Welcome to Fanboy Weekly: Once More With Feeling Edition. For those that haven't checked it out yet I have been writing a new weekly feature for
Game Observer. I thought I would repost the older issues so that those that haven't scoped it out yet can enjoy them and that hopefully you will all like it enough to head over to
Game Observer to check the newer and current issues of Fanboy Weekly.
Welcome back once again to Fanboy Weekly. This week I want to take a look at the introduction of arcade games to the Virtual console. With the induction of arcade games to the virtual console Nintendo has jumped into the brave new world of digital distribution. The question is what are its limitations and where will this take us?
Let’s start with the obvious. This gives us a unique chance to look back at the begins of a video games giant. To get the arcade originals instead of some of the terrible home console ports would be absolutely fantastic. There is of course the flip side of that argument that says there are also some home console games that were terrible in the arcades. Given the current track record of the virtual console we are bound to get some of each.
The first and most likely problem that we’re going to come upon is the likelihood of duplicate games. Let’s face it, we already have way too many duplicate games on Virtual Console already. Don’t believe me? Go look up how many different versions of R-Type of Ghosts and Goblins you can download. The other issue is what games do you allow never ending credits on and what games do you allow only three credits, or even only a single credit? That’s a major issue when you are emulating arcade games. Another is pricing. The problem here is that flat pricing can either kill Nintendo’s retro digital distribution or make it. That means their safe bet is to get away from flat pricing. The issue with it, though, is a lack of systems that can be used as bench marks for pricing.
Arcade game weren’t restricted to what you had at home. Makers could define what could or could not be done. Arcade developers could create hardware that was custom made to their needs. That meant that arcade games could grow and evolve a lot faster than their console brethren, which is why a lot of console versions of arcade games were terrible compared to the arcade originals.
The upshot to finally having arcade games on Virtual Console though is the monster selection of games that were in fact arcade only. There are a lot of hidden gems that never made it out of the arcade for one reason or another and to finally have these games at home is fantastic. Now with all these new titles to choose from it would be great if we could go back to more then one Virtual Console game a week and we would be all set.
The Fanboy has spoken.
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nobody give a fucking shit. we celebrating independence day here bitch. get drunk and don't be a coward. smell that gunpowder pussy.
I loooooved a bunch of old arcade games that never made it to consoles..... 6 player x-men anyone???
hell yeah six player x men
I can't really think of anything off the top of my head that I would want from the VCA. I'm from a sleepy town on the central coast of California and there weren't a lot of great arcades around growing up. Most of the stuff I enjoyed probably isn't even Retro enough to make it anywhere near the VCA though.
Some of my favourites are already on consoles or I couldn't see them on the VCA. My must play at any arcade nowadays is the Star Wars Podracer game that makes you feel like you're in the pod. I could see it working if a lot of effort was put into Wii/Nunchuck motion plus controls for the engines.
I always liked light gun shooters like Virtua Cop, Silent Scope, House of the Dead and Time Crisis. But you're seeing tons of lightgun games on Wii now with Resident Evil Chronicles, Dead Space, House of the Dead etc.
I know its already on the VC already, but my favourite thing to do in Santa Monica is head down the pier and try to beat Super Mario Bros with the arcade controls. It's extremely challenging for someone who can beat it easily nearly 100% of the time on a NES/SNES/VC. I really enjoy that, like, you have no idea.