Sounds like M2 is handling the emulation chores, which is certainly good news and assures us of high quality emulation. It's just a shame it's only happening now in 2019, when I don't have any need for it thanks to Analogue.
I hope AtGames is involved to a degree here. They got a lot of well deserved flak, but tried hard in 2017 to revamp their product and nearly got it perfected with the stealth release of their 2018 model.
So while I don't have much sympathy for them after so many years of no attempt at improvements, I imagine it's a disappointment for those at the company that finally spearheaded major improvements, to now be out of the picture.
So I wouldn't mind seeing Sega toss them a bone here, and take advantage of their retail connections and knowledge of the plug and play market with them handling distribution chores in North America. Getting product in this category onto store shelves year in and year out is the one thing AtGames excelled at for years.
If they're willing to make a non-switchable Switch system, I hope they consider a Playstation TV style Switch console one of these days that's bundled with a Pro Controller.
@Guru_Larry GameCube backwards compatibility went even before that, with the first Wii revision.
Surprised the article doesn't explain the likely rationale behind this. Back then, Nintendo and many other publishers had it in for the rental system. This of course would've made it difficult for those renting the game over a weekend to finish it, and quite possibly could've led to Nintendo making some money off the rental (Such as if the player contacted Nintendo's gameplay support line for a fee to get the solution needed to progress).
Not a real problem of course today even though it's portrayed as a big roadblock here, since the ability to play this on a Switch indicates that they're able to go online with their system. And the solution of course is easily located via a simple internet search. It is disappointing that this wasn't thought through more thoroughly though for a more seamless solution, but heck, Nintendo's own NES/SNES Classic systems don't even bother including scans on the system themselves, so not a shocker.
That all said, I loved how the Wii Virtual Console worked around this. Rather than the simple scan as seen on the Wii U, you actually virtually dip a letter in water on the Wii version.
At least we won't get NintendoLife using their annoying image anymore during livestreams of Nintendo Directs, with his face plastered on the bulldog nose of an Australian CLP locomotive.
With how the 3DS was mistreated while Nintendo was focusing on turning around the Wii U for a couple of years, I'd of never bet we'd still be seeing support years later in 2019 (Even if they're just ports).
I thought we'd see the 1st party releases dry up 3 or 4 years ago.
If this has all the DLC and it's all on cartridge with no day 1 download, I'm interested.
The DLC never goes on sale on the 360, so I've just bought the two most interesting packs (The PS3 version got a season pass which goes on sale seemingly every other week, so I've been tempted more than once to just rebuy the entire thing over there). But knowing Codemasters and their past history with Nintendo, I'm not too optimistic it will get a retail release in North America, let alone go all out with everything on cartridge.
Codemasters has never tried very hard to succeed on Nintendo platforms, but hopefully this ends up a change of form for them. Grid Autosport is an ideal choice for a port since it's a fine game and as a late 360/PS3 release that happened months after the XB1/PS4 launched (And not too long after the disappointing Grid 2), it seemed to get overlooked. And there hasn't been a Grid sequel since then to overshadow it, either.
I also hope now that Codemasters is giving this property some attention, that they perhaps submit the 360 version to the Xbox One backwards compatibility team while the licenses remain valid.
@The_Mysteron It's not really a sim though for all but the most casual of player. Grid is pretty arcadey, although Grid Autosport at least dials it back a level from Grid 2 where the real life cars and tracks basically felt completely out of place with the physics that were in place.
If you're expecting something on the level of even the Codemasters F1 series (Which most sim fans would label a simcade since it straddles the line nicely for accessibility, blending the two disciplines), it's definitely not nearly as realistic and leans more towards the arcade side of the spectrum.
And it definitely isn't a full fledged sim like Dirt Rally and likely the upcoming Dirt Rally 2.0 are.
Of course this is all relative. I'm an iRacing fan for instance, so my ideal of what constitutes a simulator is going to be different than someone that that might play one racing game a generation with real vehicles.
For that person, just the presence of real vehicles, real tracks, and having to actually hit a brake button occasionally is going to be enough for it to reach sim status to them.
Nintendo's faq says it's not closing. The Wii Shop deadline is for the spending of your Wii Points balance (Which for most still active users, actually happened last year when the previous deadline for adding credit came around; While some people clearly held onto a balance waiting for some unknown reason until the last minute to spend it, I imagine most did what I did and emptied their balance last year when they last added points).
The full closure of the shop will happen at a later date that is yet to be announced. So redownloading of content and Wii to Wii U system transfers will still be an option come February 1st.
@AlienX Just because it's an emulated classic game on the Wii doesn't mean it's a Virtual Console title that you're playing. The Virtual Console specifically is in reference to a digital service through the Wii Shop that distributed emulated classic games.
You can look all you want in an attempt to find a Virtual Console reference on the outer box for Kirby's Dream Collection, the case insert itself on the Wii case inside, and the paperwork. But you're wasting your time since there isn't any.
@SakuraHaruka Just to clarify your point, Nintendo can of course publish the game again. The NES and SNES conversions were 1st party efforts and Nintendo holds the copyright to both.
They issue is that they'd have to resecure the necessary licenses to the Sim City trademark and copyright, just as they did 25+ years ago and again during the Wii Virtual Console years.
Of the list, I'd buy Dark Moon, A Link Between Worlds, and Samus Returns.
I'd love to see Super Mario 3D Land's levels be ported into the Super Mario 3D World engine, perhaps a few adjustments be made for 2D, and be sold with Super Mario 3D World as a single package on the Switch. Maybe even toss in the excised Super Mario 3D World stages from Captain Toad's Treasure Tracker that were removed from the Switch port to further sweeten the deal.
I'd also like to see Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask 3D be further upgraded and ported. And hopefully the remaining Sega Super Scaler arcade games that the 3DS received but that have yet to be announced for the NS, happen eventually. Especially Turbo Outrun.
@Strumpan New Super Mario Bros. U and New Super Luigi U lacked Classic Controller support.
Further, they'd need L/R buttons to rotate platforms and activate certain actions, in lieu of motion controls. So while the SNES Classic controller would've been a perfect fit, the NES Classic pad wouldn't be.
But as I understand it, the NES pad for the Switch does have shoulder buttons.
Is this fully playable with the NES style gamepad? And can you switch to Luigi U style physics for the New Super Mario Bros. U portion?
Those may be the only reasons I'd double dip here after 100% finishing the main game for both NSMBU and NSLU on the Wii U back in early 2014 after getting a Wii U for Christmas a year after launch.
I still need to go back and replay New Super Luigi U with the Mario style physics that I believe I unlocked after finishing it.
@mist That will surely be happening when Super Mario Odyssey has had a bit more time to itself. Only turned a year old less than two months ago.
While they're two very different styles of 3D Mario platformers, they're both still 3D Mario platformers and I'm sure SMO has remained a strong sales performer this Christmas season.
I bet it happens at some point in 2019 or 2020. Super Mario 3D World is far too good of a game for it to remain a Wii U exclusive for long.
Odd, I thought it was almost Christmas here. I must've fallen asleep over three months ago and somehow survived my winter hibernation, since it's apparently April 1st rather than a week before Christmas.
@SuperWeird AtGames has tried, but Activision so far has only been willing to play ball in the plug and play realm. But maybe down the road AtGames and Code Mystics can bring that catalog to the XB1/PS4/NS.
Much too small of a seller for today's Activision to consider contracting the development of and publishing themselves, even if it was kept a digital exclusive. So hopefully they become more welcoming to licensing out their heritage in time, since the last console Activision compilation on the PS2 is itself now classic gaming material to many gamers. We're long overdue for a modern version and I'm confident Code Mystics could do a great job at it, while AtGames involvement on the publishing side guarantees a physical release of it.
@Bermanator I personally love Red Baron. If you're perhaps not too familiar with it and have formed that opinion after playing it here, I'd give it a second look after adjusting the sensitivity on the controls. On Atari Vault and the PS4/XB1 versions, it was near unplayable without adjustments. I was hoping Code Mystics had fined tuned the defaults for the Switch, but perhaps they didn't.
As for why Battlezone on the same hardware is absent, Atari SA was really struggling a few years ago and initiated an IP fire sale. They quickly had a change of heart and stopped scattering Atari's heritage to the winds, but not before several properties had been sold. This alas included Battlezone, which is now owned by Rebellion.
So that means the arcade classic with its twin stick controls that translate so brilliantly to modern console gamepads is absent here, as well as the excellent 2600 conversion. An unfortunate loss of what in the past was always a highlight of past compilations of Atari Inc's arcade/2600 heritage.
@scully1888 And I've already made it clear that I agree that there's a lot of not so great games in this collection (And quite a few worthwhile games that simply either don't translate well to Nintendo Switch controllers or require multiple players to enjoy and are thus unlikely for most players to be fully enjoyed).
But even when you've removed all of that, it's a big disservice to this library to state that you're "probably only really left with around 15 titles that will hold your attention for more than a minute".
"The emulation is flawless too, though to be fair we’d expect nothing less given that there’s probably more complicated tech to be found in an amiibo"
Rather ignorant statement, actually. No offense intended, but emulation isn't easy nor is it solely based on power. Read this article from 2005 from the current head of Code Mystics, back when the original Digital Eclipse studio had just wrapped up Atari Anthology. Explains well why the Atari 2600 was such a complicated beast to accurately emulate.
Poor review in general. It's no sin to admit that there's a lot of material here that isn't great or doesn't translate well to modern controllers, but to not be able to see the numerous gems scattered through this lineup tells me you weren't the right reviewer for the job. [Edit: And I should add that that's no crime; We all have different taste and I know for an example that even if I was as skilled at writing reviews as you are, I'm not the right person to review a fighting game or a JRPG.]
The developers have annoyed me a few times, but I sure want to play this game. Always been fascinated by fire towers, I love the aesthetics of the game, and the few minutes of the game when it first appeared on PS4 looked really intriguing.
High on my wish list and I'll get to it one of these days.
Also going over other comments, yes, a vertical mode is included. And Activision hasn't been responsive to efforts to license their IP for a modern Activision Flashback compilation. But on the bright side, AtGames has finally struck a deal with them on the plug and play side. So hopefully that paves the way for a modernized Activision Anthology down the road, hopefully expanded to include other classic platforms like the 5200 (Code Mystics has the emulator all ready).
The primary faults with this collection rest in two areas. The first major issue is that many of the games, including a sizable chunk of the good games, relied on unique types of controllers that just don't translate well to contemporary styles of game controllers. Particularly the track-ball arcade games and Atari 2600 paddle games. On the bright side, I bet the Switch in handheld mode handles the 5200 well with its analog stick and the ability to have the keypad overlay on the touch screen.
The second is the 2600 game lineup itself. Atari's results as a developer for their own console were rather mixed. A good number of successes, but a lot of duds. And many of the best in-house efforts were ports of licensed arcade games like Moon Patrol and Ms. Pac-Man, which aren't present. After removing from the equation all the chaff, sports games, paddle games, and the two player only games like Combat (unless you're lucky enough to find a partner), relegates it to about 20 high quality 2600 games.
And thanks to Atari SA's shortsightedness when they initiated a firesale on Atari IP a few years ago, no Battlezone is included. Not only is Battlezone one of the greats of the arcade gaming world, but unlike so many other classics, it translates beautifully to modern twin stick console controllers. And the 2600 port was absolutely amazing, single player, and relied on the 2600 joystick and thus would've translated well to the Switch.
On the bright side, 150 games for $40, dozens of good games, Switch in handheld mode is better positioned to make things like 5200 Star Raiders enjoyable than other platforms, and a lot of fascinating history are here. I'll admit 100 games are either relics of the past or for various reasons just don't translate well to modern platforms, but it still leaves a solid 50 game collection.
@Retr0gamedad Despite the massive size, only a handful of emulators are involved. And it was primarily platforms that Code Mystics were already intimately familiar with. Other than perhaps some of the early black & white microprocessor based arcade games, it's all familiar ground for them.
And the work was done over the span of three individual 50 game volumes, which were brought together for the Switch release in conjunction with volume 3's release on other platforms (since the Switch never received volumes 1 and 2).
Their emulation work is top notch. While I haven't yet gotten my hands on volume 3 to check out the Atari 5200 emulator, what I've seen with their unlockable Atari 400 emulator (A closely related cousin to the 5200) on the DS leaves me confident they got it right.
@Moroboshi876 Here's a presentation Digital Eclipse did for this project several months ago. I set it to start at the portion where they show the time line that they carefully researched and assembled.
Micon Kit (1978), Safari Rally (1979), and Yosaku (1979) predate Ozma War's release. Only Safari Rally is out there on the internet today.
There's at least one Japanese gamer with a variety of Micon Kit (There were somewhere between 3 and 6 variants of this Breakout style clone) and Yosaku, with videos posted to YouTube. But he sadly wasn't cooperative when approached by Digital Eclipse (Whom very much wanted to include Yosaku and talk as if they'd patch it to include it if they ever get their hands on a rom dump).
Shame Safari Rally is awol. Not only is it the earliest SNK game that they had access to, but it was slated to be a PSP Mini a few years ago, was finished by G1M2, and was even rated by the ESRB. But SNK ended their PSP Minis program before it was released, leaving it and at least one other finished game on the shelf. So it missed the cut a second time here when Digital Eclipse passed it over.
@DockEllisD It was subsequently updated to correct the error, DockEllisD.
It's an easy mistake to make by the way. Ozma Wars is widely held to be SNK's 1st game on the internet. Heck, until two months or so ago I had been thinking it was for 20 years at least.
But the timeline in SNK 40th Anniversary Collection tells a very different story.
@MysteryCupofJoe Licensing agreements can be weird, but I'm sure Sega would love to continue to rerelease those two games. Nice that they remain available to buy (Also remain available elsewhere like XBLA), but I doubt it's a coincidence that they haven't been rereleased in several years now.
I'm not saying it's fan allegations with the soundtrack. Too often such theories that get passed around as fact just end up being proven as hogwash, like all the nonsense one website spread about Earthbound. That was taken by many people as proof that it would never be rereleased or would be heavily edited if it was.
Disappointed that no mentions were made about the specifics of the retail release (i.e., is it all on the cartridge?).
Also was curious if button remapping was implemented. There were a couple of presets on the XB1/PS4, but no way to actually map the buttons fully correctly for six button gamepads from Hori and others. Was hoping to see that oversight that was easily rectifiable, actually be fixed here (Although I'm not optimistic that it was).
And this was a bit of a laugh...
"not Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles (the latter perhaps due to the complexities of its cart-swapping mechanics, which, on the original hardware, required you to bolt one of the three previous games into the top of the game)."
Someone must've believed the pr excuse given out for why it was absent on Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection, when in actuality it was done to drive sales of Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles on XBLA/PSN by keeping that feature exclusive.
To prove my point, I challenge anyone to download a Sega Genesis romset that doesn't have a Sonic 3 & Knuckles rom included. Heck, even the Retron 5 properly dumps the combined cartridge when inserted into the system. If a Hyperkin open source system can dump Sonic 3 & Knuckles, there's no technical challenge involved in doing so.
It's likely absent here for the same reason why standalone Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles aren't here, which seems to revolve around some sort of rights issue (Same with the Ecco franchise, which is the only other glaring omission from the PS2 and PS3/360 era compilations).
Not only is that a heck of a list, but it's not even all of it. Lots of other stuff like classic Psikyo arcade shooters like the Strikers 1945 franchise (Which will be finished soon with the first ever home port of Strikers 1945 Part III) and tons of classic pinball recreations.
Classic gaming fans have a lot to love on the Switch and those saying ludicrous things about classic NES titles aren't classic gaming fans in any way, shape, or form.
And frankly after buying a lot of Virtual Console downloads on the Wii/Wii U, owning the NES/SNES Classic Edition, and a Retro USB AVS and Super NT (Not to mention an original NES and a HD Retrovision equipped SNES connected to a Trinitron), I'm not in the market to rebuy all of the standbys like Super Metroid all over again on the Switch.
I'm well served with such libraries already and doubt I'm alone in that sentiment. But I'm happily willing to pay the $20 a year or whatever it is for a Netflix style setup for when I'm on the Switch and in the mood to run through Super Mario Brothers without changing to another system.
So I actually like what Nintendo is doing, despite it going against my nature of preferring physical media or at least some form of limited digital ownership. It's giving me convenient access to some of the greatest classics of the past on the latest Nintendo platform, that I otherwise wouldn't be rebuying for $5-$10 a pop.
I don't mind waiting to see it grow and what new additions there might be, as long as they don't let it wither on the vine in the tradition of the Virtual Console after the first couple of years.
Disappointing that it seemingly doesn't work like a Super Game Boy. But having HDMI makes this interesting. If it's accurate, has clean HD output, and supports Y & B on a SNES controller, I'll consider it.
Have a Retro Duo gathering dust that was just bought out of curiosity a decade ago to check it out, that has no practical use with original SNES hardware and a Super NT. Could set it up as a full-time HD GB/GBC system, if this beats the odds and is worthwhile.
Hopefully it has SD rom loading features, since it very well may not work with a Game Boy Everdrive.
@Nemodius Yep, the genie is long out of the bottle. It's a pointless waste of resources and poor publicity for Nintendo in a war that they'll never be able to win.
I really hope we get Neo Drift Out. Will require a handful of licenses or slight graphics modifications, but it's the best of the Neo Geo racers. It may even require licensing it from Visco, since while SNK published it, the title screen shows the copyright as being held by the developer.
I'm crossing my fingers, but not holding my breath. A few too many hurdles for it to be a safe bet.
1. Alpha Mission (Console/Arcade)
2. Athena (Console/Arcade)
3. Beast Busters (Arcade)
4. Bermuda Triangle (Arcade)
5. Chopper I (Arcade)
6. Crystalis (Console)
7. Fantasy (Arcade)
8. Ikari Warriors (Console/Arcade)
9. Ikari Warriors II: Victory Road (Console/Arcade)
10. Ikari Warriors III: The Rescue (Console/Arcade)
11. Guerrilla War (Console/Arcade)
12. Munch Mobile (Arcade)
13. Ozma Wars (Arcade)
14. P.O.W. (Console/Arcade)
15. Paddle Mania (Arcade)
16. Prehistoric Isle (Arcade)
17. Psycho Soldier (Arcade)
18. Sasuke vs. Commander (Arcade)
19. Search and Rescue (Arcade)
20. Street Smart (Arcade)
21. Time Soldiers (Arcade)
22. TNK III (Console/Arcade)
23. Vanguard (Arcade)
24. World Wars (Arcade)
The 8 games here that are included in both arcade and NES form make for a list that in actuality is 32 games. Also note that the 13 games you're talking about are all that's on the cartridge out of the case. The remaining 11 arcade games will come in two free DLC packs later this year, with five in pack 1 and six in pack 2.
@Lord I doubt we'll get a sequel. There are simply no big names left on the arcade side (Although there's still Baseball Stars for the NES), so I suspect it will be up to Hamster if a small number of these make it out on this generation of hardware (They also have a SNK pre-Neo Geo licensing arrangement and just released Alpha Mission as an Arcade Archives download).
Ignoring a couple of SNK's earliest arcade games that aren't accessible in rom format and have perhaps the final extant survivors being held by an overzealous collector, this is basically the list of what's left, per the timeline in SNK 40th Anniversary Collection (Was one title I couldn't read on a YouTube stream and the list continued into 1990 but the Digital Eclipse guy didn't scroll to the end).
Some good games, but no arcade classics to headline a collection with, I'm afraid. Could be a nice paid DLC pack out of these though, but we've never seen that with a classic compilation.
But then we again, we've never seen post-release "free" DLC, either...
Comments 763
Re: Sega Mega Drive Mini Launches Worldwide This September
@Ralizah Don't forget Mercs and Ghouls 'n' Ghosts from Capcom.
Re: Sega Mega Drive Mini Launches Worldwide This September
Sounds like M2 is handling the emulation chores, which is certainly good news and assures us of high quality emulation. It's just a shame it's only happening now in 2019, when I don't have any need for it thanks to Analogue.
I hope AtGames is involved to a degree here. They got a lot of well deserved flak, but tried hard in 2017 to revamp their product and nearly got it perfected with the stealth release of their 2018 model.
So while I don't have much sympathy for them after so many years of no attempt at improvements, I imagine it's a disappointment for those at the company that finally spearheaded major improvements, to now be out of the picture.
So I wouldn't mind seeing Sega toss them a bone here, and take advantage of their retail connections and knowledge of the plug and play market with them handling distribution chores in North America. Getting product in this category onto store shelves year in and year out is the one thing AtGames excelled at for years.
Re: Rumour: This Year's 'Budget' Switch Could Take The 2DS Route And Ditch A Killer Feature
If they're willing to make a non-switchable Switch system, I hope they consider a Playstation TV style Switch console one of these days that's bundled with a Pro Controller.
@Guru_Larry GameCube backwards compatibility went even before that, with the first Wii revision.
Re: Nintendo Forgot That You Can't Complete StarTropics Without The Original NES Manual
Surprised the article doesn't explain the likely rationale behind this. Back then, Nintendo and many other publishers had it in for the rental system. This of course would've made it difficult for those renting the game over a weekend to finish it, and quite possibly could've led to Nintendo making some money off the rental (Such as if the player contacted Nintendo's gameplay support line for a fee to get the solution needed to progress).
Not a real problem of course today even though it's portrayed as a big roadblock here, since the ability to play this on a Switch indicates that they're able to go online with their system. And the solution of course is easily located via a simple internet search. It is disappointing that this wasn't thought through more thoroughly though for a more seamless solution, but heck, Nintendo's own NES/SNES Classic systems don't even bother including scans on the system themselves, so not a shocker.
That all said, I loved how the Wii Virtual Console worked around this. Rather than the simple scan as seen on the Wii U, you actually virtually dip a letter in water on the Wii version.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_g_u4KUlW9A
Re: Doug Bowser Thanks Nintendo Fans For The "Warm Messages"
At least we won't get NintendoLife using their annoying image anymore during livestreams of Nintendo Directs, with his face plastered on the bulldog nose of an Australian CLP locomotive.
Re: Video: Watch Four Minutes Of Kirby In This Extra Epic Overview Trailer
With how the 3DS was mistreated while Nintendo was focusing on turning around the Wii U for a couple of years, I'd of never bet we'd still be seeing support years later in 2019 (Even if they're just ports).
I thought we'd see the 1st party releases dry up 3 or 4 years ago.
Re: Here's Your First Look At Some Lovely GRID Autosport Switch Screenshots
@Swoltacular It's not a simulator. A simple digital on/off button will suffice if you're interested in this game.
Re: Here's Your First Look At Some Lovely GRID Autosport Switch Screenshots
If this has all the DLC and it's all on cartridge with no day 1 download, I'm interested.
The DLC never goes on sale on the 360, so I've just bought the two most interesting packs (The PS3 version got a season pass which goes on sale seemingly every other week, so I've been tempted more than once to just rebuy the entire thing over there). But knowing Codemasters and their past history with Nintendo, I'm not too optimistic it will get a retail release in North America, let alone go all out with everything on cartridge.
Codemasters has never tried very hard to succeed on Nintendo platforms, but hopefully this ends up a change of form for them. Grid Autosport is an ideal choice for a port since it's a fine game and as a late 360/PS3 release that happened months after the XB1/PS4 launched (And not too long after the disappointing Grid 2), it seemed to get overlooked. And there hasn't been a Grid sequel since then to overshadow it, either.
I also hope now that Codemasters is giving this property some attention, that they perhaps submit the 360 version to the Xbox One backwards compatibility team while the licenses remain valid.
Re: Here's Your First Look At Some Lovely GRID Autosport Switch Screenshots
@The_Mysteron It's not really a sim though for all but the most casual of player. Grid is pretty arcadey, although Grid Autosport at least dials it back a level from Grid 2 where the real life cars and tracks basically felt completely out of place with the physics that were in place.
If you're expecting something on the level of even the Codemasters F1 series (Which most sim fans would label a simcade since it straddles the line nicely for accessibility, blending the two disciplines), it's definitely not nearly as realistic and leans more towards the arcade side of the spectrum.
And it definitely isn't a full fledged sim like Dirt Rally and likely the upcoming Dirt Rally 2.0 are.
Of course this is all relative. I'm an iRacing fan for instance, so my ideal of what constitutes a simulator is going to be different than someone that that might play one racing game a generation with real vehicles.
For that person, just the presence of real vehicles, real tracks, and having to actually hit a brake button occasionally is going to be enough for it to reach sim status to them.
Re: Talking Point: What Do You Want From A Switch Mini?
I want a consolized Switch like the PSTV was for the Vita, bundled with a Pro Controller.
Re: So Long Wii Shop Channel, And Thanks For All The Games
Nintendo's faq says it's not closing. The Wii Shop deadline is for the spending of your Wii Points balance (Which for most still active users, actually happened last year when the previous deadline for adding credit came around; While some people clearly held onto a balance waiting for some unknown reason until the last minute to spend it, I imagine most did what I did and emptied their balance last year when they last added points).
The full closure of the shop will happen at a later date that is yet to be announced. So redownloading of content and Wii to Wii U system transfers will still be an option come February 1st.
Re: Review: Sphinx And The Cursed Mummy - A Bit Musty Due To Age, But Still Worth A Look
@JayJ It's been in my backlog since circa 2005 when I picked it up cheap, but this game was reasonably well received back then.
I'd like to play through it on my GameCube one of these days.
Re: This Custom Game Boy Cartridge Turns Your Old Handhelds Into GameCube And Wii Controllers
@AlienX They're both emulation, so fair enough.
Re: This Custom Game Boy Cartridge Turns Your Old Handhelds Into GameCube And Wii Controllers
@AlienX Just because it's an emulated classic game on the Wii doesn't mean it's a Virtual Console title that you're playing. The Virtual Console specifically is in reference to a digital service through the Wii Shop that distributed emulated classic games.
You can look all you want in an attempt to find a Virtual Console reference on the outer box for Kirby's Dream Collection, the case insert itself on the Wii case inside, and the paperwork. But you're wasting your time since there isn't any.
Re: This Custom Game Boy Cartridge Turns Your Old Handhelds Into GameCube And Wii Controllers
@AlienX And that's not the Wii Virtual Console. It's a compilation disc called Kirby's Dream Collection.
Re: Random: Chinese Developer Found Selling Super Mario Bros. ROM On Microsoft's Digital Store
@patbacknitro18 60 fps
Re: Unreleased NES SimCity Gets Preserved, Publicly Released
@SakuraHaruka Just to clarify your point, Nintendo can of course publish the game again. The NES and SNES conversions were 1st party efforts and Nintendo holds the copyright to both.
They issue is that they'd have to resecure the necessary licenses to the Sim City trademark and copyright, just as they did 25+ years ago and again during the Wii Virtual Console years.
Re: Soapbox: 8 Nintendo 3DS Games We'd Love To See On Switch
Of the list, I'd buy Dark Moon, A Link Between Worlds, and Samus Returns.
I'd love to see Super Mario 3D Land's levels be ported into the Super Mario 3D World engine, perhaps a few adjustments be made for 2D, and be sold with Super Mario 3D World as a single package on the Switch. Maybe even toss in the excised Super Mario 3D World stages from Captain Toad's Treasure Tracker that were removed from the Switch port to further sweeten the deal.
I'd also like to see Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask 3D be further upgraded and ported. And hopefully the remaining Sega Super Scaler arcade games that the 3DS received but that have yet to be announced for the NS, happen eventually. Especially Turbo Outrun.
Re: Video: Take A Look At New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe In This Introduction Trailer
@Strumpan New Super Mario Bros. U and New Super Luigi U lacked Classic Controller support.
Further, they'd need L/R buttons to rotate platforms and activate certain actions, in lieu of motion controls. So while the SNES Classic controller would've been a perfect fit, the NES Classic pad wouldn't be.
But as I understand it, the NES pad for the Switch does have shoulder buttons.
Re: Video: Take A Look At New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe In This Introduction Trailer
Is this fully playable with the NES style gamepad? And can you switch to Luigi U style physics for the New Super Mario Bros. U portion?
Those may be the only reasons I'd double dip here after 100% finishing the main game for both NSMBU and NSLU on the Wii U back in early 2014 after getting a Wii U for Christmas a year after launch.
I still need to go back and replay New Super Luigi U with the Mario style physics that I believe I unlocked after finishing it.
Re: Video: Take A Look At New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe In This Introduction Trailer
@mist That will surely be happening when Super Mario Odyssey has had a bit more time to itself. Only turned a year old less than two months ago.
While they're two very different styles of 3D Mario platformers, they're both still 3D Mario platformers and I'm sure SMO has remained a strong sales performer this Christmas season.
I bet it happens at some point in 2019 or 2020. Super Mario 3D World is far too good of a game for it to remain a Wii U exclusive for long.
Re: Guide: Every Nintendo Console Ranked From Worst To Best
NES is 11th yet the Switch is #1? lol...
Odd, I thought it was almost Christmas here. I must've fallen asleep over three months ago and somehow survived my winter hibernation, since it's apparently April 1st rather than a week before Christmas.
Re: Review: Atari Flashback Classics - This Dusty Collection Sadly Opts For Quantity Over Quality
@SuperWeird AtGames has tried, but Activision so far has only been willing to play ball in the plug and play realm. But maybe down the road AtGames and Code Mystics can bring that catalog to the XB1/PS4/NS.
Much too small of a seller for today's Activision to consider contracting the development of and publishing themselves, even if it was kept a digital exclusive. So hopefully they become more welcoming to licensing out their heritage in time, since the last console Activision compilation on the PS2 is itself now classic gaming material to many gamers. We're long overdue for a modern version and I'm confident Code Mystics could do a great job at it, while AtGames involvement on the publishing side guarantees a physical release of it.
Re: Review: Atari Flashback Classics - This Dusty Collection Sadly Opts For Quantity Over Quality
@Bermanator I personally love Red Baron. If you're perhaps not too familiar with it and have formed that opinion after playing it here, I'd give it a second look after adjusting the sensitivity on the controls. On Atari Vault and the PS4/XB1 versions, it was near unplayable without adjustments. I was hoping Code Mystics had fined tuned the defaults for the Switch, but perhaps they didn't.
As for why Battlezone on the same hardware is absent, Atari SA was really struggling a few years ago and initiated an IP fire sale. They quickly had a change of heart and stopped scattering Atari's heritage to the winds, but not before several properties had been sold. This alas included Battlezone, which is now owned by Rebellion.
So that means the arcade classic with its twin stick controls that translate so brilliantly to modern console gamepads is absent here, as well as the excellent 2600 conversion. An unfortunate loss of what in the past was always a highlight of past compilations of Atari Inc's arcade/2600 heritage.
Re: Review: Atari Flashback Classics - This Dusty Collection Sadly Opts For Quantity Over Quality
@scully1888 And I've already made it clear that I agree that there's a lot of not so great games in this collection (And quite a few worthwhile games that simply either don't translate well to Nintendo Switch controllers or require multiple players to enjoy and are thus unlikely for most players to be fully enjoyed).
But even when you've removed all of that, it's a big disservice to this library to state that you're "probably only really left with around 15 titles that will hold your attention for more than a minute".
Re: Review: Atari Flashback Classics - This Dusty Collection Sadly Opts For Quantity Over Quality
"The emulation is flawless too, though to be fair we’d expect nothing less given that there’s probably more complicated tech to be found in an amiibo"
Rather ignorant statement, actually. No offense intended, but emulation isn't easy nor is it solely based on power. Read this article from 2005 from the current head of Code Mystics, back when the original Digital Eclipse studio had just wrapped up Atari Anthology. Explains well why the Atari 2600 was such a complicated beast to accurately emulate.
https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/130598/back_to_the_classics_perfecting_.php?page=1
Poor review in general. It's no sin to admit that there's a lot of material here that isn't great or doesn't translate well to modern controllers, but to not be able to see the numerous gems scattered through this lineup tells me you weren't the right reviewer for the job. [Edit: And I should add that that's no crime; We all have different taste and I know for an example that even if I was as skilled at writing reviews as you are, I'm not the right person to review a fighting game or a JRPG.]
Re: Review: Firewatch - There's No Smoke Without Fire In This Essential Indie Hit
The developers have annoyed me a few times, but I sure want to play this game. Always been fascinated by fire towers, I love the aesthetics of the game, and the few minutes of the game when it first appeared on PS4 looked really intriguing.
High on my wish list and I'll get to it one of these days.
Re: Reminder: Atari Flashback Classics Is Out Now On Switch, 150 Games Included
Also going over other comments, yes, a vertical mode is included. And Activision hasn't been responsive to efforts to license their IP for a modern Activision Flashback compilation. But on the bright side, AtGames has finally struck a deal with them on the plug and play side. So hopefully that paves the way for a modernized Activision Anthology down the road, hopefully expanded to include other classic platforms like the 5200 (Code Mystics has the emulator all ready).
The primary faults with this collection rest in two areas. The first major issue is that many of the games, including a sizable chunk of the good games, relied on unique types of controllers that just don't translate well to contemporary styles of game controllers. Particularly the track-ball arcade games and Atari 2600 paddle games. On the bright side, I bet the Switch in handheld mode handles the 5200 well with its analog stick and the ability to have the keypad overlay on the touch screen.
The second is the 2600 game lineup itself. Atari's results as a developer for their own console were rather mixed. A good number of successes, but a lot of duds. And many of the best in-house efforts were ports of licensed arcade games like Moon Patrol and Ms. Pac-Man, which aren't present. After removing from the equation all the chaff, sports games, paddle games, and the two player only games like Combat (unless you're lucky enough to find a partner), relegates it to about 20 high quality 2600 games.
And thanks to Atari SA's shortsightedness when they initiated a firesale on Atari IP a few years ago, no Battlezone is included. Not only is Battlezone one of the greats of the arcade gaming world, but unlike so many other classics, it translates beautifully to modern twin stick console controllers. And the 2600 port was absolutely amazing, single player, and relied on the 2600 joystick and thus would've translated well to the Switch.
On the bright side, 150 games for $40, dozens of good games, Switch in handheld mode is better positioned to make things like 5200 Star Raiders enjoyable than other platforms, and a lot of fascinating history are here. I'll admit 100 games are either relics of the past or for various reasons just don't translate well to modern platforms, but it still leaves a solid 50 game collection.
Re: Reminder: Atari Flashback Classics Is Out Now On Switch, 150 Games Included
@Retr0gamedad Despite the massive size, only a handful of emulators are involved. And it was primarily platforms that Code Mystics were already intimately familiar with. Other than perhaps some of the early black & white microprocessor based arcade games, it's all familiar ground for them.
And the work was done over the span of three individual 50 game volumes, which were brought together for the Switch release in conjunction with volume 3's release on other platforms (since the Switch never received volumes 1 and 2).
Their emulation work is top notch. While I haven't yet gotten my hands on volume 3 to check out the Atari 5200 emulator, what I've seen with their unlockable Atari 400 emulator (A closely related cousin to the 5200) on the DS leaves me confident they got it right.
Re: NES And SNES Classic Consoles Won't Be Restocked After Holidays, "Once They Sell Out, They’re Gone"
I have two of each and an extra pair of NES Classic controllers, so I suppose I'm okay with this.
Re: Reminder: SNK 40th Anniversary Collection Receives 11 Games As Free DLC Today
@Moroboshi876 Here's a presentation Digital Eclipse did for this project several months ago. I set it to start at the portion where they show the time line that they carefully researched and assembled.
https://youtu.be/LjO-zrLUhcU?t=5m30s
Micon Kit (1978), Safari Rally (1979), and Yosaku (1979) predate Ozma War's release. Only Safari Rally is out there on the internet today.
There's at least one Japanese gamer with a variety of Micon Kit (There were somewhere between 3 and 6 variants of this Breakout style clone) and Yosaku, with videos posted to YouTube. But he sadly wasn't cooperative when approached by Digital Eclipse (Whom very much wanted to include Yosaku and talk as if they'd patch it to include it if they ever get their hands on a rom dump).
Shame Safari Rally is awol. Not only is it the earliest SNK game that they had access to, but it was slated to be a PSP Mini a few years ago, was finished by G1M2, and was even rated by the ESRB. But SNK ended their PSP Minis program before it was released, leaving it and at least one other finished game on the shelf. So it missed the cut a second time here when Digital Eclipse passed it over.
Re: Reminder: SNK 40th Anniversary Collection Receives 11 Games As Free DLC Today
@DockEllisD It was subsequently updated to correct the error, DockEllisD.
It's an easy mistake to make by the way. Ozma Wars is widely held to be SNK's 1st game on the internet. Heck, until two months or so ago I had been thinking it was for 20 years at least.
But the timeline in SNK 40th Anniversary Collection tells a very different story.
Re: Reminder: SNK 40th Anniversary Collection Receives 11 Games As Free DLC Today
Ozma Wars isn't SNK's 1st game.
Re: Analogue Announces New Limited Edition Super Nt, And You Can Order One Right Now
I'll stick with my North American SNES styled Super NT.
Re: Hardware Review: HORI Switch Battle Pad GameCube Style Controller
I enjoyed the Wii/Wii U version from 3 or 4 years ago.
Re: Hardware Review: 8BitDo GBros. Adapter - Use Your GameCube Pad Wirelessly With Smash Bros. Ultimate
@Rypopo That's what I'm wondering, too.
Would've been nice to see NintendoLife acquire an extension cable just to see if it works.
Re: Review: SEGA Mega Drive Classics - A Welcome Stroll Down Memory Lane
@MysteryCupofJoe Licensing agreements can be weird, but I'm sure Sega would love to continue to rerelease those two games. Nice that they remain available to buy (Also remain available elsewhere like XBLA), but I doubt it's a coincidence that they haven't been rereleased in several years now.
I'm not saying it's fan allegations with the soundtrack. Too often such theories that get passed around as fact just end up being proven as hogwash, like all the nonsense one website spread about Earthbound. That was taken by many people as proof that it would never be rereleased or would be heavily edited if it was.
That said, something's up there somewhere.
Re: Review: SEGA Mega Drive Classics - A Welcome Stroll Down Memory Lane
Disappointed that no mentions were made about the specifics of the retail release (i.e., is it all on the cartridge?).
Also was curious if button remapping was implemented. There were a couple of presets on the XB1/PS4, but no way to actually map the buttons fully correctly for six button gamepads from Hori and others. Was hoping to see that oversight that was easily rectifiable, actually be fixed here (Although I'm not optimistic that it was).
And this was a bit of a laugh...
"not Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles (the latter perhaps due to the complexities of its cart-swapping mechanics, which, on the original hardware, required you to bolt one of the three previous games into the top of the game)."
Someone must've believed the pr excuse given out for why it was absent on Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection, when in actuality it was done to drive sales of Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles on XBLA/PSN by keeping that feature exclusive.
To prove my point, I challenge anyone to download a Sega Genesis romset that doesn't have a Sonic 3 & Knuckles rom included. Heck, even the Retron 5 properly dumps the combined cartridge when inserted into the system. If a Hyperkin open source system can dump Sonic 3 & Knuckles, there's no technical challenge involved in doing so.
It's likely absent here for the same reason why standalone Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles aren't here, which seems to revolve around some sort of rights issue (Same with the Ecco franchise, which is the only other glaring omission from the PS2 and PS3/360 era compilations).
Re: Nintendo eShop Cyber Deals: Big Savings And Discounts (North America)
No Wii U love?
I sure wish Fatal Frame would go on sale someday.
Re: Switch Online Is Going To Be The Place To Play Classic Nintendo Content, According To Reggie
@B1ffo Why did you subscribe for, when nothing past NES and SNES classics has ever been confirmed?
While I doubt it stops there, you really should've waited if the enjoyment of your subscription hinges on something else
Re: Switch Online Is Going To Be The Place To Play Classic Nintendo Content, According To Reggie
Not only is that a heck of a list, but it's not even all of it. Lots of other stuff like classic Psikyo arcade shooters like the Strikers 1945 franchise (Which will be finished soon with the first ever home port of Strikers 1945 Part III) and tons of classic pinball recreations.
Classic gaming fans have a lot to love on the Switch and those saying ludicrous things about classic NES titles aren't classic gaming fans in any way, shape, or form.
And frankly after buying a lot of Virtual Console downloads on the Wii/Wii U, owning the NES/SNES Classic Edition, and a Retro USB AVS and Super NT (Not to mention an original NES and a HD Retrovision equipped SNES connected to a Trinitron), I'm not in the market to rebuy all of the standbys like Super Metroid all over again on the Switch.
I'm well served with such libraries already and doubt I'm alone in that sentiment. But I'm happily willing to pay the $20 a year or whatever it is for a Netflix style setup for when I'm on the Switch and in the mood to run through Super Mario Brothers without changing to another system.
So I actually like what Nintendo is doing, despite it going against my nature of preferring physical media or at least some form of limited digital ownership. It's giving me convenient access to some of the greatest classics of the past on the latest Nintendo platform, that I otherwise wouldn't be rebuying for $5-$10 a pop.
I don't mind waiting to see it grow and what new additions there might be, as long as they don't let it wither on the vine in the tradition of the Virtual Console after the first couple of years.
Re: Columbus Circle Is Releasing A Converter That Lets You Play Game Boy Color Games On Your SNES
Disappointing that it seemingly doesn't work like a Super Game Boy. But having HDMI makes this interesting. If it's accurate, has clean HD output, and supports Y & B on a SNES controller, I'll consider it.
Have a Retro Duo gathering dust that was just bought out of curiosity a decade ago to check it out, that has no practical use with original SNES hardware and a Super NT. Could set it up as a full-time HD GB/GBC system, if this beats the odds and is worthwhile.
Hopefully it has SD rom loading features, since it very well may not work with a Game Boy Everdrive.
Re: Nintendo Wins $12 Million From Trademark And Copyright Infringement Lawsuit
@Nemodius Yep, the genie is long out of the bottle. It's a pointless waste of resources and poor publicity for Nintendo in a war that they'll never be able to win.
Re: This Wireless Nintendo 64 "Pro-Style" Controller Is Hitting Stores Early Next Year
@FragRed Look at the picture again...
Re: Sega Mega Drive Mini Release Has Been Delayed Until 2019
The 2018 AtGames system has had a stealth release and is available now at various retailers.
Main cosmetic identifier between this and the original Sega Flashback HD is the volume slider, which wasn't present on the 2017 model.
Re: Nintendo Will Remove Smash Bros. Ultimate's Offensive Depiction Of Native Americans
@kobashi100 Huh?
Re: Nintendo Will Remove Smash Bros. Ultimate's Offensive Depiction Of Native Americans
I suspect if you polled people that identify as native american gamers, less than 5% would find this objectionable.
Re: HAMSTER Reveals The Next Batch Of Switch-Bound Neo Geo Games
I really hope we get Neo Drift Out. Will require a handful of licenses or slight graphics modifications, but it's the best of the Neo Geo racers. It may even require licensing it from Visco, since while SNK published it, the title screen shows the copyright as being held by the developer.
I'm crossing my fingers, but not holding my breath. A few too many hurdles for it to be a safe bet.
Re: Here Are The Final Set Of DLC Titles For SNK 40th Anniversary Collection
@YorumiTheUnemply Sure
1. Alpha Mission (Console/Arcade)
2. Athena (Console/Arcade)
3. Beast Busters (Arcade)
4. Bermuda Triangle (Arcade)
5. Chopper I (Arcade)
6. Crystalis (Console)
7. Fantasy (Arcade)
8. Ikari Warriors (Console/Arcade)
9. Ikari Warriors II: Victory Road (Console/Arcade)
10. Ikari Warriors III: The Rescue (Console/Arcade)
11. Guerrilla War (Console/Arcade)
12. Munch Mobile (Arcade)
13. Ozma Wars (Arcade)
14. P.O.W. (Console/Arcade)
15. Paddle Mania (Arcade)
16. Prehistoric Isle (Arcade)
17. Psycho Soldier (Arcade)
18. Sasuke vs. Commander (Arcade)
19. Search and Rescue (Arcade)
20. Street Smart (Arcade)
21. Time Soldiers (Arcade)
22. TNK III (Console/Arcade)
23. Vanguard (Arcade)
24. World Wars (Arcade)
The 8 games here that are included in both arcade and NES form make for a list that in actuality is 32 games. Also note that the 13 games you're talking about are all that's on the cartridge out of the case. The remaining 11 arcade games will come in two free DLC packs later this year, with five in pack 1 and six in pack 2.
Re: Here Are The Final Set Of DLC Titles For SNK 40th Anniversary Collection
@Lord I doubt we'll get a sequel. There are simply no big names left on the arcade side (Although there's still Baseball Stars for the NES), so I suspect it will be up to Hamster if a small number of these make it out on this generation of hardware (They also have a SNK pre-Neo Geo licensing arrangement and just released Alpha Mission as an Arcade Archives download).
Ignoring a couple of SNK's earliest arcade games that aren't accessible in rom format and have perhaps the final extant survivors being held by an overzealous collector, this is basically the list of what's left, per the timeline in SNK 40th Anniversary Collection (Was one title I couldn't read on a YouTube stream and the list continued into 1990 but the Digital Eclipse guy didn't scroll to the end).
-Safari Rally (1979)
-The Monkey/Monkey Friend (1980)
-Atom Smasher (1980)
-Satan of Saturn (1981)
-Pioneer Balloon (1982)
-Lasso (1982)
-Mahjong Classroom (1983)
-Marvin's Maze (1983)
-Vanguard II (1984)
-Gladiator (1984)
-Jumping Cross (1984)
-Main Event (1984)
-Canvas Croquis (1985)
-HAL 21 (1985)
-Meijinsen (1985)
-Ikari (1987/Computer)
-Jongbou-Jongbou 2 (1987/Console)
-Touchdown Fever (1987)
-Jongbou 2 (1987)
-Fighting Golf (1988)
-Fighting Golf (1988/Console)
-Touchdown Fever 2 (1988)
-Touchdown Fever (1988/Console)
-Satomi Hakkenden (1989)
-Baseball Stars (1989/Console)
-Sky Adventure (1989)
-The Next Space (1989)
-Dexterity (1990)
Some good games, but no arcade classics to headline a collection with, I'm afraid. Could be a nice paid DLC pack out of these though, but we've never seen that with a classic compilation.
But then we again, we've never seen post-release "free" DLC, either...