ESRB approves Mario RPG, 12 more VC titles
by Ross Miller 
{ Nov 8th 2006 at 7:25PM }
As an addendum to yesterday's eight, the Entertainment Software Review Board has approved 13 more Virtual Console titles. The list is exclusively first-party and features more of Nintendo's successful games, including Ocarina of Time, Super Metroid, and Dr. Mario. Every game received an E for Everybody rating. Though we understand not wanting to steal the limelight from the retail Wii games, many of these titles should have been available at launch to show off the Virtual Console; we will likely see these new downloads by mid-2007. What remains to be seen is when more third-party titles will show up -- since Mario RPG, listed, was a collaboration between Nintendo and Square Enix, perhaps Chrono Trigger or the Final Fantasy franchise will soon follow.
Continue reading for the full list.
NES:
- Excitebike
- Ice Climber
- Dr. Mario
- Mario Brothers
- Ice Hockey
- Soccer
- Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
- Kirby's Super Star
- Super Metroid
- Kirby's Dream Land 3
- Mario Kart 64
- Starfox 64
- Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
RD @ Nov 8th 2006 7:30PM
Super Metroid? Mario RPG? Joystiq, you're complaining, why?!?
Tim Harding @ Nov 8th 2006 7:32PM
I really think these will be released sooner than mid-2007. Nintendo has talked about weekly releases of the Virtual Console games, right?
http://www.playwii.com
:p @ Nov 8th 2006 7:33PM
Mario RPG is in my Top10 of SNES games. For those of you that like an old school turn based RPG's its a must play. Good length, story, and lots of Mario fun like you would expect.
ViciousVariable @ Nov 8th 2006 7:36PM
Kirby Super Star, Super Mario RPG, Ocarina of Time?
Lawdy, that's a trifecta of childhood games for me. I still remember, vaguely, waiting so excitedly to get home and play my freshly bought kirby super star when i was 10!
Now, honestly, if they released Chrono Trigger on VC that would be a major coup. ROMs suck, and playing it on a console would be just awesome for someone who was just too young (and lived too remotely away) to get something like CT or FF6.
SuichimoTheDragoon @ Nov 8th 2006 7:38PM
I think the reason why these aren't available at launch is because they were waiting to get rated. That would easily explain it.
t3hguitarman @ Nov 8th 2006 7:39PM
Mario RPG.. Wow I haven't played that game since like several years ago when my friend busted out his SNES.
Can't wait for all of these VC games... I think I might end up buying more of the "old" games than new haha.
DO A BARREL ROLL!
Matt @ Nov 8th 2006 8:09PM
YES!!! Mario RPG is one of my favorite games EVAR. Now all they have to do is port it to GBA/DS. :(
Brandon @ Nov 8th 2006 7:39PM
If they add Wiimote support for no other Virtual Console game, please let it be Excitebike.
Invader Alex @ Nov 8th 2006 7:40PM
Super Metriod is game, I really want to try on an actual controler (not keyboard) beacause I never played it...
Yaktastic @ Nov 8th 2006 7:49PM
Mariokart 64?! god it's going to be college all over again !!!!!! WOOOOO
scott @ Nov 8th 2006 7:52PM
excitebike, mario RPG, MK64 and ocarina of time?!?
I'm finally sold on this.
Matt @ Nov 8th 2006 8:01PM
Super Mario RPG? Hell ya! That game kicks ass! I was really hoping they would release that. Now I just hope they release Final Fantasy III for the SNES.
Optimus Prime @ Nov 8th 2006 7:53PM
Why are people so hyped about VC games? There are perfectly good emulators (more functional imo) for all for the pre-N64 stuff; and some decent ones for N64 era.
And they're free and available now with no waiting.
superbagman @ Nov 8th 2006 7:54PM
oh, jesus, yes. I spent $17 on Super Metroid a few years back when Metroid Fusion came out, but my SNES controllers had died and I had to buy a terrible third party one, the ability to play it on a Nintendo brand controller is worth paying for it again.
Tim @ Nov 8th 2006 9:34PM
yeah, I think a previous poster may be right about the trickle of game releases being related to the need to go through the content in order to establish the rating. Specifically, I think we're seeing more of the bigger, more complex games (such as Mario RPG) showing up in the newer list because they took longer to rate than something like Ice Hockey. Plus a lot of those games on the launch list had already been rated (such as for GBA rereleases) so probably took no time to get past the ESRB.
But in any case I think Nintendo may be smart in releasing games 10 at a time or whatever. If they released 200 on launch day, people would only buy a few favorites. But if every few weeks another bunch of classics shows up, people may buy more. After all, if ten classic games show up each month, you might buy two or three each month. $15 or whatever in a month is nothing. But if given a list of 200 classic games, you might only want to buy 4 or 5, and then you might not look through the list ever again. Spacing out the releases means you'll look at the list of games more often, and probably buy more.
GregZ @ Nov 8th 2006 7:59PM
Mario RPG and Mario Kart 64 are the real standouts here - if only because they have released Zelda 64 to the public on three different occasions. Who is not excited about reliving the saga of Mallow's alleged tadpole childhood or getting in on the best Mario Kart battle mode ever created? Having another go at 4-player Mario Kart 64 with 4 gamecube controllers sounds like a welcome addition to the Wii library for me. For $10, added wifi should be part of the package though.
And yes, I know you can emulate all of these titles, and yes, I know you can crank the resolution uber-high to revel in amazingly bland N64 textures.. but a computer can (virtually) never simulate the feeling of 4 buddies crammed around a television screen on the couch, grinning madly alongside the gaming action. Oh wait, that sounds like a Wii promotional video..
DojoRacoon @ Nov 8th 2006 8:10PM
There is a significant difference between playing games with a keyboard on an emulator and playing them with a controller on a console if you don't get this I doubt you have ever played these games in any other way.
Dansk @ Nov 8th 2006 8:03PM
If only i handt played those games to death on emulators...i would be 10x more excited...
I didnt play DK country 2 or 3, though, so there is still good times to be had (legally)
DaveExile @ Nov 8th 2006 8:08PM
Why has no one mention Secret of Mana?
Foetoid @ Nov 8th 2006 8:09PM
@11. "Why are people so hyped about VC games? There are perfectly good emulators (more functional imo) for all for the pre-N64 stuff; and some decent ones for N64 era.
And they're free and available now with no waiting."
Not everyone likes BREAKING THE LAW Optimus Prime. These games a cheap, legally obtainable, and are guaranteed to run perfectly. I too have a GBA emulator, but i have only downloaded the ROMS for the games i own cause i want the emulators "speed up" feature, which is legal. People ARE going to love this feature whether you do or not.
Wirestone @ Nov 8th 2006 8:10PM
Optimus -- Emulators are illegal. They also don't use Nintendo controllers and can't be played on your TV. If you have any respect for Nintendo, its staff or its games, you don't pirate them. Period.
Rein @ Nov 8th 2006 8:12PM
GO GO AXEM RANGERS!!
SMRPG = The best.
Bergasa @ Nov 8th 2006 8:16PM
Ok, I understand the ESRB wanting to rate early Nintendo titles because there wasn't an ESRB at that time, but in the SNES and N64 days, the games were already rated. If these are straight ports, why do we have to wait for them to re-rate them? Unless there is something more than meets the eye and perhaps Nintendo is making changes to the games... Online play anyone?
PS: Joystiq, I think you're off the mark with the "mid-2007" statement. Nintendo is going to wait half a year after launch to bring more Virtual Console titles out? Doesn't make sense to me, especially since the Xbox is getting new arcade titles weekly.
TB @ Nov 8th 2006 8:17PM
I cant believe they're charging $5 and $10 ea for those, they better be adding online multiplayer. We've all had them on roms for years and for free.
Optimus Prime @ Nov 8th 2006 8:18PM
Yea, the one part i miss is having an actual Nintendo controller; they make the best d-pads.
But, its free and im cheap, so it works for me.. and i have no conscious (obviously). And, they let you play region-locked games that never made to NA, like those parodius/gradius games from Konami.
ViciousVariable @ Nov 8th 2006 8:22PM
Bergasa, to be fair, the ratings are actually out of date for those SNES (and I think N64) titles. They were using the old K-A rating, and as such, need to be re-rated. It's a bit of bureaucracy, to be sure, but it's one of those little quirks of the system. Nothing necessarily bad with it, but is still a little silly. It's kind of like how there is a unique Canadian ratings system (ironically more lax than the american system on sex, but a slight bit stricter of violence) for films. A film in Canada needs to be re-rated, even those most of the ratings are similar enough. Sure there might be some quirks (I remember some films have an R rating in the states but a 14A rating, equivalent to a PG-13, in Canada), but generally it's pretty similar.
s00pcan @ Nov 8th 2006 8:27PM
Can't be played on a tv or use controllers? My xbox (and my pc, I use an hdtv as a monitor and have a ps2 controller adaptor) can do both. Also, Emulators are NOT illegal unless they contain copyrighted code (which they don't, bios files for psx/gba/sega cd/ps2 emulators are never included by the authors).
Also, wow what a selection of games! It'll never match mine with its COMPLETE romsets. Ever. VC doesn't interest me at all because I've played all these games a million times on the original hardware, emulators on my pc, and emulators on my handheld systems. This is only for the n00bs.
Grant @ Nov 8th 2006 8:37PM
s00pcan, if emulators are legal by your reckoning, what about the ROMs? I doubt those are legal.
Doc @ Nov 8th 2006 8:39PM
Cheaper to use roms available online? It is cheaper to steal a car than it is to buy one. Guess I should start stealing cars as well. Wise up and realize that there is right and there is wrong, and taking what is not yours is wrong. People are genuinely excited because they can get these classics legally (finally).
s00pcan @ Nov 8th 2006 8:47PM
Roms are illegal unless you dump one yourself for your own personal backup (which doesn't usually happen). Emulators are almost always legal, they are just computer programs that manipulate data (albeit most likely illegal copies of data).
"People are genuinely excited because they can get these classics legally (finally)."
No, they're excited because they can get them and play them on a tv with a controller. What they don't realise is that I've been doing that for the past two years on my xbox and pc. Also, give the pointless and irrelevent "steal a car" arguement a rest; this isn't actually stealing, it's copyright infringement. No matter how many roms people download, the original copies won't disappear. It's a technicality, yes, but it's the truth.
moofree @ Nov 8th 2006 9:01PM
Keep in mind, s00pcam, most gamers are noobs. I think nintendo is going to make a killing with this feature.
I do have all these roms, but I'm still going to buy a few VC games.
Might as well have a legal copy of all the games I consider to be some of the best games of all time.
Optimus Prime @ Nov 8th 2006 9:11PM
"I do have all these roms, but I'm still going to buy a few VC games. Might as well have a legal copy of all the games I consider to be some of the best games of all time."
You dont actually 'own' anything here.
- can you make a backup copy?
- can you bring it to a friend's house and play?
- can you sell your 'used' games to someone else?
- what if you have two Wiis in the household, can you dump it on SD and use it on the second one?
- what if your wii is stolen; will nintendo let you download your VC games again?
Under those terms, i will stick with my roms.
Vlad @ Nov 8th 2006 9:40PM
OMG YES Super Metroid, FINALLY I'll get to play it (i would have used an emulator, but I hate them). Mario RPG and the 64 titles are also NICE additions. VC is starting to look awesome.
the last real piece of this puzzle is 3rd party titles. eventually I'm sure...
potato @ Nov 8th 2006 9:14PM
You can just download one of those rar files with every single snes game ever released.
Chris @ Nov 8th 2006 9:16PM
Nintendo's (and I'm sure MS's and Sony's) take on ROMs and the like:
http://www.nintendo.com/corp/faqs/legal.html#IPR
In other news, as a latecomer to the Metroid series, I'm really looking forward to Super Metroid. Now I just need to find an old copy of Metroid II, and I'll be set. And I can't wait to play Super Mario RPG again. That was one of the greatest games of all time, in my opinion.
Frogfucius > That sensei from the Red Steel commercial.
Andrew Yoon @ Nov 8th 2006 10:42PM
Oh no! I'm going to be spending much too much on games that I once owned. Oh noes! Nintendo... you know how to drain my wallet dry.
Chris @ Nov 8th 2006 9:51PM
So if Sqaure-Enix and other third party companies and get cozier with Nintendo, any chance of old Playstation games ending up on VC? I'm sure we won't be seeing PS2 games on it (they're too big, right?), but would PS1 games fit? That could be interesting, getting Castlevanias and Final Fantasies that Nintendo missed out on.
Patrick @ Nov 8th 2006 10:03PM
I've played an emulated version of Super Metroid on pretty much every possible system but I'll totally buy it for the Wii just because it's so damn good.
Yoshi Likes Boys @ Nov 8th 2006 11:50PM
This emulation argument is so old and so tired. Copyright infringement/piracy is really only justifiable when there's no available legal option. You stick with whatever you want, nobody's about to burn your house down and put you in jail for emulation.
Personally, I will be purchasing VC games for easily available wireless multiplayer around a TV with my *gasp* friends, and naturally, to finally play these games with a decent D-Pad, since the one on the classic controller looks to be bitchin'. And it really doesn't matter what the 1% of gamers who use emulators think, since the other 99% will go for the legal option for games that they haven't played in years.
You expect some doof off the street to be able to mod his xbox and install an emulator? Besides, anyone who plays oldschool games with that catastrophe of a controller is only hurting himself and deserves what's coming to him. It's a fine business strategy for Nintendo, so give up your "I LIKE MY ROMS" argument. I will be speaking with my wallet to let Nintendo know I fully support the memory of the classics and hope for more accessible retro goodness and hopefully more multiplayer. The sitcom fans who shrugged off bittorrent (which is free) and downloaded episodes of the Office on iTunes saved the show from cancellation. Having a system which, once these games are available, will be able to, for $18 combined, instantly download (and, Nintendo's already announced that they'll let you redownload if your console is broken or stolen) two of the five greatest games of all time, is an ideal that I'd like to support.
I did the same thing for the Game Boy Advance, since the focus of portable gaming was a style of gaming I appreciate and was glad to see kept alive. (Thanks again Igarashi) I'm sorry that you don't feel strongly enough about the REAL age of gaming to whip out a couple dollars and support a true effort to keep the classics alive. Anything that gets me that and a legal system which I can gather around with friends and play Mario Kart 64, 4-player Bomberman, SSBM(&B), Tecmo Super Bowl, and Wario Ware from one box is fine by me.
All of this doesn't matter since the only people who would use emulators as a substitute, like I said, constitute less than 1% of gamers. The other 99% are ripe for the picking; someone can pick up a Wii from Wal-Mart and ask "what should I get for it?" and the door to the greats is wide open and ready to be walked through. A world where you can reply "$8 will get you Super Metroid," ESPECIALLY to those who are too young to have played it the first time, and have them able to experience all the greatest games the way they should be experienced, with a genuine controller, on a real TV, right out of the box with no complexity necessary, reminding people why they fell in love with gaming in the first place, and opening new eyes up to the greatest works of gaming our cultures have ever created, is a world of gaming that I'd like to be a part of.
lostsupper @ Nov 8th 2006 10:31PM
All of these games can be played with Nintendo controllers on emulators ($20 for a SNES-to-USB adaptor is the best gaming investment ever); additionally, most HDTV's have a vga port, so these games can be played on a living room tv. That being said, I'll still be shelling out for most of the VC titles. Why? Because they have the Nintendo magic. Because I'm a Nintendo zombie. Because Mario 64, Super Metroid, and Ocarina of Time might be the three best video games of all time.
TroutNinja @ Nov 8th 2006 11:19PM
31.
I'll address your questions as they come.
1. No need, the games are tied to your Wii friend code, see the answer to your last question.
2. No
3. No
4. No
5. Of course, this has been announced several times that this will be possible.
I expect you're also one of those people who download warez and nocd cracks for current games too. Your 'kind' wouldn't pay for anything if you could help it.
Just my .02
Bumblebee @ Nov 8th 2006 11:26PM
Hey, Optimus Prime. Uh, listen, me and the rest of the Autobots are pretty worried by your recent statements about you actually ENCOURAGING illegal activities, more specifically, this ROM business.
Now, I can understand if the ROM downloader actually owns the manufactured copy of the game if they just want a back-up, but downloading a game you haven't paid for? That's piracy. Let's just say that a developer makes the greatest game in the world, and they're willing to make more. Now, if everybody just got the ROM, there would be no profit for the developer, and thus, no motivation for them to make more games.
Basically, encouraging piracy is in direct conflict with our goal of defending justice, and we can't have the enemy lead us against the enemy.
In short, upon the request of the other Autobots, I'm going to have to ask you to hand over the Autobot Matrix. You simply aren't ready for it yet. I'll be taking care of it for now, so from now on, you can call me Commander Bumblebee.
Epsilon @ Nov 9th 2006 12:14AM
Mario Kart 64! Woo!
thefreedomgundam @ Nov 9th 2006 1:10AM
I would get SMRPG except that, well.. *hugs his copy of the SNES cartridge*
I would get Zelda: OoT except that, well... *hugs his copy of the 'cube Zelda Collector's Edition*
I would get Excitebike except that - oh no, wait, I am SO getting Excitbike. And Kirby. And Ice Hockey. And Simcity. And probably Starfox. And probably Mario Kart.
*shakes fist at Nintendo* Stop forcing me to part with my money! ;_;
Dukrous @ Nov 9th 2006 2:41AM
It's the VC titles that interest me more than the launch titles of the Wii. I'm interesting in 2...maybe 3 of the launch titles. But I'm gonna go broke spending cash on the VC titles. :)
Pince @ Nov 9th 2006 2:59AM
@Bumblebee - lolololol, bumblebee is hilarious, good post
and, on another note, give us Super Castlevania 4 PLEASE!!1!
and on a final note, I am the type of person who buys copies of a game proportional to how much he likes it.
For example, I have both the GC and PS2 version of RE4 (I know, PS2 version has new content; the thing is, I bought them at the same time...the cashier gave me a weird look), I have 2 copies of FF7 and FF8 and 3 copies of Castlevania SOTN (just for the hell of it)...anyways the list isnt too long but there are others. So, I will likely be buying virtual console titles even if I already own the game (besides, it takes far less effort to download a game than to have to pull out the old N64,etc...hell, with the remote, I dont even have to get off the couch)
Steve @ Nov 9th 2006 10:33AM
So emulated NES can technically be pumped out to a real TV monitor. How many people have or even want a connection from their PC to their TV? I think one of the reason WiFi has become so popular is because many people don't want ethernet cables running all around their house. Likewise with TVs, how many have their TV convienently located near their PC?
PSWii360 Fanbot @ Nov 9th 2006 3:41PM
@31
Can you do that with any of your emulated ROMs? Nope.
So what's with all the VC hate?
ackmondual @ Nov 9th 2006 4:11PM
I'm glad to see the VC expanding. I for one will *NOT* be getting any of these old school games. I have plenty of 'em already. I'm gettin a Wii for the new Wii games and less newer GC games that I haven't touched yet for the most part. To everyone else, if the VC doesn't tickle your fur, simply move on with the rest of Wii's features.
.
FOR ALL OF YOU WONDERING WHAT THE BIG DEAL WITH THE VC IS.....
While there are many nice reasons (albeit not legal) to use emus with ROMs, the VC does have its purpose:
-most ppl don't want to bother DL-ing an emu
-most ppl don't want to have to setup an emu
Don't think that just b/c NES --> SNES emus are relatively simple to setup and use, anybody can or will do it. Don't think that just b/c they know how to hook up R/F, composite, or whatever types of cables from their console to their TVs that they can or will do it. I find cables, TV/projector settings, and other such hardware daunting to work with. On flipside, I have a friend who knows his way around HD settings, projectors, and cables, but thinks using emus is way over his head
As for an n64 emu, there are at least 3 diff ones that one really can't go wrong with. But setting it up to work with your vid card, processor, and to customize it the way u want takes some time and complexity
-most ppl do NOT want to DL ROMs
Why? Many reasons I'm sure. Some ROMs are corrupt, some "booby trapped", too elusive to find given ppl's "internet skills", or too much time/bandwidth.
-no garuantee of compatibility
some of us will settle for a red flower looking orange instead, but other cases, but other cases, games are not compatible or only partially so (missing video effects, unplayable portions, etc.)
Don Liu @ Dec 6th 2006 11:28PM
Is it a waste of money / wii points to download games that you already own? Should I download games that I have already but like alot (Ex: Mario 64, Zelda OOT (already own N64 and both Cube versions), and Mario RPG?