Topic: Wii U Virtual Console Launch Lineup Announced

[Pixelated Pixies]

Nintendo honestly has no idea what to do there, there are indie developers on the eshop who would hate to be lost in an ocean of virtual console games and so releasing them all at once is a horrible idea, but they know they will get some pretty heavy heat if they choose to go the 3DS route, it is a tough spot tbh

That's like saying there's no point in releasing new music on iTunes because there's already a huge catalogue of classic albums. What indie developers want most from Nintendo is for them to get people to visit the eShop. I can't think of any better way to raise awareness and promote the eShop than to have a wealth of amazing titles.
 
If anything, having a wealth of virtual console games available from the beginning would mean that new titles wouldn't have to compete with the likes of Super Mario World and Kirby's Adventure on a weekly basis. Had the Wii VC catalogue been available on Wii U eShop from the beginning there would undoubtedly have been a rush towards that content at launch, and perhaps within that window certain eshop games might have been swamped, but longer term I actually think it would be beneficial to eShop developers. By releasing a large proportion of classic games at once, the Virtual Console would then become more of a library (albeit one that you're paying for), one which could be perused at leisure and which allows people to build out there own collection of classics. Not having constant VC re-releases alongside new eShop titles would be a boon to developers because not only would it promote the eShop, but it would also mean that, with the exception of new VC additions, eShop developers would have the digital release schedule to themselves.
 
What my argument really boils down to I guess is that VC would be amazing if it were comprehensive, and if it offered a subscription model.

[xcwarrior]

Let's hope next week's releases are better. Ugh Nintendo. Ugh.

Give us new VC titles, not ones we already bought on Wii's virtual console.

[Ian Sane]

So when will Earthbound actually come out?  Do we have to go through the same slow VC release schedule as before first before the "new" VC games come out?

The best excuse I can think of for this process is that if they released everything at once shitty ol' Balloon Fight and Ice Climber wouldn't sell worth a ****.

What sucks is that this approach will probably not be well received and Nintendo will then interpret that as a lack of interest in the VC.  Everyone wants to take their existing Wii VC games and update them to the Wii U ASAP, even with the fee.  No one wants to wait around for their games to get the updated release.  And if they did them all at once, there would be keeners that would update every game they had but with this approach they might grow bored of it or not really see much value in it and only update their first couple of games.

[TJ Spyke]

Iwata said EarthBound will come out "later this year", I would assume sometime in the second half of the year.

[Fatty The Hutt]

I don't know about you guys, but I will definitely check back every week for the next five years to see if the game I'm waiting for is randomly selected for a VC release!

LOL
+1

[NeoThunder]

Iwata said EarthBound will come out "later this year", I would assume sometime in the second half of the year.

that means dec. 29th

[stevey]

Pretty much what I expected Nintendo to do this but this still sucks. All I really want from the VC shop is Earthbound, Mother, and Mother 3 anyway....

Didn't each Virtual Console game have its own emulator or something? If Nintendo decided to emulate in a more efficient way on Wii U, they would essentially be starting from scratch.

They did have their own emulators built in, but for the most part all the NES, Genesis, and SNES emulators are identical. (There were even 'tools' floating around to inject different roms in to a given VC channel that worked for anything that didn't have something like a super-FX chip.) Nintendo could have very easily separated the emulator and turn the VC files into just the rom, instructions, and a very small setting/version file for bootstrapping the emulator.

The only excuse Nintendo has are N64 games that were 85%-emulated and 15%-ported.

Iwata said EarthBound will come out "later this year", I would assume sometime in the second half of the year.

that means dec. 29th

A March 31, 2014 release at the end of the financial year is more Iwata's style...

[pokepal148]

so febuary 30th

[Jess1053]

The more disappointing Nintendo is being with games few and far between and now an extremely disappointing vc launch lineup, the more I'm wanting to buy a PS4.

[NeoThunder]

Any guesses on VC releases tomorrow?

[Shaymin]

Pac-Man and Mega Man (NES).

Not making either one up.