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Home Nintendo updates

Nintendo screws third-parties and you on Virtual Console

7:22 AM on 08.05.2008, Conrad Zimmerman 35 comments

     Nintendo

Thanks, Nintendo

Hey, remember on Sunday when I told you about Mega Man hitting the Virtual Console this week? That was some pretty exciting news. Were you surprised to discover that you got (arguably) the worst Splatterhouse game and the Sega Master System version of Sonic the Hedgehog instead? 

I thought not and you weren't alone. Capcom wasn't the only publisher to have made an announcement regarding VC releases for this week either. SNK told us to expect Samurai Showdown II and Hudson had Y's Book I & II on deck. That sounds like a candidate for "best week ever" if I've ever heard of one. So, what happened? GoNintendo got this little bit of PR speak on the matter from Nintendo of America:

A number of variables can affect a game’s release date. Therefore, the Wii-kly Update is the only authority for confirmed release dates of Virtual Console games.

Confused? More after the jump.

Okay, I can understand the part where they say that the only way for us, as consumers and media, to really be sure of what's coming out each week is by reading their press release. What I can't understand is how all three of these publishers could have managed to get the release dates for their products wrong.

Nintendo's approval process is far from transparent, but the only way I can reckon a company would get a date to announce would be from Nintendo. And none of them would willingly bring embarassment upon themselves by announcing a product was coming when it wasn't if they could possibly avoid that. Capcom's announcement (now mysteriously missing from the site) came the day before the games were supposed to come to the service. It just doesn't add up, unless NoA had actually intended to say this instead:

We're a bunch of lying liars who like to make people cry. Next week, we're going to put up Fester's Quest but tell Square/Enix that we've approved Secret of Mana so they can announce it to the world. Suckers!

 Well, that would certainly make sense.

 

[Via GoNintendo]


Next page: More Virtual Console stories




ParaParaKing's Avatar
ParaParaKing at 08/05/2008 07:33
This is Nintendo's revenge for Capcom making Mega Man 9 multiplatform.
Also Nintendo apparently loves Sega very much recently.
nilcam's Avatar
nilcam at 08/05/2008 07:38
On the surface, this was a very annoying screw up. Beneath that, I'm sensing the return of the cocky Nintendo that mistreated third party publishers, resulting in the failure of the N64. I'm guessing I wasn't the only Wii owner copying games to an SD card to clear up space for Ys Books 1 & 2 and Samurai Shodown 2.
TheGreatMango's Avatar
TheGreatMango at 08/05/2008 07:38
If I had a Wii, I'd be angry.
Silverback 55's Avatar
Silverback 55 at 08/05/2008 07:46
First, there was nothing wrong with Fester's Quest. Second, this was Nintendo just making a last minute change thinking they could make more money on a different week, and more hype.
dephect's Avatar
dephect at 08/05/2008 07:59
@Silverback

Dont believe the hype!
J03yyz's Avatar
J03yyz at 08/05/2008 08:07
i want to kick the kid in the picture's head off
wilbo's Avatar
wilbo at 08/05/2008 08:14
enjoy your lack of megaman and megaman 2
i will keep enjoying mine
killias2's Avatar
killias2 at 08/05/2008 08:22
I'm a little irked, but I'm not two worried. I basically have Mega Man 2 for the NES, the Gameboy (between Mega Man 1 and 2 for the GB, I basically have Mega Man 2), SNES (see Gameboy, add SuperGameboy), Playstation 2 (collection), Wii (collection.. with silly ass controls), the PC, and the PSP already.
michiyoyoshiku's Avatar
michiyoyoshiku at 08/05/2008 08:25
Nintendo hates it's fans Sell your Wii get a 360
ParaParaKing's Avatar
ParaParaKing at 08/05/2008 08:30
@michiyoyoshiku: But Microsoft hates it's own developers. Sell your 360 and get a life.
Slick Icarus's Avatar
Slick Icarus at 08/05/2008 08:32
The only reason they're doing this is so they don't run out of good games for the VC. On the bright side, you could just save your moneys for the new Wii Wario Land and Fatal Frame.

Or buy Braid on XBLA. Your call.
SourGr8pes's Avatar
SourGr8pes at 08/05/2008 08:46
I think our lucky Wii owners have a Deadly Towers/Sunday Funday double whammy to look forward to :3
JustLikeBuck's Avatar
JustLikeBuck at 08/05/2008 08:51
Hmm? Virtual Console?

Sorry, I was too engrossed in Secret of Mana on the Snes Emulator for the Homebrew Channel, to notice Nintendo spoon feeding us bottom of the barrel games.

I mean really? C64 games at £3? I paid that much for them 17 years ago!
Alexradl's Avatar
Alexradl at 08/05/2008 08:51
Splatterhouse? Really, Nintendo? What were you thinking?
myaimistrue's Avatar
myaimistrue at 08/05/2008 09:15
Fester's Quest?!? Yesyesyesyes!
SpunkyLoveChild's Avatar
SpunkyLoveChild at 08/05/2008 09:26
Just when I'm finally learning to forgive Nintendo for their last fuck up, they add another one to the plate.
Kinsella's Avatar
Kinsella at 08/05/2008 09:49
Still no Strong Bad, so still no sales from me.
zombiekiller13's Avatar
zombiekiller13 at 08/05/2008 09:58
@Slick Icarus

Thing is...it's one thing to hang onto the good games and release them slowly. Fine. I understand that. Don't blow your load all at once.

But it's another thing to have 3 publishers announce that 3 awesome games would be appearing on VC, and have us assume that Nintendo gave them the release dates...only to have Nintendo say "ummmm...no, sorry, not this week" and give no real reason for it.

And if they would give us some details about the Fatal Frame 4 release, I'd be socking away my moneys now.

Also, I'm passing on Braid and going for Castle Crashers.
Dr Milkdad's Avatar
Dr Milkdad at 08/05/2008 10:28
I wanna be surprised, but I'm not. Nintendo has been shoveling us shit on the VC for months now, why would they stop and give us something worth while?
Necros's Avatar
Necros at 08/05/2008 10:29
Looks like they were just trying to be dicks because other companies announced something before they did.
paulink's Avatar
paulink at 08/05/2008 10:44
Nintendo is very secretive with everything these days, leaves lot of room for disappointment.
MechaMonkey's Avatar
MechaMonkey at 08/05/2008 10:56
Wii-kly Update? I was happier when I didn't know that name existed.
NihonTiger90's Avatar
NihonTiger90 at 08/05/2008 10:56
Looks like they're changing their plans to punish companies leaking out info early. Not a great idea, if you ask me.
naia-the-gamer's Avatar
naia-the-gamer at 08/05/2008 10:58
I think Nilcam called it. This is sounding a lot like the Nintendo of yore, and it's too bad. You would think they would have learned by now, so not to repeat history.
Daxelman's Avatar
Daxelman at 08/05/2008 11:07
If I cared about Mega Man a little more, I would give more a damn, but I can see where you guiez are coming from.
njsykora's Avatar
njsykora at 08/05/2008 11:11
Wow, you Americans are getting screwed.

*goes to play Megaman 2 on his Wii, where its been for months*

I've never tried predicting the Virtual Console releases, because its not predictable. You don't know what goes up there until you look on Friday morning.
Agent Orange's Avatar
Agent Orange at 08/05/2008 11:43
lol, Fester's Quest. :-)
wannabepunktony's Avatar
wannabepunktony at 08/05/2008 13:38
Please - stop with the melodramatic nonsense. I am 100% certain that there was a very good reason those games could not be released this week and yes, it actually is quite reasonable to think that three companies fucked up their own release dates or thought that their games were ready to go when in fact by the time they reached Nintendo they weren't. It happens pretty much daily over there.
Sharpless's Avatar
Sharpless at 08/05/2008 14:09
What's that? Further proof that Nintendo sucks? I say!
bottled dark's Avatar
bottled dark at 08/05/2008 16:17
i want secret of mana, earthbound and mario rpg now, so i never have to enter the shop channel again.

until eternity's child comes out that is.
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