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[TJ Spyke]

Is the latter Fist of the North Star or something?

Yes, it's the Japanese name for the series (similar to how Kirby is "Hoshi no Kirby" in Japan).

 

[Benedict]

No Don-Doko-Don yet?

 

[BooJoh]

I hope this means Earthbound will be on the VC sometime soon.

Please please oh god please.

If you look at the updates on the English (http://www.smashbros.com/en_us/) and Japanese (http://www.smashbros.com/jp/) Brawl sites, the English site lacks the Fire Emblem and EarthBound screenshots. If anything, this might indicate that NOA doesn't intend to have the full version of EB available on VC by the time Brawl is released.

I certainly hope that's not the case, but it's not what I would call a good sign.

 

[SonicMegaDrive]

Is it really a given that Earthbound will ever see release on the VC? Has there ever been any kind of confirmation?

Because at this point, I'm doubting it ever coming.

 

[Capndrake]

Full lineup for February in Japan:

Famicom:
-Super C
-Tantei Jinguuji Saburo: Yokohama Minato Renzoku Satsujin Jiken
-Wrecking Crew

Super Famicom:
-Cosmo Gang the Puzzle (Heh, US gets Pac-Attack and JP gets the original)
-Do Re Mi Fantasy: Milon no DokiDoki Daibouken

N64:
-Custom Robo V2

Master System:
-Fist of the North Star

Mega Drive:
-Gley Lancer
-Powerball

PC Engine:
-Atlas
-Dungeon Explorer II
-Power Eleven
-Neo Nectaris

Neo Geo:
-Nothing

 

[BooJoh]

Is it really a given that Earthbound will ever see release on the VC? Has there ever been any kind of confirmation?

Because at this point, I'm doubting it ever coming.

Starmen.net has been saying for months now that they know it's definitely coming. As for official confirmations from NOA, nothing that I can recall.

 

[TJ Spyke]

I don't see why Nintendo wouldn't. Eventually they will run out of other games to release. Besides, wouldn't Nintendo earn a profit even if only a few hundred people downloaded the game? Let's say 500 people download it at $8, that is $4,000. Would it really cost $4,000 or more to create a VC ROM of the game?

 

[leroy hacker]

Would it really cost $4,000 or more to create a VC ROM of the game?

It probably costs around that much to get an ESRB rating, unfortunately. Which means there is a threshold for how niche a game can be and still turn a profit.

Though if we're talking about Earthbound specifically the ESRB rating for the SNES version should still be sufficient.

But, Earthbound will come some day just because it is a first party game. I have no doubt about that, and I'm not sure why anyone would. Yes Nintendo has a history of screwing over Earthbound fans, but there isn't any actual reason for it never to come out.

Maybe the issue is that they want to release Earthbound Zero, for the NES, first. It's easy to believe that game is being held up by coding and testing, in addition to the ESRB.

 

[ethelred]

Is it really a given that Earthbound will ever see release on the VC? Has there ever been any kind of confirmation?

Because at this point, I'm doubting it ever coming.

They can't release it on VC because it would conflict with Mother 1+2+3 DS.

 

[magiustra]

I did not observe this.. And I'm using the very latest firmware update. Strange!

Yep, stranger than strange :/

P.S. Tutto bene, Maxmars? Mi stavo preoccupando!

 

[CreatureX3]

Yes Fantasy Zone! I think the odds of Super Fantasy Zone (MegaDrive) hitting the VC just went up!

Hopefully I'll be able to cross it off my VC wishlist soon!

1. Sin & Punishment (N64)
2. Super Fantasy Zone (Genesis)
3. Super Mario Kart (SNES)
4. Earthbound (SNES)
5. Galaga '88 (TG-16)

6. Super Metroid (SNES)
7. Gunstar Heroes (Genesis)
8. Beetle Adventure Racing (N64)
9. Streets of Rage 2 (Genesis)
10. StarTropics (NES)

Six down, four to go!

 

[Iam Canadian]

They can't release it on VC because it would conflict with Mother 1+2+3 DS.

Stop saying that.

You're going to make me weep when it turns out not to be true. ;_;

 

[PepsimanVsJoe]

Full lineup for February in Japan:

Super Famicom:
-Do Re Mi Fantasy: Milon no DokiDoki Daibouken <---Hopefully this sees a release in the US. This is actually a very charming platformer and more fun than Milon's Secret Castle(which judging by the title this is a sequel of sorts)

Mega Drive:
-Gley Lancer <--- Whoa! This is a great game! Gleylancer is by NCS/Masaya and it's a really good 2D shooter(really expensive too, it goes for $200 something on ebay these days). It's import only though I'm afraid.

.

 

[Odrion]

You know what we need? Pilotwings 64.

And Earthbound.

An- (goes nuts)

 

[CreatureX3]

Stop saying that.

You're going to make me weep when it turns out not to be true. ;_;

 

[Iam Canadian]

I want.

I want so very, very badly.

 

[Jiggy]

Like Pepsiman I'm also hoping for Gleylancer. It's a shooter, so there's probably not too much to translate outside of that very nice intro... Or so I'm guessing. As for Do Re Mi Fantasy, it was rated by the OFLC, so an English release in at least one region is probably impending--which is nothing but good news, to me.

You know what we need? Pilotwings 64.

And Earthbound.

An- (goes nuts)

Nuts after only three games?

 

[evilromero]

I'm patiently waiting for our evening drop on Monday's VC titles. Crossing my fingers for 1080 and some other worthy title.

 

[Odrion]

Nuts after only three games?

You crazied your way back to sanity, then into insanity again.

 

[Mockingbird]

Japan's getting Custom Robo V2 in Feb? I wonder if that means a NA release soon too? Then again, that game does have a lot of text. . .

 

[MoxManiac]

Lay it on us, Jsnake!

 

[Jiggy]

Lay it on us, Jsnake!

I'm hoping for anything out of Shining Force 2, Mega Turrican, Super Turrican, Do Re Mi Fantasy, and (lol no) the sudden and instantaneous appearance of Master System games heralded by Fantasy Zone or Wonder Boy in Monster Land.

But, naturally, simultaneously bracing for the impact of an underwhelmaton.

 

[brain_stew]

****. I had written a big reply to you when my browser froze up. To quickly summarize: No, the 32X was nothing more than very minor improvements to the Genesis (SOA executives knew this and convinced SOJ to turn it into a add-on rather than release it as a new system like SOJ wanted to). There were very few good 32X games that weren't available on other systems.

Sorry but you're wrong. The 32x had damn near arcade perfect ports of Model 1 games (Virtua Fighter, Virtua Racing Deluxe and Star Wars Arcade), the Mega Drive port of Virtua Racing was miles off the 32x version and that was done with the help of the impressive SVP chip. Just take a look at the specs:

PROCESSOR: Twin Hitachi (SH2) 32 bit RISC processors
- clock speed of 23 MHZ
- 40 MIPS

CO-PROCESSOR(s): Genesis 68000, Z80, Genesis 32X VDP
Video processor
- 50,000 texture-mapped polygons/sec
- texture mapping
- hardware scaling and rotation

VIDEO: - 32,768 simultaneous colours on screen
- Genesis resolution
- Overlaying over existing Genesis/SegaCD video

MEMORY: 512k (4 MBit) additional RAM to Genesis/SegaCD memory

AUDIO: Stereo PCM chip
- audio mixing with Genesis sound
- additional 2 channels (therefore 14 all together?)

I/O: Same as Genesis
- 32X upgradable; can upgrade the 32X

STORAGE: CD-ROM if you have a SegaCD
- speed same as SegaCD
- compatible with audio CD, CD&G, SegaCD and JVC X'eye

Cartridge
- compatible with Genesis model 1 & 2, JVC X'eye
- can store save game/score information (as with many
Genesis games)

Those two SH2 processors were damn fast for their time (the Mega Drive had just a bog standard 16 bit CPU running at ~ 10mhz) but were never really taken advantage of. Sure, it wasn't close to the Saturn, but to argue that the upgrade from the Mega Drive was "minor" is to ignore reality.

 

[JSnake]

Lay it on us, Jsnake!

I would. Only I don't have the PR yet. ;_;

 

[SonicMegaDrive]

Please, let there be more than 2 games this week...

Here's the potential games that have been rated:

Bases Loaded
Columns III
Crack Down
Cruis'n USA
ESWAT: City Under Siege
Harvest Moon
Mega Turrican
Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom
Operation Wolf
Pilotwings
Pro Wrestling
Puyo Puyo 2
Shining Force II
Super Turrican
Super Turrican 2
Vectorman
Yoshi's Cookie
Ys: Book I & II

Most of those are in limbo, though.

My bet is Pro Wrestling and Harvest Moon. 1080 also seems pretty likely. Was Ys slated for a January release?

 

[Colonel Nelson]

Like Pepsiman I'm also hoping for Gleylancer. It's a shooter, so there's probably not too much to translate outside of that very nice intro... Or so I'm guessing. As for Do Re Mi Fantasy, it was rated by the OFLC, so an English release in at least one region is probably impending--which is nothing but good news, to me.


Nuts after only three games?

Hey Jiggy-- I'm curious why you don't recommend Bonk's Adventure any more. I have fond memories of that game, and very nearly downloaded it today. Honestly, I can't remember that much about it, except for spinning around fighting things and being shit out of an alligator's ass.

 

[Jiggy]

Mostly it's the controls that bother me. They're not nearly as fluid as something like Mario, Sonic, or Kirby... They're stiff, but not as stiff as something like Castlevania (before Symphony of the Night) or Ghouls 'n' Ghosts where once players commit to a jump, they're stuck with it. I'd rather have either the fully rigid controls (which make logical sense, even though they're not what gamers are usually used to :lol) or perfectly smooth controls where even the slightest touch can always, always affect what happens on screen, not something in between. But it's just personal preference, really.

Anyway, if you're still in the market for a Bonk game, Revenge definitely surpasses Adventure in every way as far as I'm concerned, so... look into that if you want. >_>

 

[SonicMegaDrive]

God, I would kill for Mega Man.

I wonder what the hold-up could be? It seems very strange that Europe is getting them, but the other 2 regions are not.

Surely by now, Capcom would have at least released the very first one. There must be a reason why they're holding out on us.

You don't think the MM: Anniversary Collection would have anything to do with it? They couldn't be making any profits off of that anymore.

 

[MoxManiac]

man, whats with the PR being so late, lately? I want to know how dissapointing monday will be

 

[JSnake]

man, whats with the PR being so late, lately? I want to know how dissapointing monday will be

No clue.

 

[Jiggy]

It's not bad enough that they have to crush our dreams of a three-game-week future; now they have to crush our dreams of having our dreams crushed in a reasonable timeframe.

 

[BooJoh]

Unless they give us 4 games this week then next week will be the 200th game... hopefully they'll give us something worthy of celebration.

 

[TJ Spyke]

Hudson Soft has update their site with 2 releases, both for February (NA):

Lords of Thunder from Hudson Soft for 800 points (which I guess means its a TurboGrafx-CD game)
Psychosis from Naxat Soft for 600 points

Both are shooters.

 

[the androgyne]

Hey just a quick question - are the Neo Geo games on VC emulating MVS or AES? I'm just wondering because from memory you could change the controls in the AES versions.

 

[sfog]

They're the AES versions, plus Magician Lord and Top Hunter also have emulated memory card support. You can only change controls in the games that let you originally, none of which are on the VC.

 

[ksamedi]

Europe is getting shit these last few weeks. Sign up some western developers already Nintendo. They also could be thinking of a plan to let this weekly release schedule last till the end of the Wii's lyfe cycle, or not. Is that even possible?

 

[BooJoh]

How are the profits holding up for VC? I hate to think it could be going the way of the e-Reader. First slowdown, then a trickle, then delays, then nothing.

Surely it must be raking in some decent profits though?

 

[JSnake]

Jan. 28, 2008

Wii-kly Update: New Classic Game Added to Wii Shop Channel

Traverse the half-pipe from the comfort of your living room. With this classic game, it's Winter Break all the time. Freestyle through white powder, and school your best pal with your new trick! Did you get air?

This new classic game goes live at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Nintendo adds new games to the Wii Shop Channel 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 game is:

1080°® SNOWBOARDING (N64®, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone, 1,000 Wii Points): Hit the slopes for some serious shredding in one of the first truly realistic snowboarding games ever created! Start in the lodge and select from five characters, each with his/her own particular attributes and special tricks. Then take a look at the wide assortment of available boards and choose one that best suits your rider and style. Once you’ve got the gear, six different modes of play, including Match Race, Trick Attack, and 2-Player Versus, await. Pick a course and get ready to experience a sensation of speed that’ll make you forget all about the cold—but it might just send a shiver down your spine. Throw in hidden characters and boards, varying weather and snow conditions, multiple paths through each course, and a variety of tricks to master—topped off with rock-solid play control—and you’ve got a recipe for winter fun that you can enjoy any time of the year. It’s all the fun and excitement of the sport, without the bruises and frostbite!

The list of downloadable games is updated weekly on Nintendo’s Online Press Room at press.nintendo.com. For more information about Wii, please visit wii.com or contact:

Chris Olmstead Eileen Tanner

GolinHarris GolinHarris

213-623-4200, ext. 780 509-628-1993

colmstead@golinharris.com etanner@golinharris.com

# # #

Note to editors: Nintendo press materials are available at press.nintendo.com, a password-protected site. To obtain a login, please contact Danny Beardsworth at 213-438-8835 or dbeardsworth@golinharris.com. Users can receive instant Nintendo information by subscribing to the site’s RSS feed.

 

[TJ Spyke]

How are the profits holding up for VC? I hate to think it could be going the way of the e-Reader. First slowdown, then a trickle, then delays, then nothing.

Surely it must be raking in some decent profits though?

According to the last report released (in November), the VC has had 7.8 million downloads and brought in about $33 million in sales. Besides, there is no distribution costs with VC games.

 

[Iam Canadian]

Colour me severely disappointed.

 

[TJ Spyke]

What? Only 1 freaking game?

 

[JSnake]

What? Only 1 freaking game?

Yep.

 

[BooJoh]

Wow.. I'm nearly speechless.

1080 is a good game, but a 1-game week? Part of me hopes they're just buying more time for an extra-special 200th game, but I honestly doubt it.

 

[DaBargainHunta]

This trend of us getting less games instead of more really sucks.

I've heard good things about 1080 though, but I doubt I'll even bother with the download.

 

[JSnake]

Wow.. I'm nearly speechless.

1080 is a good game, but a 1-game week? Part of me hopes they're just buying more time for an extra-special 200th game, but I honestly doubt it.

Earthbound and Mario RPG.

BELIEVE.

 

[twilitesparklemotion]

Sometimes I sincerely believe companies like Ninty and Sega just don't want money. Going immaterialistic?

 

[TJ Spyke]

At least this isn't the worst 1-game only week (that goes to the week where the only release was Romance of the Three Kingdoms IV: Wall of Fire).

 

[Jiggy]

Because three of the two-game weeks at least had good and/or popular games put up, I wasn't quite ready to go this far...

Fire Emblem and Virtual Console were the only two good things about the Wii, and now Nintendo has decided to toss the latter overboard.

...but now? Now I am. Freaking Nintendo, killing off the best aspect of your home console.

 

[Samuray]

I recently abandoned my plan to re-experience all those great NeoGeo-fighters on the VC and bought them all on PS2 instead, mostly from Japan. Have to play them over RGB instead of YUV, but at least I have pretty much all of them, with the exception of World Heroes Anthology (US), Fatal Fury Vol 2 (US), Samurai Spirits Anthology (JP) and King of Fighters 98: Ultimate Match (JP).

Seeing how we got 2-game-weeks and now even 1-game-weeks, I am REALLY glad about my decision, especially considering the NeoGeo catalogue hasn't been expanded for quite a while in Japan. Pity though.

 

[Meloche]

I can understand 1 game weeks for really special games... like A Link to the Past, for example. Super Metroid would have also qualified, as would a few other select titles. But 1080 Snowboarding? Really? Does Nintendo think we're that starved for N64 games that we'll take any decent one they throw at us? Generally I don't like to complain about Nintendo's awful policies (friend codes, storage, etc) but they are missing out on massive profits here. Do they not get this? People want to buy Virtual Console games, but they can't do it if there aren't any games for them to buy!

1080 is a good game, but a 1-game week? Part of me hopes they're just buying more time for an extra-special 200th game, but I honestly doubt it.

Calling Jiggy! Calling Jiggy! What are the stats here -- how many releases are we away from the 200th, and better yet, what's the ETA on the 200th game at our current rate of release...

...or something. D: