Wii Shop Channel Thread - 12/29 StarTropics II, Maboshi's Arcade, Cue Sports: Pool

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I'm hoping this week is a good game that I would be interested in. I haven't purchased any VC games in quite some time.
 
Was I the only one who didn't really care for Kirby 3? It may have been because I was so spoiled on Superstar, but I dunno, it just wasn't all that fun.
 
I could care less about SSB N64. I have the cart literally within arms reach as I type this and Melee is better in every way exept one. And that way is in the N64 Super Mario Bros. stage you could go down the pipes.
 
[quote name='seanr1221']Is Smash 64 even rated by the ESRB?[/QUOTE]

Rated for the N64 release, no reason to get a re-review since it has already been rated.*

*I dont know the ESRB rules on what kind of change warrants a review of the rating.
 
[quote name='foltzie']Rated for the N64 release, no reason to get a re-review since it has already been rated.*

*I dont know the ESRB rules on what kind of change warrants a review of the rating.[/QUOTE]


I think you are correct on that. If it's already been rated, then there's no need for it to be rated for the VC.
 
Nintendo’s retro games download service for Wii Virtual Console has provided over 10 million downloads in its first year.

Speaking to Gamespot, Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata revealed:

“Virtual Console saw over ten million downloads by the end of last December. That's the total number of titles people paid to download. I think that selling over ten million classic games in that price range stands as proof that there are great possibilities with the download model.”

However, Iwata added that he didn’t believe packaged, retail games would be safe for another three- to five-year period.

“Packaged games have a number of advantages,” he said, “from the guarantee of a certain amount of sales volume to the firmly established buying habits and infrastructure that I think should be preserved in the future.

But packaged games aren't a complete solution anymore. The cost of materials and distribution margins mean that there isn't much price flexibility, and there's always a risk with inventory.

Plus the majority of a product's life span ends within a very short period after its release in the current market, such that titles can no longer compete for shelf space a month after their release.”
Click to expand...

Source: http://www.mcvuk.com/news/29540/Virtual-console-hit-10m-downloads

That seems like a lot to me. But I guess if your good with numbers you can determine if it's good. Last I heard there was around 19 or 20 million Wiis sold. I guess you can look at 10 million downloads as "Half of Wii owners downloaded 1 game"..:lol:

What do you guys think of this? I wish they would give us numbers for all the games!
 
Depends on how you spin it determines whether or not that is a good stat.

10 million at 5 a pop (since that is the minimum price, not including "free" downloads, which may or may not be included here, such as the channels) = $50 million. Nintendo keeps at least half of that (probably more, but I'm trying to calculate for both royalty and maintenance fees), so $25 million in pure profit.

But yet, if there are ~20 million Wiis in the world, then half of the owners downloaded 1 game.

But we can assume some percentage don't download games at all despite being connected to the 'net, as well as some percentage who aren't connected to the 'net, versus the people who are downloading multiple games (and you can assume anyone with a points card is probably buying at least 2 games, since that's the minimum you can get with a card), versus the number of gift downloads....

Hell, based on 2 games per point card alone, that could shoot it down to 25% without problem, eh?

In short, it's probably okay, but I imagine they could be doing better. Either Nintendo thinks it is good and will continue as is, thinks it is bad and will continue as is, or will think it is bad and maybe consider things like sales/lowered prices/special weekend rates/etc.

But we know how stubborn they are, so I'm going to guess there won't be any change in pricing structure or anything.

In short, I wish we had pure stats.

I also want to add that Nintendo is maybe kinda sorta starting to come around to this "Internets" thing, and might start thinking it is not a fad.
 
I'm stunned the number isn't higher. I've had my Wii for like 5 days and I've already downloaded 2 games. It'd be higher but I'm trying to force myself to...

1. Finish some freaking games. I don't think I've actually finished anything since I beat CoD4 back in November or December.

2. Not buy a ton of games that I won't get around to playing. Paper Mario taunts me daily but I know I can't get into it now so buying it would be stupid.

3. Pray that I'll find a Wal-mart with cheapass points cards.

That being said, I'm 28 and pretty much grew up with these games. I still love them, I'm guessing little kids (idiots) see SMB3 and commence with the eye-rolling/groaning.
 
It's a low number no matter the spin. What it appears is happening is that VC is a delivery system for gaming nostalgists, consumers who are already enthusiastic gamers. If Nintendo wants to court the new gamer on all fronts, they could make VC titles more accessible with short demos (or at least videos of gameplay) and better pricing. Chances of either: SLIM.

My opinion is that they'd see a nice increase in sales with more aggressive pricing. The cost to produce and deliver these titles is negligible Let's use the former flak Perrin Kaplan's downloadable latte analogy. If you had a machine you could operate at pennies to produce limitless quantities of latte, what's preventing you from undercutting everyone and selling the dick out of those lattes? I understand that Nintendo doesn't want to make them that cheap, but WTF: If NES Soccer is a latte, it is a latte made from dishwater and hamster droppings. That ain't a $5 latte, Nintendo.

All this latte talk has me confused. Mochachocalatta, Perrin?
 
Maybe WiiWare titles will sell more because they would be new, rather then just roms. I can understand people not wanting to buy any of these games.

You know what Nintendo *should* do? They need to send out a message every Monday when the shop channel gets updated. I have 2 friends, who I grew up playing video games with, and they never knew that Monday was when the Shop Channel got updated. They are also gamers, more than casual but not quite hardcore. Where does this leave the casual? They probably even don't realize what the Shop Channel might be for :lol:

I wouldn't mind a blue light every Monday @ noon letting me know what's been added to the VC. I'm sure that would increase sales at LEAST a little bit.
 
[quote name='lilboo']Maybe WiiWare titles will sell more because they would be new, rather then just roms. I can understand people not wanting to buy any of these games.

You know what Nintendo *should* do? They need to send out a message every Monday when the shop channel gets updated. I have 2 friends, who I grew up playing video games with, and they never knew that Monday was when the Shop Channel got updated. They are also gamers, more than casual but not quite hardcore. Where does this leave the casual? They probably even don't realize what the Shop Channel might be for :lol:

I wouldn't mind a blue light every Monday @ noon letting me know what's been added to the VC. I'm sure that would increase sales at LEAST a little bit.[/quote]They do send out emails every week. Or they did. They weren't timely at all, but I don't think people really cared when they were informed relative to when they were released.
 
[quote name='botticus']They do send out emails every week. Or they did. They weren't timely at all, but I don't think people really cared when they were informed relative to when they were released.[/quote]

That is fine, but not everybody who has a Wii gets those email.

I think the point is that the reason Nintendo has been adding 1-3 a week is so that each game gets more exposure then they would have if they added 10 at a time. The only problem is most people don't really know what is being added. So when you go into the Wii Shop if you haven't been there in a long time, all of a sudden theres 20 new games and you aren't going to scroll through them all.

It's sort of like a long rambling poorly punctuated post on a message board. I'm not going to read any of it, just skip over it all because it is too much at once. If you would have broken up that info into smaller parts I would be morre likely to take a look at it.
 
Ten million downloads is a pretty impressive number to me when I consider the fact that even though I know 14 Wii owners in my social circles I'm the only one who's ever bought a VC game. Some of them weren't even aware of the VC until I told them about it (despite the Shop Channel being right there on the main menu :roll:). I was also surprised to see how many people don't know they can setup an internet connection for the console. I'm not joking when I say that some people believe that Wii Sports is the Wii in its totality!
 
If they wanna bump up downloads, then they should start bringing out the obscure, the rare, and the highly wanted games.

Capcom needs to step up the US releases. Where are the Mega Man titles? What about Bionic Commando and the many shooters they released on the NES? What about the Mega Man X series from the SNES?

Why the hell isn't Square Enix realizing that they make more money by making a product easy to obtain at a cheap price? Remakes and ports won't cut it all the time. Especially if you aren't going to do jack dick with your other properties, like Chrono Trigger and Secret of Mana. Where's ActRaiser II?

Nintendo? You have the Wii being presented as a party console. Where are the Mario Party games from the N64? And Mario Tennis? Earthbound fans have been BEGGING for some kind of love, NoA. Do something about it by either releasing Earthbound Zero finally or at least porting the SNES version.

Quit a lot of games out there that have potential to be worthy downloads and so far, we have very few quality titles.
 
Europe again gets one game.
They got:
Lords of Thunder - TGCD - 600 Points (Yes, it's been reported that it's being listed at 600 points, not 800)
 
[quote name='lilboo']Europe again gets one game.
They got:
Lords of Thunder - TGCD - 600 Points (Yes, it's been reported that it's being listed at 600 points, not 800)[/QUOTE]

I expect some NA leaks here, asap.
Go find em! lol
And pleasseee Nintendo, more than one game, unless its super great. Give us something decent!
 
[quote name='lilboo']Europe again gets one game.
They got:
Lords of Thunder - TGCD - 600 Points (Yes, it's been reported that it's being listed at 600 points, not 800)[/quote]
Whoa! Since this is probably my next VC game, if they release it at 600 points here I'm gonna be ecstatic.
 
[quote name='tankexmortis']Whoa! Since this is probably my next VC game, if they release it at 600 points here I'm gonna be ecstatic.[/quote]

Whats lords of thunder?

*waits for flaming*
 
It's sort of like a combination of Gradius, Castlevania, and Van Halen. Keep in mind that the music here is from the actual soundtrack:
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6mMpnX9xwY[/media]
 
Also, there's a lot more depth than that video shows - at the beginning of each stage, you buy powerups, extra lives, shields, and other stuff using the gems you've collected. There are four main weapons, each with their own awesome special attack, and each playing very differently.
 
Hmm. Well, Lords of Thunder is confirmed for release on Monday according to Hudson's official VC site. Sadly, it'll be the typical 800 points. Still worth it though; it's been one of the most anticipated TGCD games, and it's apparently considered by some to be one of the best shmups ever. Got a 10 on shmups.com if I recall correctly.
 
Wow I think I am going to download Lords of Thunder once I snag another points card sometime. Maybe not for the gameplay (although it looks cool) but the soundtrack alone, while I have not heard all of it, what I did hear fucking rocked :lol:.




Quick Question, how big are TG-16 CD games on the average?
 
Big. If I remember correctly, Dynamic Hero (the only TGCD game I have) was around 200 blocks. Not sure even Paper Mario was that big. And I dunno what the hell they used that space for, it's not like the music was any good.

If you dug the Lords soundtrack, you might wanna check out the prequel Gate of Thunder, which I think is also on the VC. The gameplay's a bit more traditional, but it's the same kind of kickass music. Haven't played it myself but it's supposed to be another classic shooter.
 
[quote name='tankexmortis']Hmm. Well, Lords of Thunder is confirmed for release on Monday according to Hudson's official VC site. Sadly, it'll be the typical 800 points. Still worth it though; it's been one of the most anticipated TGCD games, and it's apparently considered by some to be one of the best shmups ever. Got a 10 on shmups.com if I recall correctly.[/QUOTE]

I'm wracking my brain to think of a 16 bit shmup that I like more and I really can't. EDF is good, Axelay is good, Thunder Force IV is good, U.N. Squadron is good, the R-Type games are good... Lords of Thunder is fucking amazing. If this is their Monday release, I'm sold and I already own the original release.
 
On the note about getting the word out about new VC releases , at least nintendo might be trying a little harder. When they updated the shop channel to 1.1 (or 2.0 or whatever) if you watch the Shop channel icon it'll scroll and show new updates to the shop , such as 1080 snowboarding now available. They don't seem to do this every week for every game but at least the "bigger" releases like pokemon snap and 1080 (if you wanna call it big) get that treatment.
 
Feb. 11, 2008

Wii-kly Update: Two New Classic Games Added to Wii Shop Channel

The two games joining the lineup this week are considered cult classics, yet they deal with topics as varied as farm management and shooting enemies to the strains of heavy-metal tunes. Just don’t get the two mixed up, since most livestock don’t like heavy metal and it takes more than turnips to defeat fire-spewing sea serpents.

Nintendo adds new games to the Wii™ Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are:

Harvest Moon® (Super NES®, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 800 Wii Points): You bought the farm, so now it’s time to roll up your sleeves and try living off the fat of the land. Fresh air and the beauty of the outdoors will be fulfilling, but a successful farm needs a lot of working capital as well. There are buildings on your property, but they are in need of livestock. You have a modest house, but if things get lonely in the field, it’s going to take a remodel to woo a female farming companion. Your challenge is to dig in and build your life as a farmer from the ground up. How you manage will determine the outcome, but remember: You always reap what you sow.

Lords of Thunder (TurboGrafx-16 CD-ROM, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone – Fantasy Violence, 800 Wii Points): Lords of Thunder is a side-scrolling shooter that has you take on the role of a legendary warrior, blasting enemies to heavy-metal tunes. Your enemies are plotting to revive Zaggart, “The Dark One,” who was sealed beneath the six continents of Mistral. It’s up to Landis, descendant of the heroic Dyu, to stop them. Choose the order in which to attack the six stages. Before each stage, select one of four magic armors and use crystals you’ve collected during your battles to buy items. Selecting the right armor for each stage is the key to your ultimate victory. Then get ready to face awesome enemies like a fire-spewing sea serpent or a giant insect. Whether it’s the fast-paced shooting or breaking into the fortress of a stage boss, you’ll be blown away by the intensity of Lords of Thunder.
Click to expand...
It would appear there is no "200th game fanfare". Even still, not a bad week. I think I'll be picking up Harvest Moon.
 
Yeah, not something I'm interested in (Shining Force, Phantasy Star!!) however atleast the games are decent.
 
I'm gonna need to do some research on Harvest Moon. I've always heard a lot of great things about the franchise, but have never checked it out.
 
Damn you Nintendo.

Thats a points card wasted there, lol. (Next time I get a chance to buy one and have the $ for it)

Awesome week for releases.
 
The majority seems to feel that the SNES version is the best. I remember I enjoyed it a lot but was never convinced to pick up another. Will probably get this on Monday.
 
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