Nintendo Download: 9th February 2012 (North America)

Maru's Mission - any good?

The hits just keep on coming.

Maru's Mission looks interesting.

I have Maru's Mission somewhere. I've never played it. Might dig it out today though!

Man, that box art though.

What hideous box art! I guess, at least you guys got Burger time: world tour, that seems decent, not something I'd want though.

Does Nintendo not want my money or something, for a eshop VC I was hoping we would get Kirby's Block Ball or Super Mario Land 3: Wario Land or even Kirby's Dream Land 2 not something I have never heard of. As for BurgerTime World Tour I wanted it I would of already bought it on PSN.

And yet again, the Wii's Virtual Console gets nothing. Its been months since we got our last VC game, and its getting pathetic at this point. I don't mind seeing Wiiware get more support and promotion, but the VC on the Wii has been neglected for far too long.

Nintendo claims that they want to compete with Microsoft and Sony's online networks and yet, they continue to neglect one of their key services. The games are there, waiting to be put on the service, so what's the problem NOA?

As I said before, I have no problem with Wiiware or the support that NOA gives it. But when they ignore their other service that has games that are sitting in the pipeline, then something needs to be said. Honestly, would NOA's servers have been overloaded if they had released both Burger Time and a VC game?

I don't expect a VC game ever week, but going this long without anything is pitiful. The games are there, waiting to be put on the service, so why is NOA ignoring them?

My expectations are very low for Nintendo's Wii Shop. I have Burgertime for PSN. Its fun and worth a look, but the lack of Wii VC games is a crime against gaming. I'm curious about the Maru Mission game. I've never heard of it.

Well at least I get to save my money till next week then! We have had a good run this year so far!

The japanese box art is better.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fe/Maru_Mission_Boxart.jpg
Assuming this is the same game. I can't tell because one has Ninja while the other has a some kid with a walkman.

In b4 the Virtual console whiners...oh wait, too late

What we have here is.........................failure.

I don't know why people whine about Wii VC all the time. You'd think they'd be use to it enough that they'd just say screw it.

It's more and more clear that 3DS is their focus. Also if you end up not being able to transfer downloads from Wii to Wii U, then I'm kinda glad Nintendo is slowly petering out consumer interest on Wii Shop. That way they can start fresh with the Nintendo Network eshop.

And to those who say "Nintendo doesn't want my money," they're only charging 3 freaking dollars for a Game Boy game, almost as low as a mobile app. Some people will insta-buy just because of that.

wait, hadn't nintendo already used the 40-in-1 megamix cover for a shop banner last last week? I thought they had released that game already!

I knew Maru's Mission came out in Japan recently but I don't think anybody could have predicted it coming out in America today. I thought Prince of Persia for sure.

Assuming this is the same game.

I believe the only difference between them are the cut-scenes but I never played this game.

I don't know why people whine about Wii VC all the time.

Americans see Europe and Japan getting VC games and feel left out. Which is understandable.

@11
Yeah, lol, the US boxart doesn't do nearly as good of a job of showing you what the game is. Brings back fond memories of the Mega Man franchise.

I youtubed the game and it honestly looks like crap. I'll be waiting for a review.

Weeell, they can't all be great, can they?

Another week, another lack of La Mulana -_-

wow, Burger Time! it's been so long I forgot about that one!

@Bass_X0: Just looked up the the Japanese version and US version on youtube... Wow. They changed more than the cutscenes it looks like complete enemies were removed and enemy sprites changed significantly. It has been seriously de-japanified, except for the protagonist who remains a ninja.

My cousin used to have Maru's Mission, so I played it a couple of times back in the days, and I gotta say it's quite a competent platformer. Nothin to whine about, here, really.

meh, I for one am tired of the "take what you're given" nonsense that's going on here. Someone wake me up when there's something offered that people actually want, instead of some random semi-hit from the past.

I'm fine with a lackluster update. I think a lot of the "whiners" have forgotten that for the past like month and a half, it's been one high-profile release after another on the eShop; therefore, my wallet needs a little break. And as for the Wii, I've not downloaded anything to it in at least 8 months so my interest there is dead.

This is the 2nd game on the 3DS Virtual Console this year for America. They have cause to complain. Whereas Europe has four 3DS VC games and two Wii VC games so far.

Wanted Kirby's Block Ball, or Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters..oh well.

I'm a sucker for any platforming adventure so if Maru's Adventure comes to the European eshop I'll pick it up.

Maru's Mission, now that is one I have never heard of! Surprised that is what they chose this week.

Edit: @NintyFan: #27 ^ There was a Kid Icarus sequel on Gameboy, called "Of Myths and Monsters". It's a GB game, & presumably, Nintendo will release it to the eShop to hype up Uprising.

I'll check the review for Maru later. That name reminds me of the Kobayashi Maru test from Star Trek: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobiyashi_Maru The famous no-win scenario.

@brandonbwii: #13 I hope we can transfer our VC/WW collection. For right now, I would consider that stupid, if we couldn't.

@11 keep dreaming

At 2.99 im tempted to instant download that VC platformer.

@bass
...And North America has received more original titles than Europe. All territories have their issues.

Why u can haz so many burger-related virtual console games?

What do you want on the Wii VC so badly that you can't wait until Nintendo is done with its console madness?

Wow, that was unexpected.
Maru's Mission...ok..just....what?
It is a very very strange game. You'll see what I mean if you do buy it. It's a decent platformer, but the strange gameplay and somewhat bad game design at times just mean you'll suddenly look at yourself and wonder what the hell it is you're doing.

Maru's Mission? I will have to take a look at the review when its up. Still no Wii VC

I came to see if we got a new Wii VC game, and it turns out we had one taken away.

People... Wii's VC is dead. Face it. Yes, Nintendo wants to compete with Sony and Microsoft online... but not with the Wii. I love my Wii, but face it, the online infrastructure is crap. At this point, I think they're too busy finishing up the Wii U and getting Nintendo Network fine tuned, they can't be bothered to ressurect the Wii's VC. My prediction is that they will focus a lot more on the Wii U's VC. Along with the 3DS. There's only a few more breaths left in the Wii (Mario Party 9 and the US release of Xenoblade Chronicles to name two), and hopefully Wii U will bring us everything the Wii has failed to delivery (despite quite a few stellar Wii first party games). This late into the game, though, I doubt they'll pour much more effort into the Wii VC. Anything they do will be a pleasant surprise.

What they need is a mix of popular GB/GBC titles and semihits from the past. I like both but all we get are the less popular games. We have Tetris, Mario Land 1 and 2, Kirby Dream Land, Metroid 2 and Link's Awakening. Not quite as bad as people make it out to be but there are a lot more games to release. I would instabuy any GB pokemon game, same with the Oracle games. They could release the GB Wario Land games too.

I do want to see games I've never heard of but more then just titles I've never heard of. I do wish they would just skip titles like Golf.

There are still games they could add to Wii VC if they wanted to but they probably won't. Still, there are also Wii VC games I could buy if I had money.

I am kind of disappointed that Maru's Mission doesn't have anything to do with a chubby cat or cardboard boxes.

Well this week sucks hard for sure but i'm ok with it. We've had quite a few great weeks lately so one stinker in the bunch doesn't really bother me. Now if we have another suckish week next Thursday....then we might have a problem!

Strange that Nintendo seems to ignore Solarstriker.

They're ignoring every game not currently announced or released yet in any region. Solar Striker will come at some point.

@41, I was thinking the same thing! That was one of my first GB titles, and although I could never beat it as a kid, it was soooo addicting! I didn't even know it was a 1st party Nintendo game until recently when I looked it up. It shouldn't be to hard to put on the 3DS VC, it's 1st party and pretty good from what I remember.

Lame VCH and WW, no 3DSware, VC as usual.
So once again my money...goes elsewhere.

@Objection
Maru's Mission might be good. Who knows.
And FINALLY we get a good wiiware. Burgertime is worth putting time and points in. I have been waiting for burgertime for months. And it's finally out.
And I'm glad to see we are also getting a new episode of Dinosaur Office.

No MGS demo yet!?

Still no Monster World IV. Damn!

My worry is Nintendo could forget to transfer all our downloads to the Wii U

For those of you who are claiming that the "Wii is dead" or "Nintendo's focus is on the Wii U or Nintendo Network", I want to respond to your comments.

The problem with those arguments is the simple fact that the Virtual Console is not dead in Japan. Every month, they get a release schedule of new Japanese Virtual Console games and the list normally has at least four games that will be added to the service throughout the month.

The problem with the Wii's VC in North America is the fact that its been ignored over the past few months. I fail to see how setting up the Nintendo Network or prepping the Wii U for release should have any impact on the Wii's VC, especially when Japan seems to have no problems putting up new VC games.

The downloads are updated once a week, and I find it hard to believe that posting old games on a server pulls away resources from other things Nintendo is currently doing.

If Japan's VC was on the downturn as well, I would not be as annoyed at the recent treatment of the VC on the Wii. But Japan is still getting VC games on a regular basis and even Europe has started getting new VC games recently.

Right now, the Wii is still Nintendo's flagship console. That means its download service deserves better then to have a Wiiware game tossed on the server and NOA calling it a day. Right now, we have Adventure Island II, Adventure Island III, Mega Man X2, Prince of Persia, Strider, Super Street Fighter II(Genesis), and Monster World IV in the pipeline.

Even if we discount Super Street Fighter II and Monster World IV due to the alterations or translations that are being done to those games, that still leaves at least five games that could be released. Now, if Nintendo does a staggered schedule of adding VC games every two weeks, that gives Nintendo ten week overall before they exhaust the VC games that are likely to come over here.

And that's not even including games like King of Fighters 97, Samurai Showdown IV, and Real Bout Fatal Fury which have a decent shot of making it over here.

That's plenty of games to pad the schedule with, and ensure the VC gets a fair chance to add new content. I never had a problem with getting a VC game every two weeks. I'm aware that as time goes on, the backlog of older games gets smaller and smaller. But the games are there, and the fact that the VC has gotten nothing since August is pathetic.

Like I said before, I don't expect a VC game every week. But the Wii is still Nintendo's flagship console, and they need to make a better show of their newfound commitment to online. How can I as a consumer expect them to get an online network right when they can't even be bothered to upload an NES game for people to download?

The Wii shop channel has not closed down yet, and if the DSi Shop is any indication, it might not close down right away even after the Wii U launches. Focusing on the future is fine, and I applaud Nintendo for the strides they have taken with the Wii U and the Nintendo Network.

But there are still millions of Wii owners in North America. We deserve better then to be tossed a random Wiiware game every Thursday.

At this point I'm not asking for Donkey Kong 64, Earthbound or Starfox. I'm not asking to get a game every single week. All I want is for NOA to start releasing VC games again.

Marus mission looks fun but is it? dont know

Nothing for me this week, but I'm not going to let that ruin my day. I'm just glad I have tons of other great games to play in my collection!

Well Maru's mission looks fun, and @Keeper does have a good opinion for most the time. Burgertime looks great, however I still never got to buying Final Fantasies for NES and SNES. In the meantime I'll just wait for this Dinosaur Office episode.

Maybe Maru's Mission, but that's about it for me.

The second Legend of Zelda has heavy platforming aspects to it.. it's pretty unique, at least from a gameplay point of view.

Um...wrong thread. lol

Why dont we get demos anymore?

Meh. Enough platformers! I like them, but the 3DS is exaggerating.

I'm kind of sick of all these platformers. Nothing for me this week, but for Wii owners: I've heard that Burgertime World Tour was a pretty decent game. It's also on Xbox and PS3.

@NintyFan: #58 Oh ok. I was kinda unsure if you weren't aware of KI:oM&M. I did some searching, @NintyFan, & it's Siliconera, & NintendoWorldReport giving people this info.

http://www.siliconera.com/2012/01/31/kid-icarus-of-myths-and-monsters-is-a-virtual-console-reverse-import-for-japan/

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/29152

I will say oM&M had cooler boxart, than the original, but that was good too, in an 8-bit way.

That's how I felt about Catrap.

Agreed.

I actually want Nintendo to do what Sony does on PSN every week, upload a ton of stuff so gamers everywhere have something to choose from.

@Caryslan
You quite eloquently expressed sentiments that very much mirror my own, in regards to the Wii VC drought. The fact that Japan still gets Wii VC releases (though also fewer than before) while the rest of the world gets next to none troubles me. But, since the Nintendo branches are separate entities, I can't blame NoJ for it. NoJ appreciates the fact that there still exist Wii owners, who paid for the system and expect continued support, despite the fact that the Wii U is on the way.

I have difficulty saying the same for NoA, which has next-to ended support of Wii owners. We all know there are barely any games coming out in North America for Wii. To release some higher profile VC games would help ease the pain until Wii U's arrival. ANY VC games would help! At this point, I think it's as much about wanting proof that Nintendo still cares about me as a Wii owner, even though there is a new, presumably quite expensive, system they're going to want me to shell out hundreds of Rupees for at year's end.

There is some proof NoA cares, in the form of Xenoblade, but there are still the other Operation Rainfall games (The Last Story was the one I most looked forward to) that are still no-shows. Plus, no VC for months now. Even WiiWare (which I almost despise because it began VC's decline) has severely dropped off. Wii owners haven't been completely abandoned, but we are an afterthought. At least with NoA. I don't know or understand what's going on with it. This was our first 3DS VC game in a couple of weeks, I think.

When it all boils down to it, I'll continue to support Nintendo. I'll be a Nintendo fan until the day I die! But, at least with NoA's branch, I don't like a lot of it's practices, including forgetting about current console owners when the next one is on the horizon. I'm forgiving (though they receive FAR less of my money than they could... which Sony and Microsoft get), but there's no guarantee all alienated North American Wii owners will be when Wii U's release date rolls around. We'll see how serious they are about getting serious about online support.

Eh. The last time I bought a game I knew nothing about was Quick Fill Q, and that was a big mistake. I'll wait for the Maru's Mission review.

man now i really want this. it looks short but for 3 dollars. good deal. sadly ashemana though. i want metroid zero mission really bad and im buying it. meh

@FlutterShyGuy: Not entirely true. While the branches are somewhat separate, NoJ still has authority over NoA and NoE. They are not entirely separate entities