Oh the drama for awarding a game a perfect score. Either way, I'm all over this game. As soon as I finish the SNES prequel I'll download and enjoy this title.
Blaster Master is definitely one of the best NES games. I'm with Zweck36, if you haven't played it and/or are too young to remember it, give the game a try.
However, I don't think there's much more that we'll see from this GaijinWorks/Sunsoft partnership. Most of Sunsoft's good games were licensed properties, such as Batman, Looney Toons, Fester's Quest, Gremlins, Lemmings, etc.
What else do they have? Journey to Silius is an awesome NES platformer, so that's one. But their other big properties are probably Aero the Acro-Bat (a forgettable 16-bit mascot game), Chameleon Twist (blech! - first generation 3D on the N64). I think they also did Spy Hunter, but that property probably belongs to Midway/THQ now.
@BetelgeuseWC77 I enjoyed your eloquent statement. I second everything that you said. The VC was (and is) is a dream come true for those of us who grew up in the 80's and 90's playing games on Nintendo, Sega and maybe even an NEC console. Your post speaks for a lot of us, I'm sure.
I completely agree that Nintendo needs to create a DSi VC. I have no use for the DSi until that exists. Like you, I'm perfetly happy with my DS with its GBA port. The slow trickle of VC releases coupled with bigger WiiWare releases is concerning to me as well.
Being careful to only include Nintendo-owned properties, here's my list:
NES Cobra Triangle Duck Hunt (WiiMote-enabled or WiiWare) Hogan's Alley (WiiMote-enabled or WiiWare)
SNES Earthbound F-Zero 2 (import) Pilotwings Star Fox 2 Super Mario Kart Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island Super Tennis Tetris Attack Yoshi's Cookie
SNES Satellite games -Wrecking Crew '98 (SNES import) -Mario Excitebike -BS The Legend of Zelda
Super Scope 6 games (WiiMote-enabled or WiiWare) Battle Clash Metal Combat Yoshi's Safari
N64 Pilotwings 64 Tetrisphere Wave Race 64
Wii I second 50. Kelvin and request that Nintendo release some add-on content to Mario Kart Wii. Some new tracks would be nice, and a Battle Mode that isn't designed for absolute noobs would be nice.
@devillinko Good list, but Goemon/Mystical Ninja is a Konami property, not Capcom. I'll bet Nintendolife will open a thread for Konami sooner than later, so suggest it then.
I was never a big SEGA fan. Sorry SEGA, I just I don't think the Genesis holds a candle to the SNES. Still, there are a few good games for the Genesis and Sega CD that I would buy:
GENESIS/MEGA DRIVE Warsong Thunder Force IV (Lightening Force) Ranger-X Master of Monsters
SEGA CD Lunar the Silver Star Lunar Eternal Blue Snatcher Road Avenger Robo Aleste Dark Wizard Shining Force CD Make My Video: Marky Mark & the Funky Bunch (kidding)
I don't think anyone is arguing that Nintendo-released titles should outnumber third-party software. I for one would just rather see a lot of games that came out on Nintendo consoles rather than 2nd and 3rd tier consoles like SMS and C64 or even games for Genesis and TG16.
Amen to that, Bass. VC and WiiWare have so much potential for pleasing the retro gamer. It's fulfilling a lot of its promise right now, but there's still a lot more that could be done. Remaking licensed games would be a great way of doing this, as you so eloquently argued in your post.
I'd also like to see more Mega Man 9-esque releases. That is, a new model with all the old parts. The GBA and DS have been great for this. As a very short list, we got a couple of new Super Metroids, a New Super Mario Brothers, and a true sequel to Contra 3. For example, I'd love to see Capcom make a NEW Bionic Commando (not a remake).
Yeah, sucks to be a fanboy sometimes. The SNES is just way under-represented on VC so far. We have a lot of the great titles, but the quantity just isn't there.
Meh, another SMS title. I can't think of a single game for this system that I would pay money for. What's up with all the releases on Sega systems anyway? Since October the US has got 10 Sega releases (7 on Genesis, 3 for SMS) and only 7 for Nintendo systems (3 for SNES, 3 for NES and one for N64). I want more SNES games!
@chunky_droid Finally, someone who recognizes Deadpool. Most people ask me why I use Spider-man as my avatar. And yes, I'm definitely looking forward to Wolverine. I agree that getting one good-to-great game is much better than getting 2 or 3 pieces of hud.
Thanks for going easy on me. Sad thing is that I didn't arrive late. I've still got my Atari 2600 with 30+ games. I guess I'm just not a huge fan of straight-forward platformers. I prefer the Metroid-style adventuring that was perfected in SotN and continued in the excellent DS games. Of the NES Castlevanias, Belmont's Revenge is my favorite.
Burn me for heresy, but I never really liked the Castlevania games prior to Symphony of the Night. Still, it's good to see a highly-rated game released and a Konami game to boot. We all need to buy this if we have any hope for getting Rondo of Blood released.
Another Square-Enix game bodes well for future releases. SE seems to be one of the only 3rd parties that is making real dough on their VC releases. Hopefully this means they'll release at least a few more of the SNES titles that they wouldn't ever rerelease on a console:
Alcahest Bahamut Lagoon Front Mission Seiken Densetsu 3 (Secret of Mana 2) Treasure Hunter G Actraiser 2 Illusion of Time Soul Blazer Terranigma 7th Saga Brain Lord E.V.O. Mystic Ark Paladin's Quest RoboTrek Star Ocean
Metal Storm! Yes, yes, yes. I forgot to mention that one. It's easily one of the best games for the NES. Anything from the now-defunct Irem is welcome, but that's their best game IMHO.
Boy, it would be great to get Crystalis, wouldn't it? I bought the cart not too long ago but it was toast. SNK should still own the rights so I don't see why not. Maybe we could petition SNK to get it released. Guardian Legend is another SNK property that would be nice to have.
I just hope that the SNES gets some love this year. It's a crime that there are only 38 SNES games out on VC. The Genesis/Mega Drive has over 60% more games available than Nintendo's own console! It's like the 16-bit wars all over again, only this time Nintendo is brokering the whole thing and making their own console lose. Folks have already shared all of these names, but I'm hoping that these games are released sometime:
Earthbound Lufia 2 Terranigma Mega Man X series E.V.O. Contra All NES and SNES Disney/Capcom properties (yes I know it won't happen) Ogre Battle On the Ball (with Wiimote controls) Super Scope games, especailly Battle Clash (again with Wiimote support) The BS games like Zelda BS, Mario Excitebike, F-Zero 2
Not all Wii Shop games are eligible for registration on the Club Nintendo site. Everything released from Dec 08 until today is currently eligible but only certain games released before that can be registered. See this page for the current list: http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/club/en/faq.jsp#vers
I hear you Terranigma. Unforunately the corporate world just isn't built with the fanboy in mind. It's all about market share, ROI and profits. We just have to flex our spending muscles when a deserving game is released. That'll help them forecast the value of releasing fan-faves in the future. Sigh.
It's nice to see Nintendo finally release another SNES game...but I can live without this title. Kirby Super Star was the only Kirby game I've ever really enjoyed. Hopefully they'll continue releasing SNES games. We've only barely scraped the surface of the SNES's awesome library, although we've definitely received the highlights already. Where are the RPGs and action-RPGs? The Super Scope games (enhanced for Wiimote of course)? The late-gen releases that no one bought (Metal Warriors anyone?) Nintendo could release two a week just for the SNES and have plenty to release for 2 more years at least.
Nintendo's refusal to allow BC's release can't be due to the exploding Hitler head. Two years ago BC was released for GBA on Capcom Classics Mini Mix and it included the exploding head in all its glory. It has to be something more sinister, like Nintendo not wanting to help Capcom promote the 360/PS3 remake as has been suggested. Either way I'm not happy. BC is one of my favorite games of all time.
The EJ games are great, but I'll hold out for the SNES versions. I agree JJ that it's odd to see Gen/MD versions being released for a multi-platform game.
NikeXTC-- Good point on the discount toward your next purchase. I hadn't thought of that. I don't see that happening either. Another idea is to add average user ratings. Pretty much look at every big ecommerce site and use some of their functionality.This isn't a problem that's isolated to video games.
People buy what they know and ignore the unknown. That's human nature and in my opinion it's the single greatest challenge for the video game industry and even more so for Nintendo. Other forms of entertainment like movies or music have other mediums upon which they can pander their wares. But the only way for the video game industry to speak to a non-hardcore consumer is thru word of mouth. What a mess. Nintendo really needs to do something in order to prevent what happened to N64 and GCN from happening to the Wii. What VC needs is a way of recommending alternatives to the consumer. Nintendo could either do this out of the goodness of their hearts, or as another source of revenue, like Google does. In other words, third-party companies like Hudson and D4 could pay Nintendo for advertising. This could be accomplished a number of different ways using the current Wii GUI or thru some relatively minor changes. Nintendo could send notes to a system's Messages with a list of recommendations. Like, "We hope you're enjoying The Legend of Zelda. You might also enjoy Actraiser, Neutopia 2, or Magician Lord, etc." That way the uneducated (i.e. everyone who doesn't visit this site) can learn about other games. Or, Nintendo could add Google-esque "ads" that list similar games to the one that the user is currently viewing. Or, Nintendo could add a dynamic "Recommendations" search filter to the WiiShop menu similar to your average ecommerce site like Amazon. Any other ideas?
What a lame group of games. Ninja JaJaMaru-kun has to be the strangest of this bunch. While I'm happy to see that NOA's committed to bringing non-US releases to this market, I'd rather it be games that us fanboys have been clamoring for, like Sin & Punishment a few weeks ago.
Also, I have to agree with Shawn Pullum. I'd like to see 4 or 5 games a week rather than 3.
Comments 193
Re: Review: Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber (Virtual Console / Nintendo 64)
Oh the drama for awarding a game a perfect score. Either way, I'm all over this game. As soon as I finish the SNES prequel I'll download and enjoy this title.
Re: Don't Toss Those Old Controllers Yet
Again, for future reference, here's the link. And it's NES/SNES-only as Shinjix2 reported:
http://www.innexinc.com/product_detail.php?prod_id=RB-W-5986
Re: Virtual Console Blaster Master To Spearhead Sunsoft Revival
Never heard of Mr. Gimmick. Looks like it wasn't released stateside. Anyone played it?
Re: Virtual Console Blaster Master To Spearhead Sunsoft Revival
Yeah, Sunsoft made a bunch of Looney Tunes games for NES and SNES, but of course they're all licensed properties that we'll never see on VC.
Re: Virtual Console Blaster Master To Spearhead Sunsoft Revival
Blaster Master is definitely one of the best NES games. I'm with Zweck36, if you haven't played it and/or are too young to remember it, give the game a try.
However, I don't think there's much more that we'll see from this GaijinWorks/Sunsoft partnership. Most of Sunsoft's good games were licensed properties, such as Batman, Looney Toons, Fester's Quest, Gremlins, Lemmings, etc.
What else do they have? Journey to Silius is an awesome NES platformer, so that's one. But their other big properties are probably Aero the Acro-Bat (a forgettable 16-bit mascot game), Chameleon Twist (blech! - first generation 3D on the N64). I think they also did Spy Hunter, but that property probably belongs to Midway/THQ now.
Re: What LucasArts games do you want to see on Virtual Console?
Honestly, these are the only games I'd pay money for:
Maniac Mansion (NES) or (WiiWare remake with WiiMote controls ala Zak & Wiki)
Metal Warriors (SNES)
Zombies Ate My Neighbors (SNES)
Star Wars (NES)
Re: What Nintendo games do you want to see on the Virtual Console?
@BetelgeuseWC77
I enjoyed your eloquent statement. I second everything that you said. The VC was (and is) is a dream come true for those of us who grew up in the 80's and 90's playing games on Nintendo, Sega and maybe even an NEC console. Your post speaks for a lot of us, I'm sure.
I completely agree that Nintendo needs to create a DSi VC. I have no use for the DSi until that exists. Like you, I'm perfetly happy with my DS with its GBA port. The slow trickle of VC releases coupled with bigger WiiWare releases is concerning to me as well.
Re: What Nintendo games do you want to see on the Virtual Console?
Being careful to only include Nintendo-owned properties, here's my list:
NES
Cobra Triangle
Duck Hunt (WiiMote-enabled or WiiWare)
Hogan's Alley (WiiMote-enabled or WiiWare)
SNES
Earthbound
F-Zero 2 (import)
Pilotwings
Star Fox 2
Super Mario Kart
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
Super Tennis
Tetris Attack
Yoshi's Cookie
SNES Satellite games
-Wrecking Crew '98 (SNES import)
-Mario Excitebike
-BS The Legend of Zelda
Super Scope 6 games (WiiMote-enabled or WiiWare)
Battle Clash
Metal Combat
Yoshi's Safari
N64
Pilotwings 64
Tetrisphere
Wave Race 64
Wii
I second 50. Kelvin and request that Nintendo release some add-on content to Mario Kart Wii. Some new tracks would be nice, and a Battle Mode that isn't designed for absolute noobs would be nice.
Re: What Capcom games do you want to see on the Virtual Console?
@devillinko
Good list, but Goemon/Mystical Ninja is a Konami property, not Capcom. I'll bet Nintendolife will open a thread for Konami sooner than later, so suggest it then.
Re: What Capcom games do you want to see on the Virtual Console?
Nothing on here hasn't already been requested, but here's what I would spend money on:
NES:
Bionic Commando
Gargoyles Quest 2
Duck Tales (yes, I know it's licensed)
Duck Tales 2
Little Nemo: The Dream Master
SNES:
Demon's Crest
U.N. Squadron
Magic Sword
Goof Troop
Mickey Mouse 2&3 (never released in US)
Re: What SEGA games do you want to see on the Virtual Console?
I was never a big SEGA fan. Sorry SEGA, I just I don't think the Genesis holds a candle to the SNES. Still, there are a few good games for the Genesis and Sega CD that I would buy:
GENESIS/MEGA DRIVE
Warsong
Thunder Force IV (Lightening Force)
Ranger-X
Master of Monsters
SEGA CD
Lunar the Silver Star
Lunar Eternal Blue
Snatcher
Road Avenger
Robo Aleste
Dark Wizard
Shining Force CD
Make My Video: Marky Mark & the Funky Bunch (kidding)
Re: USA VC Update: Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen
Heck yeah! Finally another great SNES title. I hope this means that other Enix titles are on their way. Soul Blazer anyone?
Re: USA VC Update: Commodore 64 Launches With Three Games
@AlphaNerd001
I don't think anyone is arguing that Nintendo-released titles should outnumber third-party software. I for one would just rather see a lot of games that came out on Nintendo consoles rather than 2nd and 3rd tier consoles like SMS and C64 or even games for Genesis and TG16.
Re: USA VC Update: Commodore 64 Launches With Three Games
Not when that one company is the company whose platform you're using.
Re: USA VC Update: Commodore 64 Launches With Three Games
@Bass X0
Here are the totals:
NES 81 games
TG16 57 games
Gen 62 games
SNES 37 games
NeoGeo 19 games
N64 15 games
SMS 9 games
C64 3 games
NOTE: 40% more Sega Genesis games than SNES games. Four more NeoGeo games than N64 games. 47% of all games are on a Nintendo console.
Granted, there are a bunch of NES games but IMO I wouldn't call this concentrating on their own systems first.
Re: USA VC Update: Commodore 64 Launches With Three Games
Yawn. Yet another console to distract Nintendo from releasing AAA titles on their own systems.
Re: Mercs Coming Soon, With a Different Name!
Amen to that, Bass. VC and WiiWare have so much potential for pleasing the retro gamer. It's fulfilling a lot of its promise right now, but there's still a lot more that could be done. Remaking licensed games would be a great way of doing this, as you so eloquently argued in your post.
I'd also like to see more Mega Man 9-esque releases. That is, a new model with all the old parts. The GBA and DS have been great for this. As a very short list, we got a couple of new Super Metroids, a New Super Mario Brothers, and a true sequel to Contra 3. For example, I'd love to see Capcom make a NEW Bionic Commando (not a remake).
Re: Mercs Coming Soon, With a Different Name!
@chunky_droid LOL, nice list. Don't forget "GoldenEar 009" for N64 and another Capcom NES title, "Small Daydreaming Pajama Boy".
Re: USA VC Update: Wonder Boy in Monster Land
@Adamant
Yeah, sucks to be a fanboy sometimes. The SNES is just way under-represented on VC so far. We have a lot of the great titles, but the quantity just isn't there.
Re: USA VC Update: Wonder Boy in Monster Land
Meh, another SMS title. I can't think of a single game for this system that I would pay money for. What's up with all the releases on Sega systems anyway? Since October the US has got 10 Sega releases (7 on Genesis, 3 for SMS) and only 7 for Nintendo systems (3 for SNES, 3 for NES and one for N64). I want more SNES games!
Re: Wonder Boy in Monster Land
Meh, another SMS title. I can't think of a single game on that console that I would pay money for. When is the SNES going to have a decent release?!
Re: USA VC Update: MUSHA
Meh, another shooter. I already have R-Type, R-Type 3 and Axelay, so I don't need any more shmups.
Re: USA VC Update: Castlevania III
@chunky_droid
Finally, someone who recognizes Deadpool. Most people ask me why I use Spider-man as my avatar. And yes, I'm definitely looking forward to Wolverine.
I agree that getting one good-to-great game is much better than getting 2 or 3 pieces of hud.
Re: USA VC Update: Castlevania III
Uggh, duh, you're right. I actually have both Belmont's Revenge (GB) and Simon's Quest (NES).
Re: USA VC Update: Castlevania III
@Link79
Thanks for going easy on me. Sad thing is that I didn't arrive late. I've still got my Atari 2600 with 30+ games. I guess I'm just not a huge fan of straight-forward platformers. I prefer the Metroid-style adventuring that was perfected in SotN and continued in the excellent DS games. Of the NES Castlevanias, Belmont's Revenge is my favorite.
Re: USA VC Update: Castlevania III
Burn me for heresy, but I never really liked the Castlevania games prior to Symphony of the Night. Still, it's good to see a highly-rated game released and a Konami game to boot. We all need to buy this if we have any hope for getting Rondo of Blood released.
Re: ESRB Update: Super Punch-Out!! and Ogre Battle on Their Way to the US
Another Square-Enix game bodes well for future releases. SE seems to be one of the only 3rd parties that is making real dough on their VC releases. Hopefully this means they'll release at least a few more of the SNES titles that they wouldn't ever rerelease on a console:
Alcahest
Bahamut Lagoon
Front Mission
Seiken Densetsu 3 (Secret of Mana 2)
Treasure Hunter G
Actraiser 2
Illusion of Time
Soul Blazer
Terranigma
7th Saga
Brain Lord
E.V.O.
Mystic Ark
Paladin's Quest
RoboTrek
Star Ocean
Re: Ten Games We'd Like To See On The Virtual Console In 2009
@Eclipticalis
If you enjoy killing umpires then you'd love Mutant League Football and Mutant League Hockey for the Genesis. I'd love to see those come out on VC.
Re: Ten Games We'd Like To See On The Virtual Console In 2009
@worrybomb
Metal Storm! Yes, yes, yes. I forgot to mention that one. It's easily one of the best games for the NES. Anything from the now-defunct Irem is welcome, but that's their best game IMHO.
Re: Ten Games We'd Like To See On The Virtual Console In 2009
Boy, it would be great to get Crystalis, wouldn't it? I bought the cart not too long ago but it was toast. SNK should still own the rights so I don't see why not. Maybe we could petition SNK to get it released. Guardian Legend is another SNK property that would be nice to have.
Re: Ten Games We'd Like To See On The Virtual Console In 2009
I just hope that the SNES gets some love this year. It's a crime that there are only 38 SNES games out on VC. The Genesis/Mega Drive has over 60% more games available than Nintendo's own console! It's like the 16-bit wars all over again, only this time Nintendo is brokering the whole thing and making their own console lose. Folks have already shared all of these names, but I'm hoping that these games are released sometime:
Earthbound
Lufia 2
Terranigma
Mega Man X series
E.V.O.
Contra
All NES and SNES Disney/Capcom properties (yes I know it won't happen)
Ogre Battle
On the Ball (with Wiimote controls)
Super Scope games, especailly Battle Clash (again with Wiimote support)
The BS games like Zelda BS, Mario Excitebike, F-Zero 2
Re: Talking Point: Is the Virtual Console On The Slide?
@Stuffgamer1
Not all Wii Shop games are eligible for registration on the Club Nintendo site. Everything released from Dec 08 until today is currently eligible but only certain games released before that can be registered. See this page for the current list: http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/club/en/faq.jsp#vers
Re: USA VC Update: Kirby's Dream Land 3
I hear you Terranigma. Unforunately the corporate world just isn't built with the fanboy in mind. It's all about market share, ROI and profits. We just have to flex our spending muscles when a deserving game is released. That'll help them forecast the value of releasing fan-faves in the future. Sigh.
Re: USA VC Update: Kirby's Dream Land 3
It's nice to see Nintendo finally release another SNES game...but I can live without this title. Kirby Super Star was the only Kirby game I've ever really enjoyed. Hopefully they'll continue releasing SNES games. We've only barely scraped the surface of the SNES's awesome library, although we've definitely received the highlights already. Where are the RPGs and action-RPGs? The Super Scope games (enhanced for Wiimote of course)? The late-gen releases that no one bought (Metal Warriors anyone?) Nintendo could release two a week just for the SNES and have plenty to release for 2 more years at least.
Re: Bionic Commando NOT coming to the Virtual Console!
Nintendo's refusal to allow BC's release can't be due to the exploding Hitler head. Two years ago BC was released for GBA on Capcom Classics Mini Mix and it included the exploding head in all its glory. It has to be something more sinister, like Nintendo not wanting to help Capcom promote the 360/PS3 remake as has been suggested. Either way I'm not happy. BC is one of my favorite games of all time.
Re: Three Interplay-Owned Franchises Coming to VC
The EJ games are great, but I'll hold out for the SNES versions. I agree JJ that it's odd to see Gen/MD versions being released for a multi-platform game.
Re: Super Turrican - Director's Cut Possibly Coming To VC?
I'm with you Atlantis1982, I never liked the Turrican games. Europe seems to like them though.
Re: Capcom To Lend Support To WiiWare
Bionic Commando Rearmed sounds real good right about now. I've been jealous of XBLA users ever since it was announced.
Re: Virtual Console Top 20 – March 12th to March 19th
NikeXTC--
Good point on the discount toward your next purchase. I hadn't thought of that. I don't see that happening either.
Another idea is to add average user ratings. Pretty much look at every big ecommerce site and use some of their functionality.This isn't a problem that's isolated to video games.
Re: Virtual Console Top 20 – March 12th to March 19th
People buy what they know and ignore the unknown. That's human nature and in my opinion it's the single greatest challenge for the video game industry and even more so for Nintendo. Other forms of entertainment like movies or music have other mediums upon which they can pander their wares. But the only way for the video game industry to speak to a non-hardcore consumer is thru word of mouth. What a mess. Nintendo really needs to do something in order to prevent what happened to N64 and GCN from happening to the Wii.
What VC needs is a way of recommending alternatives to the consumer. Nintendo could either do this out of the goodness of their hearts, or as another source of revenue, like Google does. In other words, third-party companies like Hudson and D4 could pay Nintendo for advertising.
This could be accomplished a number of different ways using the current Wii GUI or thru some relatively minor changes. Nintendo could send notes to a system's Messages with a list of recommendations. Like, "We hope you're enjoying The Legend of Zelda. You might also enjoy Actraiser, Neutopia 2, or Magician Lord, etc." That way the uneducated (i.e. everyone who doesn't visit this site) can learn about other games. Or, Nintendo could add Google-esque "ads" that list similar games to the one that the user is currently viewing. Or, Nintendo could add a dynamic "Recommendations" search filter to the WiiShop menu similar to your average ecommerce site like Amazon.
Any other ideas?
Re: US VC Releases - 17th December - Cybernator
Great, just what we need...another Wonder Boy game.
Re: US VC Releases - 22nd October - Ninja JaJaMaru-kun
What a lame group of games. Ninja JaJaMaru-kun has to be the strangest of this bunch. While I'm happy to see that NOA's committed to bringing non-US releases to this market, I'd rather it be games that us fanboys have been clamoring for, like Sin & Punishment a few weeks ago.
Also, I have to agree with Shawn Pullum. I'd like to see 4 or 5 games a week rather than 3.
Re: Cybernator
Yeah, this games was pretty good. Let's just hope Konami releases the pseudo-sequel Metal Warriors at some point.