The titles keep rolling in...
I've said it before and I'll say it again, I really prefer a tangible media over download. Still, Nintendo has found a real cash cow here. Anyway, have you been playing any classics? Or have you found yourself downloading them and then they just collect virtual dust?

cheers,

-avatar!

Yep, that's me. I used to play a lot more than I do now - I haven't bought a VC game since Super Metroid, and I haven't played one in... damn. A long time.

I've been pretty good about not buying things unless I'm actually going to play them.  They need more N64 games on there, since the visual upgrade is REALLY nice.  I'm still pining for Beetle Adventure Racing and Pilotwings 64.

My Wii isn't even Internet connected...

Besides, I dislike paying to own a game virtually.

I've only picked up one game so far: Sin & Punishment.  It was absolutely worth the $12, and I appreciated the translation and not having to fork over $80 for the Japanese cart.

The only other games I'm even considering downloading are Super C and ActRaiser, but I doubt I'd really play much of them if I did since I've played them both to death on cart.  I wish the VC had game demos for everything the way XBLA does.  I might be a lot more inclined to buy NeoGeo and TG16 games I've never heard of if I could try them first.

Also, the fact that there's no scarcity of inventory on the VC certainly kills a lot of my motivation to buy stuff.  I can't count how many physical games I've bought just because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to find them if I waited.

I fall in the camp of people that:

A: Hate buying digital media if it can be avoided

and

B: Own most of the games I want from that era anyway and am in no hurry to liquidate my carts.

For the most part, the VC is not a factor if/where I decide to get a Wii for myself. Maybe some N64 games, since I never owned the system (talking a handful here...Kirby and the Goemon games) or stuff that never came over from Japan/Europe. However, I'm glad some of these games are staying in the public eye instead of fading to obscurity...But for new content, Live Arcade looks far more appetizing to me.

I've bought loads but only actually played through a few - Super Metroid, Wave Race 64... maybe that's it. Played bits of loads though.

at first i thought we were getting by free wifi from an unsecured network in our condo, but when shana checked the source with her ipod touch, it turns out its coming from 27 miles away in downtown chicago. I didnt think wifi could travel that far, but we're on the 6th floor with an unobstructed view to the skyline.

I occasionally play some of the games like SMB3, Bomberman, Probotector II (Super C) and Kid Icarus, but mostly I play actual Wii games and do stuff like check the voting channel. In the beginning, I thought Virtual Console would see much more use from me.

I just faded from a multi-month phase of playing and replaying through Super Mario Bros. 3. The save state feature makes the VC version worth the download, if the game itself doesn't already. Sadly, I find myself playing more VC than the actual console.

That will change on Feb-- err, March 9.

Mario All-Stars' version of SMB3 has something very close to save states for that game, with a save done after each stage beaten (don't know if it keeps your lives though.)

I *really* want to see the VC games being online-compatible.  F-ZERO X online, Wave Race 64 online, KOF online?  Come on Nintendo!

I've gotten:
Kid Icarus (for nostalgic reasons)
Castlevania (cause I've never really played it all the way through)
Super Castlevania IV (never played it either)
Monster Lair (but I need unlimited continues to get anywhere decent in the game, so this was pretty much a waste for me)

I guess I'm the tool, here. I've bought a bunch, listed below. The primary advantages I get out of it are:

1. Family - My mom loves old games, but some of her favorite games' batteries are dying and she feels awkward using an emulator & PC gamepad for some reason. So for her, it's wonderful.
2. Comfort - Sure, I could go to the trouble of digging out my NES, puffing into Kirby's Adventure until it loads, cursing the heavens because my game's been erased again, or I can turn on the Wii, pull up the Kirby channel, and pick it up literally where I left off with no risk of the battery failing me. Hmm...toughy. (Also, it makes it far more likely I'll finish Ninja Gaiden again without becoming swallowed by rage since even if I die on Jaquio and quit in a huff, I only have to pick it up from 6-1 rather than 1-1 when next I turn it on.)
3. Saving me some trouble - I tried in vain some years ago to get ahold of Ys Book I & II to play on an emulator, but A, I couldn't find a complete ISO to save my life, and B, there wasn't a free TG16 emu worth beans. But they're throwing some Duo stuff up now, so once they put up Ys (and you pretty much know they will eventually), I'll be more than happy to just grab it that way (alas, not today...Lolo 2 and Super SFII instead...*sigh*).

So for a lazy guy with an innate fear of failing batteries and a family that breaks into a cold sweat when presented with a ROM menu, it's great.

This is what I currently have. I'm waiting for Ys so I can plunk down $20 and pick up it, Devil's Crush, and Ninja Gaiden 2 all at once. I might also grab SM64 once I wrap up with Galaxy. AND SOME MEGAMAN WOULD BE NICE, CAPCOM.

Alien Crush
Breath of Fire 2
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
Gunstar Heroes
Kirby's Adventure
Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past
New Adventure Island
Ninja Gaiden
Paper Mario
Punch-Out!
SimCity
StarFox 64
Super Mario Bros. 2
Super Mario Bros. 3
Super Mario World
Super Metroid
Wonderboy in Monster World
Yoshi

Happy with most, but SF64 was a massive disappointment.

Are you kiddin?? Not only did Capcom (bless 'em) give us those cool retro arcade collections (Capcom Classics) but they released the original 8 Mega Man games in the Mega Man Anniversary Collection, plus the first 6 X games in Mega Man X Collection! Not to mention a slew of bonuses in each collection, and the price, a mere $19.99 each! You'd have to pay about $40 just to download the first 7 titles (and the 8th title you can't even if you wanted to)! How much better does it get? It doesn't, now if only other companies would follow Capcom's footsteps...

cheers,

-avatar!

This is all true. Point of fact, I have said collections. I even have the original carts. I merely wish to pay to also have them on a Wii to play on an HDTV without the little nagging issues of those collections. I can't imagine Capcom would have a problem with that.

I didn't think those collections were that good... there are small problems with the emulation here and there - they cut the entire ending sequence out of Mega Man 7 because the Mode 7 effects were "too complicated" for Atomic Planet to handle even two console generations later? Seriously, I hate how companies outsource work like that - yeah, I know they got better things to do than ports but I wish they were handled by in-house teams.

As for downloading them seperately on the VC I think that's the way to it with X series... hardly feel having all the games in that series is worth it anymore due to Capcom's spit shit out and people will buy it philosophy.

I haven't touched my Wii since I got the PS3.  However, I did buy a few titles from the VC, mostly Genesis games (because I never owned one).  The titles I've bought are:

Starfox 64
Wonderboy in Monster World
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (the best IMO)
Donky Kong Country 2
Sin & Punishment
Dynamite Headdy

Startropics is looking particularly sweet right about now....

I have bought a lot of the games I didn't get a chance to play back in the day, mostly to play TG-16 games.

I think I have downloaded over 30 games.  o_O  It gets addictive.

According to Wikipedia, the first two are available on the Australian and European virtual consoles.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Vi … stralia%29

Other than the disappointing ending cut from MM7, I love the MM Collection! I really haven't experienced any problems with the emulation. I would in fact say it's nearly perfect. I just really hope that other companies would follow suite, but I'm guessing that's not destined to be. At least we also got the Metal Slug series from SNK! Maybe just maybe, they'll eventually release a Samurai Shodown collection... ah that would be too awesome

cheers,

-avatar!

I bought tons but currently not playing my Wii at all.  Mainly because I left it on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean at my parent's house.  My mother says she's getting a kick out of the old school titles, though, so that's cool...I guess.   =p

I don't know about the Megaman collection, but I've thought the first Capcom Classics Collection was pretty awful.  Not that the games were bad per se, but the emulation and presentation was pretty poor.  Its really lame that they just took the Saturn/PSX versions of the game and repackaged them... would it have killed them to reemulate them?  "Arcade perfect" Street Fighter II shouldn't have loading times.  Its forgivable for the original Capcom Generation ports (which were nice, each disc going with a theme rather then just pushing Pirate Ship Higemaru and Final Fight in one disc and expecting it to make sense other then its made by Capcom.)  That and various aspects of the presentation - such as arbritrary and wildly varying 'acheivements', boring menu design, and a really poor manual - kind of make me wary of another Digital Eclipse product.

The Samurai Shodown collection is slated for a few months I think, Avater.  Its supposed to have the first game, II, 3, 4, Zero Special, and that Atomisware one.  I have the King of Fighters collection and Bakumatsu Rouman collection from SNK.  The first one is awesome and it seems to me perfect.  The latter suffers from really poor sound emulation :-/

Seems like a good time to update this post. I actually haven't purchased any new VC games since last posting, but for those who have, what have you purchased? I must admit, some of the TurboDuo games do look like fun, and I definitely want to download Super Mario RPG when that comes around. Otherwise, there are far too many current games to play as is, and far far far too little time!

cheers,

-avatar!

ps My DS gets SO much more mileage than the VC ever has!

Well, since you asked...since the last posting, I've picked up:

Devil's Crush
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
Ninja Gaiden 2: The Dark Sword of Chaos
River City Ransom
Super Mario 64

I was pretty upset when, after getting a rush of nostalgia doing Lightning Cup on Mario Kart Wii, I went to the shop to DL the original and it wasn't there. (I'm a click away from buying Kart 64, but first I want to see if I can get a free copy from Joystiq's giveaway.)

I'm also a bit annoyed at their tendency to choose the worst versions of the games to post. Why the NES version of Yoshi's Cookie when the SNES is so much better? Why the Genesis version of Earthworm Jim on the horizon when, again, the SNES version is better? Is a puzzlement.

But yes, I'm still VCing to a respectable degree, and I even got an SD card so space isn't really an issue anymore. Does that make me the retro nut of this bunch?

I've stopped downloading new VC stuff because I'm still avoiding spending a lot of money and because I have a horrendous backlog.  That said, I'm REALLY tempted by DoReMi Fantasy (Hudson's Milon's Secret Castle sequel for the SNES); watching videos makes it look like a great little platformer romp.  Has anybody picked that one up?

I haven't bought any VC games since Lords of Thunder.  While there are some good games that were released since then, I've played nearly all of them.  I tend to buy things I never played before, but I generally make exceptions for Neo-Geo and Turbo CD games.

I would like to get Doremi Fantasy, but they didn't translate anything in the game, so I don't have incentive to play.  Apparently, it does have a story, and I am interested in reading translated games, even if the story is basic or silly.

I'm probably one of the only people who've actually beat "Milon's Secret Castle" so I've been watching DoReMi for a while now. 

Anyone been keeping up with the homebrew scene?  They've actually cracked the VC now.  People are coming up with custom rom packs - I've seen Earthbound, Chrono Trigger, and Secret of Mana on the VC using some hack to do with Donkey Kong Country 2.  Wild stuff.

I haven't bought anything on it in a long time, since that 'import' Treasure RPG for Genesis was released.

If you care, Earthbound has been rated by the ESRB for the Wii.  That's something I know for sure I'll be getting.

Sin & Punishment remains my only VC game.  I know the PSN isn't VC, but I'm about to buy echochrome for that, which will mark my second downloadable purchase.

XLord, did you finally pick up a PS3?

I'm getting that one too.  I'm so curious to see what all the fuss is about.

No, no. :-)  I'll be downloading the PSP version.  I enjoyed the too-short demo they released last week, so I think I can swing $10 for the full-version.  The thing I'm liking most about this downloadable stuff is that I no longer feel any pressure to rush to the store on Day 1 to get stuff since it's virtual and there's no inventory to worry about.  So much more relaxing.

I wonder if it'll be hard to appreciate in this day and age.  The game is tough and requires lots of power-leveling.  On the other hand, it's so damn refreshing.  I played this one after I had already finished FF6 and CT (my two fav RPGs), but I still absolutely loved it, and I'll readily admit that I wasn't shy about using the included strategy guide.  Though I love the game (my cart still works AFAIK... knock on wood), I really have no interest in buying the VC version save for a desire to support the game.  I wonder if it's really worth $8 to slightly, possibly, maybe just a little bit, increase the chances of official English releases for the other two.

^ I hear the game is insanely hilarious and features some very witty and well written dialogue.  That's the main selling point for me.  I don't mind level grinding if its worth it.

Well, I love Etrian Odyssey and that's definitely in the Old-School style Of course, I do have to wonder if Earthbound will have the same appeal to me that it has to someone who's played it (ie no nostalgia on my part). Who knows... certainly for $8 or $10 it's not such a loss to try out. FAR better than shelling out big bucks on ebay! Of course, by far the best thing would be for Nintendo to release an updated Earthbound for the Wii.

cheers,

-avatar!