Topic: Official Virtual Console Mondays Thread

[MarioAllStar]

From what I have heard, the resolution is increased so the game appears sharper overall. 480p is probably supported too.

[NeoThunder]

All VC games will do 480p

[Caliban]

Why is everyone getting Wii Points cards, ain't got a credit card?

Contra III is awesome btw, my first time playing it and I love this game, and it is gorgeous looking game too.
Mario 64 runs smoothly I guess, I haven't noticed anything wierd yet, everything looks bright and crisp.
Comix Zone is hard, but it is hard only because you have 1 and only 1 life, I like the game's art style though, not much of a fan of the bgm.
But then again, I wouldn't know how these games run and look on non-component cables, and on a TV not capable of displaying a progressive signal.  

[KDR_11k]

Quote
Originally posted by: Smoke39
The enemies in the cave of ordeals don't give you rupees.  You also get some fairy tears if you make it all the way through, which are useless because you can eaily get gold chu jelly on the way to death mountain, which has the same effect.

They give increased rupee drops for me, often a few 5ers and 10ers each room. Didn't know about the gold chu (or didn't remember), I just fill my bottles with blue juice since I have nothing else to spend the money on.

I've seen retailers here sell 2000 point cards for 25€...

[Spak-Spang]

I got Zelda Link to the Past and Mario Kart 64 this week.

Awesome games.  I am still considering getting Contra III.  I don't want to buy all the games at once, because I need time to play them, but I am also afraid that one day they will start pulling older games off the market.

[Smoke39]

Quote
Originally posted by: KDR_11k
They give increased rupee drops for me, often a few 5ers and 10ers each room.

That's weird.  I wonder if it's a difference between the Wii and 'Cube versions.  The only rupees I can find in the cave of ordeals are a few burried in some rooms for wolf Link to find.

[Ceric]

Quote
Originally posted by: Caliban
Why is everyone getting Wii Points cards, ain't got a credit card?

Contra III is awesome btw, my first time playing it and I love this game, and it is gorgeous looking game too.
Mario 64 runs smoothly I guess, I haven't noticed anything wierd yet, everything looks bright and crisp.
Comix Zone is hard, but it is hard only because you have 1 and only 1 life, I like the game's art style though, not much of a fan of the bgm.
But then again, I wouldn't know how these games run and look on non-component cables, and on a TV not capable of displaying a progressive signal.

Nintendo won't take my credit card and the cards are cheaper for me to buy.  Here Nintendo still charges the local sales tax, 9.75% and I be spending 20 bucks so in the end it be $21.95.  At Walmart its $19.84 and when you add tax $21.78.  So I end up saving 17 cents or 9/100 of a gallon of gas... So for every ~11 cards I get a gallon of gas...  Its like an undisciplined rewards program.

Seriously enough though I would pay for it through the Wii interface if I could.  I was really hoping that they would go all they way and put some collector style pictures on them.  Its sort of disappointing considering that the gloves have Triforce and Super Princess Peach(Toy R' Us) logos and like.

[KDR_11k]

Quote
Originally posted by: Smoke39
That's weird.  I wonder if it's a difference between the Wii and 'Cube versions.  The only rupees I can find in the cave of ordeals are a few burried in some rooms for wolf Link to find.

Do they drop hearts in your version or nothing at all? I don't get any hearts in there, probably to make sure the CoO wears you down. Also not sure if that's a GC/Wii difference or a US/PAL difference.

[UltimatePartyBear]

It's not a US/PAL difference.  I get more rupees from enemies in the CoO, too.

[Smoke39]

Quote
Originally posted by: KDR_11k
Do they drop hearts in your version or nothing at all? I don't get any hearts in there, probably to make sure the CoO wears you down. Also not sure if that's a GC/Wii difference or a US/PAL difference.

Nothing.  I was guessing that the reason they didn't give you money was because it could be used to power the magic armor.

[vudu]

LOL.  Mario Kart 64 got a 7.9 on IGN, same as Double Dash!!.

I assume this is IGN poking fun at itself (or at least I hope so).

For reference, it got an 8.1 the first time around.

[Artimus]

I think 7.9 is pretty fair. The character models are a sham and the graphics pretty terrible in other respects too. It only feels half 3D. It's not as good as SMK and the only major feature is 4-player matches which is, basically, useless with the far superior MK DS. I guess if you don't have a DS it might be better, but Double Dash is certainly no worse regardless of its lack of originality. Mario Kart 64 is about as unimpressive a game as the series has produced (DD maybe worse). The original, GBA and DS versions are hands down the best in the series.

[optimisticlimbo]

I would say the DS is the best version of Kart, since it did pull elements from all them and was masterfully tweaked.  But, there is no denying  the excellent fun that comes from MK64.  I still own this game for the N64, but that's at home.  Playing the VC version brought back so many memories of old friends but I'm now experiencing them with all new ones at college.  I would definitely say it was worth the $10.

[Spak-Spang]

I have been playing a lot of the retro Mario Kart 64.

I feel that the graphics obviously haven't aged well, and the menu system is horrible.

On the other hand, the game still plays great.  I actually really enjoy the looser control of the carts in this version.  It makes Power Sliding essential, yet doesn't allow snaking.  And the single player of the game isn't that bad.  Yes it is annoying to have the computer constantly on you no matter how well you play...but the game is actually pretty fair in that computer plays can fail and fall out of rank just as easy as you can.

[GoldenPhoenix]

I'm not sure I can give MKDS the title of best Mario Kart game, because I loved about every battle mode map in Mario Kart (sadly only block fort made it into MKDS), can't say the same about MKDS. SMK is probaly my least favorite of the series, the battle mode was terrible and the racing wasn't much better.

[Spak-Spang]

Ranking the Mario Karts interesting study for the NWR message boards.

For me you would have to break it down into two categories Races and Battle Modes.

Races the Rankings go:

1) Super Mario Kart
 
Reason:  I loved the track designs, and weapon strategy to really attack other racers.  Being able to lap the competition was also an awesome accomplishment.  And the race with jumping over the track was wonderfully evil with weapon attacks forcing people to race half the track over.

2) Mario Kart Double Dash

Reason:  I would have given this award to the DS except that the snaking trick in that game makes races cheap and boring. Double Dash is fast and quite enjoyable.

3) Mario Kart 64

Reason:  This is mostly tied with number 2.  I think the reason this gets beat up is because the track designs are barren and boring, yet some of the actual track ideas are brilliant which is why it keeps its rank so high.

4) Mario Kart DS

Reason:  It is the best portable version of Mario Kart and has some fantastic options, but Snaking ruins the experience.

5) Mario Kart Super Circuit

Reason:  A great portable racer, but just doesn't hold up in comparison to the other options.

BATTLE MODE:

1)  Mario Kart 64:

Reason:  Bringing 4 player battle mode to the N64 this game was brilliant fun.  It also felt the most balanced with items that helped defend yourself as well as attack.  Also the little Brake as you run over a banana trick added much strategy to the game.

2) Mario Kart Double Dash:  

Reason:  This is actually tied with the DS game.  The battle track design is clever and added much needed variety to the formula with the arena having much more effect in the battle outcomes.  

2) Mario Kart DS:  

Reason:  Blending battle mode levels from all the games creates a wonderful experience.  Unfortunately, playing battle means finding friends to play with.  And that means additional DS systems and additional copies of the game.  Even with online options and wireless connection it can be a chore to get games going.

3) Super Mario Kart

Reason:  This game just didn't have the intensity of battles with just one on one situations.  It often felt your matches were determined by the fate of the weapons you got.  Still there is some strategy to be had with Bananas, Turtle Shells, and most importantly the feather.  Nintendo needs to bring back that power up it was awesome.

4) Mario Kart: Super Circuit  

Reason:  Very, difficult to set up any multiplayer options with this game.  Too much of a hassle.

[IceCold]

Many people criticise Double Dash's Battle Mode. I agree that there should have been more tracks and variety, but the balance in that game is just unbelievable. If you get three other players who are equally skilled, the matches always come down to the wire. Bob-omb Blast in Cookie Land and Shine Thief in Luigi's Mansion especially.

[UltimatePartyBear]

Quote
Originally posted by: Spak-Spang

BATTLE MODE:

2) Mario Kart Double Dash:  

Reason:  This is actually tied with the DS game.  The battle track design is clever and added much needed variety to the formula with the arena having much more effect in the battle outcomes.  

It boggles my mind that anyone can say good things about Double Dash's battle arenas.  The only at all decent one was Luigi's Mansion.  The rest sucked.  The way items worked in that game made it even worse.  The only thing Double Dash's battle mode got right was adding some new modes.

[Spak-Spang]

PartyBear:

I must disagree with you.

Luigi's Mansion was not the only great level, but that one level added more depth than most battle arenas.

The Pipe Level is another well balanced level, with the ability to use Pipes, and jumping off the second level to avoid attacks, while still being in such a small contained arena that you are always in the middle of the action.

The final level, the tilting Mario level is also crazy fun, and really the arena totally affects the outcome of the game which is good.

But, I stand by my personal rankings of the game, and the additional modes in Double Dash I think help raise it on my list as well.

[Pittbboi]

http://www.joystiq.com/2007/01/31/wii-vcs-mario-kart-64-to-remain-ghostless/

Ok, it's only ghost data, so at the end of the day it's not THAT big a deal. But at the same time, one must wonder if this is Nintendo being lazy with coding their emulators, or if there really was some major hold-up preventing them from allowing ghost data to be saved.

I mean, the emulator they're using seems to be pretty standard, and Mario Kart 64 IS a Nintendo game, so I can't help but feel that if they really wanted to include the feature they could have. I mean, what could the 64 do that the Wii can't?

I wonder if this will have any effect on the other 64 games coming to the VC....any thoughts?

[Kairon]

*shrug* Not really. I never, ever, used ghosts in MK games because that would mean playing the darn thing as a hardcore racer: defeats the purpose!

But... did F-Zero X use ghosts? Did we care that it used ghosts? I can't remember, except that ghosts were quite useful for F-Zero GX. If they were pointless for non-uber gamers in F-Zero X then I wouldn't be too worried about their loss.

~Carmine "Cai" M. Red
Kairon@aol.com

[Pittbboi]

Yeah, I agree that the "but they're just ghosts, a feature that most people didn't use" end of the argument holds up. However, a lot of people are speculating that the reason Nintendo didn't include the feature on the VC version is because ghost data was originally saved to a controller pak, and they didn't code the emulator to recognize that. If that's the case, will we be seeing similar issues with other (third party especially) games that required controller paks?

[Kairon]

Like....uh... hmmm... this is yet another obstacle to mroeg ames landing on the VC. But couldn't Nintendo update the Emulator or whatever for N64 titles since they check it for redownloading everytime you buy a game?

Actually, that makes me sad. Because controller paks figured a lot in Gauntlet 64 if I remember correctly, and I LOVED that game. MIDWAY! GET ON IT!

~Carmine "Cai" M. Red
Kairon@aol.com

[UltimatePartyBear]

Quote
Originally posted by: Spak-Spang
PartyBear:

I must disagree with you.

Luigi's Mansion was not the only great level, but that one level added more depth than most battle arenas.

The Pipe Level is another well balanced level, with the ability to use Pipes, and jumping off the second level to avoid attacks, while still being in such a small contained arena that you are always in the middle of the action.

The final level, the tilting Mario level is also crazy fun, and really the arena totally affects the outcome of the game which is good.

But, I stand by my personal rankings of the game, and the additional modes in Double Dash I think help raise it on my list as well.

The tilting stage was a novelty that didn't allow for any real skillful battles.  The cookie one was too cramped.  The block city one was a slap in the face after the excellent block fort one in Mario Kart 64.  What were the blocks even there for?  The pipe one would have been good if there had been another section on the other side of the pipes.  As it was, it felt too small.  It was acceptable in Mario Kart DS because sanity was restored to the items in that game, though I would have preferred another of 64's levels in its place.

I admit that my tastes are different from other people's.  When I visited some fairly casual gamer friends for a while shortly after they obtained a GameCube, we played quite a bit of Double Dash, and they definitely preferred any of the other levels over Luigi's Mansion because it was too much for them to have to search for other players.  I don't say that to disparage them.  It's just that not being able to easily locate your opponent is another wrinkle in the gameplay that put it just across the casual/hardcore line.  Having a lot more walls to run into didn't help them, either.  We didn't linger in the battle mode for long, regardless, since Double Dash is the only Mario Kart game in which that mode is the least fun multiplayer mode.  That is not implicitly a problem, but I happen to have a low opinion of the rest of Double Dash, too.

Quote
Originally posted by: Pittbboi
I mean, the emulator they're using seems to be pretty standard, and Mario Kart 64 IS a Nintendo game, so I can't help but feel that if they really wanted to include the feature they could have. I mean, what could the 64 do that the Wii can't?

I wonder if this will have any effect on the other 64 games coming to the VC....any thoughts?

Weren't ghosts saved to the memory pak in the controller?  It does not bode well for other save-to-memory-pak features in other games.

[Ian Sane]

"I mean, the emulator they're using seems to be pretty standard, and Mario Kart 64 IS a Nintendo game, so I can't help but feel that if they really wanted to include the feature they could have. I mean, what could the 64 do that the Wii can't?"

You would assume that the company that made the N64 would be able to make a perfect N64 emulator.  But you would also assume the company that made the NES, SNES and N64 controllers would be able to make a classic controller that works well for all three and yet they didn't.

I think the N64 memory card stuff is just Nintendo being Nintendo.  They have the special ability able to pull off effortlessly stuff that everyone else seems to f*ck up and to f*ck up stuff that everyone else seems to pull off effortlessly.