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Possible Virtual Console Titles for Wii Launch
The site PlayNintendo has up a list of possible launch titles for the Wii Virtual Console. Nothing on the list is particularly surprising, with classics like Sonic, various Mario titles, Metroid, and Castlevania filling out the roster. The article author goes on to discuss his source for the information, sharing additional tidbits he's learned. "I have received info from them before that has turned out true, including a tip back before E3 that Wii could ship as early as September with 20 titles. With the fact that Broadway has been in Nintendo's hands for some time, the console could, in fact, ship late September. However, they also stated that October is much more likely and if Nintendo did decide to wait, there would be more like 30 titles for launch. With the launch list continuously growing, that one has all but been confirmed as true too." With Nintendo's big announcement due later this week, we shouldn't have long to wait before this is confirmed or disproven.
What I find interesting here is that some of the games are not traditional Nintendo titles:
Bonk's Adventure - A Turbo Grafix 16 title (A great system, IMHO, since the same cartridge could be used on the main console AND the hand held console!)
Sonic the Hedgehog - How on earth did they manage to license this one? I'm surprised that Sony would let Nintendo do this.
Love sees no species.
Meant to say Sega, not Sony. Yikes. Time for some coffee. (o:
Love sees no species.
Duckhunt. Nuff said. (And you said the Wiimote wasn't a light gun!)
If this signature is witty enough, maybe somebody will like me.
Starting small and working their way up, I bet. If you release the best right off the bat, nobody will buy the cruft when you try to sell it later.
;)
Not that these games are cruft, but it's the concept
"If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; But if you really make them think, they'll hate you." - DM
How about a new punch out? Come on Nintendo, punch out and super punch out were among my favorite games. However we are long overdue for a punch out on a new console. They could easily make a fun game on one of their machines, hell the original punch out arcade came with dual monitors...hmmm...let me think...maybe there is another Nintendo console that features 2 screens.
I can't be the only one clamoring for new punch out, so come on Nintendo, I don't want to Give Up or Retire, I want to keep it clean and come out boxing!
Monstar L
Trivial - if there's a limited selection you:
1) Narrow the selection users have
2) Can herald new virtual console games every week
The first one means that users don't have too much to choose from, which means they'll come to a decision sooner, and they're more likely to come to a decision. Also the limitation will encourage players to buy new games as well as virtual console games.
The latter keeps interest in the virtual console high over the many years the Wii will be around. It also means that new games can be sold at higher prices. It's also nice for users, they can get a detailed lowdown on a few games every month, rather than a list of 1000+ games that they would never look at the detail for.
I have a CD with every NES/SNES game made on it. I don't play the games, but I do plan on getting a few of them on the Wii. By releasing them at regular intervals you maintain interest in the platform and drive sales. If every game were available at launch, everyone would go grab their 5 or whatever favorite games and forget about the service. If you see an announcement that ReallyCoolGame 4 is available next week, you are more likely to go grab it and possibly buy other stuff at the same time.
Of course there's no guarantee that these are VC titles but I'd guess it's very likely. Personally I can't wait for GOLDEN AXE - the game so awesome that my mum beat it.
1) Accorting to the article, the Wii "could" ship "late September"? It's about mid-September and we *don't know the release date or price*! How close do they plan to cut it?
Well, acording to IBM, Nintendo has recieved steady shipments of the Broadway processor for several weeks now and could be launching the Wii (based on their numbers) within weeks. Nintendo is also holding a press conference on thrusday/friday in Japan, North America and Europe that will likely contain the price and release date information. Hypothetically speaking Nintendo could announce that they are planning to launch the Wii on Sunday September 30th with 500,000 consoles in all regions, with an aditional 2.5 Million consoles to be shipped in October, November and December (for a total of 4 Million by January).
The only question is why would they do this?
In the past Nintendo has made it clear that they dislike the pre-ordering process because it causes retailers to bundle products and gouge their customers; I'm certain that after every (successful) product launch Nintendo has gotten emails/letters complaining that they were forced to buy a battery pack / crappy game and that the consumer was blaiming Nintendo (who had nothing to do with it). Also, pre-orders tend to fall into the hands of ebay-gougers who (also) exploit Nintendo's customers. If you have a quick launch (without giving retailers time to organize a pre-order campaign) and maintain a steady supply (say 4 Million consoles over 3 months) you should be able to eliminate both of these problems.
The only question is why would they do this?In the past Nintendo has made it clear that they dislike the pre-ordering process because it causes retailers to bundle products and gouge their customers; I'm certain that after every (successful) product launch Nintendo has gotten emails/letters complaining that they were forced to buy a battery pack / crappy game and that the consumer was blaiming Nintendo (who had nothing to do with it).
That's a good point about pre-ordering. However, couldn't they have accomplished the same thing in their contracts with retailers? Those usually specify many things regarding how they can sell the product, and they could conceivably say "you may not require additional purchases with pre-orders" and have stiff contractual penalties. Though again, that could leave retailers on the hook for the sales tactics of lower-ranked employees.
Apology to Ubuntu forum.
This raises some interesting applications for something like Animal Crossing on the Wii. In the gamecube version, you recieved playable versions of some old NES titles as gifts from other characters in the game. If Nintendo plays their cards right, they may be able to link something like this to their online content delivery system, allowing users to receive any title offered for Nintendo's virtual console for free, simply by unlocking it in another game.
8==8 Bones 8==8