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Official bitching about Hudson abandoning VC support. [VC/WiiWare = lost cause]

J

jaundicejuice

Member
When I booted up my Wii this morning and took a peek at the new additions I knew some people would be quite happy with Phantasy Star IV still, I wish they had released more than one VC game.
 
G

gwiz210

Member
Strong Bad Ep. 5 was hilarious. My favorite part was by far
when the 8-bit Limozeen Larry head popped out of the tour bus right after they crashed. I believe it was a reference to stuff like that Aerosmith arcade game with the pixelated band members :lol
 
N

Nuclear Muffin

Banned
Seems like a good week overall, still it's disappointing to see only 1 VC game. Sigh, I remember the days of 3-4 VC games a week!

I still think Nintendo should treat them as separate services, release the games on different days (Wii Ware Monday, VC Friday) if they feel that there is too much competition on the one day!

plank said:
Lit has this been posted?

http://gamevideos.1up.com/video/id/23123
Click to expand...

Looks fun! shame the beautiful concept art didn't translate into the game though :(
 
N

nincompoop

Banned
So, was anybody stupid brave enough to try Tiki Towers? Horrible PSX graphics aside, the concept seems pretty good and it's only 500 points. I still want to read some impressions before I take the plunge, though.

Also, do any of today's releases give you any coins for Club Nintendo?
 
S

Somnid

Member
Here's an interesting trend, these are the "backlog numbers," that is the number of games rated by either the OFLC, ESRB, PEGI, USK, Released in Europe, or Released/Announced in Japan with an existing English translation that were not released in the US at the time. It doesn't count MSX or C64 titles. Note that these are taken at the last week of the month when most of the new announcements take place to overestimate though there will be small fluccuations depeding on exactly when the survey was taken (including time of day):

JUN: 55
JUL: 55
AUG: 47
SEP: 46
OCT: 41
NOV: 44
NOW: 40

Basically, less games are getting rated and most games going to the Japanese VC are specific to Japan. The backlog has dropped steadily since June even with a slower release schedual. The VC as a whole has slowed and as I've noted before many VC companies cater to Japan, most of the lead it has is based entirely on those. And with Hudson only releasing TG16 games in Japan that's just skewing it harder. In a way it makes sense as of the some 30+ companies supporting VC only 3 are western (the now dead Factor 5, Interplay, and Kaasa which is currently Europe exclusive).

I've also been saying that the slow down was inevitable. Nintendo has blown through the majority of their self-published stuff, the remaining pieces are the mostly "problem" games either having licensing issues, requiring edits, utilizing special chips or accessories.

The only 2 pick-me-ups in the future will be if Nintendo allows for a centralized shop account across DSi and Wii which is not possible with the way the software currently works and would require a rather large update of both systems' firmware as well as the shop itself. The second will be the tenative spring update that will further alleviate the "fridge" problem and that may possibly open the door for a couple CD-based systems if there is interest. But beyond that I'm really not sure there's much that can be done, it's going to be a rather long game of sitting and waiting.
 
D

DDayton

(more a nerd than a geek)
nincompoop said:
So, was anybody stupid brave enough to try Tiki Towers? Horrible PSX graphics aside, the concept seems pretty good and it's only 500 points. I still want to read some impressions before I take the plunge, though.
Click to expand...

It's actually rather fun... it looks like it is horribly short, based on the level select menu (only 20-30 levels, but I might be wrong), but the actual gameplay is interesting so far. Imagine World of Goo without the bending pieces. A bit easier, and with some "magic" things for reinforcing joints/etc..

I also downloaded the Minigolf game... and, hmm. Blasted through the USA course, stopped halfway through Japan, and haven't tackled Europe. It's decent, but, well, it feels a bit dull. It's probably much better in multiplayer, but singleplayer is just a limited minigolf game... bumpers, hills, slopes, the occasional loop. Nothing overly exciting so far. Having a hard time adjusting to the swing mechanic for "small" and "light tap" strikes.
 
M

Mockingbird

Member
nincompoop said:
So, was anybody stupid brave enough to try Tiki Towers? Horrible PSX graphics aside, the concept seems pretty good and it's only 500 points. I still want to read some impressions before I take the plunge, though.

Also, do any of today's releases give you any coins for Club Nintendo?
Click to expand...

I used my World of Goo download ticket and also downloaded Phantasy Star IV today but only World of Goo showed up in my registered products list - no Phantasy Star IV to be found. I hope it gets added later or something. I still can't do any surveys for any Virtual Console/Wiiware titles though.

Also, I had to move channels to my memory card for the first time today, as well as delete my Elebits save file, which is ok since I've only ever gotten to stage 1 and it's freaking huge!

I actually opted to save the Metroid Prime 3 Preview Channel to my SD card as opposed to deleting it forever. Anyone else still have this channel?
 
T

tim1138

Member
DavidDayton said:
It's actually rather fun... it looks like it is horribly short, based on the level select menu (only 20-30 levels, but I might be wrong), but the actual gameplay is interesting so far. Imagine World of Goo without the bending pieces. A bit easier, and with some "magic" things for reinforcing joints/etc..

I also downloaded the Minigolf game... and, hmm. Blasted through the USA course, stopped halfway through Japan, and haven't tackled Europe. It's decent, but, well, it feels a bit dull. It's probably much better in multiplayer, but singleplayer is just a limited minigolf game... bumpers, hills, slopes, the occasional loop. Nothing overly exciting so far. Having a hard time adjusting to the swing mechanic for "small" and "light tap" strikes.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the Minigolf impressions, sounds like my wife would enjoy it, so I'll have to give it a download. Does it support online play?
 
D

DDayton

(more a nerd than a geek)
tim1138 said:
Thanks for the Minigolf impressions, sounds like my wife would enjoy it, so I'll have to give it a download. Does it support online play?
Click to expand...

No online play.

Minigolf isn't exactly BAD, but it's just...well... I was expecting more. Maybe there are unlockable courses with more interesting gimmicks, but I doubt it.

I've played some more Tiki Towers, and, well, it's kind of fun, but a tad slow at times. You have an unlimited supply of building materials (although your bonus depletes as time passes, so it balances out), but building is slow. Basically...

1) You "draw" an extension, like in World of Goo. It appears as a blue line.

2) A monkey runs to the supply box(es), runs to the tower, builds the extension, then runs BACK to the supply box.

You'll have multiple monkies, but there are levels that just seem to DRAG on and on due to the monkies running all over the level between each line. You do get to queue up several different additions (actually, I think you can queue as much as you want, up to the point at which building additional lines is no longer possible with the current tower or level of construction)... it's just that things start slowing down a LOT.

There are seemingly only 20 levels -- I know it's a $5 game, but that seems kind of dinky.

Weirdly enough, I still kind of recommend it, primarily because it's got World of Goo -ish gameplay with a little less frustration (endless materials) and at a fraction of the price.
 
L

later

Member
This tiki towers game only costs $1 on the iphone.. Really wish nintendo didn't have this minimum $5 cap.. But that will never change.
 
D

djtiesto

is beloved, despite what anyone might say
Make sure you all get Phantasy Star IV, it's one of the best games ever. Only warning is, if you play it, you're sure to become a bitter old fogey like me and liable to spit venom whenever Sega announces a new online PS title.
 
T

TJ Spyke

Member
I got a message on my Wii recommending that I buy World of Goo. This is odd since I was gifted it from my Secret Santa several weeks ago, you would think Nintendo would not sent these to people who already own the game.
 
D

Dragona Akehi

Retired
Well PSIV is a good sign, but I'm still looking for Castlevania III...

Still, I'm glad PAL gamers will get their wish for Secret of Mana, let's hope you all like it.
 
D

Dash Kappei

Not actually that important
Dragona Akehi said:
Well PSIV is a good sign, but I'm still looking for Castlevania III...

Still, I'm glad PAL gamers will get their wish for Secret of Mana, let's hope you all like it.
Click to expand...

Yay my favorite Square game
and probably the only reason I thought I could go and work there (briefly) for localizations.

Do I need tre CC/Gamecube controllers or the Wiimote's good enough?
 
N

Nuclear Muffin

Banned
Dragona Akehi said:
Well PSIV is a good sign, but I'm still looking for Castlevania III...

Still, I'm glad PAL gamers will get their wish for Secret of Mana, let's hope you all like it.
Click to expand...

We'll probably get CV3 next week and EU will get Mario Golf 64 either this Friday or on the next VC update. Seems like NOA and NOE want parity with the latest update.
 
T

TJ Spyke

Member
Dash Kappei said:
Yay my favorite Square game
and probably the only reason I thought I could go and work there (briefly) for localizations.

Do I need tre CC/Gamecube controllers or the Wiimote's good enough?
Click to expand...

Wii Remote works with all NES, Master System, MSX and Commodore 64 games. Most Genesis games and most TurboGrafx-16 games.

The GameCube controller works with all NES, SNES, N64, Master System, MSX, Commodore 64 and Neo Geo games. Most TurboGrafx-16 games.

The Classic Controller works with all VC games.

It's recommended to use the CC for SNES games though (especially Super Mario World) since it's the same layout as the SNES controller.
 
D

Dash Kappei

Not actually that important
TJ Spyke said:
Wii Remote works with all NES, Master System, MSX and Commodore 64 games. Most Genesis games and most TurboGrafx-16 games.

The GameCube controller works with all NES, SNES, N64, Master System, MSX, Commodore 64 and Neo Geo games. Most TurboGrafx-16 games.

The Classic Controller works with all VC games.

It's recommended to use the CC for SNES games though (especially Super Mario World) since it's the same layout as the SNES controller.
Click to expand...

Kinda new the above but I though there were some SNES games working with just the Wii remote, guess I was wrong
 
B

Brandon F

Well congratulations! You got yourself caught!
This thread needs a fucking reboot.

OP is ancient and when thread title changes get me curious to get info on actual releases I have to dig through back pages of bile to get solid info, which I usually don't find and I give up.

Why can't we get a PSN store-esque weekly update thread with screens, game info and whatnot for the different regions? This utterly blows and is the biggest GAF failure in recent times.
 
D

Dash Kappei

Not actually that important
Brandon F said:
This thread needs a fucking reboot.

OP is ancient and when thread title changes get me curious to get info on actual releases I have to dig through back pages of bile to get solid info, which I usually don't find and I give up.

Why can't we get a PSN store-esque weekly update thread with screens, game info and whatnot for the different regions? This utterly blows and is the biggest GAF failure in recent times.
Click to expand...

.
 
D

Danthrax

Batteries the CRISIS!
Brandon F said:
This thread needs a fucking reboot.

OP is ancient and when thread title changes get me curious to get info on actual releases I have to dig through back pages of bile to get solid info, which I usually don't find and I give up.

Why can't we get a PSN store-esque weekly update thread with screens, game info and whatnot for the different regions? This utterly blows and is the biggest GAF failure in recent times.
Click to expand...

Either that, or a thread with an OP that's updated each week with titles and PR for both the US and Europe.






[edit] Okay VC/WiiWare thread, below this post is my prototype Non-Shitty VC/WiiWare Thread OP. The highlighted first line is a placeholder for a banner. Give me suggestions and whatnot, if you would.
 
D

Danthrax

Batteries the CRISIS!
The NeoGAF Virtual Console and WiiWare thread

Nintendo adds new and classic games to the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time every Monday in North America. They go up every Tuesday in Japan. They go up every Friday in Europe.



This week's JP WiiWare games (released Dec. 23)

None? I think?



This week's JP Virtual Console games (released Dec. 24)

Salamander (Famicom, Konami, 1 player, 500 Wii Points)
00_ph.gif


Super Nobunaga (Super Famicom, KOEI, 1-8 players, 1,000 Wii Points)
00_ph.gif


Monster World (Master System, Sega, 500 Wii Points)
(no screenshots available)

Fire Professional Wrestling 3 (PC Engine, Spike, 600 Wii Points)
[no screenshots available)





This week's NA WiiWare games (released Dec. 22)

Tiki Towers (RealArcade, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone-Comic Mischief, 500 Wii Points, 284 Blocks)
Tiki Towers is a game of construction, destruction, problem-solving and monkeys. Reclaim the islands of your tribe by defeating a series of evil enemy chiefs. Work with your monkey friends to build towers out of bamboo poles, coconuts and vines. Match wits against the enemy chiefs bent on destroying your towers and driving you from the islands. Navigate levels filled with crazy building challenges, and deal with unfriendly wildlife and other environmental obstacles. Get your monkeys to chant for the BananaMana necessary to counter enemy attacks. Play in either single-player or two-player cooperative mode in this game where monkeys rule.


Fun! Fun! Minigolf (Shin'en Multimedia, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone, 900 Wii Points, 302 Blocks)
Play minigolf with your friends in beautiful environments. Choose a character and turn your Wii Remote controller into a golf club. With its easy-to-use controls, all you need to do is aim, swing and see who's the best putter. Play 27 holes spread across America, Asia and Europe. Enjoy exotic locations all over the world. Go for gold in single-player mode, or invite your friends. Fun! Fun! Minigolf supports up to four players. You can use one to four Wii Remote controllers. Fun! Fun! Minigolf is the ultimate party game for everyone.




This week's NA Virtual Console game (released Dec. 22)

Phantasy Star IV (SEGA GENESIS, Sega, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone-Fantasy Violence, Mild Sexual Themes, 800 Wii Points, 42 Blocks)
Phantasy Star IV is the fourth released game from SEGA's epic Phantasy Star series, one of SEGA's biggest RPGs on the SEGA GENESIS. In the year AW 2284, planet Motavia is once again plagued by strange biocreatures, and it's up to the brave men and women of the Hunters Guild to exterminate them. You are Chaz Ashley, a rookie Hunter straight out of training who is supported by Alys Brangwin-a crafty veteran whose good looks and prowess with the blade have earned her an awesome reputation. These two Hunters, along with a cast of supporting characters, will go beyond Motavia to unwittingly save their entire solar system.






This week's EU WiiWare games (released Dec. 26)

None. =(




This week's EU Virtual Console games (released Dec. 26)

SECRET OF MANA (Super Nintendo, Square-Enix, 800 Wii Points)
The acclaimed action RPG arrives on Virtual Console! Featuring an epic storyline, a strategic real-time combat system and a cooperative three-player mode, Secret of Mana rightly deserves its place in any fan's collection.



Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (SEGA MASTER SYSTEM, Sega, 500 Wii Points)
This unique SEGA MASTER SYSTEM sequel sees Sonic on the trail of his kidnapped friend, Tails, through seven zones of platform peril. Collect the Chaos Emeralds, go for a spin in a minecart and take to the skies for some hair-raising hang gliding!
 
D

Danthrax

Batteries the CRISIS!
Cheesemeister said:
What, no JP? No pictures?
Click to expand...

I never see JP games highlighted in this thread's title so I thought no one cared about them. I can certainly put those in though!

I'd like to put pictures in, I just gotta decide where to get them from. I want them to be uniform if I can but Nintendo's site doesn't have any screenshots. So I'll have to hotlink from IGN or something I guess. =\



[edit] Where do you guys usually find the info on Japanese WiiWare/VC releases? And what day of the week do they come out?
 
T

TJ Spyke

Member
Danthrax said:
I never see JP games highlighted in this thread's title so I thought no one cared about them. I can certainly put those in though!

I'd like to put pictures in, I just gotta decide where to get them from. I want them to be uniform if I can but Nintendo's site doesn't have any screenshots. So I'll have to hotlink from IGN or something I guess. =\



[edit] Where do you guys usually find the info on Japanese WiiWare/VC releases? And what day of the week do they come out?
Click to expand...

Back when Nintendo World Report used to review VC games, they would get screenshots (with permission) from vgmuseum.com.

Virual Console games come out in Japan on Tuesdays. Check out http://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/vc/lineup.html (which has screenshots for some games). This weeks VC release in Japan are Salamander from Konami for the NES/Famicom, Super Nobunaga no Yabou: Zengoku Han from Koei for the SNES/SFC, Super Wonder Boy: Monster World from Sega for the Master System, and Fire Pro Wrestling 3: Legend Bout from Human Entertainment for the TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine.
 
D

Danthrax

Batteries the CRISIS!
TJ Spyke said:
Back when Nintendo World Report used to review VC games, they would get screenshots (with permission) from vgmuseum.com.

Virual Console games come out in Japan on Tuesdays (our time, Wednesdays Japan time). Check out http://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/vc/lineup.html (which DOES have screenshots). This weeks sole VC release in Japan is Salamander from Konami for the NES/Famicom.
Click to expand...

Thanks. Working on a revision to the prototype OP.

The thing about Nintendo's Japanese site is that it's, well, written in Japanese. A language I can't read, and neither can Babelfish :lol


[edit] hold up if Japanese games go up on Tuesdays how come Nintendo's site says they go up on the 24th, a Wednesday?
 
S

Somnid

Member
Danthrax said:
Thanks. Working on a revision to the prototype OP.

The thing about Nintendo's Japanese site is that it's, well, written in Japanese. A language I can't read, and neither can Babelfish :lol


[edit] hold up if Japanese games go up on Tuesdays how come Nintendo's site says they go up on the 24th, a Wednesday?
Click to expand...

They occasionally let an extra game slip on Wednesday. However, in this case it's a special Christmas Eve DSiWare launch, so they probably decided to do it all at the same time.
 
T

TJ Spyke

Member
I think they held them back for Christmas. They normally come out on Tuesdays (the last two weeks, for example, had releases on the 16th and 9th).
 
D

Danthrax

Batteries the CRISIS!
I gotcha.

Alright I'm trying to get the names for these Japanese games from their URLs so if they're incomplete or butchered, you guys are just gonna have to correct me each week. Or teach me Japanese.

Check the prototype OP above, I've edited it.
 
P

PepsimanVsJoe

Member
I like how all signs point to the VC being pretty much done in the US/Europe while Japan gets a four game release like nothing at all.

What is this the 35236-2609620952390th time I've said "Fuck you Nintendo of America"?
 
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