Topic: This Week's Virtual Console and WiiWare

[ATimson]

meh. if your so paranoid you can copy it to SD card, than copy that to computer hard drive, than you can burn that on a CD. So you can have your precious physical media version of it.

Which can only be copied back to the same Wii it came from (without using homebrew--at least, last I checked they didn't have a computer-side encryption, just decryption). Hardly a salve, when "real" physical copies can be played on any system.

(Seriously, is authentication by account like iTunes or Xbox Live too much to ask for?)

[Mop it up]

Just start collecting downloads.

After I complete the game, could I hug the download?
No.
If I lose repeatedly, could I hurl the download across the room?
No.
Can I be assured I can still play the download in ten years?
No.
If I'm building a block tower and am running low on blocks, can I substitute a game download?
No.

Anyways, considering I have a dearth of gaming skill I've no problem with Kirby games being easy. Dream Land 3 definitely sounds like a game I'd like, but I'm not sure if it'd be worth the money when factoring in the other things I could buy for that price. If I'm going to buy a downloadable game it has to be something not available elsewhere.

[Jonnyboy117]

The Wii doesn't require an online connection to authenticate downloaded games on a per-play basis.  The license is saved with the ROM itself.  Therefore, if you download a VC game and back it up on an SD card, you can be assured that it will work in ten years.  Considering that was the only serious argument of the four you made, I think I've made my point.

[Mop it up]

On the contrary, that was the only point of the four which wasn't serious.

EDIT: Actually there is still a problem with that... downloadable games work only on the console they were downloaded to. From what I've seen of Wii I doubt very many Wii systems will still be functional in ten years.

[Ian Sane]

As a classic game collector I consider the VC useful for import titles finally being released here and rare titles that I'm having difficulty finding a copy of for a decent price.  I have a Genesis.  I want Gunstar Heroes for my Genesis.  I bought it on the VC.  I don't regret this because the game is awesome and I want to play it.  If I ever found a physical cartridge I would buy it in a heartbeat and not care that I already bought the game on the VC.  The VC purchase is like paying a few extra bucks to play the game now before I find a real copy. 

Now something very common I would never bother with.  I didn't have an NES as a kid and I still don't have one.  But since my SNES game collection is such that I have most of the games I want and the rest are hard to find, I've been thinking of starting an NES game collection.  I'm not going to bother with Super Mario Bros on the VC because I know I can find that with no trouble.  If they put Dragon Warrior IV on there however it would be an ideal VC purchase.

So aside from import games a VC purchase isn't even one that needs to be "safe".  I will be upset if I lose it but that's not my intended permanent copy.

[Smoke39]

I wish they'd release more import games on the VC. ):

[Flames_of_chaos]

If they put Dragon Warrior IV on there however it would be an ideal VC purchase.

For Dragon Warrior/Quest IV you're stuck getting it on DS considering how square-enix is.

[Mop it up]

What you say Ian makes some sense. With something like Kirby's Dream Land 3, the VC download doesn't cost very much compared to the original cartridge. It's also a way to try the game out to see if it's actually worth owning the original.

Though I'm not really a collector, I still have collectorial tendencies that I can't break. I simply cannot bring myself to play a downloaded game, not even ROMs which are free (don't care about the legality of them). It has to be the original format, on the original system, with the original controller it was designed for, otherwise it just doesn't feel right. I also like to display my gaming stuff on shelves and such, and you can't really do that with a download. Lastly, downloaded games can't be brought to a friend's place without lugging over the entire system; I have a similar problem with games which have save files that can't be copied to an SD card.

Anyways, I guess what I'm saying is that the VC is great for the average gamer, but is of no value to the collector. Fortunately we're a rare breed.