Support NeoGAF

[A Link to the Past]

Man, I'm going to start emulating VC games instead of buying them now. Nintendo's not getting money from me when they're blatantly ignoring the community at every turn so they can publish casual shit like Wii Music and shitty shit like Tenchu: Dark Secret.

 

[Iam Canadian]

Isn't admitting to piracy a bannable offense? Don't throw it all away, Snitch. D:

Sorry but EB is not coming. I've had several NOA employees tell me this.

What really interests me is why neither Mother game has hit the Japanese VC. I mean, Mother actually does well over there, and the fact that Nintendo released Mother 1+2 a few years ago means that there must not be any insurmountable legal issues standing in its way in Japan. There's even a demo of Earthbound in the Japanese version of Brawl, and I'm pretty sure it's the only game with a demo in Brawl that doesn't have its full version on VC.

I mean, I've almost resigned myself to the fact that NOA is spiteful, mean, and cruel, and won't give me my Earthbound fix over here, but it's weird seeing it be neglected in Japan as well.

 

[Father_Brain]

Why wouldn't they eventually release it? Just to be mean?

There's a persistent rumor that there's some kind of rights issue involving the original English translation. No idea if there's any truth to it, though.

 

[Jazzem]

ESRB update:

Super Street Fighter II (Genesis)

Good old Capcom milkage...now where's Final Fight 2 and 3?

Wow...it must be really confusing for those not in the know wanting to buy Street Fighter II' on the Virtual Console :lol

 

[ghibli99]

Loved Forgotten Worlds in arcades, but the Genesis port felt rushed/sloppy, and is super-easy. I remember beating this game the second time I played it, and I tended to play bad on purpose if I felt I was getting too far in a game my first time. I had to make these games last at least a few weeks to a month before my folks would buy a new one, so after beating this a few times by myself and w/ friends, we went back to Ghouls'n Ghosts, Truxton and Thunder Force II.

 

[B-Rad Lascelle]

Why wouldn't they eventually release it? Just to be mean?

Nintendo hates anything and everything to do with their core audience now... at least from a first-party basis. Their final core title release ever was Super Smash Bros. Brawl back in early March. It would have been a pure post-2007 stance had Brawl not been delayed as much as it was.

All future releases from this date will be wholly aimed at the casual/soccer mom demo. This means that certain established franchises will simply be rehashes with casual elements thrown in (Animal Crossing: City Folk). Or simply will never show their face this side of the Atlantic ever again (Fire Emblem games, EarthBound, Pikmin, Professor Layton, an F-Zero game with actual challenge, etc.).

I hear the new Mario & Luigi game on DS will be akin to a Mario Party game with RPG elements thrown in. And next year's big release on Wii will be a port of New Super Mario Bros. with Mii support and Wii functionality added. The other big post-WiiSports Resort title will be Mario Surfing using the Balance Board. WiiFit 2 will be announced as will Nintenpets on the DS. And your sole bastion of hardcore gaming from Nintendo next year will be Pokemon Platinum.

 

[Man God]

Nintendo hates anything and everything to do with their core audience now... at least from a first-party basis. Their final core title release ever was Super Smash Bros. Brawl back in early March. It would have been a pure post-2007 stance had Brawl not been delayed as much as it was.

All future releases from this date will be wholly aimed at the casual/soccer mom demo. This means that certain established franchises will simply be rehashes with casual elements thrown in (Animal Crossing: City Folk). Or simply will never show their face this side of the Atlantic ever again (Fire Emblem games, EarthBound, Pikmin, Professor Layton, an F-Zero game with actual challenge, etc.).

I hear the new Mario & Luigi game on DS will be akin to a Mario Party game with RPG elements thrown in. And next year's big release on Wii will be a port of New Super Mario Bros. with Mii support and Wii functionality added. The other big post-WiiSports Resort title will be Mario Surfing using the Balance Board. WiiFit 2 will be announced as will Nintenpets on the DS. And your sole bastion of hardcore gaming from Nintendo next year will be Pokemon Platinum.

I know you are joking but you forgot about Mario Kart Wii.

 

[A Link to the Past]

MK Wii has strong appeal to casual audiences.

 

[B-Rad Lascelle]

I would think that MK Wii would have reviewed somewhat better had it been more than a rehash of Mario Kart DS with casual-friendly features.

 

[PepsimanVsJoe]

Thankfully third parties/VC will carry the Wii through 2009....For me at least.

For the rest of the world it won't even matter as the system will sell out regardless.

 

[CreatureX3]

MK Wii has strong appeal to casual audiences.

Sure it does. Mario Galaxy and Smash Bros Brawl also have strong appeal to casuals. But that doesn't change the fact that these three games are core Nintendo titles.

 

[A Black Falcon]

The Super Game Boy SNES version doesn't contain the competitive vs mode the SNES cart version has (or the need to insert virtual credits), but it's otherwise identical.

Yeah, I thought the GB version didn't have the two player mode... does it have all four color modes like the SNES version does, though (black & white, color backdrop, cellophane, true color)?

The two-player competitive mode is pretty cool, it's worth getting the SNES version just for that if you have someone to play it with, assuming that you only pay a few dollars for it.

 

[A Link to the Past]

Sure it does. Mario Galaxy and Smash Bros Brawl also have strong appeal to casuals. But that doesn't change the fact that these three games are core Nintendo titles.

SSBB and Mario Galaxy were made because of the success with core audiences. MKDS was a huge title with casual audiences, if it wasn't so big they may not have made it in the first place.

 

[A Black Falcon]

Wow...it must be really confusing for those not in the know wanting to buy Street Fighter II' on the Virtual Console :lol

Indeed....

Genesis and SNES SSFII are slightly different, but overall, the differences are minor. The minor additions made to the Genesis version don't make up for the better graphics and sound on the SNES.

Size:
-the game is 40 megabit on Genesis but 32 megabit on SNES, so the Genesis version is 1MB larger.

Feature differences:
-The Genesis version has four levels of turbo available, while there are only three on SNES. More turbo is always nice.

-The Genesis version has one additional option in the Options menu, "Normal" or "Expert" Super Mode. In Normal mode, you go through the usual game, with 12 opponents and the bonus stages. In Expert Mode, you fight against all 16 opponents, with no bonus stages. Interesting...

On the graphics/sound side:
-The Genesis version has redrawn graphics. They aren't better than the SNES version's though; the SNES definitely has the upper hand graphically.

-Better, clearer music on SNES than Genesis

-Different sounds when you pause (a little cooler on Genesis)

-Thanks to the larger cart size, the Genesis version has more voice samples than the SNES version.

-Maybe slightly clearer voices on Genesis thanks to the larger cartridge? Not sure, maybe not...

And, of course, on an actual Genesis, with a 6-button controller, the Genesis version has better controls unless you have an arcade stick for your SNES. But this does not apply to Virtual Console. Even without the controller I do think I like Genesis SFII SCE a bit more than SFIIT (more turbo with no codes... ), but for SSFII, it's definitely better on SNES.

 

[poppabk]

Indeed....

Genesis and SNES SSFII are slightly different, but overall, the differences are minor. The minor additions made to the Genesis version don't make up for the better graphics and sound on the SNES.

Size:
-the game is 40 megabit on Genesis but 32 megabit on SNES, so the Genesis version is 1MB larger.

Feature differences:
-The Genesis version has four levels of turbo available, while there are only three on SNES. More turbo is always nice.

-The Genesis version has one additional option in the Options menu, "Normal" or "Expert" Super Mode. In Normal mode, you go through the usual game, with 12 opponents and the bonus stages. In Expert Mode, you fight against all 16 opponents, with no bonus stages. Interesting...

On the graphics/sound side:
-The Genesis version has redrawn graphics. They aren't better than the SNES version's though; the SNES definitely has the upper hand graphically.

-Better, clearer music on SNES than Genesis

-Different sounds when you pause (a little cooler on Genesis)

-Maybe slightly clearer voices on Genesis thanks to the larger cartridge? Not sure, maybe not...

And, of course, on an actual Genesis, with a 6-button controller, the Genesis version has better controls unless you have an arcade stick for your SNES. But this does not apply to Virtual Console. Even without the controller I do think I like Genesis SFII SCE a bit more than SFIIT (more turbo with no codes... ), but for SSFII, it's definitely better on SNES.

Is SSFII on Genesis playable with just the Wiimote?

 

[A Black Falcon]

Is SSFII on Genesis playable with just the Wiimote?

Yeah, the game supports the three-button controller as well as the six-button one, I don't know of any Genesis games with six-button support that actually require the six-button controller. Some of them are just are no fun without it. Three-button Genesis SSFII works the same way as three-button SFII SCE... that is, A, B, and C are light, medium, and strong, and Start switches between punches and kicks. It's ... not fun.

Honestly, if I were Nintendo (er, Capcom and Sega, here), I'd consider just blocking out that mode and making it CC or GC pad or whatever only... but assuming that they left it in, if you really want to suffer, you could try it, I guess.

 

[sfog]

Yeah, I thought the GB version didn't have the two player mode... does it have all four color modes like the SNES version does, though (black & white, color backdrop, cellophane, true color)?

Yes, it does. The only differences are the absent vs mode, not having to insert virtual credits to play, and the subtitle (the SNES GB version is "The Arcade Game" whereas the SNES cart version is "The Original Game").

Genesis and SNES SSFII are slightly different...On the graphics/sound side:

The Genesis version has slightly more voice clips than the SNES version as well, probably due to its larger cart size, most notably the round numbers and Dee Jay's "Max Out" projectile.

 

[A Black Falcon]

Yes, it does. The only differences are the absent vs mode, not having to insert virtual credits to play, and the subtitle (the SNES GB version is "The Arcade Game" whereas the SNES cart version is "The Original Game").

Okay. I've only played the SNES cart, not the GB one. It is pretty cool that they fit in the whole single-player mode... I knew Space Invaders for Game Boy had a full-screen SNES mode (it's the only SGB game with a full-screen SNES mode, in fact), but not that it was actually identical to the SNES Space Invaders aside from the missing multiplayer mode... though the multiplayer mode was the main new feature of SNES Space Invaders, really, and is one of the most interesting things about the version.

They could have don the multiplayer too, the Super Game Boy supports multiplayer through SNES controllers, and some games (some fighting games, Wario Blast and Bomberman GB, a few others) make use of that... space issues kept them from putting it in though, I would imagine.

The Genesis version has slightly more voice clips than the SNES version as well, probably due to its larger cart size, most notably the round numbers and Dee Jay's "Max Out" projectile.

I thought I remembered hearing something like that, I just couldn't confirm it for sure so I didn't mention that... the larger cart size allowed that for sure I'd think, like how Genesis SFII SCE has the full arcade intro in it, while SFIIT on SNES does not, partially because of SCE's larger cartridge.

Even so though, I do wonder what took up a whole megabyte... on 16-bit terms, that's a lot more space. Just the audio? I don't see how the other changes would have changed cart size much... but I don't think it has more animation or anything, as far as I know. Unless the voice improvements explain most of the cart size increase, that is.

Edited in a line mentioning the added voices.

 

[JSnake]

There's a persistent rumor that there's some kind of rights issue involving the original English translation. No idea if there's any truth to it, though.

That's half correct. There are lots of legal issues but none of them really have to do with translation. Basically there are many legal issues holding back an EB release and Nintendo doesn't think the reward would cover the risk.

 

[Somnid]

So these are the Street Fighter titles remaining for release once Genesis SSF2 hits:

Fighting Street (TGCD)
Street Fighters (C64)
Street Fighter II Dash (PCE)
Street Fighter II (C64)
Street Fighter Alpha 2 (SNES)

There's also a Brazil-only version of SF2 on the Master System.

 

[ToastyFrog]

All future releases from this date will be wholly aimed at the casual/soccer mom demo. This means that certain established franchises will simply be rehashes with casual elements thrown in (Animal Crossing: City Folk). Or simply will never show their face this side of the Atlantic ever again (Fire Emblem games, EarthBound, Pikmin, Professor Layton, an F-Zero game with actual challenge, etc.).

Good thing a Fire Emblem has already been announced for release here in early '09, and Miyamoto deliberately picked E3 as his venue to announce Pikmin 3, eh?

 

[DDayton]

That's half correct. There are lots of legal issues but none of them really have to do with translation. Basically there are many legal issues holding back an EB release and Nintendo doesn't think the reward would cover the risk.

Does anyone KNOW of what these "legal issues" are, or is the rumor simply that it is "legal issues"?

 

[Nuclear Muffin]

Indeed....

And, of course, on an actual Genesis, with a 6-button controller, the Genesis version has better controls unless you have an arcade stick for your SNES. But this does not apply to Virtual Console. Even without the controller I do think I like Genesis SFII SCE a bit more than SFIIT (more turbo with no codes... ), but for SSFII, it's definitely better on SNES.

There is an arcade stick for the Wii (Actually there are 2, including the NeoGeo one!)

 

[A Black Falcon]

There is an arcade stick for the Wii (Actually there are 2, including the NeoGeo one!)

Sure, but my point was that with the default Genesis controller, a Genesis 6-button pad, you get near-perfect controls. This is not true with the SNES or any Virtual Console release, where two buttons are on shoulder buttons. The only way to get around that is to buy an arcade stick for your SNES or Wii...

I didn't mean that the Wii doesn't have an arcade stick, just that on Wii the two are equal controls-wise, which means the Genesis version has been downgraded because of the sad lack of a 6-button pad for the Wii.

(Of course the Genesis 6-button pad was originally an add-on controller itself, but at least that eventually shipped with the system for some years and was bought by many, unlike arcade sticks. The only console I know of that ever came packed in with an arcade stick is the Neo-Geo (AES)...)

 

[FFantasyFX]

Does anyone KNOW of what these "legal issues" are, or is the rumor simply that it is "legal issues"?

I would take what JSnake says with a mound of salt. I think whatever legal issues, if they exist, are overblown. With that caveat in mind, back when we got in the weeds about this issue before the two main points that came up were the translation and music. Shigesato Itoi supposedly has the rights to the script, so if that is true he would have to sign off on the VC release (but Nintendo should have the rights to the translation, so this wouldn't seem to have much impact on a North American release). In terms of music, there are supposedly two songs that are too similar to other copyrighted works for NoA's taste - the New Age Retro Hippie Song was mentioned specifically. So, they would have to be replaced, but Nintendo proper is supposedly balking at that.

 

[NeonZ]

Aren't Earthbound's problems related to one of the bgm? I heard some people mentioning that when the list of tracks removed from Smash Bros Brawl surfaced.

 

[Iam Canadian]

The New Age Retro Hippie song didn't bother Nintendo when they rereleased the game as Mother 1+2 on the GBA or stop them from putting Mother 2 as a Masterpiece in Brawl. The fact that no Mother games are out either in North America or Japan makes me think it's something more than that.

 

[FFantasyFX]

The New Age Retro Hippie song didn't bother Nintendo when they rereleased the game as Mother 1+2 on the GBA or stop them from putting Mother 2 as a Masterpiece in Brawl. The fact that no Mother games are out either in North America or Japan makes me think it's something more than that.

If it is an issue, I think the New Age Retro Hippie song probably bothers Nintendo of America and not the people in Japan. But yeah, I find it hard to believe that if that is all there is to the problem, that it hasn't already been ironed out.

 

[Iam Canadian]

If it is an issue, I think the New Age Retro Hippie song probably bothers Nintendo of America and not the people in Japan. But yeah, I find it hard to believe that if that is all there is to the problem, that it hasn't already been ironed out.

I'm just saying, it seems strange. If the music is the only issue, and it hasn't stopped them from rereleasing it in Japan numerous times, then why isn't it at least out on the Japanese VC yet?

 

[Twig]

Um. Why would that song be an issue at all?

 

[Gamer @ Heart]

I bought World of Goo the other day and played it today. OMG OMG OMG. Even the music is great.

I bought it over strongbad episode 2. I really want to support that series after liking the first one so i hope sometime soon i can buy that.

Sadly though, in order to buy world of goo i needed to buy 2000 points because i only had 400. Now i have 900 left and want to buy a 1000 point game. This fucking sucks.

 

[A Link to the Past]

I bought World of Goo the other day and played it today. OMG OMG OMG. Even the music is great.

I bought it over strongbad episode 2. I really want to support that series after liking the first one so i hope sometime soon i can buy that.

Sadly though, in order to buy world of goo i needed to buy 2000 points because i only had 400. Now i have 900 left and want to buy a 1000 point game. This fucking sucks.

Nintendo sets it up that way so you have to buy at least 500 points, forcing you to have 400 extra points.

 

[the year 20XX]

There is an arcade stick for the Wii (Actually there are 2, including the NeoGeo one!)

Actually, there are at least 5! The Hori Fighting Stick Wii, the Neo Geo Stick 2, the EXARSTICK and its Tatsunoko vs. Capcom variant (which has a slightly different button layout), and... "The Shaft!" Which sort of counts. Plus SNES joysticks through a RetroUSB adapter.

 

[GaimeGuy]

I bought World of Goo the other day and played it today. OMG OMG OMG. Even the music is great.

I bought it over strongbad episode 2. I really want to support that series after liking the first one so i hope sometime soon i can buy that.

Sadly though, in order to buy world of goo i needed to buy 2000 points because i only had 400. Now i have 900 left and want to buy a 1000 point game. This fucking sucks.

Welcome to the party


World of Goo is an amazing game,a nd it deserves all kinds of awards.

 

[Sciz]

Um. Why would that song be an issue at all?

It's pretty much a straight cover of Johnny B. Goode, IIRC.

 

[m3k]

So these are the Street Fighter titles remaining for release once Genesis SSF2 hits:

Fighting Street (TGCD)
Street Fighters (C64)
Street Fighter II Dash (PCE)
Street Fighter II (C64)
Street Fighter Alpha 2 (SNES)

There's also a Brazil-only version of SF2 on the Master System.

i didnt read your post properly and thought they had released this

do it capcom

 

[twinturbo2]

This may sound like a stoopid question, but did anyone download Target Toss Pro: Bags? I liked it in the arcade, and I want to know if it plays fine.

 

[Twig]

It's pretty much a straight cover of Johnny B. Goode, IIRC.

Oh.

Bleh, copyrights.

 

[PepsimanVsJoe]

i didnt read your post properly and thought they had released this

do it capcom

Look up a video of SFA2 SNES on youtube and you'll begging Capcom not to release it on the VC.

Oh.

Bleh, copyrights.

Possibly the same reason why we never got Sonic CD's JPN soundtrack in the US.
It'd cost a small fortune to get the rights to every song that soundtrack sampled. =/

 

[A Black Falcon]

Look up a video of SFA2 SNES on youtube and you'll begging Capcom not to release it on the VC.

What would you rather have, Street Fighter Alpha 1 GBC?

Of course the SNES game can't match up to the 32-bit versions, but for a 16-bit version of the game, it's surprisingly good, really... though yeah, if you've played any other version you might not want to play it unless you don't mind a serious downgrade, and slowdown and load times too. But it is still fun, mostly...

 

[Wii Will Rock U]

Mario Surfing using the Balance Board. WiiFit 2 will be announced as will Nintenpets on the DS.

I would buy ALL of those! ALL OF THEM, Mario Surfing = BRILLIANT.

Spoiler

I'm NOT joking

Also, any hints as to what tomorrow's release will be?

 

[Go319]

hey guys and gals in the know,

whats up with the following releases:

Sonic & Knuckles

World Of Goo (PAL)


??

 

[Dreamwriter]

In terms of music, there are supposedly two songs that are too similar to other copyrighted works for NoA's taste - the New Age Retro Hippie Song was mentioned specifically. So, they would have to be replaced, but Nintendo proper is supposedly balking at that.

There's far worse than that - from what I understand there are straight ripped samples in Earthbound, from Beatles songs, Monty Python's Flying Circus, the old Our Gang series, and more.

 

[DDayton]

In terms of music, there are supposedly two songs that are too similar to other copyrighted works for NoA's taste - the New Age Retro Hippie Song was mentioned specifically. So, they would have to be replaced, but Nintendo proper is supposedly balking at that.

There's far worse than that - from what I understand there are straight ripped samples in Earthbound, from Beatles songs, Monty Python's Flying Circus, the old Our Gang series, and more.

Okay... if all/any/ of those details are true, does someone have sound clips/etc. of them somewhere? These are rumors which I've heard before, but I've never seen anyone actually PROVE them to be true... and given that we have entire game rips and sound bank rips for Earthbound, it shouldn't be hard to prove.

 

[Regulus Tera]

It's pretty much a straight cover of Johnny B. Goode, IIRC.

Just replace it with another background song. It's not like you have to time combos like in MOTHER 3. :/

 

[Burai]

hey guys and gals in the know,

whats up with the following releases:

Sonic & Knuckles

World Of Goo (PAL)


??

S&K - don't know
World of Goo - Getting a release on disc next spring rather than Wiiware.

 

[Starchasing]

World of Goo - Getting a release on disc next spring rather than Wiiware.

not anymore... is coming as wiiware

 

[Cosmonaut X]

World of Goo - Getting a release on disc next spring rather than Wiiware.

Nope, you're out of date there. They are now going to release the same version as the US got on WiiWare sometime in the next few months - no disc version.

 

[DDayton]

Hey... is anyone running a VC/Wiiware Secret Santa gift exchange this year?

If not... anyone interested in starting one up? My thought was to repeat last year's event, but this time to set the value of gifts to $8-$11. That would allow for a choice of:

a) Most WiiWare games (aside from FF:MLAAK and World of Goo)
b) 2 NES games, or 1 NES and 1 TG16
c) 1 SNES, TG-CD, or N64 game

What do you folks think?

 

[Cheesemeister]

Hey... is anyone running a VC/Wiiware Secret Santa gift exchange this year?

If not... anyone interested in starting one up? My thought was to repeat last year's event, but this time to set the value of gifts to $8-$11. That would allow for a choise of:

a) Most WiiWare games (aside from FF:MLAAK and World of Goo)
b) 2 NES games, or 1 NES and 1 TG16
c) 1 SNES, TG-CD, or N64 game

What do you folks think?

I handled it last year, and too many people were away from their systems during the holiday itself. What I'd want to do is have everyone list their country, price point willingness, and last available date with Wii access before Christmas. I'd then match up folks within their own country having a price threshold less than or equal to their own. The price point named would be the minimum, but overspending would also be acceptable. Two friend codes for each person again: one for Tiny Tim, and one for the Secret Santa. If we start early enough, unresponsive folks could be purged after a week.