Nintendo Revolution: What We Know, And What You Want To

Virtual Console

The Wii features backward compatibility for games from all previous Nintendo consoles, as well as games from the Sega Genesis and the TurboGrafx-16. The system can play GameCube discs without a problem, but games from older systems will only be playable as Virtual Console downloads. Games will range in price from $10 for N64 games to only $5 for NES games: 500 Wii points for NES games, 800 Wii points for SNES games, and 1,000 Wii points for N64 games. Users will be able to purchase 2,000 points for $20.

Nintendo stated that there will be 30 Virtual Console titles at launch time, followed by an additional 30 by the end of the year. Thereafter, the company will release 10 additional games each month. Upon launch, Nintendo guarantees that the original Legend of Zelda for the NES, Super Mario World for the SNES, and Super Mario 64 for the Nintendo 64 will be available.

The games will be stored on 512MB of internal flash memory. Though 512MB of memory might seem miniscule in comparison to the 20GB Xbox 360 hard drive, which has 40 times the storage capacity of the Wii, remember that games were much smaller back in the day. NES games take up less than 50KB in storage space, and SNES games such as The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past take up only 1MB of space.

In the event you go buck wild on downloadable content and manage to fill up the internal storage, you will likely be able to use the SD memory slots for more storage space. The street price for a 512MB SD memory card hovers around $20, but cards will likely be more expensive if Nintendo creates its own proprietary storage format.

The Legend of Zelda

Release Date: Aug 22, 1987

The Legend of Zelda is a top-down, action RPG for the NES, and the first game in one of the biggest series of all time.

Genre: Fantasy Action Adventure | Check Prices

Super Mario World

Release Date: August 1991

Mario's first Super Nintendo adventure is regarded by many as his best to date.

Genre: 2D Platformer | Check Prices

Super Mario 64

Release Date: Sep 26, 1996

With realms so vast and detailed, and yet so graphically clean and simple, one instinctively wants to go exploring.

Genre: 3D Platformer | Check Prices

Wii Games

Nintendo announced that all first-party titles will be available for $50 or less. The company did not comment on how much third-party publishers will charge for their games, but we imagine that third-party pricing will match Nintendo's. We've put together a list of Wii launch titles from both first- and third-party publishers--these are games that will be available at or around launch on November 19. The second text list represents the games that will launch by March of next year.

Nintendo and its various third-party development houses have many more games in development. You can find a full list of Wii games here.

Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII

Release Date: Nov 19, 2006

Squadrons of WWII is an arcade-like WWII flight game from Ubisoft.

Genre: WWII Flight Sim | Not Yet In Stores

Call of Duty 3

Release Date: Nov 19, 2006

Call of Duty 3 continues the series of World War II shooters, this time focusing on the battle for the liberation of Paris - known as the Normandy Breakout.

Genre: Historic First-Person Shooter | Not Yet In Stores

Elebits

Release Date: Nov 19, 2006

Elebits thrusts players into a game of hide and go seek as they try to track down a group of mysterious creatures.

Genre: 3D Platformer | Not Yet In Stores

Excite Truck

Release Date: Nov 19, 2006

Excite Truck is a new franchise from Nintendo, featuring tilting control of your truck.

Genre: Racing | Not Yet In Stores

Far Cry Vengeance

Release Date: Nov 19, 2006

Far Cry blasts its way onto the Wii. It will make use of the controller's motion sensing capabilities.

Genre: Modern First-Person Shooter | Not Yet In Stores

GT Pro Series

Release Date: Nov 19, 2006

GT Pro Series features more than 80 licensed cars, tons of tuning options and fluid drift-style controls and physics.

Genre: GT / Street Racing | Not Yet In Stores

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Release Date: Nov 19, 2006

Nintendo is publishing a new Zelda game in which Link sports his older look from the Nintendo 64 days. The Wii version of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess makes use of the Wii remote controls.

Genre: Fantasy Action Adventure | Not Yet In Stores

Madden NFL 07

Release Date: Nov 19, 2006

Madden makes its way to the Nintendo Wii, and the Wii controller's motion-sensitive capabilities are used for passing, kicking, juking, stiff arms, and more.

Genre: Football Sim | Not Yet In Stores

Monster 4X4: World Circuit

Release Date: Nov 19, 2006

Monster 4x4 World Circuit lets players control powerful trucks and go head-to-head in off-road competitions all over the world.

Genre: Rally / Offroad Racing | Not Yet In Stores

Need for Speed Carbon

Release Date: Nov 19, 2006

In NFS Carbon you aim to take over the city by winning races and defeating other racing crews. The game will likely make use of Wii's motion sensing controller for steering.

Genre: GT / Street Racing | Not Yet In Stores

Open Season

Release Date: Nov 19, 2006

Open Season is based on the Sony Pictures Animation's CG animated film of the same name, where a rowdy brood of forest animals turn the tables on a bunch of unsuspecting hunters.

Genre: 3D Platformer | Not Yet In Stores

Rayman Raving Rabbids

Release Date: Nov 19, 2006

Rayman returns for a fourth installment.

Genre: 3D Platformer | Not Yet In Stores