Rexy

@alxtlvra, comment #46 - So? The Game Gear and SNES both play videogames, so neither can single out the other. Either way, from the footage I've seen of Sonic Drift it actually looks fine considering the system it was on, though I can't help but the road shading techniques seems to be more prone for seizures with the way it was animated.
I'm just saying it was a primitive variant on Super Mario Kart because at that time, the genre had already been done before and any more additions into the karting genre would most often get the comparisons across various aspects of the overall package. You can't say that the first kart sims released for each and every single videogame system will be a revolution in any way, because in all due respect, the way they generally function would be similar no matter how well presented they are.

I've heard of Twinbee at least through a friend, but didn't get involved in the shmup genre too much. Given the visuals, is it a candidate for a proper induction into the genre?

Super Mario Kart and Micro Machines will be fine additions indeed - fond memories on both (even though one of my cousins had the original cart for the former) and it'll make my day if either come through to the VC. Good comprehensive list

Exactly, and PPL was also a lot better on the gameplay front too. But there's obviously some people who want to avoid it because they hate the franchise, so there we go.

I too would like to play a Lemmings title on the VC, but since Sony now owns the franchise there's no hope in hell of receiving it. Puzzle Bobble's Neo-Geo incarnation will be sweet though - one of the most addicting puzzlers I ever came across in the arcades back in the day, and to see it on the VC would be a real benefit to my collection

I still don't understand why people tend to support Wrecking Crew so much though. It's nothing against Mario or anything, but the original NES title felt broken in terms of its gameplay aspects - I appreciate difficulty here and now, but that was just crossing the line as far as I know. Did the '98 incarnation have any form of improvement over this issue?

@ttplayer92, comment #163; annoying as it was, you didn't have to do every single level in that entire world. Once you beat a fortress level, the castle would get blown up and you'd get a shortcut to the next section of the map should you face a game over later on - you wouldn't need to do any of the early levels all over again.

But I tell you what was annoying though - the numerous attempts to plow through World 8 on an initial playthrough, especially the numerous fleets there. I don't know if it should be labelled "challenging" or "tedious", lol.

@alxtlvara: To be fair, I had a Game Gear but never played Sonic Drift, so I couldn't really judge on what it was like. Assuming its development at the tailend of the series' golden era as well as that for the GG itself, it can be seen to be a more primitive variation on the standard kart racer genre, it itself being kicked off by Super Mario Kart if I'm not mistaken. But I'm saying this now though - considering how horrendous Sonic R turned out to be, I feel that Sonic Drift wouldn't be worse.

Considering I'm not all fussed about 3D Sonic titles, I will say "HELL YES" to the sight of the confirmation. Now, all we have to do now is guess which day it will arrive in our home territories

@Mickeymac, comment #64: Same reasons as Donkey Konga concerning fresh material for the GameCube, really. Though, there's something about what I've read about the concept that makes it sound fun to play

And I'm with most - as much as I appreciate the rhythm genre, I'm not going to get involved with Wii Music, that's for sure. I'd rather break my bank shelling out on Guitar Hero 3 over making a move on something that quaint Just remember that "true" casual gaming just means playing games for the sake of having fun, not "non-games" like the Wii series and the like.

I don't play many M-rated titles, so I didn't know. So many obscure Nintendo-published 'Cube titles have been brought in this thread already and I can clearly say this in regards to original titles: I stand corrected. Cheers, all!

@Ski Deuce: Quick and easy answer... YES!

@Andrew: This is the problem - most people tend to make fine investments on the "multiple-party-games-in-one" variety packages these days. I thought it would start to come to a stop since Wii Sports is just fine enough, but as long as people keep buying them, we're being shunted further back. When I stated third-party, stuff like Zack and Wiki seems to come to mind as a good example of how it can be done, as well as Red Steel, Elebits and the like: it's all down to genre preference.

Valid point concerning the developers - sometimes they can provide great produce, and sometimes they provide bad stuff. But I thought those that are just settling into games don't pay attention to the developers but rather the subject matter of what they want to get involved in. Funnily enough, when I started videogaming I was more obsessed with playing tennis and I just looked out for those that provided that playing experience rather than who made it. I thought that similar trend would continue with the newcomers today too.

@Adamant: Thanks concerning Eternal Darkness; for some reason it didn't show up in my search for franchises established on the GameCube, so that was appreciated.
As for Donkey Konga, that was a great and fresh take on the musical genre but as you stated, Donkey Kong was already established so it can't really be taken into consideration.

I don't know, I thought Sony was going from bad to worse for the exact same reasons. Not to mention that their idea of casual gaming was a session on Singstar or Buzz! or something like that.

Even if that's the case, I think the only fresh, original "actual game" that Nintendo provided during the GameCube era was Pikmin (and quote me if I'm wrong)* so I'd say that their strategy on "pumping out established names" has been consistently there. You are right with the disappointment on them now starting to provide more "non-games" than ever now, which is why some of us seem to be looking for some good third-party games alongside the usual first/second party stuff that we associate with the big N.

[EDIT: Ok, I was wrong - I forgot about Chibi-Robo, but you get the idea o_O]

@Andrew: Seconded. The space between now and Super R-Type's release in America is beyond ridiculous, and as cool as PPL was, the N64 library is very petite in comparison to the other consoles. It's not surprising considering they're generally the chunkiest releases on offer.

@PSWii60gamer, comment #13: The last SNES release in America was Super R-Type in March, and the last N64 one was Pokemon Puzzle League back in May. I can understand the frustration on wanting more SNES titles since there hasn't been any in four months, but doesn't a huge first-party title on the N64 mean any indication on how Nintendo manages their first party titles? Or is it because you hate Pokemon so much and would prefer to play Tetris Attack due to cosmetics alone?

Nonetheless, I was about to go all out against the first comment but most of you beat me to the punch. Like shooters or not, this is a damn good week if I say so myself - two great games on offer, not on the Neo Geo for once, and I feel that there'll be plenty of people who'll find enjoyment with either or both of these. Nice

Quick and easy answer: the NES and SNES were market leaders back in the day and most people around here seem to be more nostalgic with those. Meanwhile, the Nintendo 64 - while boasting some great games for its time - was sadly overshadowed by the PlayStation and never really got a chance to make its own.

I'm with you and hoping for some kind of N64 controller for the Wii, but even if it doesn't come, I'm ok with my GameCube one to play them with.

Interesting design - a good throw back to the NES. I doubt they'd make their way ouside Japan though, but I won't be surprised if it somehow does

Hah, I saw the footage for SPOGS and I thought "how did this thing build so much hype to begin with anyway?" But yes, Australia is a free nation.

Even popular opinions or five-star ratings can't be seen as the key consensus. For example, I enjoyed Kirby 64 a LOT more than Kirby's Adventure - nothing to do with the graphical updates or anything, but I just find more of a thrill with Shimomura's contributions over Sakurai's.

People are right in which the VC hasn't had much of interest coming out as of late, but like I keep saying, there's always a future week in which Nintendo could throw something out. Myself, I'm waiting patiently for the next Hanabi Festival (whenever that is) so I can make a move on DoReMi Fantasy and Bio Miracle at least

Congratulations - I managed to read through the article and I must say it was very apprehensive.

Now, let's shoot for 200 comments in less than a day thanks to the promotion

Yeah, and they have the worst backwards compatability urk of all - you upgrade your PC, and your old games may stop working altogether. It's a very risky setup to go for IMO

I'm not too optimistic over the issue myself - even if there were lesser VC titles, we didn't get any Wiiware titles, so I doubt we'll get VC releases this week.

Still, even with Nintendo's disappointing E3 conference, I'm still not convinced to make a move onto the other two. Microsoft did go far with the price drop, the fixing of the RROD and pulling a few strings from Sony at least (hint hint: FF13, even though I'm not particularly interested in it), but seeing as if the console is still seen as a medium for shooters and the like, it's hard for those not into the genre to find anything interesting for it. Likewise with the PS3 - they hit rock bottom with only bragging about the power of the machine and more sequels; the only saving grace, as ever, turned out to be Little Big Planet, but it's still not enough to make a move on what would essentially be a $400 paperweight.

So as far as I'm concerned, true hardcore seems to have been thrown completely out of the window everywhere, not just with Nintendo. The least we can do now is do our OWN research and see if we can find anything worth it, even from the multi-console third parties or whatever.

If this whole thing is starting to get to that point, then I have an idea to convince Nintendo to get more of what we want. How about we go into the Nintendo Channel, look at all the games we haven't sent our rating for yet, and classify them all as "casual"? That way, they'll see that true casual gaming is actually those that see it as a leisurely custom, not based on the accessibility (what I would prefer to call "non-games" to this degree).

Animal Crossing, as I mentioned above, isn't even much of a game to begin with - sure, anyone can pick up and play it, but it becomes even more tedious once it gets to the point that you have to play it every single day just to save your town from looking like a mess. Trust me; I attempted to go through it, only to get stumped after a few months due to this >.>

I at least appreciate the premise of it, but given that I'm one of those that prefer to play games at my own pace, I'd rather look into Harvest Moon if I want a life-type game of some description.

I still wouldn't call GTA "hardcore" by any means. Sure, it has an 18 rating, but the subject matter of screwing up the law makes it the most childish game in existance.

True hardcore is something that tests the reflexes of the gamer in question, rather than its outer shell. Thus, concerning us Nintendo gamers, who needs GTA to make themselves "look cool" when we have at least Fire Emblem to "feel cool", among others that have escaped from my head?

I wouldn't call Animal Crossing a "high point" - that expects you to literally play the game ALL THE FREAKIN' TIME and it penalises you for every day you completely skip it. I don't have the time to constantly check up on a virtual town or something.

But yeah, that IS a disappointment. I suppose we have to rely on whatever strong releases the third parties could come up with to keep the system going strong.

Yeah, well done. But it's not over yet - torch fires and pitchforks might arise if Nintendo screw up their E3 conference this morning.

Haha, the European talk started before I chipped in

Similarly, I wasn't expecting much due to E3 - more peoples' anticipation is on Nintendo's conference tomorrow morning than other current affairs. You got the wish of another Nintendo game at least, but I wasn't expecting Donkey Kong 3 up there.

Whichever, just looking at the pose of Stanley above makes me think that he's still spiritually alive today, but in a different form - Mr. Game and Watch.

I put it all down to haste if it comes to decisions like that, but I have to say thanks to everyone. I have to admit, the marriage proposals were hilarious though

And yeah, I completely forgot about Nintendo's E3 conference. Personally, I want to see if a Wii version of Kid Icarus does come to light but I wouldn't mind if it doesn't. I'll have my ears open for anything that comes through.

Yeah, Nintendo's promotion of the Mother series outside Japan has disappointed me. All I can hope for is if the use of Lucas in Brawl can be some kind of indication that it should be welcomed back.

In regards to Mario's posts above, I just want to say a brief thank you. Like I said, I'll remain calm for tomorrow's VC releases or I'll self-punish myself.

If that's the case, I'll take post 164 back. But I promise that if I see someone get awkward over tomorrow's VC releases stateside, I won't get angered over peoples' frustration. And if I do, I'll purchase Wrecking Crew and force myself to play it for 4 hours straight

Yes, but no one would want to be a friend of me if I'm seen as a "firestarter" for multiple weeks in a row. I'm on the edge of giving up.

So it's confirmed. I came to this site to show some enthusiasm with the VC, and it's been most obvious that my opinions are unimportant. I know that SMRPG and Earthbound are popular, and I'm equally enthusiastic over the latter, but I was just suggesting that there's more than that.

And concerning the games we've never tried, chances to try are few and far between, I agree with that. I would suggest emulation but that's already dodgy enough as it is. And the Masterpieces collection on Smash Bros Brawl isn't that expansive either, so we just have to go by word of mouth otherwise.

But concerning future releeases, I'll do you all a massive favor and won't post on the site ever again. Because my words, no matter how detailed and logical, have the same value as an ant at a flea market.

Opinions are opinions, and I appreciate that, yet I just get annoyed too easily with the state of affairs week after week. And I'm in no position to say that peoples' opinions are null either - just trying to see some realism in the situation of the releases, and with pending releases I do indeed accept what people want to play. It's just become awkward when people refuse to give a chance to a well-received game that they never played before (read: the Bio Miracle incident).

But if I'm seen by everyone as the self-proclaimed "firestarter", then so be it. As passionate about the VC as I am, I'm obviously not needed here.

Let me look at that bulletin from last week. It started with post 9 asking for Last Ninja 3 and SMRPG, then Mike following up asking for more Nintendo/Sega titles, post 14 wanting SMRPG and Yoshi's Island... and it continues on and on - even to the point that a fair selection of posters went completely against the Neo Geo.

Sure, it'll be nice to wait for something that we want. But it's the VC schedule - give it time. It's better to receive a more polished emulation in a few months than getting a quirky one in a few weeks.

Maybe I used the wrong choice of words for post 139. I have no intention to flame bait at all, but what I should have meant is that we are meant to at least accept the fact that that's what we're given this week, and if we aren't interested, then do something else - just don't waste time by claiming that you'd boycott Nintendo, just because they released a game that you won't even approach because you've never played it, even if it receives a 4 or 5 star rating.

And concerning Sony, it was a good point raised concerning the rumble feature required for Metal Gear Solid. Yet the reason why I stated that the controller thing with Sony was merely "trivial" was namely because I faced a bad experience in my leading to evading the PS3; we've had the weaker software models for start, the worse price tags and no presence of the Emotion Engine in prior model releases. If Sony can listen to people concerning the game controllers, can't they listen to people concerning other parts of their poor management of the PS3?

I know for sure that the VC isn't meant to be serious business but rather a form of entertainment medium, and that's how I ended up seeing it - a great way to explore games of the past. I'm just a little annoyed that some people only want certain things and thus adding some form of pressure - whether in sales or written commentary - to the Nintendo staff marketing it.

Some people need to open their eyes a bit more. We are offered a multi-system retro gaming machine built in a modern games console, and life is way too short to tear it all apart. I may be different as I haven't been with Nintendo home consoles for much of my youth, but I just wish people could at least appreciate what they're given and have patience for what they desire most.

Concerning the Japanese, all it tells me is that Sony at least listens to people out there, even when pressurised - not to mention them usually getting what they want (understandable given their huge population). But I weren't expecting them to keep complaining to Sony about something as trivial as a game controller setup. Where did you find the info out anyway?

I said "some" for a reason in the above post. Not all Americans like that, but if the past few news stories are of any concern, it makes it sound less like you lack maturity but more like you're more picky over what you want to play. That's to be understandable given that Nintendo gained total dominance in the American gaming market pre-1995.

You can't call us hypocrites when most of us aren't even crying out for a strict selection of titles like some of the Americans do half the time. We take the news like men - if we don't like the games, then we don't assume it to be a bad week if there ARE people that actually like it. Call our opinions nonsense all you want, but don't think that namecalling without reason will make you feel better.

Adamant has a point though. VC games out here are paid to the equivalent of £7 (almost $14) to 1000 points, while across the pond one would pay $10 (just over £5) for the same amount. And as stated before, not every single Neo Geo release as of late is going to be on that collection so don't see every release for that system to be "pointless".

If Nintendo hate Europe, then they are at least treating us better out here than Sony IMO in terms of promoting the actual hardware. I don't know what's the perspective with Microsoft though, but I've never been intested in XBox game libraries to notice. It's true that they threw us off guard for the wait for Brawl and that is one thing that DID get my goat, yet I put it all down to "European localisation" or some crap like that. No worries though, everyone finally has it so there's no need to get uptight anymore.

And concerning the games, you can be right in saying that new ideas from first party Nintendo developers seems to be slim right about now. But let's not forget that the system's predecessor, the GameCube, was equally slim on that department and having to rely on the first party franchises for it to hold up against the competition. There were some new ideas that came through eventually like Animal Crossing, the whole Toon Link saga (read: Wind Waker) and the re-invention of the Metroid franchise through the Prime series, true; but it's those kind of foundations that Nintendo needed to have if they had to go up against other game systems that have had other capabilities to their name (the case of the PS2 being able to play PS1 games and DVDs and the original XBox model similarly allowing for DVD playback).

Heck, now that we're looking at games like this, once upon a time I totally dispised Mario - not because of the intense rivalry with Sega or Sony at the time, but rather because in terms of setting most of the games in the entire saga were completely unoriginal. It was one of the reasons why I refrained from New Super Mario Bros on the DS for so long as well, along with the reason of its stupid name tag (it won't be new for THAT long, wouldn't it?). But it's through those kind of experiences that make me think something - at least Nintendo are consistent enough to actually make games that are either FUN to play, give you the drive to keep playing, and/or provide enough challenge to make gaming worth it again.

And looking at the bigger picture, I can't even see any further senses of originality from Nintendo's rivals either, so whatever console we support, no one is going to be better off with one system or another - it's all about personal tastes on what you as a person want to play.

@uncle smuck: You paid £1000 for a Wii? I know that there were stock shortages, but you didn't need to go THAT far

A console cycling will be good, I agree with that. That's how I do my VC purchases too - look for something good on one system, then when done look for one on another, and so on and so forth. The variety issue might be a little slower/unpredictable though, but if that happens then that can do some good for future VC releases.

Even though it's the truth, I won't do the whole lecture thing again. If people want it, then there's no stopping them. But what I DO get annoyed about is people boycotting Nintendo just because they won't get what they want.

Someone in an earlier thread raised an interesting point - Nintendo may release some good games across a wide amount of consoles, but sales may dwindle if they aren't what people want to see, and this could have become a knock-on effect to the lesser VC releases as of late - them thinking that the VC service might not have been picked up well upon.

Furthermore, the VC spans a wide amount of consoles for a reason. It's true that I'd take interest in some future SNES releases namely because I never owned one in the past. But the same can also apply to the NES, Nintendo 64 (which DEFINITELY needs a lot more love), Sega Master System, Commodore 64, Turbographx AND the Neo Geo. There will only be true happiness with the VC if the service makes a firm balance in welcoming not only retro Nintendo gamers, but also those that were similarly passionate about the other systems represented.

@Quimby: I bet down the line, the same would happen to the SMS as what happened with the Neo Geo. Months back, quite a few people I knew were disappointed with its library. Now it's being inflated like Hell, and no one wants it. I can see it being a deja vu for the SMS in a few months' time, though this time it'll be worth waiting for Sonic 1's variant there and the original Phantasy Star.

@DEMON212: You got it there yet again. May I also add one more thing though - at least when things don't go our way, we at least don't cry out loud for one or a few games in particular; like I said in an earlier thread, we'll be constantly let down if the game we want the most fails to turn up week after week.

Whichever happens, these two games released may not even be my cup of tea but I won't call it a bad week if someone will appreciate them. I was just shocked by the lesser numbers in comparison to previous weeks, that's all.

@DEMON212: You took the words right out of my mouth concerning Mike's post. BTW, I'm a female.

Since when was Ninja Commando a 2D fighter anyway?
But I do agree, after a two week wait and a settled routine for five per fortnight, this is disappointing. I have nothing against the Neo Geo as I'm sure there will be people who will appreciate both of these games very much, but after a month of settling into a routine, we get this thrown at us - complete lack of variety, as I referred to in an earlier thread.

Now, I have no understanding on the future release routine for the VC, given that we've had to wait two weeks for two games. >.>

Phantasy Star IV will be excellent, but I'm not holding my breath on it. Whichever, I'll be happy to wait patiently for tonight's releases.

I don't want Mario RPG, but that's not the point. What IS the point though, and it's been echoed throughout, is that we need more quantity. Those that are just hanging around the VC waiting for something in particular are just setting themselves up to be constantly disappointed, and that kind of attitude is disappointing me too.

Close, but my nit-picking sense showed that Out Run was 1986.

SMS means one thing for me - Phantasy Star 1
But I do see what you mean by balancing things out. However, it's a shame that they haven't even done that to the Nintendo 64 yet so I pretty much doubt that balance would be spread right across all platforms. It's a good theory though, but we don't even know what the release schedules would be like ultimately.

As ideal as it sounds, the Everybody Votes Channel only allows for two options per question. How can such a restricted system decide the fate of the next few games for the VC?