem every week until all games were released that would be.... like 15 years. Sounds like a long wait.... Okay now let's take away all the great titles from companies Nintendo will not work with. I only have one thing to say and that is " Where's Conker!!"
How many great games will we never see... =)
Nintendo has been out about 2yrs now so that means we have 208 great games to choose from. SWEET!!!! only 13 more years to go!
By far my most played game on my wii is OOT. But suprisingly my cheapest game for the better play time is punch-out!! It is so addicting and will give you hours of play over a long period of time. EVERYBODY SHOULD HAVE THIS GAME!!!
Get StarTropics if you enjoy Zelda games it will be a breath of fresh air. It is quite a difficult game, but then again Zelda 1 is insanely difficult.
people, this is not that bad of a game you know.
If you want a game that will take loads of your time away try
R-Type. The hardest game on the VC.
R-type is an incredible game and it is definitely hard. I still can't make it to level 7....I can consistenlty get to the level 6 boss, but haven't been able to beat it yet. Grrrrr.....
I have DEFINITELY gotten my money's worth out of that game already, though. Good times.
The US won't get any good VC releases until the dollar holds strong again????
Sorry, thats just hilarious. What, are you watching Oliver Stone's JFK while reading The People's History Of The United States, and looking at a 9-11 conspiracy diagram? Please!
A company dealing with a product with an average 4 year lifespan would not seek to gain profit by barring one of their most profitable regions from quality titles INDEFINITELY!! Plus, that makes no sense, as they would be barring us from quality WiiWare titles and quality Retail titles...
@lockelocke
I agree Nintendo is really pushing Wii Ware thats why the VC games are slow. I think that will change over the next few months.
Beer Pong will probably turn people back to the VC. Actually I just started playing Resident Evil the Gamecube remake again. After playing that masterpiece, I usally forget about the VC.( for a little while)
How about this. Has anybody considered Nintendos next console? With the success of this virtual console, whos to say the next nintendo machine wont have a VC2? And AAA titles are being held for that reason? Eh? Eh?! Just tryna stir up trouble! LOL!
@ Will
Thinking about Nintendo's next console makes my head hurt, I cant even imagine anything more innovative than the wii! (of coarse i did said that about the N64) Perhaps a Virtual Boy 2?
While this is off-topic, I've noticed that vc-reviews hasn't mentioned the new NP virtual console most wanted list yet. Here is what they said for whoever is curious:
"WANTED!
This month's poll results don't differ much from last month's but Mother has climbed from fourth to second place. You gonna take that, Mario and Chrono fans?
READERS' MOST WANTED
1 Earthbound (Super NES)
2 Mother (NES/Japan only)
3 Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (Super NES)
4 Chrono Trigger (Super NES)
5 Tie: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (N64)/Super Smash Bros. (N64)
NP STAFF'S MOST WANTED
1 Mega Man: The Wily Wars (Sega Genesis)
2 Terranigma (Super NES)
3 Super Mario All-Stars (Super NES)
4 Super Punch-Out!! (Super NES)
5 Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (Super NES)
What classic games do you want to see come to the Virtual Console? Send us up to five picks (only for systems currently represented on Virtual Console) at vcpoll@futureus.com. We'll print the results in an upcoming issue. Note: This is for polling purposes only, and will in no way determine future Virtual Console releases."
-as quoted in Nintendo Power V230
Awesome, they can't keep avoiding us Mother fans!
@Tides
Damn,I want like all those games!
@WoRMaSTeR
slow down there, I didn't say that. WiiWare hasn't been out that long. I mean SINCE it was released. Personally I enjoyed the releases before it, specifically harvest moon, and I think others would agree. Besides, if you are going to use this weak dollar argument, might as well apply it to all gaming. Take a look at all the popular releases we have been getting lately (Mario Kart Wii, Melee, etc..). If Nintendo was truely worried about their profits because of the dollar, they would not even consider releasing those games. Think of the expenses for packaging, hardware, transportation are going to add up, and Nintendo would be making a lot less. But VC takes all of those expenses out of the equation! So how you apply that to the VC releases are beyond me.
@Manicfatty
Neither Microsoft nor Phony will ever get my money! As long as Nintendo cranks out another F-Zero and Mario (ha, yes, another! We haven't seen that since the SNES), I'm staying fantastically fanboyish.
By the time the VC games you really wanted come out I will already have purchased the new (next gen) Nintendo. Sorry I just can't get enough of my Dino Riki!!!!!!!!!!! (jk).
@ Will
I really hope nintendo continues VC with their next gen system. And are able to upload past purchased games on to it!! That would be awesome!!!
Great idea- Will
this game looks pretty kool, but it isnt worth 900 points
please tell me if I can download this extreme game for my pc!!.........thx!! byebye
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