Topic: Wii Virtual Console Faces Longest Drought Yet

[Penguin_Of_Thyme]

There has not been a new Wii Virtual Console game release in North America in over a month.  

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/27995

Nintendo has not released a new Virtual Console game for Wii in North America since August, causing the longest span between Virtual Console releases in the system’s history.

The last Virtual Console release was 39 days ago on August 25 when Jaleco’s The Ignition Factor debuted for 800 Wii Points. Previously, the longest amount of time between releases was 28 days which occurred not once, but twice last year.

While the drought may end this Thursday October 5, Nintendo could end up waiting just a bit longer. At the moment, there are no WiiWare titles set for release on October 12. The last downloads day without a WiiWare release was August 25, which also happens to be the last time the Wii received a Virtual Console game. Will Nintendo repeat itself and finally release a Virtual Console game on a week with no WiiWare titles?

Stay tuned to Nintendo World Report for the answer.

[broodwars]

Yeah, it's been a long time since anything released on the Wii Virtual Console (let alone anything noteworthy).  Sadly, the reason for this is pretty obvious: the launch of the 3DS e-shop.  Nintendo lives in a fantasy land where putting software on the Wii someone might want to buy means that's probably software they won't buy on the 3DS, and vice-versa.  We saw this same phenomenon when WiiWare arrived: what had been a steady release of Virtual Console titles shrank to almost nothing until we had weeks with no WiiWare titles.  I don't know what makes Nintendo think its audience has to choose like that when Microsoft and Sony don't seem to have that mental barrier, but that's how it seems to be.

Sadly, Nintendo is all about the 3DS now, so the 3DS is what gets the Virtual Console support now.  By all rights, we should still have some notable titles coming to the VC given that the ESRB rated Lufia 2 earlier this year, but I'm not holding my breath that we'll actually see them.

[King Bowser Koopa]

I completely agree, there are still many titles that people are still hoping for and would still purchase given half the chance on Wii's Virtual Console.

I hope when 3DS Ambassadors get their GBA Yoshi's Island, Nintendo offer the SNES version to those who missed out on the promotion.
I for one would probably bet both versions anyway, as the graphics and sound are better on the original, and lack the annoying "wiihaw" baby Yoshi voice.

[Kytim89]

Is it safe to assume that the Wii is dead? Its retail releases are drying up by the day and now its online services are going into the trash heap. What Nintendo could is start letting companies like SquareEnix import SNES RPGs that were only released in Japan here in America.

[Ian Sane]

This was inevitable.  No new VC games can be created so eventually they were going to run out and the service would dry up.  What sucks though is that that isn't what happened.  They didn't run out of titles, they just stopped caring.  There are still tons of great classic titles that could be released on the VC but for whatever reason have not been and probably never will.

The fact that a SNES megahit like Yoshi's Island is not available is completely fucking ridiculous.  Emulating the FX chip is not an issue because it has been done.  If Nintendo themselves can't do it, they're incompetent.

I don't know what makes Nintendo think its audience has to choose like that when Microsoft and Sony don't seem to have that mental barrier, but that's how it seems to be.

Nintendo doesn't know that Sony and MS don't do it that way.  Nintendo doesn't know how anyone does anything.  The re-invent the wheel every time and isolate themselves from the rest of the industry.

[broodwars]

Is it safe to assume that the Wii is dead? Its retail releases are drying up by the day and now its online services are going into the trash heap. What Nintendo could is start letting companies like SquareEnix import SNES RPGs that were only released in Japan here in America.

Honestly, opening up import VC RPGs from Japan wouldn't do much good.  There are few types of games that could be less import-friendly than SNES-era JRPGs.  Now, if Nintendo wanted Square-Enix and other RPG companies to bring over the rest of the NA-localized games they've been holding back on (as well as SNES games that only released in Europe like Terranigma, but are still in English), that would make me quite happy.

[Kytim89]

Nintendo might not go through with it, but some third party could go back and loosen up some legal issues surrounding older titles and get them onto modern day services like the VC. For example, a gaming company could aquire the rights to Acclaim's games and Disney and Capcom could go back and get all the gems they developed and put them on Virtual Console.
 
Nintendo still has Mischief Makes, DK64, Yoshi's Island and Warner Brothers Interactive could release the old Mortal Kombat games as well. Where are all the TMNT games? Are there any good games that can still be put on the service?

[Mop it up]

I think the issue with the VC is, once it became so popular, Nintendo realized they would have to support the service for a very long time. Since there is a limited amount of games that can be released onto it, Nintendo started lengthening the time between releases so that they can still put stuff up for many years to come.

I'm not saying it's a viable strategy, but that's the main reason I believe releases have slowed so much.

[broodwars]

I think the issue with the VC is, once it became so popular, Nintendo realized they would have to support the service for a very long time. Since there is a limited amount of games that can be released onto it, Nintendo started lengthening the time between releases so that they can still put stuff up for many years to come.

I'm not saying it's a viable strategy, but that's the main reason I believe releases have slowed so much.

Here's the thing, though: the Wii's lifecycle is over once Zelda releases.  Nintendo of America has a few minor releases still in the works for it, but for all intents and purposes the Wii is done after this year.  When the Wii U releases, NoA's not going to care about leftover NES; SNES; and N64 titles (especially since they can continue to regurgitate N64 games on the 3DS for $40).  The Wii U's VC will be all about milking the GameCube library as well as other disc-based consoles like perhaps the Saturn or the Sega CD.  The time for releasing NES, SNES, and N64 titles is now.  I don't know what they're waiting for.

[MegaByte]

Since the beginning, Nintendo has seen all downloadable software as equals, with Virtual Console as a way to fill the gaps. They have never significantly increased the number of titles released in a given week, so naturally, Virtual Console loses out to new software. I highly doubt it has anything to do with keeping software for the future.

[Mop it up]

Weren't there originally two-three download games each week, and now there are one and sometimes none? Unless they count DSiWare and 3DS eShop into the total, in which case, they still see themselves releasing the same amount of software. I can see that as a possibility too.

[Shaymin]

There were 3-5 VC games a week until WiiWare showed up.

There were 3-5 Wii downloads a week until the DSi.

There were 3-5 Nintendo downloads until the 3DS eShop launched.

And so on...

[Kytim89]

I wonder if Nintendo allows us to tranfer over our VC and Wiiware games to the Wii U if it will be possible to play them on the Umote without the TV?

[UncleBob]

I'm too lazy to check - which NES downloads were not released on the Wii?

[Kytim89]

Here is a list of websites called "Virtual Console No Shows." It basically shows various games over the years and why they may or may not appear on the Virtual Console. It is a great website to find good games, but quite sad that most of them will never be played on the Wii.
 
http://aolsearcht5.search.aol.com/aol/search?s_it=topsearchbox.search&v_t=keyword_rollover&q=virtual+console+no+shows