Why the Wii Virtual Console is a scourge
I can't believe the hype the VC is getting. "The ability to play retro classics on the Wii is something we can't wait to dive into..." [ign]. Gaming publications, blogs, and news websites are going mad with reviews for these games 'dug up from the depths of the past', and presenting them as if they were brand new (EGM and Gamespot, just to name a few). Consumers all around the world are salivating to pay for games they own already.
I can't wrap my brain around this.
Did these games not exist before the Virtual Console? It seems that every gaming publication is reviewing these old games again, just because they're coming out in a new form, almost as if the games weren't noteworthy on the original hardware. What makes a service that forces paying for emulation a cause to revisit these classics, where at any other time it would have been inappropriate? A game mag focused on news is traditionally not the place for reviewing games that are more than a month old, much less games that are up to eleven years old. When hackers finally found out a way to emulate the N64 on the PC, did any game mag review every N64 game, now available on a new platform? What makes the VC different? When coders found a way to run NES games on the Dreamcast, did anyone flinch in the gaming media? Sure, perhaps they gave it a nod or two, but they did not break down, and write features on how the emulators played, or review every game playable on the emulators. It's times like these that the niché gaming mags, like EDGE Retro and Retro Gamer actually have an advantage, and they aren't necessarily stepping out of their element to review things they wouldn't normally review. I mean, hell, they probably reviewed the games months before they were announced as VC games, because they were worthy games before they were Virtual Console games. Unlike with the major gaming press, these great games had worth because they were great games, not because Nintendo found a way to make people pay for them again.
Then why does the average gamer listen now, when they wouldn't before? Retro Gamer's been screaming Gunstar Heroes for years, and the 'now' generation hasn't given one look at it. But as soon as it's being offered on their new-fangled Wii they go ape shit, and pay more than they should to play it. Hell, gamers who actually own the games they're going to buy again probably weren't going to play the games at all until they're being prompted to pay for it.
Why do consumers even fall for this bullocks? Sure, Nintendo's been preaching their stance on the target audience of the Wii as being 'non-gamers', who might not have an NES sitting dusty in the closet, or a Genesis in the garage. But to the rest of us (i.e. the majority of the buyers of the Wii) probably either have one or all the consoles planned for release on the Virtual Console, and perhaps already own some of the games. And almost all of us will buy them again. It's a sad day when a company gets away with selling you something you already own. For me it's not a hassle to play Gunstar, Ecco, or any Genesis game that's being offered on the VC for that matter, because my Genesis is hooked up to the TV at all times. I also have the roms of all the games the virtual console is offering, playable, on my PC. I even can take them outside with me, to school or work, on the GP2X. I am the extreme instance, but even if I had only one of these many screens covered, I still wouldn't be so dumb as to pay for what I've already got. If I wanted to play a classic game on a console that it wasn't meant for, I'd burn some Dreamcast emulators to a 3 cent CD and throw some roms on the disc. I have more games on one Dreamcast disc than is on all of the Virtual Console games available in every region around the world. I have more Genesis games on my PC and in cart form than ever will be available for download on the VC.
Is it that the average consumer does not know of these alternatives? Probably they do. They've probably taken advantage of at least one of the ways I use roms. So why would they buy the games if they already have them? The only reason I can find is, simply because the games are there. They exist in this form, so it has to be done. No American consumer would ever pass up a chance to buy what they already have just for convenience. Laziness. Where consumers can put dollar amounts on the price of getting up and changing cords, or even pressing a button. To some, 10 bucks is a good price for never having to get up and switch a cartridge. Yes, this is the picture perfect Virtual Console player, and it works as such. As unsettling as it is for me, that's the strange reality that we find the 'average Joe Q. Consumer' in.
The case for emulation:
*It's free, it's portable, it's open, it's non-exclusive.* An entire library of games is at your fingertips to try out. And if you're clever enough, you can take these classic games anywhere. Play them on your Dreamcast or PS2. Hell, buy a GP2X and a TV out cable. It has more uses and will probably be used more often than the Virtual Console. Emulation is what you're paying for on the Wii anyway.
The case for true retro gaming:
*Pulling out a console from the recesses of the closet, dusting off the top, untangling the cords, finding the games you had played an enjoyed years past, plugging the system it into the TV, and experience what it actually was like.* There is no replacement for this experience. Even if you're looking to play a brand new game you haven't experienced before, retro consoles are cheap, many of them are hardy beyond comparison, and the games go for practically nothing. Owning a cartridge, and downloading the game featured on that cartridge, simply isn't the same. The games were designed for a specific console in mind, and if you want to be true to the original vision, they must be played on the original hardware.
Conclusion: I love retro gaming, I love finding new games from the past that I've never even heard of before, and exploring their ins and outs. I even dig any way that will make gamers aware that just because it isn't 'new' doesn't mean it blows. But making gamers pay for this service? Gamers being duped into paying for this? This is ludicrous when the alternatives are: A) the same thing, but free and with a bigger selection; and B) actually owning the games. It's even more ludicrous when gamers re-buy the ones they already physically own. It's rediculous that people now consider playing and reviewing these games acceptable, just because they've been released on a pretty new box. I love the Wii, I like the idea of the Virtual Console, but the way it's being recieved screams at me the horrible relationship between the stupid consumer and big business.
Couldn't have said it any better myself. I am just lazy and the Wii is everything I want. Thanks for summing it up.
Posted by
Unknown |
12/18/2006 3:05 AM
I suppose what some people call "lazy" others call "convenience." And talk to us about lazy? The virtual console lets you "earn" you games through your own money rather than "lazily" downloading the games for free. It's pretty how well that word can be spun
Posted by
Anonymous |
12/19/2006 2:50 AM
Just because it's convenient does not make it worth anything, much less re-buying what you already have. I see no merit in paying any large company a sum of money for convenience. I also see no merit in a company re-selling what's been available for free for years.
And yes, getting something for free is "lazy" in the exact same way paying (again) for convenience is "lazy" (?)
Posted by
Rayek |
12/19/2006 3:42 AM
By the way, are you Kotaku, or Joystiq?
Posted by
Rayek |
12/19/2006 5:50 AM
retrogaming with racketboy
Posted by
Anonymous |
12/19/2006 8:21 AM
You know, I'm partially playing devil's advocate here. I'm going to argue the converse in another post.
Posted by
Rayek |
12/19/2006 12:26 PM
My main frustration is the lack of games to actually buy again. I dig the convenience of the VC above all else, and would happily re-purchase games I already own to play on the Wii. There are many games that I want that are hard to find or are prohibitively expensive, as well (Chrono Trigger for one).
Check out my rant on the VC at The Weekly Geek. It's fairly relevant. http://www.weeklygeekshow.com/2007/01/conservative_nintendo_misjudgi.php
Posted by
Chris Furniss |
1/05/2007 1:42 PM
Man you people in cyberspace never cease to amaze me. If you already own the game then pull out your old console and play the game. no one is forcing you to buy any of them. As for me I have played on nintendo systems since day one but never owned one till the 64. So i welcome the opportunity to play the old classics i never got a chance to play or own. Yes I understand you can find all these games for free online but that works for about 10% of us who truly knows what we're doing. For the average person this is not a good option plus getting the emulation software to work on all games or configure a controller to work with them can be maddening at times and that will only turn off the average person. The wii VC yes may be a little overpriced but keep supporting it and we may see a price adjustment. Plus i would much rather play those games natively on my big tv then at my desk infront of my computer. If you don't like it don't buy it.
Posted by
Anonymous |
1/05/2007 1:52 PM
I wasn't aware the reviewing PIRATED ROMs was something you expect the gaming media to cover. Hmm, interesting.
Posted by
Anonymous |
1/05/2007 6:18 PM
Legitimacy is my reason for enjoying these games via VC. That and the convenience of not having to haul out multiple consoles.
Posted by
Anonymous |
1/06/2007 8:53 AM
You seem to have 2 general complaints about the VC service. One complaint is that we are supposed to pay.
It's typical for you, the consumer, to say it should be free but look at things from a logical standpoint. These are games that developers put time and money into. Just because they are retro doesn't mean they should automatically be free. It's still a game. The most expensive title I've seen is Super Mario 64 which was about 10 dollars. Super Mario 64 was probably one of my favorite games of all time and by no means do I have complaints about digging around in my pocket for a meager 10 dollars.
As for talking about buying games that you already have...Is that really a flaw in the service? If a person feels compelled to buy a game on VC that they already have then let them do their own act, but how does that make the service any more flawed. Consider the fact, and really pay attention to this point, that the Wii was marketed to non-gamers...therefore there are probably many good titles on the VC that people may have not played before. I mean I was shocked to come in my room and see my mother playing Super Mario 64 on the virtual console the other day.
I do agree with what you said about sites such as IGN reviewing the VC games...that in itself is ridiculous in the least. There's no reason to re-review it...but once again, how is that a flaw of the service? The hype lies in this...VC was a way for non-gamers to be introduced to retro games, to give avid gamers the ability to play some old virtual console games they may have missed, and simply to bring back that nostalgic feeling that you know you're eager to embrace.
Posted by
Unknown |
1/06/2007 8:59 AM
Not to mention that for me personally, other than the convenience of not having to swap cartridges, and the convenience of being able to jump from one game to the next, and the legitimacy of it... Other than all of that, I bring my Wii console to quite a few places, and having classic games on it such as Toe Jam and Earl is highly enjoyable to be able to share that sort of thing with my friends!
I'm not being lazy in the end though, I'm being supportive of Nintendo and these classic games that I enjoyed.
Besides, have you ever considered that if Nintendo watches which games get downloaded a lot, people will go "oh hey! Maybe we should make a sequel to this game!" or "oh hey! Maybe we should make a game like this one!
It's a way to get the gaming market up to date on which games people still enjoy playing. Take it as a blessing and not a curse.
Posted by
Unknown |
1/06/2007 9:52 AM
http://digg.com/gaming_news/Why_the_Wii_Virtual_Console_is_a_scourge#c4597452
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Wow, that guy is a right ass. Fuck, I'm a retro gamer, and I am all for the Virtual Console. I have a NES in my Garage. A Sega Master System II lying around in my house. I have an N64 sitting right next to me. The thing is, while I do agree with the sense that to get a true feeling of nostalgia, the games need to be played on their original hardware. But, I don't always need that sense of nostalgia, I don't always feel this need to play the as they truly originally were, sometimes I just want to play the game I like to play. Now, what's gonna be more kickass? Playing Ocarina of Time on a 3 pronged controller with an outdated analogue stick at 240i @ 20 FPS or 480p @ 60 FPS with a wireless Dual Analogue SNES pad (aka the VC Controller)? Let me think about that for just 1 second...
Sure, I can download the ROMs and play them on my PSP (Like I'm really gonna buy a GP2X...and he's calling the VC a rip off!), and on occasion I do. Then again, with the games I play on it, I have no other place to play them on and I'm not even sure the company who made these titles still exists (for example, Kung Fu for NES). If they give me a chance to buy these titles, I will. Much like how I'm gonna buy SMB 1 and LoZ on the VC when I get my next lot of money.
He said that the VC may be for people who didn't experience these games before, so how exactly are they being duped for paying for a retro game for THE FIRST TIME? This guy seems to be more intrested in paying for all these games for free. He claims he loves to play them on the original hardware and how others should, and then boasts how
he, alongside others, should and can download these games for free and burn them onto a CD for easy access anywhere.
It's these type of people that piss me off. Does he drive cars that can only do 30MPH because cars should be driven as they originally were? Does he watch TV using cathode tube rays with their 30 lines progressive scan display? Does he read the newspapers instead of reading the internet for news? Chances are, he doesn't. He'd leap at the chance for a new ferrari, or a brand spanking new HDTV, or read the news on the internet ~~ FOR CONVENIENCE ~~
Posted by
Anonymous |
1/06/2007 9:59 AM
First of all, unless you dumped all the roms yourself from games that you still own, it's ILLEGAL. Why would the gaming press go out of their way to review things that you get through piracy?
Not everyone owns every single game that is released on VC, and some don't want to do something illegal to be able to play them. And contrary to popular belief, not everyone knows about emulation and where/how to get roms, and some prefer to play games on their TV with a controller without having to cart their PC around the house.
Posted by
Anonymous |
1/06/2007 12:55 PM
I agree to a certian extent. I will not buy the games I already own.
I sadly do not own my genesis anymore so I am very interested in those old Sega games.
I still have my NES and I still play my NES. So I will not be buying any of the games I have for it.
I owned few SNES games and cannot wait for some of my favorites games to come out.
The problem with emulation is that it doesn't feel "right". I am not getting the proper console feel by playing them on my computer. I do not enjoy emulation.
The prices for the VC games can be a bit high so I will limit myself to games I really want!
Posted by
Anonymous |
1/07/2007 8:17 AM
did you try mariokart64 on pc with a wiimote as a steeringwheel - controller?? It's awesome! is the wii supporting that too? or are the most games only with buttonpush & nunchuckstick or classiccontroller? the pc does! you can even script more complex motions then a steering wheel and have 11 buttons free to map and full(>2 points)ir support!
the only point that could make VC the money worth would be multiple choices of controls(possible but too few choices) and tuned up graphics(and switch to retro) and added functionality like every game with multiplayer and, where possible, onlinemultiplayer!
so nintendo go on! you can update everything when we sleep at day!
Posted by
Anonymous |
1/07/2007 10:45 AM
Reading that post was the biggest waste of time. Some people, like me, don't have their NES, SNES, Genesis, and N64 all nicely setup in front the their TV or don't really want to get into pirated games and play them on a PC or Mac. I love it that the Wii is offering this service and I don't mind paying 5 bucks to play Super Mario Bros without any fail or having to blow in my system. So in that case, I completely support VC and look forward to playing and re-playing these games for years to come. If you think Nintendo are being money crazed jerks for charging for these games, DON'T DOWNLOAD THEM....simple.
Posted by
Anonymous |
1/07/2007 5:36 PM