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[LegendofLex]

How exactly is this a valid excuse not to sell them? The ambassador games still look great and play perfectly. I guarantee that a lot more people would prefer to play GBA games on a portable rather than on a console, even if the portable versions were missing some unnecessary features from the console versions.

Not being able to contribute their development/adoption to the unified Nintendo account-based architecture of the future (which will by necessity have to abandon any work they do on 3DS) in the midst of intense pressure from consumers to migrate to a platform that meets today's multi-platform standards would I think by itself be a pretty significant reason to not waste time developing and selling them.

 

[DragonKnight]

Will superstar saga be available tomorrow for US?

 

[steveovig]

I'll finally be trying out a Mario & Luigi game tomorrow! I might re-buy Advance Wars too. I haven't played that in years but I liked it back in the day.

 

[Ridley327]

Will superstar saga be available tomorrow for US?

Yup. The launch games are that, Advance Wars, and Metroid Fusion.

 

[DragonKnight]

Yup. The launch games are that, Advance Wars, and Metroid Fusion.

Nice. Its my fav rpg.

 

[Mr-Joker]

How exactly is this a valid excuse not to sell them? The ambassador games still look great and play perfectly. I guarantee that a lot more people would prefer to play GBA games on a portable rather than on a console, even if the portable versions were missing some unnecessary features from the console versions.

People are already complaining that the GBA games prices are too high on the Wii U virtual console and that's with all the bell and whistle.

No one would be willing to spend £6 just to play GBA games on the 3DS with features that are missing, unless Nintendo lowers the prices which they aren't going to do.

 

[oatmeal]

I'm more excited than I should be for these titles.

Though I never really played SS and only barely touched AW. So they'll almost be new experiences.

 

[Ridley327]

I'm more excited than I should be for these titles.

Though I never really played SS and only barely touched AW. So they'll almost be new experiences.

Superstar Saga is excellent. It's not a long RPG, but it's well-paced, the combat system is top-notch, and it's filled with some really, really memorable characters and special appearances, including one mini-game announcer that's bound to make someone lose their shit.

 

[oatmeal]

Superstar Saga is excellent. It's not a long RPG, but it's well-paced, the combat system is top-notch, and it's filled with some really, really memorable characters and special appearances, including one mini-game announcer that's bound to make someone lose their shit.

I had PiT on the DS and it got tiring near the end when the battles lasted forever because of the way they balanced HP.

 

[Ridley327]

I had PiT on the DS and it got tiring near the end when the battles lasted forever because of the way they balanced HP.

To this day, I don't know why they fucked with the HP totals like they did in PiT. They forced you to rely on the attack items to get those battles done in a timely manner, and even then, they dragged on. SS is mercifully not like that at all.

About the only major complaint I have with it is that the final boss is pretty goddamn brutal to fight. You have to be perfect with dodging some of those attacks, or it's gonna be an instant wipe.

 

[hlhbk]

Sure hope they released Metroid Zero mission soon since it was never released on the 3ds.

 

[rjc571]

I think a lot of people would disagree with them looking great (the motion blur that their method takes on is pretty nasty), but aside from that, I imagine that Nintendo would prefer to have a level of consistency to VC that the method that the ambassador games does not provide. I mean, consider what they can't do with the existing setup:

-they can't enter sleep mode when you close the screen, which requires you to do a manual sleep mode in the game itself, provided it supports the feature (which even amongst the games that Nintendo did release for the ambassadors was not a feature in every game, like Wario Land 4)

-they can't suspend play and access the 3DS home screen, which means no access to Miiverse for screenshot uploading

-you're at the mercy of the game's internal save feature, unlike the save states that a proper emulator provides

They're almost all "unnecessary," but they're features supported across the board in all of their other VC releases on the system, so why should GBA be exempt from that?

All of that applies to DSiware as well, other than sleep mode. Should Nintendo stop selling DSiware on the 3DS as well? Or would it make you feel better if Nintendo rebranded GBA games on the 3DS as "GBAware" and sold them?

 

[Ridley327]

All of that applies to DSiware as well, other than sleep mode. Should Nintendo stop selling DSiware on the 3DS as well? Or would it make you feel better if Nintendo rebranded GBA games on the 3DS as "GBAware" and sold them?

I don't think that Nintendo has attempted to sell DSiWare under the VC umbrella, so I'm not sure that train of thought really applies.

 

[rjc571]

I don't think that Nintendo has attempted to sell DSiWare under the VC umbrella, so I'm not sure that train of thought really applies.

Answer the last part of the question then. Would it be okay for Nintendo to sell GBA games on the 3DS if they rebranded them as "GBAWare" rather than "Virtual Console"?

People are already complaining that the GBA games prices are too high on the Wii U virtual console and that's with all the bell and whistle.

No one would be willing to spend £6 just to play GBA games on the 3DS with features that are missing, unless Nintendo lowers the prices which they aren't going to do.

The people who complain about Virtual Console prices aren't going to buy the games no matter how many extra features they come with. Conversely, the consumers who don't have a problem paying 8 bucks for a GBA game (a.k.a the reasonable ones) aren't going to hold off from buying a game just because it doesn't come with save states or configurable controls.

 

[Ridley327]

Answer the last part of the question then. Would it be okay for Nintendo to sell GBA games on the 3DS if they rebranded them as "GBAWare" rather than "Virtual Console"?

No, because no one in their right mind would buy something that would drain the battery as fast as playing the game as you would by not playing it.

 

[oatmeal]

I'm just stunned that they're doing 3 in day one, and 6 (?) in month one.

Along with Mario 3 and maybe others, the VC service may finally start being what it needs to. Of course, we REALLY need N64.

I hope that they're taking their time because of the emulation process is similar to what they're doing here. Proper upscaling, smoothing, stuff like that.

 

[rjc571]

No, because no one in their right mind would buy something that would drain the battery as fast as playing the game as you would by not playing it.

So all GBA games that didn't have a sleep mode sold 0 copies to right-minded consumers? Everybody who bought Wario Land 4 on the GBA is an idiot?

 

[Ridley327]

So all GBA games that didn't have a sleep mode sold 0 copies?

Sleep mode wasn't a standard in 2001-2004. It is now.

 

[brandonh83]

I hope that they're taking their time because of the emulation process is similar to what they're doing here. Proper upscaling, smoothing, stuff like that.

N64 games on the game pad would slay me.

 

[Mr-Joker]

All of that applies to DSiware as well, other than sleep mode. Should Nintendo stop selling DSiware on the 3DS as well? Or would it make you feel better if Nintendo rebranded GBA games on the 3DS as "GBAware" and sold them?

You're trying to fit a square peg into a circle hole with that logic.

The DSiware games are sold as DSi games and have their own section that is not part of Virtual console games.

The fact is

-the 3DS is incapable of emulating GBA games,

-Nintendo doesn't and can't release it with missing features,

-Nintendo is going to base their future console on the Wii U framework so wasting money on getting the 3DS to play GBA games is a waste of time and money.

You just going to have to accept that and either buy the GBA games on the Wii U or wait until the 3DS successor is released.

 

[rjc571]

Sleep mode wasn't a standard in 2001-2004. It is now.

I guess it was a huge waste for Nintendo to put a GBA slot in the DS and DS Lite then, since obviously nobody ever played a GBA game on their DS after 2004 due to the lack of sleep mode!

 

[Ridley327]

I guess it was a huge waste for Nintendo to put a GBA slot in the DS and DS Lite then, since obviously nobody ever played a GBA game on their DS after 2004 due to the lack of sleep mode!

There were some DS games that didn't support sleep mode, as a matter of fact.

I'm not really sure what you're trying to get at with this line of logic that you're insisting on going through with. At the absolute minimum, there's a major hardware feature that GBA games using the method that they used can't support that is detrimental to the battery of the 3DS. If that's something that doesn't bother you, whatever, but brushing it away like you have been doesn't make it any less detrimental.

 

[Mr-Joker]

I guess it was a huge waste for Nintendo to put a GBA slot in the DS and DS Lite then, since obviously nobody ever played a GBA game on their DS after 2004 due to the lack of sleep mode!

*facepalm*

The DS was released in 2004 so sleep mode was still yet to become common, plus adding the GBA slot was was ensuring that the DS was backward compatible.

 

[rjc571]

You're trying to fit a square peg into a circle hole with that logic.

The DSiware games are sold as DSi games and have their own section that is not part of Virtual console games.

The fact is

-the 3DS is incapable of emulating GBA games,

-Nintendo doesn't and can't release it with missing features,

-Nintendo is going to base their future console on the Wii U framework so wasting money on getting the 3DS to play GBA games is a waste of time and money.

You just going to have to accept that and either buy the GBA games on the Wii U or wait until the 3DS successor is released.

More facts:

-the 3DS is capable of running GBA games 100% natively

-Nintendo can and has enabled you to play GBA games on DS and 3DS that can't use sleep mode or other features native to those systems

-releasing portable games on a portable makes more sense than releasing them on a home console

-lots and lots of people would buy GBA games on the 3DS and would be 100% satisfies with them running natively

 

[rjc571]

There were some DS games that didn't support sleep mode, as a matter of fact.

I'm not really sure what you're trying to get at with this line of logic that you're insisting on going through with. At the absolute minimum, there's a major hardware feature that GBA games using the method that they used can't support that is detrimental to the battery of the 3DS. If that's something that doesn't bother you, whatever, but brushing it away like you have been doesn't make it any less detrimental.

With such a catastrophic effect on the 3DS's battery, it's a wonder that they even released the ambassador games in the first place.

*facepalm*

The DS was released in 2004 so sleep mode was still yet to become common, plus adding the GBA slot was was ensuring that the DS was backward compatible.

Was sleep mode common when the DS Lite was released in 2006?

 

[Exile20]

Here are more details for the GBA Wii U Virtual Console...

- Use Wii U GamePad, Wii U Pro Controller, or a Wii Remote which has a Classic Controller (Pro) attached to it
- Can enable or disable screen smoothing, and there are two display options for you to choose from. Players can either go full screen or go for the original resolution.
- Colors more vibrant than the Nintendo 3DS Ambassador Games
- Games chug very little
- Look through a scanned in manual in various languages, can keep using it while playing

File sizes
Advance Wars - 62MB
Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga - 63MB
Metroid Fusion - 57 MB
Kirby & The Amazing Mirror - 57MB
WarioWare, Inc: Minigame Mania - 55MB
F-Zero Maximum Velocity - 55MB
Golden Sun - 82MB
Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3 - 51MB
https://www.nintendoworldreport.com/feature/37035/the-most-asked-questions-about-the-wii-u-gba-virtual-console

 

[SolVanderlyn]

Now the real question is if the VC will support netplay or not. Advance Wars without the multiplayer won't be worth it, but if there's online play, it's not only worth it, but also instantly about a hundred times better than the GBA version.

 

[oatmeal]

- Games chug very little

Oooookay

Now the real question is if the VC will support netplay or not. Advance Wars without the multiplayer won't be worth it, but if there's online play, it's not only worth it, but also instantly about a hundred times better than the GBA version.

No

 

[Robin64]

They "chug very little"? That's worrying. They shouldn't chug at all, except where the original GBA did.

 

[Weng]

They "chug very little"? That's worrying. They shouldn't chug at all, except where the original GBA did.

From the NWR link:

Do the games chug or anything in that regard? I would like to play them without too much irritation.

No, the games chug very little. There are one or two moments where I encountered a brief (like a couple frames) graphical glitch. Beyond that, I have not encountered any problems so far, and that can be considered a positive!

 

[bobawesome]

I'll pass on Advance Wars and Superstar Sega. I just could never get into the gameplay style of SS and literally forced myself to finish PiT. Golden Sun is still a toss up, though. I love the gameplay but that horrible intro...

 

[Ridley327]

With such a catastrophic effect on the 3DS's battery, it's a wonder that they even released the ambassador games in the first place.

Because they rushed out a compensation package for early adopters in order to save face and avoid any additional bad press. The NES games were also not fully featured when they were released, either.

 

[Robin64]

From the NWR link:

Yeah, I mostly wonder if he's just experiencing something the original hardware did or not. Doesn't really say.

Not that it matters, I'm buying them all tomorrow anyway, and I'm pretty familiar with Fusion so can see for myself.

 

[codhand]

so did the price of the gba player on gamecube come down? cause that was my retirement plan.

 

[terrisus]

No, because no one in their right mind would buy something that would drain the battery as fast as playing the game as you would by not playing it.

You're kidding, right?
Seriously?

 

[Ridley327]

You're kidding, right?
Seriously?

If a game doesn't support sleep mode, then yes, in the instance that a GBA game doesn't have its own sleep mode, it would drain the battery just as much by not playing it as it would by playing it.

I don't see what's difficult to understand about that.

 

[mullet2000]

If a game doesn't support sleep mode, then yes, in the instance that a GBA game doesn't have its own sleep mode, it would drain the battery just as much by not playing it as it would by playing it.

I don't see what's difficult to understand about that.

Pretty sure that guy was more focusing on the "nobody would buy that" part of that post - for a feature that a wouldn't be a big deal to a large number of people.

I know lack of a sleep mode wouldn't even be a factor to me when it comes to potentially buying GBA games on 3DS.

 

[terrisus]

If a game doesn't support sleep mode, then yes, in the instance that a GBA game doesn't have its own sleep mode, it would drain the battery just as much by not playing it as it would by playing it.

I don't see what's difficult to understand about that.

No, I mean about claiming that no one would buy it because of that reason.

What is your justification for claiming that? You can't just make a blanket statement like that and assert it to be true without any justification. It's simply outlandish.

 

[Josh7289]

No multiplayer support at all? Damn. That's kind of shitty.

 

[Berordn]

How exactly is this a valid excuse not to sell them? The ambassador games still look great and play perfectly. I guarantee that a lot more people would prefer to play GBA games on a portable rather than on a console, even if the portable versions were missing some unnecessary features from the console versions.

They look passable if just that, due to the concessions they had to make with colors and brightness. They're blurry, dim, scale poorly and not the greatest representation of their original form. Playable sure, but they were prone to crashing and lockups on top of that. I still managed to complete most of them but you're overselling them.

Plus you're underestimating how great features like suspend and save points are, on top of not having to lock out 3DS communication features that I end up using regularly.

 

[butalala]

No multiplayer support at all? Damn. That's kind of shitty.

Advance Wars has turn based, pass the console multiplayer that you could still do. Sounds like a great option to me, could even get me to double dip.

 

[mullet2000]

Advance Wars has turn based, pass the console multiplayer that you could still do. Sounds like a great option to me, could even get me to double dip.

I wonder if you had two controllers connected, like a pro controller and the gamepad, if they'd both sending their inputs to the game at the same time and, you could thus basically have normal multiplayer using that mode.

 

[Fandangox]

N64 games on the game pad would slay me.

PAPER MARIO/MAJORA MASK/F-ZERO X ON WII U PAD PLS

 

[Hip Hop]

I never got to beat Yoshi's Island.

How does it compare to SNES version?

 

[Berordn]

I never got to beat Yoshi's Island.

How does it compare to SNES version?

The bonus content is neat, the modified palette is kinda meh, the sound is awful (more due to Yoshi's Story sound effects replacing the original SNES ones, but the downgraded music doesn't help).

Decent, but definitely not my preferred way of playing the game.

 

[Ridley327]

I wonder if you had two controllers connected, like a pro controller and the gamepad, if they'd both sending their inputs to the game at the same time and, you could thus basically have normal multiplayer using that mode.

I don't think multiplayer games could work with that setup unless the games themselves were heavily reworked to account for that kind of play on the Wii U, or finding some way of getting the Wii U to run two instances of the game at the same time, which would still require some reworking of the game itself to recognize that instance playing on the TV can connect to the instance that's playing on the GamePad.

There is one solution that can work, though, and it has already worked, since the Wii U version of MH3U can play with 3DS players locally, but that gets back to the problem of there not being a GBA emulator on the 3DS. Something to hope for with the next handheld...

...not that it matters a whole lot for Advance Wars, as it is a turn-based game, after all, and the single copy mode will work just fine with the GamePad.

 

[Ridley327]

No, I mean about claiming that no one would buy it because of that reason.

What is your justification for claiming that? You can't just make a blanket statement like that and assert it to be true without any justification. It's simply outlandish.

For what it's worth, I didn't expect anyone to take that comment literally.

 

[rjc571]

They look passable if just that, due to the concessions they had to make with colors and brightness. They're blurry, dim, scale poorly and not the greatest representation of their original form. Playable sure, but they were prone to crashing and lockups on top of that. I still managed to complete most of them but you're overselling them.

Plus you're underestimating how great features like suspend and save points are, on top of not having to lock out 3DS communication features that I end up using regularly.

Dim maybe but they weren't at all blurry and can be played unscaled in their original resolution, where they look just as good as they did running on the original GBA. I played them all pretty extensively except for the two racing games and never had any of them crash or lock up on me, either.

 

[sörine]

They look passable if just that, due to the concessions they had to make with colors and brightness. They're blurry, dim, scale poorly and not the greatest representation of their original form. Playable sure, but they were prone to crashing and lockups on top of that. I still managed to complete most of them but you're overselling them.

Plus you're underestimating how great features like suspend and save points are, on top of not having to lock out 3DS communication features that I end up using regularly.

I completed Minish Cap, Amazing Mirror, Metroid Fusion and Wario Land 4 100%, and played through most of Sacred Stones, Wario Ware and Yoshi's Island and I never experienced a single crash or lockup. I barely touched Maxium Velocity, Super Circuit or Mario Vs DK though and I always played the games in 1:1 screen mode so maybe that's why?

 

[Ridley327]

I didn't have any lock-ups in the ambassador games, but the motion blurring is there and can be quite prominent in games like Yoshi's Island and Metroid Fusion, where moving distorts the whole screen, like it's running on an older LCD with a crappy refresh rate.