USA VC Update: Metal Slug 2

I expected this game to be the only release this week. We Europeans don't get it any better, we have to wait two weeks for a week with two games sometimes.

Only one game, poor show

I am actually glad we got this though

Lame another 1 game week for you guys. I knew this would happen. I hope we don't get the same treatment. We really need SoM.

THis is getting on my nerves Nintendo!

I'd love to punch whoever approves U.S. VC releases right in the face. And knock all their teeth out in the process.

I already have Metal Slug Anthology on Wii, just like any Metal Slug fan with a Wii... and a brain. Keep the VC release schedule sucking by sucking Wii points from morons, Nintendo!

At least this is a good game besides it slowing down.

Bummer...

Another rather bland and pointless, single-game-already-on-a-compilation week... I lack words to say how this feels, but I think lame and fail might be appropriate. Even Wiiware feels this way today.

idk if i should download this isn't there a compulation of metal slug coming out for wii

All I can think to say is that I'm glad I have such a big hoard of Wii and VC and Wiiware games that I no longer have any expectations for the weekly releases

#10: Its already out and has been out for a long time. I got the PS2 version very cheaply. Not that I played much of it though. I just got it because it was so cheap.

Every Neo Geo game released on the vc seems to be a rip-off.

It is due to the fact all the Neo Geo games on the vc are found on different compilations.

yeah, but these games still have to be put out. being on a collection doesn't mean they shouldn't be put on VC. i'm sure we'll get some games not on a collection.

At least Space Invaders Get Even is good. I picked it up today, it's pretty fun.

I knew we wouldn't get anything good today. The game itself is good, but the slowdown really ruins the experience. I just hope people don't "impulse" buy just because they didn't get the game they want. We had such lousy updates during the summer and sadly it seems to be like that again. Maybe if enough people ignore these garbage releases (Mega Man 3 being the exception), then maybe we will get something good for once.

Just wanted to add this is also free on Gametap, as is 1.

It's official, Castlevania III is NEVER coming out in North America! Well, maybe that's over reacting a bit but I'm starting to think that it'll be a long time before we see it, just as was the case with the first two Mega Man games and Vectorman.

not only was it apart of a compilation but a RECENT compilation. probably we'll get something good in the next 2 yrs

You know what? The way Nintendo is screwing with us on the VC is is a perfect example of the "If you're a loyal fan that supported us through the lean N64 and Gamecube years you can go f**k yourselves. We have the casual market now." If the casual market stops making them money hand over fist, then they're probably screwed. In that scenario they'll probably wring their hands and wonder how it all went wrong.

Hm. A flawed tweener sequel and nothing else.

Compared to the likes of Boogerman, Metal Slug 2 made EU's last update seem at least ok. But now it seems like it only makes for both sides of the pond to be left in the cold for another week (or two, depending which side yer on). NA got a nice string of games going into the current drought, so overall EU is getting the worst of the current drought (even with Castlevania 3).

Disappointing...... but everything in life cycles. All I know is that the more Nintendo crams WiiWare down our throat instead of making headway on absent NES/SNES/N64 classics, the less interest I have in Wiiware in general. And these one VC game weeks seem to be designed to force people into participating more in Wiiware (perhaps).

A month passes and, save for Mega Man 3, we see an overpriced Metal Slug 2 (considering the slowdown), Boogerman (nuff said), a hamstrung Forgotten Worlds (needs the second joystick), and .........Space Invaders (a joke lacking humor).

I don't recall the last time I saw any other store so consistently stock it's shelves with substandard merchandise. Even if the store wants to cover minority interests and cult followings, they generally will at least balance their offerings with more generally desirable offerings.

Oh well, corporate thinking has often been detached from applicability.

Sorry folks. Been building that perspective up during the current drought and the one previous (previous to offerings like Mega Man 2 and SupMarRPG). I'll take refuge in my PS1 Final Fantasy Tactics for the time being, I guess.

Ah the sweet sound of people whining cause they are butt sore due to lack of good games....wait, this is a good game. Oh that's right, it's just one game this week. Spoiled I say.

We had such great releases through August to October, and with these releases in November (and perhaps late October); everyone just seem to completely forget how good those releases are and think that Nintendo is screwing them all over again. It's quite sad in my opinion.

so overall EU is getting the worst of the current drought

We get about two less WiiWare games a month than America does. We got equal numbers of VC games during November - just five. At least we got Phantasy Star IV though.

@Atlantis1982: It's been said before that Nintendo shouldn't be allowed to ride on their past successes without moving forwards, and yet that's exactly what you seem to suggest they should do. I give them a grace period of 2-3 weeks before I really get annoyed with bad releases. But this is just sad. And remember, it's not only one game, it's also one game we can already get on a collection on the Wii (though I have it on PS2)! What a waste of 900 points (and internal memory, to boot)!

All that said, I'm not as upset as I could be. I don't REALLY have money to buy points right now anyway, so it's probably just as well that a game I couldn't resist didn't come out. Seems Nintendo is happy to NOT make people spend money they don't have during these tough economic times. Seems counter-intuitive, but whatever. Guess I'll just keep playing Chrono Trigger, Animal Crossing, and various Xbox 360 games for now.

Hey, my predictions were right! Kinda... XD

@ post 22: Why, that's right. I could just put on one of the big name games that has been released on the Wii recently such as...................hmmm. That's odd, there haven't really been any. With the poor release schedule the Wii has had recently I don't really think it's asking too much for the VC to pick up some of the slack.
Well, back to Left 4 Dead on the 360, I guess.

@Bass

Doh ya, I forgots about the Fantasy Star IV. That was an A game to get. I've been lickin my chops for it since ya'll got it.

I suggest a hostage swap...... Secret of Mana for Phantasy Star IV.

where the f*** is my kirby dreamland 3 f***ing Nintendo. @ deadbattery same here

#28: They probably want people to buy the Kirby game on the DS rather than making do with a 800 point VC game. I think we'll get it some day next year...

Nah Im pretty sure DreamLand 3 isnt affected by Superstar DS.

Argh!

I am a Neo Geo fan and have the Metal Slug, SNK Volume 1, and Fatal Fury 1 compilations on my PS1. Where are the games that have never been released on any compilations to date? Games like Thrash Rally, League Bowling, Windjammers, Nam 1975 etc.

As many of you I have the PS2 MS Anthology, so MEH; and as I mention before this one game weeks came to stay, at least for 2 or 3 more weeks, my guess of course.

It looks like the rest of 2008 will be a wash for the Virtual Console. I'll stick it out with the Wii for the rest of its lifespan, but if Nintendo thinks I'm going to buy Wii 2, they're crazy. Nintendo had better hope the casuals are loyal.

hopefully we'll be back to two games a week soon. The way this is going we're probably gonna get castlevania 3 the week of christmas.

YAY! Metal Slug 2! Might have to wait to obtain Wii Points as I spent the remaining on Streets of Rage.

Less VC games= Less Wii points I purchase

Another disapointing week. I have nothing against Metal Slug, really I love the series. But the VC is put on the back burner again and I am very unhappy about it.

Maybe next week we'll get half a game so NOA can spread these releases until the end of time and universe

"Disappointing...... but everything in life cycles. All I know is that the more Nintendo crams WiiWare down our throat instead of making headway on absent NES/SNES/N64 classics, the less interest I have in Wiiware in general. And these one VC game weeks seem to be designed to force people into participating more in Wiiware (perhaps)."

I fully agree with that comment

I just don't get Nintendo's release policies for VC games at all. During the summer we were getting very little, let alone anything that was highly requested but once September came, the service took off like a rocket. So much so in fact, I still have games I need to catch up on like Secret of Mana. Why can't Nintendo just spread those popular releases apart more evenly instead of having a long period of mediocrity followed by a serge of high profile titles, for a shorter period of time? It's just stupid the way it's handled. Well, now we have no choice but to wait for the next serge, I guess.

3 Words: Earthbound and Unirally.

'nuff said. Until these two come out, I'm no longer interested in the VC, seeing as Ninty no longer seems interested in us. I mean, wasn't the whole point of the VC to 'play those unforgettable classics' we either missed first time round or were impossible to get hold of without shelling out major money for a vintage system or sneakily downloading an emulator?

This is just sad...

hmmm....
Grabs DS, turns it on. Plays Chrono Trigger until next Monday.

With all the shooters coming out again, I would think Contra would come sooner than later. Hopefully by Christmas week something picks up.
Prince of Persia comes out this week. Another reason y not to play the Wii. I'll wait until Christmas for that one.

Oh well, lucky I still have a tonne of VC content I have yet to play through. I'll wait for Metal Slug X judging by the comment in the article.

I noticed over in WiiWare-World they do a top #20 list every Wednesday? Why not one for Virtual Console? I just checked out the top #20 there and they are as follows, quite a few surprises there actually.

1. Super Mario Bros. 3
2. Super Mario Bros.
3. Super Mario World
4. Super Mario RPG
5. Mega Man 3
6. Super Mario Bros. 2
7. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
8. Super Mario 64
9. Secret of Mana
10. Donkey Kong Country
11. Earthworm Jim
12. Mario Kart 64
13. Bubble Bobble
14. Sonic the Hedgehog (Master System)
15. Punch-Out!! Featuring Mr. Dream
16. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
17. Pac-Man
18. Kirby's Adventure
19. Paper Mario
20. The Legend of Zelda

Kudos to Mario for having so many freaking games in this list, I had no idea Bubble Bobble would last this long in the top 20 and extra special props to The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario 64 for being in the top #20 NOW despite being available since launch, that's a lot of freaking downloads!

Maybe I'll keep an eye on the top 20, it's kinda interesting that not many of these titles came out in the last 6 months.

Wow, only one game again. At least it's Metal Slug 2!

Why not one for Virtual Console?

They don't really change that much. All the old favorites are at the top. With WiiWare the list changes from week to week. But if you want to, list the top 20 every monday.

Shovelware...ugh.

Well fair enough, though you'd think the downloads of Mario 64 and Zelda would have to dissapate at SOME point lol

Okay, so all we get is a game that will become irrelevent in a few months, and for only a few bucks more, you could get the whole damn series on one disk? I'll pass.

@chunkey_droid: That would be the Australian list, right? You need to tell us that next time.

Looking at what games have been released recently, if Nintendo gave Europe the last three games that have been released in America that we didn't also get at some point, we would get Boogerman, Secret of Mana and Mario Golf 64. Now that'd be good.

@ Big A2: No, that would be the American list. I have an American Wii

I can't believe we had ANOTHER one-game week this week! Well, at least it's Metal Slug 2.

@Viral. You're calling Metal Slug shovelware!? You sir must have REAL high standards for games.

@Cunky_Droid. This site USED to have top 20 lists for Virtual Console games, but stopped doing it a while back, probably because the charts hardly moved during that time.

@Mr. Cheez

Thanks for the info, I've only been coming here for about 8 or so months so figured they just didn't do it

Another one game release week. EVERYBODY PANIC

you mean we're not doing so enough already? yeah, we have been tame compared to past weeks. with four mondays in december, you'll probably get more than six games this month. well hopefully nintendo will soon enter the christmas spirit of giving. Yeah.

I must admit, VC interests me more than WiiWare and I imagine most of the visitors to this site would feel the same. But we don't represent the entire demographic of Wii owners, so all the talk about nintendo letting us down, and specifically the guy who mentioned knocking out some nintendo guy's teeth, is a little irrational. Nintendo doesn't have to release any games at all, so be greatful for what you did get, and if you don't like they released, why not be patient and i) wait until they release something you do like or ii) try a game you've never played before. But please don't winge up a storm

Yeah, hopefully Nintendo will pick up by Christmas giving us Phantasy Star IV and Castlevania III, and give you Europeans Secret of Mana. These one-game weeks are slightly pissing me off.

@ Bass - Sorry, I thought that Farkism was common knowledge. It's sarcasm.

i just wish we had more N64 games than just 15!!
We need Zelda: Majoras Mask, Super Smash Bros(the original obviously), and Donkey Kong 64!!
And for Super NES Kirbys Dream Land 3, Super Mario World 2, Star Fox, and Mega Man X.
And for NES Blaster Master and Gunsmoke.

@posts 28-30: Yeah, no reason one Kirby game on VC would have an ill effect on a different game released on DS. Nintendo used to like same-time releases! Remember Metroid month? Super Mario Bros. 3 right around Galaxy release? WHAT HAPPENED?

@NintendoBrad: You called a VC release for a Thursday?

@Mr. Cheez: Metal Slug 2 IS shovelware if you consider a game that can be had much more cheaply (and without memory wasting) on a collection disc. I checked Gamestop.com. You can get the Anthology on Wii for the cost of both Metal Slug games currently available on VC. Oh, but there are FIVE MORE GAMES on that disc, too! Plus, you might be able to get the disc cheaper elsewhere, who knows? So yeah, it was just shoveled right in, only to be bought by those with no sense of value (or random people who ONLY like number 2 for some weird reason).

I also agree with what Captain_Konami said about WiiWare, which Tony later quoted (I somehow missed it first time down). Stupid efforts to shove WiiWare down our throats will do nothing more than make us sick of the "service." I was worried about this happening back when WiiWare was announced; not sure if I said so here, but I probably did. "WiiWare better not overshadow VC," I'd say (or something like that, you know...). Well, it has. Funking Nintendo...

I am just going to wait for SNK Vol 2. Hopefully it will have King of the Monsters 2 on it.

BS

US is totally in a VC drought

@Stuffgamer. Wait, so you say MS2 is shovelware, JUST because it can be found on a collection? According to that logic, that makes Samurai Showdown, Bubble Bobble, all the Sonic games, Vectorman and many other good/great titles shovelware as well, cuz they were on cheap collections too. That makes a ton of sense!

Has it ever occurred to you that the Anthology (from what I heard) only includes motion controls and no CC support? And some people, such as MS aficianados (I don't think I spelled that right) wouldn't feel comfortable with that? I'm not, as it's the sole reason I haven't bought it yet. Then there's the people who just want the first few games of the series, or just 2 (for whatever reason),so there are legitimate reasons to DL it on VC.

But then again, I'm not gonna waste money and space DLing the whole series, so I guess I'll have to suck it up and put up with the motion controls. But still, MS2 shouldn't be called shovelware.

What's up with all the single releases, remember when Europe got like 4 or 5 games each Friday? Why can't Nintendo go back to releasing 2-3 games a week?

Oh boy, here we go again, but first, my reaction: Meh, I shall wait for other iterations of Metal Slug.

This week I'll hammer in two points. One, don't blame this on the "casuals." Nintendo isn't wholly catering to the casual audience. If anything, they wouldn't even bother releasing games like Metal Slug 2 or Space Invaders Get Even if they only wanted to focus on the casuals. Nintendo simply picked three games to release and picked them by means we don't understand.

Two, while some of you may hate WiiWare, others love it. While you guys express your concerns that Nintendo is only giving you one VC game a week now, those WiiWare fans were probably doing the same thing when only one WiiWare game was released a week. Do you feel pity for them? If you do, good, you're not hypocritical. I guess my point is someone is going to be disappointed when there are usually only three releases a week. For now, there seems like nothing we can do.

As always, I shall end by saying I understand your guys' anger, but I disagree with your methods of releasing that anger.

Heres probably why nintendo wants to put out wii-ware games at a faster rate than vc-games:
1.There are a limited number of possible vc games, where as the number of possible wii-ware games is infinite
2.The casual market is(unfourtunatly) larger than the hardcore
3.Wii-ware is new in comparison to vc, when the number of games for each becomes closer well probaly see more equal releases

Well at least you know that games like Earthbound, Pilotwings 64, Super Mario Kart etc. HAVE to come out at some point. There is a lot of good content on the VC right now, and it's a vast selection. There is a lot of crap on the VC too I'll admit. But honestly I find it tough to keep up with all the VC games I want, they're coming out at a faster rate than what I can finish them. But then again that may not hold true if I were still a single guy living alone lol. Being married with kids only gives me short video game time these days unfortunately.

As for WiiWare, other than the Art Style games, Megaman 9 and World of Goo, absolutely NOTHING interests me in the least. But I know that WiiWare IS proving popular, so I'm not going to complain about these one VC title weeks as I've still got plenty to go on..... once my Wii is fixed/replaced.

Cool...but I'll wait for the 3d part. That's my favorite ^^

Already have Metal Slug 2 on Metal Slug Anthology, I played it, however I felt it was a bit short, so I have no need to download the VC version, hopefully we'll get two games next week.

@#61: I agree. The last game I bought for VC was Mega Man 3 and that was almost a month ago. They need to bring back two game weeks. Variety is the spice of life, Nintendo! We need two game weeks back!

Don't buy the Metal Slugs from the VC, if you buy them all on the VC you pay 5400 Wii Points not counting Metal slug 6, where at Gamestop, I pay $18.00 for the collection, I hope to buy it soon, what savings.

You know, I dont understand it. People are saying two games a week would make a difference but the Space Invaders/Forgotten Worlds thing a while back didnt really seem to. Most people shot down both anyway.Will having more then one game released really matter if you end up not liking any of them?

On the discussion of weekly ratios of VC to Wiiware games (and with the caveat that I do indeed understand that neither game library is fundamentally in and of itself "better" or more desirable in general) I do want to suggest that there may be more validity to the concern about wiiware dominating the weekly release ratio than just "classic gamers" vs "new/creative gamers".

With the VC being a selling point of the Wii since Nov 2006 (1st game released to VC), while Wiiware only being a selling point of the Wii since March 2008 (and that initial release was in Japan), people toting the perspective that the VC is more proprietary and deserves at least equal time each week may be at least somewhat justified in their perspective.

For myself in particular, I do have a leaning toward the VC. I bought my Wii primarily based on the existence of the VC (bought it right before Wiiware kicked off actually) and the potential for Commodore 64 support for it in the US, with the Wii's motion control gaming being more of a fringe benefit and only mild interest (I used a Power Glove back in the day and I knew enough to not hold high expectations..... though I have indeed been really pleased with the motion control functions so far, if under supported in games).

Yet, I can step outside my preference and appreciate the almost indie nature of Wiiware games and the opportunity to have never before seen games available via download.

I'd just like to suggest that folks consider that the Wiiware is not considered as much a core component of the Wii as VC. People with a preference will most always consider their preference "core" to something. But how valid is it for a game system to start out as something and then evolve years later with new options and suddenly within that year have the new options be supported equal to, or worse dwarf the fundamental and long standing components of the game system (as the Big N is doing with their currently active VC/Wiiware release schedule)?

Anyway, sorry for the dissertation. I just see a flaw in folks applying an (commendable) equality perspective to a situation where equal balance, or a Wiiware leaning balance, is not representative of nor appropriate for a player base that has been building for multiple years previous to the Wiiware coming into existence.

Personally, I don't mind an even split between Wiiware and VC, but regardless of the split, IMHO the VC needs at least two releases a week (so one stinker can't stink up the place too much for a whole week of my Wii life). I would like to see a more complete library by the time I'm 50 (a ways out there). And the concern about "running out of games to release" is a hollow concern in my opinion, since the size of the current game library carries more weight than a "potential" library ever will..... not that I'll claim that the Big N understands that concept. )

@the discussion about Metal Slug 2:

Understand, while I like Metal Slug 2 quite a bit (#1 has more sentimentality for me though), I don't consider it a satisfying game experience when it can be played with the slow down. When a playable MS2(X) shows up I'll spend the Wii points, inspite of the collection I could by on disc, largely because I too want the classic controls.

But what does it say for the lone VC game released this week when even strong fans of the franchise are likely to skip it because it's playability is so plagued (some parts worse than others)??

In theory, a very nice release..... in reality though, it's an empty VC week for BOTH those disinterested in the game genre AND for those who actually enjoy it.

I wonder if Contra 1 is currently sitting around unreleased while they stock their shelves with a game crippled enough that it needed a rerelease?

I dearly appreciate the existence of the VC, but it's greatest value is only maintained as long as it receives proper support and continues to grow it's library. Being content with what is already out is a perspective best left for those days when (in general) a next generation system comes out and even the pretense of support for the previous game system's library is hobbled or gone entirely. Let's hope we can have slightly higher expectations for our current generation Wii VC system than that.

@Wariofan:

I think people are simply wanting better odds, more of a fighting chance at something desirable rather than waiting week after week, one single shot at a time for a decent game. Since the number one is about as close as you can get to zero, I'd suggest that two games a week is not exactly asking for the world.

......!!!!
Reggie, you've got some explaining to do.

@Mr. Cheez: Well, now it's down to your definition of shovelware. I think it is shovelware by the definition of something few people want because it has low value relative to storage and point costs. I can't speak for the Wii Anthology, as I have it for PS2.

@Virus: I DO pity WiiWare fans, because they're fans of such crap! No, just kidding. But seriously, they get a raw deal. It's hard to deny that a lot of WiiWare releases ARE crap. I'll admit there are good ones, like Tetris Party, the Strong Bad Games, and Toki Tori. But many of the recent releases haven't been worth much to anybody (just look at the 3/10 score one of those games from last week got).

@WarioFan63: If you'll recall, I stated appreciation for the fact that there were two VC games that week. True, I didn't want either of them, but I still say that if Nintendo is determined to release crap, they could at least release more of it at once and get it out of the way! And the more releases we get in a week, the better chance we get that some of them MIGHT be decent...

@Captain_Konami: Don't apologize for that dissertation! It was a very good read, and I agree fully with what you said therein.

@megacody: Doesn't he always? Seeing as he never DID give an acceptable explanation for the lack of an official Mother 3 release in America... That and other stuff, but it sticks out in my mind because the Earthbound/Mother fanbase so very much enjoys picking on the jerk.

#71: Thats true, we didn't like the games on the last week which had two games. But we liked it better than if it had been split into two solo weeks. Think about it - would you rather have Space Invaders and Forgotten Worlds in one week even if you weren't going to buy either or would you rather have Space Invaders one week then Forgotten Worlds the next? I personally will go for the option that gets us more games quicker every time regardless of quality. The games are going to get released anyway so I'd rather then come quicker than slower. That's why we prefer more games per week even if they are poor games.

I understand that sometimes you can get two so so games in a two game week but I prefer having two a week if you for like this week for example. I'm really not interested in Metal Slug that much if they were to release say like devil world along with it, I'd be happy although devil world is no Castlevania 3. Its a game I still want to download. Yeah sometimes two game weeks are bad but sometime they're great. I'm trying to be as flexible as I can. As WiiWare goes the only games I'm looking forward to are Lostwinds chapter 2 and gradius rebirth. There's some great games on WiiWare but a lot of shovelware as well. I rather have more VC games than WiiWare games. Its the reason why I preordered my Wii 2 years ago.

VC launched in '06 and it took until '08 for Super Mario RPG. Really? C'mon, guys.
I don't see the issue. 2008 needs to have great games released during the year. As does 2009 and 2010. Everyone is aware of what the great games are that we can expect but because Nintendo needs good games to put up in the future, people get angry at waiting. We can't expect Nintendo to put up all the known great games immediately and leave us with nothing to wait for except known crap and average games. The VC would die a death - sure it would be good for us because we'd have our games yet Nintendo wouldn't be selling anything.

A one game week would be acceptable if it weren't a game that's already available on the Metal Slug Anthology, a title that features SEVEN Metal Slug titles for 75% (or less) of the cost of buying all seven titles on the VC, should all seven titles ever be released.

Fail, Nintendo. Faaaaaaiiiiiiiiiil. I'm still tapping my feet in waiting for Castlevania III, Castlevania Dracula X, Earthbound, Life Force, and Kirby's Dream Land 3. Make 'em happen, Nintendo.

Ok, I think I understand but it still looks odd to me to throw a fit when one pretty good game comes out compared to throwing a party when two games you'll never buy come out.

@WarioFan63: Well, there hasn't been a single game I wanted to download straight away on VC since Secret of Mana, and most (like today) have been nothing I wanted to download EVER. So I have a right to be upset when only one game I don't want comes out a week, when Nintendo is more than capable of putting out two games I don't want. Like it's been said, more releases is ALWAYS better, even if it's only to speed things up a bit.

Also, this is something I don't think I've said before: Realistically, Nintendo COULD release all the classics at once without killing the VC. Why? Because people would be able to buy them at their own rate instead of waiting months at a time for the good stuff. You notice from the top 20 selling games that the good stuff continues to sell even two years after release. Hardly seems like a dead VC to me. With Wii's continuing to sell so well, the number of people out there who might buy those classics increases FAST. so putting out more classics that their millions of customers will buy would do them more good in the long run than releasing crap nobody cares about in small increments. Sure, they could still release some of the lesser-known stuff. If people want it, they'll watch for it. Better VC publicity would help that point as well. Decent news announcements on what's coming out, so people know when to boot up the Shop Channel to get their old faves.

I totally agree with Stuff gamer 1, Captain Konami, and Kevin. I ordered a Wii for the VC and Wii Sports. By the time they finish the library one retro console I may be in my 50's

@Stuffgamer1
To bring up an argument that has been mentioned before, by releasing all the VC games at once, yes, the VC will live on. Popular games will continue to sell well. It's the bad and lesser-known games that won't at all. This seems like a good thing to us, but to the game developers this is horrid. One of the reasons crappy releases do so well is because they got their own week in the spotlight. By releasing all the games at once, that removes that spotlight.

While I do agree Nintendo might do well releasing more classics, this may not be true. We may consider Nintendo's VC decisions stupid, but judging from their success, I think there is a method to their madness.

And finally, I agree with you entirely about the need for better VC publicity. Even I can't understand why Nintendo doesn't have better publicity.

I have to agree with virus' response to stuffgamer. Nintendo is about making profit and by releasing all VC games at once, there would be too much competition for lesser quality games and thus these games sales would be affected. If nintendo were to do this to the game companies, effectively minimising their profits, they would no longer support the VC services. Actually, by looking after the game companies they might have more chance to get Rare games etc.

The other point to consider is that with the 'global financial crisis' nintendo might think that some of its VC customers have less spare cash to indulge in these games.

To those who say 'I have a right to be upset when a game I don't want comes out', do you realise how childish that sounds? lol

AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! WHAT THE HELL! ERGHHH......EARTHBOUND....YOSHI'S ISLAND......KIRBY SUPERSTAR....ERGH....JUST ONE!....MMMMM......(trails off in an incoherent fit of rage)

@timp29: If Nintendo thinks we have less money to spend on their products, doesn't that logically mean they need to release better stuff so as to persuade us to spend it on them? Really, the thought "nobody has money, so let's not even tempt them to spend it" sounds more like an overzealous saint than a corporation.

And technically, we do have a right to be upset. Maybe it's childish. Maybe we don't care if it's childish. But that's the way of the world. People want to speak their minds and voice their discontent. I do make an effort to remain relatively mature in my complaints, though I do recognize that I've also used that phrase in the past.

At the risk of sounding like a total donkey, I'd like to point out that Nintendo originally announced the VC as a portal for the downloading of "classic" games. So read this and tell me if all that crap fits the definition:
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/classic
We could sit here and argue about people's different opinions of games all day long, but that definition proves that only games widely revered should be on a service with such a claim to it. It suggests that random crap that wasn't popular at original release shouldn't be allowed on VC at all.

But that doesn't mean I don't want those games to come out. Clu Clu Land, in my understanding, is not considered a "classic" by any means, and yet I was more than happy to pay 500 points for it, and do enjoy it quite a lot. But does a game of that caliber (much less a worse one) REALLY deserve to be in the spotlight, particularly by itself? No. It does not, and neither does Space Harrier, Metal Slug 2, Boogerman, or any other recent one-game week release save MAYBE Megaman 3...

As I recall, Clu Clu Land was released alongside Super Mario RPG in America. Some might argue that it was overshadowed, and yet I still bought both. I'm sure a lot of people didn't, but do you think Nintendo was worried about it not selling because of SMRPG? If they were, they probably wouldn't have released it that way. It worked out fine, with the fans buying it, and the people who don't care having another GREAT option. I just don't see why we can't have something like that more often.

Now I apologize for going on for so long. I did my best to remain reasonable and logical in this post, and I hope I did come off that way for the most part. I do think that Nintendo could safely release three or four VC games a week of different enough genres that they wouldn't really affect each other in retail.

I just had another thought: Why should Nintendo care what does or doesn't sell on their download service? They don't give a CRAP what sells as far as retail Wii or DS games go, that's for sure. Just look at how many crappy games flood the market every single week. I'm VERY familiar with this, as I have to deal with the constantly overstocked sections at the Gamestop where I work. So why will they let games rot on the shelf, but they're supposed to care about the sales of some random download?

Okay, seriously, I think I'm done this time. If you actually read all the way through that, you have my sincerest thanks.

Simple solution. WiiWare and VC get two games a week.

Personally, I think they each should get three, but those days have long since sailed.

Not a bad week,,,,, Metal Slug 2 it's a good game.. But only one game...

But i'm really Agree with StuffGamer1, We need to be patient before to receive classics. Nintendo release a lot of games vs Xbox live arcade and PSN...

Hm, perhaps touffeboy is using some sort of super shiny reverse psych sarcasm tool to make their point. I mean I was swayed by it ....... I just can't tell which way.

@"Okay, seriously, I think I'm done this time. If you actually read all the way through that, you have my sincerest thanks."

I did.
You're welcome.
And I say eureka! to someone expressing the insight that the volume of selection is not a defacto impediment to people making purchases, and certainly would be nothing close to the DOOOOOOOM of the VC. (DOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM ....I say!!! )

And I find the suggestion previously made (that too large a selection would lead to reduced purchasing of some games that would lead to game makers and license owners abandoning the VC and the DOOOOOOO.....OOOOOOOOOOM of the VC) a really EXCELLENT application of Reductio Ad Absurdum and much appreciate proving Stuffgamer1's point by reducing the current It'd be a "doom"ly large selection of games to choose from! theorized outcome to its absurd conclusion. (Sorry if that sounded a bit heavy, I couldn't pass up the chance to take my college philosophy logic class for a walk)

I'd suggest that the non-classic (less desirable) games would STILL be bought, even if the extreme occurred and the full available library were made available in the next 24 hours. People will buy their favorites first, of course. They'll play them, hopefully A LOT, and then they'll say "Hey, I got this VC library thing sitting here, and I've got all the games I used to play and loved..........now what else is out there for a cheap 5 to 10 dollars, that I might love or at least find interesting?".......and the almost greats and the sorta greats and the cult classics and the out right strange will still get played. Heck, with a full library out there, some folks might start with the unknowns, knowing that they can go to the mainstream classics any time they want, since they can choose from either type at any time.

I'll be the first in line to fully agree that less profit will be made off of the "less desirable" games that way. However I'm going to say in my best possible estimation that the money lost by not selling to those hyperactive "gotta feed the need" few who gobble most anything each week, that lost money will be marginal compared to the amount spent on those same games while generating way more enthusiasm for the VC via the larger library appealing to more people just by sheer variety.

Besides, surely it should be obvious that marginal profit gained 5 to 10 dollars a purchase by starving players into buying marginal games will not amount to all that much moolah compared to people telling other prospective Wii buyers about all the great classic games they can get on their Wii right now today.

Or I could be off my the mark, and simply the Heir to the Throne of the Kingdom of Idiots. It can be a fine line sometimes.

I was just at the Xbox arcade site, and they have the first Contra and other Nintendo games the VC doesn't have. I think that is crap that the Xbox Arcade can have Nintendo games which the VC should have also too. I will probably catch hell for this comment, but it does not seem fair to me.

I celebrated the VC release of Metal Slug 2 by playing the Antholohy. Great game, a lot more entertaining than MS1! Feels a bit weird to kill all those stereotype arabs on stage 1, but I dig the mummys! I suppose it´s even better on VC since you can use the classic controller, but I´ll survive.

Devastator, the Contra on XBLA is the arcade game. That´s true for the rest of the "Nintendo" games as well. I´ve read some complaints about the Contra port, so I´m not jealous. But of course we should have NES classics like that game by now.

#88: Does that mean we won't see some of the latter NeoGeo titles we've all been waiting for? Mark of the Wolves and Last Blade 2 for example? I really want them.

@Captain_Konami: Thanks for giving me my bit of learning for the day! I looked up "Reductio ad absurdum" after reading your post.
Anyway, you restated some of my previous posting in a far clearer manner. Even I understand what you said better than what I said. So I say good job. It's just a shame all we could hope to achieve by this is convincing some users of this site of these facts, as it won't help change Nintendo's business practices at all.

The Contra Arcade game on XBLA is pretty good, but for some reason the NES version just plays better. At least we have Super C

I know that Nintendo would not release every game at once, but I don't like to see the service dimish every week. We started at 3 games a week, then two, now one. Whats next 1 game every other week. Nintendo needs to know that people like this service and they need to support it and listen to us.

Hopefully Nintendo has a Christmas surprise for us.

Well Nintendo is on a slow movement trail again, releasing decent-great games one at a time.
Anyway about the game, great game, one of the best in the series in my opinion. But I have Metal Slug Antholgy for the Wii so I'm not gonna download it. But good game to release, if it wasn't by itself.

@ OoT_For_Life!: Calm down! Just because they didn't release the game you wanted or only released one game doesn't mean u hav 2 go on a rampage. If u think Nintendo is being cheap right now, then u hav 2 read about the news and release information during the summer months, even though I'm sure everyone wants 2 forget about those 3 months.

@Kevenz

Any sources to back it up?

@Kevenz

Apart from the obvious fact that the means you are using to try these "bigger" Neo Geo titles is illegal. Doesn't state that you know all the inner workings of how VC titles work. Developers, especially Nintendo, know more about compression rates and what works and what doesn't work in the Wii console as far as VC goes more than Zophar's Domain or wherever you picked up your emulator from. If you can prove to me with technical fact how a game like My Life as a King can be played directly from the Wii Console and not from a retail disc while Metal Slug X can't. Then I'll admit I'm wrong.

I'm sorry, I just hate emulating and manipulating consoles... and don't enjoy the people who think they know it all when it comes to these things.

@#100: Its prob either Earthbound or either Castlevania. If I remember correctly we got castlevania IV for Christmas in 2006. Maybe I'm right and we're gonna get Drac's Curse the 22nd.

@Kevin: How festive...vampires...
We also got Super Mario Bros. on Christmas that year, so no telling what that means. I'm tired of trying to predict Nintendo's stupidity anyway. It only leads to even bigger disappointment than usual...

Wow, people are justifying their complaints with actual logic now! I must say, although the complaining is a bit old, the logic certainly suits it. Here's what I have to say about their one game releases: I don't mind it, it's just when they put it to a certain theme, that's when it gets on my nerves. If you go look at press.nintendo.com they like to add a certain way of releasing it, completly alienating people who are not a big fan of the franchise, making them have to wait yet another week. If they're going to make releases I likke it when the game makeup is random, giving at least most people something they like.

I'm not convinced
I still think nintendo is a business, and unfortunately capitalism puts the shareholder and the company before the consumer.

Well, I've been trying to compliment my complaints with logic for quite some time now. I think I just got more in-depth than usual this week for some reason.

Y'know, timp29, I still don't see how alienating your customers is good for your bottom line. I always see people give that kind of excuse, but there's never really an explanation for how that works.

I would also like to say that speaking for myself, at least, I tend to get more upset reading the posts of people defending Nintendo and telling the complainers to shut up than by the complaining or the actual releases. We really don't need that kind of animosity here.

You know, I wish that we could also download arcade classics to the Wii aswell.

I know the Metal Slug series are essentially the same as their arcade counterparts with minimal differences, but even if they released the Contra arcade game, and even some of the arcade versions of Nintendo games like Donkey Kong (4 stages!), Punch-Out!! and even perhaps the VS. series. But for some reason the fact that we only have "Virtual Console" and "WiiWare" means we'll never see these come out, as it just sounds like there's no room for an arcade category.

I'd personally be happy even if Nintendo did some work on the old BS games like Mario Excitebike and BS Zelda and released those somehow.

I think that this is a lazy attempt at satisfying Virtual Console consumers. I've got Metal Slug Anthology for the Wii, granted, the controls aren't the best, but it's still cheaper than buying this stuff individually (Sonic Megacollection for 15£ when you can't even download Sonic 1, 2, and 3 for the amount on the VC).

Big=Sexy, I totally agree with you on the fact that we're paying more for less on the VC. I mean, look at all the content you get in Sonic Mega Collection (Sonic 1, 2, 3, Sonic Spinball, Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine to name a few) and if you were to buy them individually, it'd cost you over 30£ easily!

I haven't been on here (Except for checking weekly Monday updates, Editors =P) in a month or two now, and the last VC game I DLed was EWJ... I've just resigned myself to check the updates and if there's nothin' I like well, I have other games to play, not to mention other things to do in my life. Now I'm not knockin' anyone who sits here and complains or praises various releases; You're the consumer, you have a right to feel that way up to a certain extent, and you also have the right to wait for updates. On the other hand, I realized my whining and/or praising in the end got me nowhere with what classic games I wanted to come out. I doubt very seriously Legacy of the Wizard, Monster Party, King's Quest V, Uniracers, etc. will ever see the light of day on VC (Although I do see the first Dragon Slayer on the "Coming Soon"!). If they do, awesome. If they don't, I can't beat Nintendo into submission and make them obtain licenses
Also for those of you who complain about Nintendo and it's new casual approach, I read something a month or so ago. UK's very own EDGE magazine had an article on the matter, and they made a very good point. Nintendo have been around for 120 years and they've only been developing games for about 20-23 of those years. So if they move into something else, or transform their games into something else for someone else, who are we to blame them? They've found success in many different markets over the years and who are we to tell them they can't? Sure, they'd be abandoning a unabashedly loyal yet sometimes fickle fanbase, but it's our privilege, not our right, to play Nintendo's greatest games
Now, that being said, I do think we have the right to be disappointed or maybe even mad about what Nintendo do as a company
I was also gonna comment on how it's funny to me how people rationalize all the time here, but I just did the same thing lol
By the way to my fellow NA gamers: EDGE is an awesome game mag based in the UK. You should totally sunscribe to it...
But no one covers VC like you guys, VC-Reviews lol... No offense

And with all that said...
Where the Hell is Pro Wrestling?! lol

I'm done being angry. I honestly though we'd never get to see titles like Metal Slug 2 for VC. I mean I had HIGH hopes before the Wii launched, but after the first few months I was HIGHLY dissapointed at the rate at which games were dropping, and also at the choice of games we were getting. Back then, it seemed like all we would ever get were the classic Mario, Street Fighter, Sonic type franchises. Now, after finally getting to play some classic TG-16 shooters, and having access to super rare/expensive SNK titles, how can you really complain. Recently, with titles like Secret of Mana, etc I think the service has started walking the road to redemption.

@ #98. Stuffgamer1:

Yeah, that was kind of a rehash post of what you said, I just got too excited to see someone looking at the big picture.

And it's true enough, we've preaching to the choir here on this web site, or to put it another way via a rhetorical response to Tony's last line in the post 99........... Yes they should. And no, they won't.

GO ON Nintendo......prove me wrong!!
I dare ya!
I double dog dare ya!!!

As far as arcade version of games, since my first play of Contra was in the arcade (I was an arcade rat well before I got my hands on a NES), I'd really love to get an arcade perfect port downloaded to the Wii. I dunno if I wanna monetarily support Microsoft in any way shape or form (I got a grudge against extra ruthless business practices), but I imagine I'll eventually break down and buy the cheapest XBox360 I can find, just to download all the stuff I can't get on my Wii VC.

And it's a pity the PS3 has pissed me off with it's weak support for it's ancestor games. I'll probably never fork over the 400 dollars for one.........unless it gets all the Final Fantasy downloads when Square gives up the ghost of disc sales of old games......at which point I may try to buy one at a discount......Dham my sentimental streak!!

But regardless of the system, I'd raze several small border villages for the first warlord who'd supply me with an arcade perfect port of Double Dragon (and maybe Contra.....in a double pack).

@ "I would also like to say that speaking for myself, at least, I tend to get more upset reading the posts of people defending Nintendo and telling the complainers to shut up than by the complaining or the actual releases. We really don't need that kind of animosity here."

Absolutely. Reading people doing Counter-posting, especially in a "you're wrong, stop talking" style......that's definitely the least useful part of this great site that for the majority of posts and posters have created a really positive vibe and a well applied common appreciation of the VC concept and content all over this site. It was refreshing when I first came across it, and with the international camradre in addition, this is all-in-all a marvelous little site. It gives me that warm fuzzy feeling I used to get when the older QUALITY Nintendo Power, Gamepro, and EGM used to arrive at my door each month......cept this is the electronic and interactive version I suppose.

And @MaxPlastic: ......WORD to your Pro Wrestling exclamation!

Ya know, I'd almost settle for Big N putting their releases out in chronological order.........then at least a plain yet shiny gem like Pro Wrestling gets put out by now (MAYBE)......and hey, then we wouldn't get spoiled by the later fancier games until we had already well enjoyed the classic classics for what they were, within their generational limits.

But yeah, too late now I guess to suggest that to Nintendo for them to ignore (along with the myriad other fan base suggestions).

I second and third that motion!!! Where is Pro Wrestling? I have been waiting for that game since the VC was started.

Gameking 23: Hopefully Nintendo has a Christmas surprise for us.

Me too i think Nintendo have a Surprise for christmas. Because Last year, Donkey Kong Country 3 release for the Christmas's day...

I'm just sayin'...
When I was a kid, I traded Wrecking Crew and Pro Wrestling for... The Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle... With one of my friends. When I was a kid, I played the Bugs Bunny to death, but when I got older I regretted it. I got Wrecking Crew back on VC, now if only they'd put out Pro Wrestling!

Ah, Wrecking Crew. There's another game that seemed to get a generally cold reception, even though it got 4/ 5 stars on VC Reviews. One of my classic faves. Sorry, just wanted to say that, since you made me think of it.

Ok it's Friday and why aren't we finding out about European VC releases anymore?

Because european was altenate... (2 weeks)

Wiiware
VC
Wiiware
VC
etc..

Yeah, there was a period back in the day where my obsessive compulsive streak really came out for Wrecking Crew......I recall playing so long a single sitting once that when I finally went to bed I dreamt I was inside the game, being chased around by the monsters and beating on brick walls as if my life depended on it. It's far more scary a game in Dreamscape First Person.

It was almost like what I'd imagine a "bad" acid trip would be like.

But yeah, a game perhaps even more addictive than Tetris. heh

* INSERT RANDOM GRIPE **

@Captain_Konami: Whoa, creepy! I know I wouldn't want to be chased around by living wrenches or eggplant men, no question! And Spike on the other side of that wall, trying his darnedest to screw you over...NIGHTMARE!!!

I'm still waiting on several games but I'm just hoping Nintendo utilizes Gameboy and Gameboy Colour games for it.

"It" being the DSi? Because thats what is most likely going to happen.

I remember I had a dream where I was in Bowser's castle in SMB1, now that was $&#*## up! I had no fire flower power either lol.

Can't remember for the life of me whether I got the axe or I just woke up.

Anyway, definitely looking forward to VC title #300. I'd be willing to bet on either Pro-Wrestling (but doubt it), Super Mario Kart, Earthbound, Super Punch-Out!!, Super Smash Bros., Excitebike 64, or Majora's Mask. Only reason is because these are the only BIG titles I can find published by Nintendo that I would put in a "worthy of 300th game" category. And I can't remember if Nintendo have released any other companies' games as milestone games or not, I only remember 100th was Zelda II and 250th was Super Mario RPG.

@MaxPlastic

"Also for those of you who complain about Nintendo and it's new casual approach, I read something a month or so ago. UK's very own EDGE magazine had an article on the matter, and they made a very good point. Nintendo have been around for 120 years and they've only been developing games for about 20-23 of those years. So if they move into something else, or transform their games into something else for someone else, who are we to blame them?"

Who are we to blame them? Nintendo billed the Wii as game system for those who play games, those who have played games, and those who have yet to play games. The Wii was for current Nintendo fans, fans of retro games, and for people who had never played a video game before.

I don't think they've been serving any of these groups well for most of 2008. Virtual console releases have been spotty and there have been few quality releases on the Wii for both the core Nintendo fans and the casuals.

@chunky_droid: 150th SMB: Lost Levels 200th: Harvest Moon

Y'know what I find funny about that argument about how long Nintendo's been around? Sure, they're an old company, but they were also pretty much unheard of (at least outside of Japan) until they revitalized the video game industry. And I'm sure they weren't doing anywhere near as good business before getting into video games, either.

I agree with firebrand about their relative lack of service to EVERYBODY this year. Though there have been a few real gems, like Wario Land: Shake It!, SSBB, and Mario Kart Wii (I don't care about any controversy over these titles, I say they were awesome) for retail. VC got SMRPG, Secret of Mana (which Europe is STILL waiting for, I believe...), and StarTropics (waaaay back in January). There are others, but not many, and they start to vary in user opinion even more than these titles do. This remains the reason I could never own just a Wii. I had to get my 360 and PS3 for the options Nintendo just can't give us (some can't, like Sony and Microsoft or high-power titles, some won't, like generally high-quality titles).

Oh, well. Here's to seeing what's on VC tomorrow (and I sure hope it doesn't suck)...

Even if PAL regions only get one game and it's Secret of Mana, I'll still be happy.

I think we should go on strike, we will not play A Link to the Past again until we get Secret of Mana!

@chunky_droid (about the milestone games thing): Not necessarily. It varies form region to region.

@Bendover83: Well then there's hope we can get a decent title from a 3rd party as a 300th milestone game . Perhaps Secret of Evermore, E.V.O. or Illusion of Gaia. But that's some SERIOUS dreaming there

@Stuffgamer. Ya like Sonic 2 for the SMS? Cuz that's all we got today.

@Mr. Cheez: I saw, I commented...but the release kinda wasn't up yet when I posted hear late last night. sigh...

I know, but I wanted to say that anyway.

@ firebrand and Stuffgamer1:
Yeah, I agree, but my point was that they're a business, they're a business who has had success with many different avenues (Even if they have been of varying degrees), and they, as a business, can do whatever they want to make money. So if putting out, publishing, or licensing crappy shovelware makes them money, that's how they're gonna do it. I also went on to say that they would be abandoning Nintendo fans, hardcore or casual, if they moved on to something else
But like I said, I agree

@ Stuffgamer1: I also agree with not just owing a Wii. I myself like to have access to all kinds of game media. Sure, I'm addicted to grabbing Power Stars and Mushrooms, but I can't wander around a post-apocalyptic Washington, DC, or wander the streets of Liberty City on Wii