Classic Nintendo games won't be free
by Vladimir Cole 
{ Sep 21st 2005 at 8:00AM }
We've seen a little bit of confusion
(free!
not free!) on this point, but Eurogamer helps put the
debate to rest. All of those old games that Nintendo said will be available on Nintendo's next-generation Revolution
console are gonna cost gamers.
Nintendo isn't announcing the details of how these older games would be priced, but a variety of schemes is likely. Some games might be bundled as freebies to entice sales of the console, some might be offered along with the purchase of a current-generation game, and so on.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
sonicinmobius @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
Nintendo really shouldn't be making people pay for games from fifteen years ago. After all, wouldn't a lot of free games be a good selling point for the Revolution?
MILES! @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
I don't want to have to pay for games that came out 15-20 years ago!
Christopher7xii @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
"Nintendo really shouldn't be making people pay for games from fifteen years ago"
--Where were you to give them this advice before the GBA had bout 40 NES/SNES games be brought to it, with either the Classic series or Zelda4Swords/Mario Advance style or Breath of Fire/Final Fantasy Dawn of Souls style? People are (more than) willing to pay for old games. Not really a suprise, I just wonder how bad it'll be, and wether or not 7-11 will give away free downloads with a purchase of a slurpee =)
It's simply amazing to see the effect the iPod/iTunes has had on the electronics industry. White seems to be the new black, for starters =P
Gorrilla @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
Who actually expects to get anything free?
When was the last time a console even came with a game?
jc @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
I hope this quiets some of the fanboys that seem to always cry "Nintendo is different from other companies" and "Nintendo sees us as more than just customers, they have our interests in mind". The fact is Nintendo is just a company, and in order for the company to stay around, they need money. This is just another revenue stream.
It is the same with music. The original income from the record sales covered the costs of recording and production. As new formats come out (cassette, CD, iTMS) we don't see a decrease in price, but instead we are charged full price even though some of us are picking up the same record for the third time.
If we are foolish enough to buy it over and over, they have no problem selling it to us.
Wee @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
It was pretty obvious the games were going to cost something. Nothing is free these days.
GlitchCog @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
My problem with this is that I already own most of the games I'd want on the Revolution on cart, as I imagine many others do too. I'll be re-paying for the same software. I think this is why they feel obligated to "re-tool" the graphics before a re-release, which only serves to enrage me further by messing up my nostalgic feelings.
Having said that, if it's a nominal fee just to pay for the service like a flat $2 per game, I'll have no issue with it.
Mike @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
Considering they're probably updating graphics, and possibly adding online multiplayer to the old titles, I don't care that there will be a small price to pay.
winston @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
"adding online multiplayer to the old titles"
If I can get an online RC PRO-AM I will dish out 5-9USD any day!
GlitchCog @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
Mike:
True... online multiplayer for old games would be an awesome addition. I could play Super Mario Kart with the guys I used to play it with long ago who've moved across the country.
Besides, there might be ways to hack the Revolution and put your own ROMs in there, which I've argued from the beginning as the biggest reason Nintendo should release these games for free. They would have killed the illegal emulation of Nintendo games off overnight.
Lucian @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
Seeing as how their wanting to make us pay for these "newly-released" old games, they better have something else in mind other than stepping up the graphics on my old games. Yes MY old games, i liked the way NES graphics were. Its what made the NES. dont change it.
fnord @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
Hooray for emulators.
winston @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
10
Looking at iTunes vs. mp3. If they can make the per/game fee nominal enough to make users feel it is easier to dish up the money to buy the game through "Revolution", than search for and download and decently emulate a rom, they will strike the magic balance and make money.
b @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
This is OLD NEWS. Nintendo said they would cost, LONG AGO. But they won't be "old" games. They will be remasterized to look like they were made for revolution, or so Iwata and Fils-aime said. Like mario all stars, and New-mario for the DS.
winston @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
"adding online multiplayer to the old titles"
If I can get an online RC PRO-AM I will dish out 5-9USD any day!
Smiling Politely @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
"I don't want to have to pay for games that came out 15-20 years ago!"
So by your same logic people shouldn't pay for music and movies made 15-20 years ago? People should be given movies and music for free? I don't see how video games are any different.
Bender @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
If Nintendo gives any of their past games away for free it makes those games worthless for the future. Imagine if you got them all for free today, there's no way anyone would pay for any old game in the future. You will need to pay something - perhaps not a lot - but something, just so those games still have a 'value' in the marketplace.
elmer @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
I'd rather pay say 5$ for a NES game i wanted badly but missed in my collection 15 years ago, than new decals for my car in Project Gotham Racing 4/5. A whole new game even if old, should be worth more than paying to "customise" my experience or worse still, "enhance" my experience with better cars/new courses on the 360. That, please remember, is how the competition propose to generate extra-curricular revenue. Now what i'm waiting to hear is that you can download the millions of GB and GBA games i've missed and transfer them temporarily to the DS.
Nintendo Gal @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
I get tired of you whiners who say "I aint payin money for a 20 year old game." The fact of the matter is, you don't own it, nor is it your property. Deal with the fact that you will have to pay for something that isn't yours.
On the other side of the coin I see those who own the older versions (carts etc) of it and it makes me kinda upset to have to dish out for another form of a game they own. Then again they are paying for the medium it's on and not simply just for the game.
http://www.nintendogal.com - My blog(N) good time!
Blue Balloon @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
What if they offer 99¢ per classic game thru online since it have WI-fi? I would buy!!!
32_Footsteps @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
I'm with Winston on this one. As long as Nintendo keeps the fees nominal, like iTunes manages to do, then I'm sure all parties will be happy. I could get a dozen games for the price of one game in stores, the owners of the IP will be justly compensated, and Nintendo will have a major drawing card for their console.
To me, the only question is what price would be fair to everyone. I'd guess $5 for the best games, around $2 for lesser titles. Though Nintendo should select a handful of games to give as free downloads. Just imagine how many systems they'd launch if Super Mario Bros. 3 was free with it?
Also, I'm presuming people mean the last console launched with a pack-in (because later packages eventually have pack-in games). Honestly, thinking back... I think the last console that was launched with a pack-in game in the United States was the Super Nintendo. And correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't there only one console (the Saturn) launched after that which came with two controllers? A second controller, that's another pack-in I miss.
GlitchCog @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
Maybe they'll just give some away for free. They could give the core Nintendo-owned games (Zelda 1-2, SMB 1-3, Super Mario World, Earthbound, etc...) away for free. They could call it marketing for the new versions actually made for the Revolution. They sort of said they'd do this sort of thing with promos and such.
But they can't give away non-Nintendo owned games anyway, since they don't own them. If you want to get Dragon Warrior or Chrono Trigger you'd have to talk to Square-Enix or Capcom for SF2 or MegaMan.
I wonder if they'll allow people to download games that were previously unavailable like Mother. That would be a welcome surprise, however unlikely.
travis @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
What would be really nice is if they offered like a napster type thing where you just pay a flat monthly fee and get access to the whole catalog...Id be more then willing to pay 10-20 bucks a month if it got me access to everything.
KD @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
Nintendo could not give away their 20 year library of games for free. If Nintendo gave these games away for free people would not associate value with these games. People would download a few games play with them for a few minutes and then turn it off. If people have to pay for something they associate that it cost them something and will play with the games longer to get their value from it.
Nintendo is trying to treat their games like other entertainment copanies treat their properties: television shows, movies and music albums. All of these properties are re-released as new formats come out. I have bought The Star Wars Trilogy 3 times now. Twice on VHS and once on DVD. Would I buy it again? Probably because it was a new experience everytime. Better special effects, better sound and better picture quality. With the old Nintendo games Nintendo has re-released them on new systems and they have said they will be improving the games. If they upgrade the sound, upgrade the graphics and a better screen resolution. I do not mind paying for these games again.
One more reason I'll buy these games again convenience. I will only have to have one system hooked up to my TV not the four I have now and I don't have to dig through a box of carts to find something I want to play.
E2 @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
Hello? Namco Museum... Atari Greatest Hits.... Sonic Mega Collection... The list of old games for "sale" goes on and on. If older games were sold in the past, why not now?
Besides, I thought the selling point of the Revolution was the controller.
winston @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
KD
Well said, the convenience factor is huge. A nice browser user-interface with box-art, statistics, rankings etc provides great added-value when managing and enjoying tha backlog collection. I sincerely hope 32_Footstep's range of 2-5 USD is realized for SNES and NES games.
paralipsis @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
I think if they were to offer too much of their own IP for free, other companies might wonder if it is worth it to actually sign on. So I wouldn't expect more than one or two games free with the system (though their could be some choice as to what game(s) this is).
I would happily pay up to $5 for a classic game I don't own, and given that I don't keep piles of old consoles about, this actually means pretty much everything I used to play pre-GC.
I would also pay to own Revolution compatible copies of the old controllers. Not just a 'classic shell' but actual facimiles of the old controllers (though I would not complain if the quality of the N64 analogue stick was beefed up).
delerious @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
I'll pay.
Maybe they'll do like iTunes and give a free classic away every week or so or so like that.
Nintendo really doesn't need to make anything on those games anyways, but $1-$5 does sound moderately reasonable, especially for N64 games that I had to miss out on.
This is a chance for perfect nintendo bundles for nintendo to release
If they load like...Zelda from the NES, then the two on the SNES, then Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. Then Windwaker and Twilight Princess.
The list's go on and on for what bundles could be made, DK Bundles, Mario bundles...OMFG! Where's Mario?!?!?! Awesome!
Jon @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
I don't remember Nintendo ever saying that the games WOULD be free. I saw a lot of speculation from fanboys (I can say that because I am one), but nothing from the Ninty bigwigs.
Here's what I'd like to see, however:
1. A "retro" bundle that you can buy with some great old games pre-installed and the retro skins that we've been seeing so much of lately. I think games from the Mario series, the Legend of Zelda series, Punch Out!!!, RC Pro-AM, Bubble Bobble, and the skins would sell really well.
2. There should be a way for people who still own the original Nintendo games to get the downloads for free. I don't know if there's a way to do that, but basically I don't want to have to re-buy a bunch of games that I already have. Also, I'd like to clear my living room of the 75+ NES games that I have in my entertainment center o O
Spartacus @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
Forgive me as I don't keep up with the Rev's info as much, but has Nintendo announced which platforms will be available via their service? I ask because with only 512MB of storage on the system, it would seem that games larger than SNES wouldn't be practical...
Furthermore, while I expected Nintendo to charge for their games, someone in this post commented on how they'd rather spend $5 on a full NES games than on a "paintjob" for PGR3... I'd just like to point out the fact that while prices are speculative right now, LIVE's MICROtransactions will probably be much cheaper than that. With any luck, so will Nintendo's downloads, but don't knock what LIVE is doing for the console- patches have been made for PC games for ages, some free, some not (expansion packs).
Badison @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
hmm lol I'll stick to running them on my psp, PC, or other emulators rather than pay again. I've been playing a nice amount of dragon quest 5 patched for english (and seiken densetsu 3 are some of the games you wont get unless fans translated and patched them). But, to each their own.
JJ @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
You can expect SMB at the very least to be a pack-in, though, as that's a perfect incentive for one of the Revolution's admitted target markets (people who played games in the past but they've lost).
I have no problems at all with reasonable pricing for classic properties. (iTunes comparisons are a perfect example)
JJ @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
Badison: Then you'll stick to stealing. I could get what I wanted a lot more cheaply if I stole it too. Derelicts.
BritPod @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
I am hoping we get an iTunes Music Store like Games Store for Revolution. Being able to search or browse hundreds of games, and purchase a game on the fly with your account. Very cool.
But, Nintendo should be fair, after all, these games are OLD... I'd be happy to pay 1-2 dollars for NES games, 4-5 for SNES and maybe 5-8 for N64.
If the games are selling for a high price (like the GBA classic releases) then I'll be buying exactly 0 classics on Revolution.
TrickAssP @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
Whats the big deal about purchasing a game from 20 years ago if you already own the cart.? Is that purchase of $50.00 from 2 decades ago still hurting your bottom line? I mean come on. Your going to shell out $200-300 for a Rev.(probably more for Canadians) yet you wont pay a few bucks for your very favorite video games?
Rediculous. Besides, you could buy EVERY game you have ever owned for a nintendo system plus the Rev, 2 controllers and STILL spent less then a PS3 or 360. Be greatful the service is available at all and I'll see you online in a SUPER TECMO BOWL tourny.
Lampbane @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
I think the Revolution would be awesome for releasing things that were never released, like Mother (Earthbound Zero) and Seiken Densetsu 3 (Secret of Mana 2).
Oshi @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
Some how I knew this was going to happen.
elle @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
Dude, I'm just waiting for the cart adapter for the magic controller dildo.
I will pay no more than $3 per game, because there is not one game that I own on cart that is worth more than $3 right now at my local pawn shop.
apok @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
I see a lot of people hoping for RC Pro-Am but sorry to break the news to you but I am pretty sure that was made by Rare, and definitely not one of the IPs that Nintendo retained (i.e. Diddy Kong).
I don't see M$ allowing Rare to add RC Pro-Am, Killer Instinct, Banjo or Anticipation (so yeah I am the only one hoping for that one) to Nintendo's retro library.
darryl @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
"White seems to be the new black, for starters"
Then why is the black Nano out-selling the white version by truck loads?
http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/news/comments/analyst-ipod-nano-sales-skewed-towards-4gb-black-model/
LZ @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
Oooh, ouch, Nintendo stabs fanboys in the back FTW...
What I wonder is if you already own these old games in their original format, can you get the Revolution versions for free? If not, it's not really 'backwards compatible', is it? I didn't have to re-buy PS1 games to play on the PS2, and I won't have to re-buy Xbox games to play on the 360.
apok @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
We won't have to rebuy Gamecube games. Its a matter of format- For all Nintendo disc games Rev is backwards compatible. All Cart based games will be part of the "virtual console" downloadable content.
The Xbox and PlayStation legacy doesn't go back far enough to include a format other than discs. (Ok, in the case of N64 that is Nintendo's fault.) Not too mention don't be too sure about playing all your Xbox1 games on 360 just yet.
As an aside, thanks to my Gamecube library, I already have:
Zelda 1&2 in the Zelda Collection
Metroid in Metroid Prime
Punch-Out and all the other games included in Animal Crossing
Super Punch-Out in Fight Night Rd 2
Thats a pretty good start of games I don't have to rebuy. As far as NES carts go, I have a library of about 110 but apparently the life span of carts is supposedly in the 20-25 year range, and some of them are starting to come up on that.
Smilling Politely @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
@apok: Nintendo owned Rare at the time all those games were made. Those games were licensed (aka Nintendo paid for to have those games made) for Nintendo so there is no reason they cannot sell them with the Revolution. However, Nintendo can't make any new games with those IPs because Rare owns them.
Pickypants @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
There is no way in hell nintendo will sell these games for 2-5 bucks. Not a chance in hell.
Ice Climbers on the GBA with no graphic updates was 20 bucks. Do you really think they will do a paintjob on a game and sell you "A link to the Past" for 5 bucks? No way.
They will most likely start at 10 bucks. Perhaps going as high as 15-20 for the AAA list titles. And I am sure they will have a pack in, but certainly not 6 of their best titles.
People will pay for these games.
"I will pay no more than $3 per game, because there is not one game that I own on cart that is worth more than $3 right now at my local pawn shop."
elle you just wait, you will be shelling out the bucks in no time once you have the option.
Boredom > Pocket Money
When you are sitting at home on a Wednesday night with nothing to do and you see Mega Man III with multiplayer support and updated graphics, you will drop that 10 bucks. You will.
apok @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
-Smiling Politely
Doesn't that license run out though? I'd have to imagine that agreement, like just about any licensing agreement has a statute of limitations. Possibly in terms of platform of release or most likely after a set time?
Smiling Politely @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
@apok: I don't know how the licensing goes, since Nintendo is able to put games like Donkey Kong Country out on GBA you would think that they could do the same with all the games Rare made. Then again, Nintendo owns Donkey Kong.
You make a point though, I am not sure if it runs out after a certain time period.
BlackYoshi @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
Though I hope they won't, I'm sure Nintendo will gouge your eyes out for the classic games. Probably 10-15 bucks for the old games. And its just selling you code then: no instruction manual, no packaging, no cartridge, its like pure profit for them. I mean even when they sold those NES classics with all that stuff, they were 20 bucks. Also, I hope they add a save function to games that didn't have those, so I don't have to sit down in one sitting to beat SMB3 or Star Fox 64, etc.
Christopher7xii @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
It was a joke Darryl. Was thinking of an SNL skit where will farrel had a huge phone, comments on big being the new small.
"Badison: Then you'll stick to stealing. I could get what I wanted a lot more cheaply if I stole it too. Derelicts."
--That's silly. Usually you get a game because you played / loved it before, meaning you probably own it. In which case running ROMs are legal. I know I do that all the time. I got about 30 SNES games in storage as well as my SNES, but i'll play through them on my computer all the time(savestates are wonderful now that I'm an adult).
Sean O. @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
Well with regard to Super Mario 3... you could probably just play Super Mario All-Stars as it offers saves in all the games on there.
I think they should do a flat rate by system. So it's like $3 for an NES and maybe $5 for a SNES game and $10 for an N64 game. Also they should offer maybe a 10 or 20 minute play test so you can maybe find some games you've never played before or to see if that game really is as good as you remember. But seeing as I never owned a SNES I'm all onboard... I'm really looking forward to Super Metroid... which I've played but I haven't paid for yet and Chrono Trigger... the Playstation version sucks I bought it but I'd rather just play on an emulator.
moleman @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
it would b cool if there was some sort of credit system, like u get credits which u then spend on games and other downloadables for the revo. Wen u buy the console it will come with, say, 5 credits which u could spend on games, perhaps costing 1-2 credits. they could have the mario coin nxt to the number of credits u have, to make u feel happy and warm inside