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Prior to the release of Super Paper Mario this past week, I hadn't purchased a new game for my Wii system since December 2006. Though expected (as it is fully standard for any recently launched console; as usual, early adopters beware!), I've still been stuck in the very definition of a software drought here. But despite this shortage, however, I've still found myself with plenty of fantastic games to keep myself occupied over the past three months. How? Through the system's fantastic service which allows me to inexpensively purchase, download, and play high quality classic console games.
I'm not without complaints here. This isn't a flawless service. And in fact, I've come to have three specific grievances with it. First, the shop interface. The GUI of the entire console is an efficiency and aesthetic marvel -- wonderfully designed. By comparison, that makes it all the more disappointing that the Wii Shop interface is a complete clusterfrell. The layout is poor, it takes too long to get to the content you want (which is going to become more and more a problem as new games are added), there aren't enough ways to sort the display of games in the shop, it's too slow (I don't understand why the shop isn't preloaded through WiiConnect24 like other areas), there isn't enough information and media on the games within the shop, the lack of storing credit card info for online point purchases is an awful inconvenience, and on and on. That Nintendo seriously suggests that people have a maximum of 40-something VC games through the life of their Wii purchase and just re-download stuff over and over again is somewhat astounding, because it makes me think these blind morons just stumbled onto what makes VC awesome -- they genuinely have no clue as to what it is. Nintendo also needs to figure out a way to combat piracy while still allowing games to be read directly from external storage devices like memory cards or USB hard drives.
Second, while they're doing well in terms of getting quality games up, there's still an issue with diversity and variety -- they need more of that. They need more of the big games, and a lot more of the small, underrated games that a lot of people feel nostalgic for. It'll be different games for each person, and that's why more games per week is the only way that'll get satisfied. The three game per week average is too slow -- it should be at least five per week. Weeks where only a single game goes up? That shouldn't be acceptable. Looking at the enormous number of quality games for the Genesis and NES, Super Nintendo, and the handful of excellent games for the N64, more per week is needed here if we hope to see the system live up to its fullest potential. And third, the prices. They're a tad too high -- and I do mean a tad. Really, they're only off by a couple of dollars each -- the ideal would be 3$ for NES games, 5$ for SNES and Genesis games, and 8$ for N64 games. But, honestly, this is quibling -- the prices are slightly too high, but they're still fairly inexpensive overall, and a few bucks just is not a major issue.
So, I have issues. I have stuff I'd like to see improved. The Virtual Console is not perfect. But ignore all of that for now, because despite a few minor flaws, this is still an excellent service. Not "potentially great," as in it'll be great in the future -- it's great right now, and it's getting better by the week. And here's why.
CONTENT: Far moreso than the similar services on the Wii's competitor consoles, the Virtual Console has been delivering the content. While it got off to a slightly slow start, there's no denying at this point that the system has accumulated a tremendously good library of games. Counting today's releases, the Virtual Console is up to 78 games total in North America (compared to around 20 on the PlayStation Network and just over 50 on the Xbox Live Arcade, despite its year's head start). By the end of the year, there should be around 200 games on the service if its post-launch weekly average (currently 3.14 games) is maintained. And while there are some clunkers on there (as there are and certainly will continue to be on competing services as well), there is also an ever-increasing number of grade A games like Super Castlevania IV, Ocarina of Time, A Link to the Past, Star Fox 64, Streets of Rage, Gunstar Heroes, Military Madness, Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Ristar, and many more. Confirmed upcoming games include Ninja Gaiden, Streets of Rage 2, Gradius III, Super Metroid, Golden Axe II, and Legend of the Mystical Ninja. It's getting impossible to ignore the quality gaming the service is offering up as it shapes into a retrogaming paradise. It's already strong enough that it's easily arguable that there's something for everyone here (though a friend of mine is particularly enthusiastic about the Virtual Console's schmup homage with games like Soldier Blade, Super Star Soldier, R-Type III, and so on).
RPGs: While it may not quite seem like it yet, the Virtual Console's emerging as a nice delivery service for RPG fans. No, it's not becoming a powerhouse for the genre overnight -- RPGs, especially retro ones, are still a relatively niche genre in the United States (Japan is making out like bandits here, though, already having acquired Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem, Fire Emblem: Geneology of Holy War, and Shin Megami Tensei). Nevertheless, the RPGs are making a presence for themselves here already: North America's already got several great options including Beyond Oasis and Dragon's Curse, plus the quality Zelda adventure games. And there's more coming. Wonder Boy in Monster World is due out this month, and Shining Force, ActRaiser, Shining in the Darkness, and Super Mario RPG are all confirmed games on the horizon.
WEEKLY UPDATES: While I may have griped earlier about weeks with too few releases, hey, at least the service is getting something every single week (no themed Uno decks here, or weeks with nothing at all -- even if there's only one, there'll still be a game). But what I've come to appreciate is the structure of the releases themselves. I suppose to some extent it would've been nice if there had just been an overwhelming number of games from the start, but I've found that the weekly release structure gives me something new to look forward to every week with the Wii. I wonder if it'll be a classic game I've been waiting for. It foments discussion amongst gamers beforehand, and after the release happens, as the structure really shines the spotlight on the specific games released -- gamers can focus on those, enjoy them as a community, discuss them and the things they liked about them. It also lends itself to encouraging gamers to try out on impulse games they've never played before; not every game is a winner, but there are a ton of fun surprises to be had. This spotlight focus is good for us as gamers, because it allows us to better appreciate the new games we're getting. It's also good for publishers. For instance, Hudson Entertainment has mentioned that they're very pleased with their performance on the Virtual Console, and they're closely watching specific titles' success to gauge the viability of franchise revivals. That's excellent news. It's not just Hudson that'll prosper here. We should be pleased to see that publishers releasing niche, underrated titles (some of which may be exactly the sort of game that was our personal favorite as a child) aren't going to have them lost amidst an ocean of releases, but rather will have their own time in the sun.
CONVENIENCE: Plenty of people have remarked that they have no interest in rebuying games they already own. Okay; good enough. But let me go on record stating the exact opposite. I'm excited to be able to rebuy old games, many of which I currently own in cartridge format, for a low price. It's all about convenience and accessibility. How many consoles do you currently have hooked up? Me, I've got six plugged into my TV through a switching box. But I hate it. It's a mess of wires; it's inconvenient. I don't have my SNES or N64 hooked up, and I don't like the idea of having to remove them from a closet, mess with one of my other consoles in order to hook these machines up, and then undo the whole process at the end. The whole process is inconvenient. It serves to make games I may want to play less immediately accessible to me, to the point that I wonder if I should just play something else instead. In this sense, the Virtual Console appeals to me in precisely the same way as the PlayStation 2's backwards compatibility did -- it allowed me to remove one of these cumbersome machines from the max and condense my library of systems down while still maintaining immediate and convenient access to my whole gaming library. I find myself enormously excited by the idea of being able to condense things down even further, to a much greater degree -- not worry about the SNES, the Genesis, the N64? Having all of my favorite replayable titles from these eras available on one machine, with me owning them, with the games immediately accessible right from a menu (an even greater level of convenience than what backwards compatibility has afforded)? I suppose it may not appeal to some, but it's phenomenal for me.
NON-NINTENDO DOMINANCE: One of my biggest surprises with how the Virtual Console has developed is the extent to which it hasn't been overwhelmingly dominated by Nintendo. Frankly, when the service was first announced, it seemed to many that it would be Nintendo-game exclusive. It came as a pleasant surprise when the company later revealed that they were in discussions with key third parties to get their games up as well. When third party consoles (the Genesis and TurboGrafx 16 foremost amongst them) were announced, too, well that was really good news. But I think I, and most of us, still expected this to be a Nintendo party. Thankfully, it hasn't shaped up that way at all. The Genesis and TurboGrafx 16, the two third party machines currently on the Virtual Console, make up nearly half of all the North American games: a combined 48.72%. Impressive. But even though half the games on the service come from Nintendo machines, they're not all Nintendo games. In fact, the megapublisher's titles currently only make up 33.33% of the North American games -- just a third. The support from Sega, Hudson, Konami, Capcom, Irem, Namco, and others has been far beyond what I initially expected, and it's really helped contribute to the variety and diversity of the Virtual Console games.
I'll be upfront here: setting aside some minor criticisms, I love the Virtual Console. It's probably my favorite thing about the Wii right now, and it's giving me far more enjoyment at this early stage than I expected it would. I've bought more games than I told myself I would (these prices are so low that it's almost impossible to resist some of the games on offer; they're impulse buys, like the cost of a cheap fast food lunch). It is, as I said, a retrogaming heaven right now, and I can't wait to see what it will continue to offer me in the future.
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