Mr. Jack posted:

Thus far, I haven't even touched the Virtual Console. It's not that it's a bad service, I just prefer to own a solid version of the game. In my apartment I have set up a separate room designated entirely to gaming and in there I have all of my systems setup, ready to play at any moment. One of the biggest selling points for people on the virtual console is the relative ease of playing a game, due to my setup the VC doesn't have that same appeal to me.

On the other hand though, there are some games that have come to the VC or are coming that are outrageously expensive in cartridge form and the VC provides a much more reasonably priced alternative for me. The VC would also be great for buying Japanese games that are unreleased in America, such as Doki Doki Panic, Sin and Punishment, N64DD titles, the Famicom Wars games, and the Fire Emblem games. Retooled American releases would also be likely purchases for me. When the right game comes along I'll finally take the plunge, but until then I'll probably continue trying to secure a cartridge and when all else fails I will hopefully have a VC version to fall back on.

Chasefox posted:

Do I use the Virtual Console? No. Do I want to? More than anything. But to be honest, I'm not gonna shell out 5-10 bucks on any of these games unless they are the cream of the crop. I would've bought ALttP, but I've still got it on my GBA. Ocarina of Time? Still have it and the gold cartridge on my N64. I want to purchase Golden Axe, Sonic, and Super Mario Bros. 3 as soon as it come out, but I've heard so many complaints about control schemes and whatnot for many of the virtual console games that I have very little desire to get anything. And there is no way in heck I'm going to buy a Classic Controller either, there's just no need for it. The whole purpose of the Virtual Console is for Nintendo to make some real easy money...so again, do I want to use it? Yes. But will I end up doing so? It's a possibility, but highly unlikely.

pSYCO-gAMER321 posted:

Do I use the Virtual Console? Time to time. Currently, I only downloaded 3 games from the Virtual Console since I gotten my Wii back when it launch in Citywalk. First game was Sonic the Hedgehog. I know that I would have a better deal if I have gotten the Sonic Mega Collection for either PS2 or Gamecube, but I wanted to see how everything works. Sadly, the interface isn't that great compared to the rival competitors. Easy to navigate, but loading about every page makes things slower than it should be. Also, I do understand on why they have been releasing games that been ported over and over again; to get newcomers into the origins of the games and easy to port since it has been done before. However, it is lacking in diversity and to the establish Nintendo fan, they are pretty disappointed on the service and the quantity of quality games. When will the heavy hitting games that has not been ported over and over going to come out? Hopefully sometime this year. Nintendo knows that these classic games will sell because people will buy, regardless if they own it or not. It would probably sell more if it was cheaper, but I doubt that Nintendo will change their minds. Also, to me, I like the games on the Wii. Not only you can "Wii save" it, but you have different controls to use. If you go out and buy the adaptor from retrousb.com, you can use the NES and SNES so that way no one complains about the control, except for your wallet. Anyways, great concept, but currently waiting for games that I want to play, mainly when is Paper Mario going to come out?

vudu posted:

The Virtual Console is great because not only does it let me relive my childhood by allowing me to play games I haven't touched in over a decade but it also gives me the opportunity to play games I missed as a kid. More importantly in the grand scheme of things, the service is trying to keep (and, dare I say, revive?) a dying style of games.

Most people my age have fond memories of the games they played as children. I still have all my old consoles and games, but they're packed away in boxes and I honestly can't be bothered to get them out. It's worth it to me to pay a nominal fee in order to get to easily play StarFox 64 or Donkey Kong Country again (shut up--I have very fond memories of that game). I'm starting to feel old and disconnected from today's youth and the VC makes me feel the same glee I did as a kid, if only for a fleeting moment.

More importantly, the VC gives me access to lots of games I was forced to skip the first time around. When I was a kid, the limiting factor in the number of games I played was money (as it is for most kids, I assume). There were lots of games on the NES and SNES that I missed simply because I didn't have the cash. Now that I'm an adult, the limiting factor of my gaming is time. I can buy pretty much anything I want to, but I still miss out on a lot of games simply because I don't have the time to play them. I have no qualms with paying $5-$10 to download a game I've always wanted to play but never did. Without VC I would likely never have gotten to play Kirby's Adventure or get my ass handed to me by level 6-2 of Ninja Gaiden. I'm really excited about trying out ActRaiser to see what all the fuss is about.

There's a definite difference between games of yore (which tended to be much harder, but also much shorter) and games since the N64/PSX era (easier, more "epic", and longer). While I still really enjoy today's offerings, there's something novel--even charming--about classic games. While the stinkers can be truly bad, there are lots of gems out there that today's kids have never played. Anything that has not been ported to the GBA has been lost to anyone under the age of 15. Trying asking your thirteen year old cousin if he's ever played Illusion of Gaia or Gunstar Heroes and look at the blank stare you'll receive. If we don't do something to rectify this our kids will grow up to be a bunch of sissies.

thatguy posted:
Addressing your first and second paragraphs, Vudu, I would agree, except that in the time it takes to start up my Wii, plug in my classic controller, get to the shop channel, load the shop channel, make it through to the system I want in the shop channel, search through pages for the game I want in the shop channel, download the game in the shop channel, watch Mario not be under my control in the shop channel, leave the shop channel, and start up the game, I could almost certainly have found my old system, game and controller and connected it to my TV, so I can play the game with better control.

That is why the interface sucks. That's why the VC isn't worth it as far as my classic games go, unless I lose the ability to use an old system, like what happened to my 64, I have no reason to buy a game I already own. To add to the frustration, if you're Kairon, you will, at some point have to delete and re-download these games, so you can play more, forcing players to go through the same ridiculous interface several more useless times.

Of course, there are the games I haven't played before. As a gamer who has played games in three separate decades, I know which games are considered classics that I don't own, and which games are just terrible, so I can make good decisions. However, younger gamers and less hardcore gamers shouldn't be expected to know what games are classics and what games stink, or just don't match what they want. At $5-10 a pop, the games cost way too much just to guess, and the only previews Nintendo has made available are incomplete and not even featured on the Wii Shop Channel. To find them, you basically have traverse the Wii website until you find the right link. Even then, all the previews consist of are 30 second clips of random scenes in the game, which is to say, not nearly as comprehensive as should be.

The remedy? Offer some sort of preview, letting people sample games for about ten or twenty minutes, then locking up the previewed games until the game is purchased. The games cost pretty much nil to transfer, after all. They are from the generation before games became unreasonably large to casually transfer through the internet, so allowing previews would return more than it would cost, unless Nintendo is purposely trying to cover up the quality of titles available.

MJRx9000 posted:

The VC is great -- for me to poop on.

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