During last week's information-packed Wii U Nintendo Direct, Satoru Iwata revealed there would be a special promotion coming to the Wii U eShop to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Famicon - the Nintendo Entertainment System in the West - called the Wii U Virtual Console Trial Campaign.
The promotion will release a new classic title every month from now until July, and each one can be downloaded for just 30 cents/pence. However, each game will only be available for that price for a limited time; once the next game emerges the previous one will go up in price. For this reason it's important to know just when each game is coming out so you can be sure to pick them all up at the right time.
Thankfully Nintendo has revealed the specific dates for each game's release, when they will become available and when they will go back to their regular prices. The full list is below.
January – Balloon Fight (NES) - From 23rd January to 21st February
February – F-Zero (SNES) - From 20th February to 21st March
March – Punch Out!! Featuring Mr. Dream (NES) - From 20th March to 18th April
April – Kirby’s Adventure (NES) - From 17th April to 16th May
May – Super Metroid (SNES) - From 15th May to 13th June
June – Yoshi / Mario & Yoshi (NES) - From 12th June to 11th July
July – Donkey Kong (NES) - From 15th July to 13th August
So there you have it, seven games for North America and Europe to enjoy for a handful of change.
Which titles are you looking forward to downloading the most? Let us know in the comments below.
[source nintendo.com]
Comments 71
Can't wait till May!
Stoked for a bit of Kirby action!
Im in love with the soundtrack to that game!!
For 30p, I'll probably take them all tbh. Cheers.
I've already got BalloonFight, can't wait for F-Zero and I'll probably get Donkey Kong (again). Undecided on Kirby's... I'll see when the time comes. The other 3 don't interest me.
Props to Nintendo for offering a 30c sale.
A big freaking BOO to Nintendo for not making this sale available to the 90 million people who purchased a Wii. Maybe they couldn't figure out how to convert 30 cents to 30 points?
Well at least we can still play Monster Hunter Tri online...oh wait.
@Rjejr.
The entire point of the sale is to offer another incentive to get a wii U... Putting the same offer on the Wii would make the entire thing pointless.
May ^^
A somewhat nice selection, but if the rest are also 50hz in Europe like Balloon FIght, no thanks!
What I don't get is Virtual Console starts in Spring but the promotion continues until Summer...Maybe Earthbound in April?!?!
F-Zero, Kirby's Adventure and Super Metroid for me.
Even though I have them all but 2... on multiple consoles mind you... For $0.30 each im buying them all!!
Think I'm the only person in the entire world who enjoys Mario and Yoshi.
For 30p, it's an instant download.
Would love to purchase them.
But at 50HZ there seems little point.
I think Nintendo realizes if you buy a $20 card for these, you are left with just enough to get another game.
I would be excited if Nintendo accepted my credit card -_- without my 60 cents they'll be broke very soon.
Super Metroid for 30 cents has to be the best game deal ever.
@hiptanaka Yeah, if anyone doesn't take advantage of that I'll be very confused.
As for me, I'll get F-Zero and Punch-Out!! since I haven't gotten those yet, and I'll get Super Metroid and Kirby's Adventure again because 30 cents is absolutely nothing.
Does anybody know if you upgrade a game previously downloaded on wii, will it still be there in wii mode or deleted?
I'll buy all of them except for Balloon Fight, since I have it on 3DS.
@TheKingOfTown What about Yoshi? Don't you have that on your 3DS as well?
fzero, kirby, and super metroid would be just awesome...just need to save and actually get a Wii U
Super Metroid, F-Zero and good old Kirby.
I'll definitely get a few of these. I'm sincerely hoping Nintendo will visit the Wii U with their arcade classics as well. I know I would happily snap up all three Donkey Kong games and Mario Bros. The NES Donkey Kong with its missing stage just doesn't satisfy...
May is all that matters to me.
$.30 for Super Metroid? Best. Deal. EVER!
@chewytapeworm Im quite keen to try out Mario & Yoshi. Its a puzzle game isnt it?
Hi really hope Nintendo address the disappointing 50Hz issue.
Let me get this straight...if you already own these VC games on the Wii you can transfer them over with system transfer and play them on the Wii menu. But if you get games on the Wii U VC then that allows you to play them on the gamepad. Is that the only difference? Just wondering why you would even need to buy them again.
Anyone spare $1.80? Blew my yearly allowance on Balloon Fight.
@rjejr A big freaking BOO to you for not understanding the point of this
so I can get donkey kong for just a bit more than it costs in the arcade and keep it forever? SWEET! oh yeah, and other games too.
I wish Earthbound could come to VC later on.
Bring on February! Can't wait for F-Zero!
I WANT ALL, BUT 12$ SHORT OF WII U. SCREW LOGIC.
aren't all these Games for 3ds Ambassadors?!
I will most likely get everything but Punch-Out!!, Yoshi, and Super Metroid, because I already have those. It would have been really nice if they would have had fire emblem instead of Yoshi.
I think I'll get everything except DK and Balloon Fight. I have Balloon Fight as an ambassador game on the 3DS and never play it, and I also have DK Original Edition which is the complete game, not the NES version with the missing level.
Definitely picking up the rest though - the only game I have already on the Wii is Kirby's adventure, and it's cheaper to pick it up through the promotion than as an upgrade. I'm most excited for Super Metroid though.
i'll just get "punch out" and "Super Metriod"
@LZBirdboi @Linkstrikesback
When they lowered the price of the 3DS $80 they had an ambassador program to thank people who paid full price and they apologized to those people.
All I've read here is an announcement that they are celebrating the 30 year anniversary of the Famicon (NES) release by offering NES games for 30 cents. I don't see anything saying how Wii U owners are deserving of something like this that could also very easily be extended to Wii owners. If either of you can point me to anything other than the 30 Year Anniversary announcement - hence the 30c games on offer - info I'll retract my big freaking BOO.
hard choice eh thirty pence get a grip and buy them all,playing the first game all the time hope i get better does the game c have an end?.
Of course I'm downloading them all, at 30 cents a game why wouldn't you? But I'm most excited for F-Zero & Super Metroid. It's definitely something to look forward to every month though
This promotion is superb, but everything else about Wii U's VC stinks:
· 50Hz for Europe
· Charge again for the same games even after being transferred.
· Games being 'redone' so how many games are they going to release? Same amount than Wii's VC?
· Expensive prices: 5€ NES, 8€ SNES, etc.
· Focus on NES games. Again.
Gosh. This is a long celebration. I'll get them all, because 30 cents is a steal.
I want super metroid on my 3DS
They'll even put it for 30 cents during my birthday.
Super Metroid is definitely worth another play-through. I imagine I'll end up buying all of these at the discounted rate.
I'd be more picky about those games normally, because they're not all that great - but at 30p a game Nintendo is giving us an amazing deal, so I'm getting them all.
I wasn't going to get DK due to having way too many copies of it, but its coming a day AFTER my birthday! Its like they knew Donkey Kong is my favorite franchise ever. I have to get it now!
As for the rest, Kirby F-Zero and Metroid shall be mine! I'm only skipping Punch-Out and Yoshi.
@rejr
No offence, but the article clearly stated that it's a Wii U only offer:
@Sun
Ehm.. yeah, HELLO! It's to celebrate the NES's 30th birthday, NOT the SNES, GBA or any other console, so of course there's focus on that.
And your comment on prices is also unfounded, since people that have previously downloaded these games for the Wii will get a pretty large discount for the Wii U version.
Watch the Nintendo Direct again if you missed that, or look here:
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2013/01/nintendo_reveals_plans_for_wii_u_virtual_console
Sheesh, complain much?
If you don't like it, don't buy it. It really IS that simple...
Let's hope it's the Original Edition Donkey Kong with the cement factory that gets released.
All of these are nice and I'll probably get them all when they come out since 30 cents is so cheap as to not even be money...
However, what I'm really looking forward to is specific announcements of what GBA titles they are going to release. I'd love to see Metroid Zero Mission since I never had a GBA and the only way I've been able to play it to this point is shoddy emulation.
finally a chance to have super metroid
Hmph, why don't they have a promotion like this for the 3DS?
I guess I'm just jealous. Has anyone heard when this 3DS Direct is supposed to be? There's no info about it on the Japanese Nintendo site yet.
Might have to pick up a Wii U because of this,
and for a million other reasons.
Don't laugh.
I've never gotten to play Super Metroid before, though I have to say I'd prefer it on my 3DS... Nintendo is weird and frustrating sometimes.
Already bought Balloon fight and will get the others too. Super Metroid and F-Zero for only 30 cents? Crazy. But why exactly are they offering SNES games too - I thought this campaign was about Famicom's 30th anniversary?
Wow, just wow...
It's very sad to have to come to the conclusion that with all the great news that was in the latest Nintendo Direct and the extra efforts Nintendo is making, (things that they don't HAVE to do, mind you) that people still get it into their silly little heads to complain about what they are NOT getting. How selfish can you be?
Talk about a 'glass half empty' focus...
Let's just be glad that so many good stuff is coming, that prices are HUGELY reduced for previously downloaded titles, and that they are also still working on improving the experience, amongst others by releasing these patches.
Maybe it's good to remind yourselves that this is also new for Nintendo themselves, to have an HD console and to have a much better and broader online experience, so maybe (if you really like Nintendo and want to support them) you should cut them some slack and hold out on whining until you actually know what this year will bring you.
I personally think we're going to have a very interesting E3 and with all the big titles coming out in march and the months after that there's absolutely no reason to complain, so nothing 'weird and frustrating' to see as far as I am concerned...
Here's to looking at life with a ' glass half full' view, allright? Cheers!
@TheRealThanos cheers!
@TheRealThanos i agree
@MeowGravy It certainly is a puzzle game, a falling block one, in its most stripped down and simple form. No idea why I find it so addicting, but I do!
Going to get them all but the ones I am looking forward too the most is F Zero and Super Metroid.
@TheRealThanos
you speak for me too, bro
when are we going to get a proper vc,one game a month,what about the full amount of games on the wii,there hundreds and we get one a month,they must be havin a laugh at nintendo europe.
@TheRealThanos agreed
I will get Super Metroid! amazing game!
@Marioman64
@theperson
@thelastlemming
@misswliu81
Thnx, you're welcome and/or right back at'cha all...
I'm getting all of them and am planning on wishing away 6 months to get them!
I'm so going to buy all of them. I just can't wait! 30 cents is like... free.
F-Zero for me!
30 cents is marvelous for New Zealand. We usually get screwed on the exchange rate and I end up buying from Ireland
F-Zero in February and Super Metroid in May. Can't wait!! It doesn't bother me too much but can we have 60hz please Nintendo? Seen all the posts on MiiVerse regarding Balloon Fight, saying can we Europeans have 60hz like USA and Japan.
A little over two bucks to download them all? Jeeze, yes, please!
Show Comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...