Why can't I demo my VC downloads? (Wii annoyance #011)
Sure, the Nintendo Wii Shop Channel is full of classic titles that many remember from childhood, but does that mean we should buy games on nostalgia? Maybe we've been spoiled by Xbox Live's demo system, but Microsoft's service has been around long enough for Nintendo to learn from its competitors.
Given Nintendo's tiny disk space, we don't expect demos of traditionally-released Wii titles. But these are retro titles being charged at a premium. Not everyone has played the classics, and beyond that there are original titles that have been promised. If not a full-fledged demo, why not a 5-minute time constraint, and our purchase can turn off the clock -- that shouldn't be too much of a logistical issue.
We love the little console, we really do; that's why we don't want to see WiiConnect24 (or PlayStation's no-use-for-a-name online network) function below its predecessors.
PS3 delights vs. PS3 annoyances
Wii delights vs. Wii annoyances
Xbox 360 delights vs. Xbox 360 annoyances
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Phil @ Dec 4th 2006 9:22PM
oh man that would be kick ass if they do that! i hope they update something like that....or atleast they should make demos for upcoming wii games
Joystiq suqs @ Dec 4th 2006 9:32PM
Translation: Waaah, waaaaaaah. Waaaaaaaaah!!!!
Craig @ Dec 4th 2006 9:33PM
Yeah, I agree. Some of the games I've bought just aren't as good as I remember, and I've already wasted a ton of money. I'm lookin' at you, Bonk. Headbutting dinosaurs isn't NEARLY as entertaining as it was back in the day.
Anonymouse Rep @ Dec 4th 2006 9:35PM
You said it best in your comment, except that it applies to both Nintendo AND Sony.
"Maybe we've been spoiled by Xbox Live's demo system, but Microsoft's service has been around long enough for Nintendo to learn from its competitors."
Isn't that one of the main complaints about the PS3 right now, as far as online downloading and their network? They've had a year since Xbox 360 came out to see what Microsoft did and match it - and instead, they're still competing with the 360 from December of 2005 - not 2006.
Sub @ Dec 4th 2006 9:36PM
There sure are a lot of Wii annoyances..
Optimus Prime @ Dec 4th 2006 9:39PM
arrghhh .. this keeps coming up.. You do-gooding, tree hugging peeps.. just download some roms and get it over with. You aint gonna save the world by giving Nintendo more monies.
So, save your monies for your kid's college fund.
Defenestrator2.0 @ Dec 4th 2006 9:42PM
Why is is that there are so many Wii annoyances, but not PS3. Whenever it's the PS3, it's only a "slight problem," despite the obvious quality problems. Start writing a little less biased, please.
Moogle @ Dec 4th 2006 9:58PM
Hey, the other way to look at it is there are so many Wii annoyances because Wii is what they're playing more of. :)
Tom @ Dec 4th 2006 10:03PM
Xbox Live can support free downloads because it is financed by Gold Members.
kinshadow @ Dec 4th 2006 10:16PM
"Isn't that one of the main complaints about the PS3 right now, as far as online downloading and their network?"
The two PS3 arcade games have free demos. It isn't as painless as 360, but it is at least there.
Mitchell Dyer @ Dec 4th 2006 10:18PM
Oh, you mean why don't we get demos of old games that we have all played before?
Who wants to demo Donkey Kong, F Zero, any of them?
Seriously.
uglyteeth @ Dec 4th 2006 10:22PM
Who wants to demo donkey kong and f zero? People who haven't played those games!!!!!! Not everyone who buys the Wii....isn't it supposed to be for those who aren't the hardcore....has played all the classics. Get a clue. It's a good idea to demo and it should be in the system.
Eric Baker @ Dec 4th 2006 10:27PM
You do realize that sites like yours, Kotaku, and EvilAvatar are the reason video game journalism isn't taken seriously, right? Can you not just report the news?
-Moses
404 @ Dec 4th 2006 10:28PM
So far 11 Wii annoyances and 3 PS3 annoyances. This certainly fits with the Wii-is-perfect/PS3-is-a-failure groupthink that is everywhere. Not to sound fanboyish. I want a Wii, but I rather have a PS3 before I invest $400 into the Wii (sys, games, controller).
Matthew Rader @ Dec 4th 2006 10:33PM
Joystiq isn't inherently bias towards any company when they report. They are just sensationalist on the whole.
DG @ Dec 4th 2006 10:34PM
Do you rip open and demo every game you buy at EBgames? I'm not sure why this should be any different.
Aex @ Dec 4th 2006 10:35PM
I want some more Ps3 annoyances too. I don't wanna have to find this crap out myself. Play with the psp & ps3 connectivity some more and find the annoyances there! Or some of the installing linux annoyances. Or how sony is always adding stuff to the ps3 with the excessive updates. I mean hell thats an annoyance. Having to download a new firmware every week to get more out of your ps3. Or the annoyance that the HDD is a 2.5 drive instead of a 3.5 drive. Or the annoyance that the ps3 is too shiny and collects fingerprints like the LAPD. I agree with the Wiitards, there should be more PS3 annoyances!
On the other hand. Hey, Wiitards. Nintendo isn't perfect. Accept their faults, no matter how minor! So far all of these annoyances are things that would be just that annoying. Stop being so defensive and just hope Nintendo makes updates to fix the smaller things, like GC controller control of the menus or demos of VC games. Even a video demo would be more than the 1 picture they show now.
Purple_Haze @ Dec 4th 2006 10:39PM
Do they get rid of annoyances if they get fixed?
Nicholas Sulikowski @ Dec 4th 2006 10:44PM
Demos for the Wii are coming soon. Whether there will be demos for VC games is to be decided, but I am certain that demos of some kind are coming. I remember Iwata saying a while back the possibility of receiving DS demos through the Wii, which would then be transfered to the Wii. And there's also this tidbit that's been unearthed: http://www.n-sider.com/newsview.php?type=story&storyid=2544
Gausser @ Dec 4th 2006 10:46PM
Hey Joystiq,
Love your site, but I'm getting annoyed at the ratio of Wii annoyances to Wii delights. I agree with many of your annoyances, but I love the Wii and can think of so many good things that could be listed in the delights. Come on! How about listing a few more of the things Nintendo has gotten right.
kraoro @ Dec 4th 2006 10:52PM
It's kind of hard to find PS3 annoyances when there's no reason to power up the system.
karmaghost @ Dec 4th 2006 10:56PM
Joystiq annoyance #715: Wii annoyance posts = slow news days?
Zachary Hinchliffe @ Dec 4th 2006 10:59PM
BLAH BLAH BLAH BITCH WHINE MOAN OHH THEY'RE BIASED MOAN BITCH CRY MOAN.
I'm sick of you commenters. What happened to "JOYSTIQ IS ANTI-SONY BIAS"? Now it's "JOYSTIQ IS ANTI-NINTENDO BIAS". You guys can't see that they're non-biased, because you can't see past your own natural bias. You have a natural bias towards your company of choice, which even though you don't notice it, you'll cheer when someone has the slightest complaint about PS3 or Wii (depending on your alliance) but jeer when someone has the slightest complaint about the other side. You say that one side has less sensationalist claims than the other, but the other side claims the reverse. As human beings, we act this way naturally.
Shut the FUCK up about the "Joystiq is biasssedddd!!!1111!1111!!11" thing. Okay?
(For the record, I am pro-Nintendo and anti-Sony. I'm sure if I didn't say this, you'd just call me a Sony fan spreading hyperbole, but I'm strictly Nintendo. Look up my name and read forums around the internet. I'm not lying.)
lolersticks @ Dec 4th 2006 11:01PM
I'll say this before they (Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft) fanboys get here:
OMG JOYSTIQ IS SO BIASED (actually, I'm starting to think this myself, for real)
NINTENDO SUXXXX
OMG PLAYSTATION IS AWESOME! WHY DO YOU MAKE FUN OF SHITTY PLAYSTATION NETWORK?!?!????
I FARTED!
FIRST POST!
.etc etc
Inspired @ Dec 4th 2006 11:03PM
When you continuously play a system, I guess you just find things to be annoyed about. The PS3 is collecting dust apparently, and a few annoyances have been overlooked(syncing issue - not an annoyance? not upconverting 720p content to 1080i - not an annoyance? hmmm...)
It's ok though. I like to hear the limits of the system, so I know what I'm getting when I buy it. When some 3rd party developer finally releases a good game for the PS3, maybe then we'll get more annoyances? We'll be waiting around for awhile.
Grog @ Dec 4th 2006 11:11PM
Believe it or not, I enjoy hearing annoyances with the Wii - it helps me discover the little foibles of the system and hope for improvement. With that said, this is getting ridiculous. Take a look at the numbers:
Delights/Annoyances:
360 - 11/15
PS3 - 2/4
Wii - 2/11
In addition, there hasn't been a Wii delight in about 2 weeks (Nov. 20th, the day after launch). Now, I would be fine with this if the Wii was a horrible system, but the overwhelming amount of press on it has been positive. If we're going to hear the annoyances (many are legit, even if it's pretty easy to buy rechargeable batteries and to use a Wiimote rather than previous-gen controller), at least tell us the good things in specific Wii Delight posts. Otherwise I'm going to be extremely suspicious of how the Wii can have about as many annoyances as a system that has had a year to have those problems discovered (the 360) and as few delights as the seemingly negative experience of the PS3.
Borat @ Dec 4th 2006 11:18PM
Good god...the comments in this article are proof why I rarely comment on this site. What a bunch of idiots. It's a blog...it's not their job to give you "news"...it's opinion you idiots!! Go back to Gamespot or whatever if you just want "news."
I agree with you guys. Demos should be offered...especially when it comes to SNES/N64 games. I don't want to spend $8-$10 on a game and find out that it really sucks.
I doubt that Nintendo will add this feature...at least for quite a while. The games are being presented as they were and they will have to change them to present them as demos.
I hate fanboys @ Dec 4th 2006 11:22PM
@26
those PS3 issues you mentioned aren't annoyances...they are legitimate problems and they've covered them in seperate news posts.
None of these Wii annoyances break the system, so they are rightly classified as such.
You guys should learn to calm the fuck down
battousai8728 @ Dec 4th 2006 11:24PM
Uh, how about PS3 Annoyance #005: Can't play downloaded (through PSNetwork) PS1 games on PS3...or the memory card adapter is only a one-way trip. Or how you need to purchase component cables separately and that first-party ones aren't even available through ANY means, let alone online-only.
Ian @ Dec 4th 2006 11:25PM
Why don't they have demos?
See comment #3, Craig.
That's why they don't have demos. Craig bought all these games he remembered as fun, and they weren't fun.
If he had had a demo to try out beforehand, he wouldn't have given Nintendo that money he wishes he now had back.
Poor Craig :(
But seriously... yeah. That's why. Sorry to use you Craig.
Craig. Craig Craig Craig.
JFink @ Dec 4th 2006 11:30PM
I wonder about how downloading PS1 games to PS3 will be done. I bet its something Just like this and you won't be able to demo those either.
Jesse Morrison @ Dec 4th 2006 11:36PM
I was thinking that it would be neat if there were a subscription option for the virtual console. By paying a monthly fee we could perhaps play as many games as we want (we wouldn't get to officially own them though). I haven't bought a single VC game, but if there were an option to pay about $20 a month I'd be signing up right away.
With the promise of 4 VC a week, it'd be a pretty good deal.
Brandon @ Dec 4th 2006 11:58PM
I like the subscription idea too, if I pay ten to fifteen bucks a month to play any VC game I want I'd do that once I thought there were enough I liked to play. Let me see FF, Crono Trigger, Castlevania, Mario series, and Sonic games and I would do that. Plus they have the four new games at the beginning of the week which is sweet.
Defenestrator2.0 @ Dec 5th 2006 12:02AM
@ #9, Moogle
Touchẻ. Well played, sir.
Brandon Paddock @ Dec 5th 2006 12:26AM
I completely agree with Joystiq on this one. I posted an article on my blog about just these sorts of problems.
It would be forgiveable if it weren't for two things:
1) They're coming out a year after the 360 and 3+ years after Xbox Live.
2) They are telling us that the experience is more important than the graphics alone - and then giving us a crappy online/console experience.
Games like Zelda are amazing, and the innovative controller rocks (especially for party games and such). But I titled my article "One step forward, two steps back" for a very good reason.
Giving up modern graphics for innovative, creative gameplay is one thing. But giving up modern graphics and a modern online experience is too much for me. The Wii does not feel next-gen. One innovation packaged with 5-year-old technology isn't a revolution, sorry Nintendo.
Yeah I'll play Zelda and buy the top exclusive games because I'm able to afford two systems (or three if the PS3 wasn't a piece of crap), but I will continue to be frustrated with my Wii experience until they fix these obvious, glaring flaws in their software.
samfish @ Dec 5th 2006 12:30AM
That would be a great idea, #32. Let's hope Nintendo goes for it.
Otherwise, yeah...I agree- Nintendo should totally offer demos. Not having a 360, I don't know how XBLA does it, though. Do they offer you just a certain portion of the game or does it time out after, like, 5 minutes or something?
Oh, and to the guy who asked if we complain when we can't demo games at EB...that's why we have video rental stores :) Close enough, at any rate.
Shagi @ Dec 5th 2006 12:54AM
Look the Wii is more popular than Christ!
http://www.google.com/trends?q=christ%2C+wii&ctab=0&geo=all&date=2006-11
Shagi @ Dec 5th 2006 12:59AM
Nintendo got nothing right, except for how they knew Nintendo fanboys would be stupid enough to buy the Wii.
Pince @ Dec 5th 2006 1:29AM
Hmm - the Wii annoyances are getting a little out of hand.
Personally, I feel like some of them have been silly and nitpicky belonging less in the category of "annoyance" and more in the category of "I am a gamer and hence lack the ability to ever be satisfied."
I am not saying the annoyances are illegitimate, I just think some of them ( and not necessarily this one even) are a bit of a stretch or are simply borne out of functionality that the Wii never had to have in the first place.
Looking back at the annoyances, I am mostly addressing annoyances like 8 and 10. More face options for the Miis? Navigation with Wavebirds? These sound like things that are definitely okay to ask for, but the lack of their inclusion is hardly an annoyance, unless you classify any situation wherein you dont get exactly what you want as an annoyance. In that case you may as well put "no motion control" as a 360 annoyance.
Then again, looking back at those, there were some sketchy 3670 annoyances so it seems irrelevant to keep count. It certainly is not chocolate. (However, you must understand; the fires of the peons' burning hate for Sony must be fueled with PS3 annoyances).
Consider my ciriticism at an end - but seriously, if the next wii annoyance is "the Mii body models cannot accurately depict my roommate's fat ass" I will be enticed to...yknow...rant or something.
As a final note, i really hope that someone from Nintendo pays attention to the (legitimate) gripes brought up by online discussions like this.
Where is the battery charger for the Wiimote(see 360 annoyance #2 and remember how sexy that thing looked)...etc.
reppy @ Dec 5th 2006 1:51AM
I think perhaps a 5 minute time limit or something would be sufficient.
freecajunlove @ Dec 5th 2006 2:15AM
I think everyone at Joystiq has a Wii, and only 2-3 have a PS3. This might be the reason for the annoyance ratio. I wouldn't want a person complaining about a system they don't own. But if it helps...
PS3 annoyance #005: PS3 can't be found anywhere.
PS3 annoyance #006: PS3 needs to be cleaned weekly.
PS3 annoyance #007: Wheres my 1080i?
PS3 annoyance #008: Graphics at E3 2005 Vs. Real graphics
PS3 annoyance #009: Motion sensing feels like a gimmick
PS3 annoyance #010: When will HDMI work right?
PS3 annoyance #011: Blu-ray looks like DVD.
PS3 annoyance #012: Console requires A LOT of room or it overheats.
Now I have to go rub some Bengay on my arm... damn you wii sports...
Nmaster @ Dec 5th 2006 2:46AM
Ok guys, now your stretching it. A 5-minute demo for some of these games would be enough so you could just play that over and over and never need to buy the game. Honestly, that idea is ridiculous for most of these games.
You want a demo? Go download it on emulator...
D-Town @ Dec 5th 2006 2:51AM
Well, consider your annoyance scrapped, for Reggie confirmed in a recent interview that Nintendo will demo forthcoming Wii games. As for demoing VC titles, what's the use? It might work for N64 games, but the rest... if it drains manpower away from releasing these games, I say balls to it. There are plenty of retro sites out there that review these games. And for the uncritical consumer the old adagium still goes: a fool and his money are soon parted.
Hugh Mann @ Dec 5th 2006 3:42AM
@ No.27, Go to Gamespot, for news? Don't make me laugh! Apart from their news being days old most of the time, they are more biased than possibly any other multiformat gaming site out there
reppy @ Dec 5th 2006 3:54AM
@42
Depends on the game, really. Do you mean to tell me you would play the same game of Zelda over and over in 5 minute increments? Assuming, as well, that the ability to save the game is removed.
Here, I'll up the ante: 5 minutes playing time and a limit of 2 demos per title.
Hak Foo @ Dec 5th 2006 8:02AM
I would like a demo as well, but as others have stated if I played some of these demo's I wouldn't have bought the game.
A subscription would be nice, but I'm sure it would require your console to be constantly connected to the wiiconnect service to work. I would love to have a subscription model, download a bunch of games, then when I go on vacation for a week I can have all those games with me.
A Wii delight should be Rayman story mode! I'm loving that game! A little on the easy side, but it is still a blast.
x876543 @ Dec 5th 2006 8:42AM
Hak Foo.. wait till you get to later in the game. Some of those games are difficult. For one of the dance ones my girlfriend and I had to control the wii-mote and nunchuck separately to beat it.
Majortom @ Dec 5th 2006 9:02AM
Why would you demo old games? Why should nitnendo do all that extra programming and breaking apart of the game for just a demo of a 10 year old or older game?
Pedro @ Dec 5th 2006 9:26AM
Hmm, if only there were some readily available way of playing these games before we pay for the, A way of downloading them to some kind of computer and playing them there. If only there was some kind of program that would enable the computer to...emulate the game.
But what to call it...
DraXXXen @ Dec 5th 2006 10:24AM
The idea of offering a demo of such old games, regardless of if their hasn't been alot of people to play the game, isn't worth the extra steps to Nintendo and I can understand why they would not offer such a thing.
However, if they offered a small free downloadable movie clip of the gameplay that would help alot. storage would not be an issue as each new demo clip would just overwrite the previous one (or just view these clips online at nintendos web site).