Virtual Console up and running

The Wii's downloadable game service has gone live with a dozen titles and a few surprises.

While the Nintendo Wii doesn't go on sale in the US for a few more hours, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime confirmed for GameSpot today that the first owners of the system will be able to get online and download classic games right out of the box.

Just in time for the Wii launch, here comes the Virtual Console.

Already on the Virtual Console, users can purchase Wii Points and download games from older systems. NES games cost 500 Wii Points ($5), Super NES and Sega Genesis games are 800 Wii Points ($8), and Nintendo 64 games are 1,000 Wii Points ($10). There weren't any TurboGrafx-16 games on the service at press time, but Nintendo has said pricing for those will start at 600 Wii Points ($6).

While the games are expected to be faithful re-creations of the originals instead of the type of revamped or rearranged arcade classics that have been sold on the Xbox 360's Marketplace, GameSpot editors found at least one new trick had been added. After quitting a session of Sonic the Hedgehog back to the Wii channel menu, and then loading the game back up, the editors found that the Wii had automatically saved the editors' place in the game and resumed play right where it had left off. Also, while downloading games, users are shown a Mario-themed progress bar that shows the mascot plumber or his brother Luigi running across the screen, hitting coin blocks and collecting coins off the ground.

Mario serves as the download progress bar.

Nintendo announced last month that the following titles would be available on the Virtual Console by the end of the year. Games already confirmed to be up on the service today are italicized.

NES
Mario Bros.
The Legend of Zelda
Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong Jr.
Ice Hockey
Pinball
Soccer
Tennis
Urban Champion
Wario's Woods
Baseball
Solomon's Key

A dozen titles dating back to the '80s are already available.

SNES
F-Zero
SimCity

Nintendo 64
Super Mario 64

Sega Genesis
Sonic the Hedgehog
Altered Beast
Golden Axe
Columns
Ecco the Dolphin
Gunstar Heroes
Space Harrier II
Toe Jam & Earl
Ristar
Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine

TurboGrafx-16
Bonk's Adventure
Super Star Soldier
Victory Run
Bomberman '93
Dungeon Explorer

347 Comments

  • infamous_27

    Posted Aug 11, 2008 10:56 am PT

    Wow Lunar is 4 days in the future!

  • Lunar52

    Posted Apr 14, 2008 9:23 pm PT

    The first comment in over a year!!!!

  • 1upMushroomX6

    Posted May 30, 2007 1:24 pm PT

    the first comment in 4 months!!!!

  • oldschoolplayer

    Posted Jan 13, 2007 1:56 pm PT

    Would love to play baseball simulator 1.000 (SNES) with the wimote. You young guys probably dont remember the game as it was a arcade style of baseball with players with unhuman abilities. I am really leaning towards getting a Wii. I want my kids to play the games I grew up playing without having to blow on a cartridge..lol

  • OhhSnap50893

    Posted Dec 7, 2006 9:56 am PT

    Yet another reason why the Wii is the best next-gen system.

  • John926

    Posted Dec 3, 2006 4:21 pm PT

    Put Pilot Wings 64 on the VC Nintendo!

  • bluesteelMeGaSE

    Posted Dec 1, 2006 3:27 pm PT

    :O

    Nintendo 64!?

    Now that I gotta get my hands on. Now I also find interest in Ecco the Dolphin. I hope to see Zero Tolerance (that was on Genesis and SNES) and Ms. Pacman in that list. Then that would really interest me.

  • pspultrafreak

    Posted Nov 29, 2006 12:26 pm PT

    wii is gonna kick ass

  • maaskesr

    Posted Nov 27, 2006 7:12 am PT

    How can Super Mario Bros. not be on this list? I thought for sure I'd be able to download it right away.

  • iameightyseven

    Posted Nov 27, 2006 4:17 am PT

    "They need more then one n64 game Like Zelda ocarina of Time"

    They'll add more Nintendo 64 games... just be patient.

  • Lasafrog

    Posted Nov 26, 2006 7:28 pm PT

    Cant wait for them to have entire series available, so I can Play Super Mario Bros, Super Mario World, Mario 64, Mario Sunshine (ick), and Mario Galaxy all on the same system

  • MrOpinionated

    Posted Nov 26, 2006 6:21 pm PT

    VIrtual Console is really cool! All you need is a wireless internet connection and a Wii points card and you're set for some awesome retro gaming. (downloads amazingly fast, too!)

  • nirvana8612

    Posted Nov 26, 2006 3:28 pm PT

    They need more then one n64 game Like Zelda ocarina of Time

  • _Sam_

    Posted Nov 26, 2006 12:10 pm PT

    it seems like a good service

  • Downrunner

    Posted Nov 25, 2006 12:40 am PT

    Panzer Dragoon

  • Issachar

    Posted Nov 24, 2006 12:20 pm PT

    Megaman!

  • juancorazon

    Posted Nov 23, 2006 12:26 pm PT

    If Nintendo Brings Virtual Console ONLINE Head to head play.... OH boy, OH boy... things can get really fun. Good Start though.

  • mwiley35

    Posted Nov 23, 2006 6:58 am PT

    Very good Nintendo here is my request for future downloads please...
    Turbo Grafx 16 (Devils Crush, Blazing lazers, Air zonk, Gunboat, Magical Chase, Military Madness, Raiden, and Splatterhouse.)

    Super Nintendo (Axelay, Actraiser, Breath of Fire 1 & 2, Dracula X, Earthbound, Final fantasy 2 & 3, Contra 3, Lufia 1&2, Mega Man x, x2, x3, Ninja gaiden Trilogy, R-type 3, Secret of mana, Super Bonk, Super ghouls n ghosts, Super mario All stars, Super Mario Kart, Super mario RPG, Super metroid, Super Punchout, Yoshi's Island, Space megaforce, Tecmo Super Bowl, Tetris attack, Turtles 4.and Chrono trigger)

    Genesis (Castlevania Bloodlines, Castle of illusion, General Chaos, Ghouls n ghosts, Herzog zwei, Landstalker, Shining Force series, Shinobi, Phantasy star 2,3,4, All sonics games, Streets of rage 1,2,3 .and thunderforce2,3.

    These are some of my alltime faves plus please bring on Sega Saturn titles. This will be a goldmine for Nintendo and publishers. Anyone else agree/disagree with my list?

  • dcgames

    Posted Nov 22, 2006 8:51 pm PT

    Common sense: I'm glad I waited on the DS (for I ended up with the much better Lite version) and now I'm glad I didn't rush right out and buy this thing right out of the gate, for obviously it's going to be a while before they get their act together (as I suspected). I won't even bother with a Rev until I see games like ChronoTrigger and FFIII on the VC list.

  • pycho22solid

    Posted Nov 22, 2006 6:09 pm PT

    Good start-They need to add waaaaaaaaaaay more super nintendo ones though.

  • rhisaber2022

    Posted Nov 22, 2006 1:05 pm PT

    not enough games

  • bbbwclmt

    Posted Nov 22, 2006 9:05 am PT

    do u think theyll add balloon fight 2 the list

  • bbbwclmt

    Posted Nov 22, 2006 9:03 am PT

    me 2

  • Sheena321

    Posted Nov 22, 2006 5:40 am PT

    I hope they add Majora's mask to the list.

  • jdelpozo1

    Posted Nov 21, 2006 11:45 pm PT

    Here some odd request... Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball on SNES, Mutant League Football on SEGA, and Super Ghouls 'n' Ghosts - SNES... instant classics in my book

  • Gamer_dude_666

    Posted Nov 21, 2006 5:22 pm PT

    bring us ninja gaiden BEST GAME OF ALL TIME !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • philphir

    Posted Nov 21, 2006 4:43 pm PT

    I second the desire for Shining Force and Earthbound.

    Definitely impressed by the inclusion of Toe Jam & Earl, though.

  • ignoman

    Posted Nov 21, 2006 4:23 pm PT

    Space Harrier II?! If this had an online scoreboard, it would be worth the price of Wii admission alone!

  • kurokami1

    Posted Nov 21, 2006 11:28 am PT

    well i know what im gettin from that list
    i hope at some time they get Sonic R on there

  • imbacon

    Posted Nov 21, 2006 10:44 am PT

    Pretty great selection to start off with!

  • smidsy85

    Posted Nov 21, 2006 10:30 am PT

    diablobasher

    It was called Ninja Gaiden in Europe...

  • RightSaidFred

    Posted Nov 21, 2006 9:27 am PT

    shining force please!

  • shamarke

    Posted Nov 21, 2006 7:46 am PT

    cool old school games Super Mario 64 it was long time ago i playd it....hehe!

  • retrosega

    Posted Nov 21, 2006 7:35 am PT

    I think its great that since Sega isnt in the console wars anymore that both they and Nintendo work together somewhat. I'm hoping to see the first Splatterhouse game for TurboGraphx. I loved 2 and 3 for the Genesis but never got to play the original classic. I'm excited about the emulation, I collect Genesis games and I really hope they have some of my favorites, like Shining Force 1 and 2, Landstalker, and Rings of Power. I have alot of the original games anyways, but it would be nice to see them on the wii. Of course for $8 you may as well get genesis system and some games on half.com or dare I say ebay (in lots) you wont spend as much and you can let them increase in value, sell them for a million and one dollars and rule the world!!! hahahahaha....or something like that. But seriously I bought Chakan for $2.00 with box and manual, Kid Chameleon for like 6 I think. of course I did pay out the nose for Rings of Power...

  • GrimBee

    Posted Nov 21, 2006 6:23 am PT

    "m0thr4
    GrimBee:

    You don't need a high-powered PC at all... a chipped Xbox does just fine: you can plug it into the TV, you've already got a joypad, the N64 games run pretty well and, best of all, in most of the emulators, you can save your game at any point, making previously long-winded titles much less arduous to play through to the end. ".

    What I was getting at, was that its perfectly LEGAL to play on the virtual console with the wii, and hassle free.
    I mean, whats the percentage of people who illegally mod their xbox compared to wii owners? I believe it has already surpassed that with the wii sales right now.

    N64 games barely run well at all, graphical bugs.. etc. Goldeneye is awful on it.
    But you know, thats for another forum to talk about..

    The fact is, you need quite a beefy pc to run n64 emulation to the rate its at on the wii.

    The virtual console is perfectly legal, hassle free. Its pointles for people who have a reasonably pc to be able to run the n64 stuff aswell as others, but I would put my bets on Nintendo getting the most perfect retro experience over pc emulation, all you would need to do is install an update to correct the problems.

    Basically, you have one group of people who want to play the retro stuff, but dont want to bother with emulation, or hack into a console and do some diy. and you have the other who is already into emulation, and actually thinks of the wii as a threat on their part.

    I for one am happy about the virtual console, it brings retro into the mainstream audience. Whereas emulation on the pc (or on consoles via hacking) is not widely accepted.
    And for the record, for you to legally play the emulation without the virtual console, you would need the original game... which can cost you even MORE than a virtual console game.

    This topic is for the people who want the retro games on the wii, not breaking into some console and modding it to play this old stuff.. if this was legal it would of been done years ago.
    And even though the virtual console IS emulation (still on high horse ) its about as perfect as you can get without any hassle of buying a decent pc to run n64 stuff.. and for the comment about xbox's being chipped, its not entirely legal in most countries to do this, and it voids the warranty... and you need to do more than just buy one from nintendo connect service...

  • wenbin09

    Posted Nov 21, 2006 5:40 am PT

    cool~~

  • diablobasher

    Posted Nov 21, 2006 3:22 am PT

    I want Ninja Gaiden for the NES, but i want Ninja Gaiden! Not frikkin 'Shadow Warriors' as it was called in europe! Not ready for the word 'ninja' my ass, gimme Ninja Gaiden!

  • ftjx

    Posted Nov 21, 2006 3:06 am PT

    Can't wait to play Super Mario 64 again.....

  • m0thr4

    Posted Nov 21, 2006 3:04 am PT

    GrimBee:

    You don't need a high-powered PC at all... a chipped Xbox does just fine: you can plug it into the TV, you've already got a joypad, the N64 games run pretty well and, best of all, in most of the emulators, you can save your game at any point, making previously long-winded titles much less arduous to play through to the end.

  • Dolacide

    Posted Nov 21, 2006 12:18 am PT

    Can't wait to get my Wii to get some of these games.

  • Hitman4Hire

    Posted Nov 20, 2006 11:36 pm PT

    My damned Wii wont get online because of my dads stupid firewalls and junk... *sighs* Gotta wait til I move out before I can do anything online with it. Sucks though, cause xbl works just fine.

  • Iriseon

    Posted Nov 20, 2006 11:01 pm PT

    Ninja Gaiden for NES is a must. And Super Mario RPG. And Punch-Out! A little BlastCorps for N64 wouldn't hurt either. Did I mention EarthBound? And then there's.....

  • glennwinton

    Posted Nov 20, 2006 10:31 pm PT

    i hope i can find one for my b-day

  • glennwinton

    Posted Nov 20, 2006 10:10 pm PT

    wheres ocarina of time!
    or link to the past!
    and super mario world!
    and metroid and super metroid!

    those better be up later next year, at least i hope

  • man_alive

    Posted Nov 20, 2006 9:52 pm PT

    i like my Wii, but hella disappointed in virtual console offerings so far. and it looks like they'll be slow to roll out more games. boo.

  • nekrotaunter

    Posted Nov 20, 2006 8:27 pm PT

    i should have waited for better games. forgot how boring zelda is without a map and wasted my money on the crap mario. still debating if i like the classic controller i bought, but i love everything else about my system.

  • Wii60-23

    Posted Nov 20, 2006 8:06 pm PT

    I love my newly bought Wii

  • gamepunk86

    Posted Nov 20, 2006 8:00 pm PT

    soon itll take off, i think

  • Blacksamurai87

    Posted Nov 20, 2006 7:20 pm PT

    got my wii, and Zelda's fantastic

  • longhairbilly

    Posted Nov 20, 2006 6:11 pm PT

    I can't stop playing bowling long enough to play any other Wii game

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