GameSpot may receive revenue from affiliate and advertising partnerships for sharing this content and from purchases through links.

Virtual Console up and running

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

345 Comments

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.
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.
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.
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

Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com

Join the conversation
There are 345 comments about this story
345 Comments  RefreshSorted By 
GameSpot has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to toxic conduct in comments. Any abusive, racist, sexist, threatening, bullying, vulgar, and otherwise objectionable behavior will result in moderation and/or account termination. Please keep your discussion civil.

Avatar image for infamous_27
infamous_27

857

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Wow Lunar is 4 days in the future!

Upvote • 
Avatar image for Lunar52
Lunar52

2538

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 32

User Lists: 0

The first comment in over a year!!!!

Upvote • 
Avatar image for 1upMushroomX6
1upMushroomX6

831

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 27

User Lists: 0

the first comment in 4 months!!!!

Upvote • 
Avatar image for oldschoolplayer
oldschoolplayer

1010

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 13

User Lists: 0

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

Upvote • 
Avatar image for OhhSnap50893
OhhSnap50893

27110

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 23

User Lists: 0

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

Upvote • 
Avatar image for John926
John926

86

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Put Pilot Wings 64 on the VC Nintendo!

Upvote • 
Avatar image for bluesteelMeGaSE
bluesteelMeGaSE

307

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 35

User Lists: 0

: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.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for pspultrafreak
pspultrafreak

25

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 1

User Lists: 0

wii is gonna kick ass

Upvote • 
Avatar image for maaskesr
maaskesr

163

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

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

Upvote • 
Avatar image for iameightyseven
iameightyseven

25

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

"They need more then one n64 game Like Zelda ocarina of Time" They'll add more Nintendo 64 games... just be patient.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for Lasafrog
Lasafrog

358

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 0

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

Upvote • 
Avatar image for MrOpinionated
MrOpinionated

344

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 14

User Lists: 0

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!)

Upvote • 
Avatar image for nirvana8612
nirvana8612

25

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

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

Upvote • 
Avatar image for _Sam_
_Sam_

31483

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

it seems like a good service

Upvote • 
Avatar image for Downrunner
Downrunner

25

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Panzer Dragoon

Upvote • 
Avatar image for Issachar
Issachar

41

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Megaman!

Upvote • 
Avatar image for juancorazon
juancorazon

74

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 3

User Lists: 0

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

Upvote • 
Avatar image for mwiley35
mwiley35

25

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 1

User Lists: 0

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?

Upvote • 
Avatar image for dcgames
dcgames

1745

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 6

User Lists: 0

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.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for pycho22solid
pycho22solid

409

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 40

User Lists: 0

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

Upvote • 
Avatar image for rhisaber2022
rhisaber2022

69

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

not enough games

Upvote • 
Avatar image for bbbwclmt
bbbwclmt

25

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

do u think theyll add balloon fight 2 the list

Upvote • 
Avatar image for bbbwclmt
bbbwclmt

25

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

me 2

Upvote • 
Avatar image for Sheena321
Sheena321

7489

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

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

Upvote • 
Avatar image for jdelpozo1
jdelpozo1

25

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 1

User Lists: 0

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

Upvote • 
Avatar image for Gamer_dude_666
Gamer_dude_666

75

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 3

User Lists: 0

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

Upvote • 
Avatar image for philphir
philphir

25

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 1

User Lists: 0

I second the desire for Shining Force and Earthbound. Definitely impressed by the inclusion of Toe Jam & Earl, though.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for ignoman
ignoman

992

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 69

User Lists: 0

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

Upvote • 
Avatar image for kurokami1
kurokami1

33

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

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

Upvote • 
Avatar image for imbacon
imbacon

534

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 7

User Lists: 0

Pretty great selection to start off with!

Upvote • 
Avatar image for smidsy85
smidsy85

472

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

diablobasher It was called Ninja Gaiden in Europe...

Upvote • 
Avatar image for RightSaidFred
RightSaidFred

25

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

shining force please!

Upvote • 
Avatar image for shamarke
shamarke

587

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 12

User Lists: 0

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

Upvote • 
Avatar image for retrosega
retrosega

25

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

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...

Upvote • 
Avatar image for GrimBee
GrimBee

2441

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 8

User Lists: 0

"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 :P) 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...

Upvote • 
Avatar image for wenbin09
wenbin09

674

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

cool~~

Upvote • 
Avatar image for diablobasher
diablobasher

5088

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 10

User Lists: 0

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!

Upvote • 
Avatar image for ftjx
ftjx

914

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 1

User Lists: 0

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

Upvote • 
Avatar image for m0thr4
m0thr4

105

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 19

User Lists: 0

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.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for Dolacide
Dolacide

1758

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 4

User Lists: 0

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

Upvote • 
Avatar image for Hitman4Hire
Hitman4Hire

93

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

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.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for Iriseon
Iriseon

90

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

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.....

Upvote • 
Avatar image for glennwinton
glennwinton

15480

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 12

User Lists: 0

i hope i can find one for my b-day

Upvote • 
Avatar image for glennwinton
glennwinton

15480

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 12

User Lists: 0

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

Upvote • 
Avatar image for man_alive
man_alive

324

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

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.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for nekrotaunter
nekrotaunter

1480

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 16

User Lists: 0

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.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for Wii60-23
Wii60-23

33

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

I love my newly bought Wii

Upvote • 
Avatar image for gamepunk86
gamepunk86

688

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 1

User Lists: 0

soon itll take off, i think

Upvote • 
Avatar image for Blacksamurai87
Blacksamurai87

95

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

got my wii, and Zelda's fantastic

Upvote • 
Avatar image for longhairbilly
longhairbilly

50

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

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

Upvote •