vNES has 575 games: Demo and consider future VC titles
by Alexander Sliwinski 
{ Dec 30th 2006 at 8:30PM }
The vNES, an original Nintendo Entertainment System emulator, now has 575 free-to-use original NES games. One of our main issues with the Wii Virtual Console has been the inability to demo games before you buy. Although the vNES is by no means a perfect emulation, you do get a general idea of the gameplay. The site also encourages users to support Nintendo and buy a Wii.For those ages 18 and under who probably never owned a NES, you very well may not have played the NES VC games the first time around and the vNES can give a good idea what these games are like. Those of us in a demographic where the VC games are actual nostalgia, by playing the vNES we might just get that feeling out of our system. But for those who still want the game even after the vNES test, they can go ahead and buy it on the Wii's VC. The vNES also works as a great way to remember titles we wish would make their way to the VC in perfect emulation.
We do not support piracy and using the vNES as a demo solution is hardly ideal, but vNES is a nice trip down memory lane and a good way to see what VC titles you'd like to see in the future.
[Thanks Evan]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
carlos @ Dec 30th 2006 8:50PM
the virtual console is pointless theres roms and emulators and there free
Justin Hopewell @ Jan 3rd 2007 3:41PM
Piracy is illegal, but five dollars for a 20+ year old NES game on the VC is highway robbery.
Its easy to say that you can try a game out on an emulator and then, enjoying it, decide to purchase it. Its a lot harder to actually plunk down five dollars to play it on another emulator with a cooler controller.
I've bought a few games on the VC, but I definitely have buyer's remorse after paying 8.00 dollars for Ecco the Dolphin, another 8.00 for Toe Jam and Earl (why do people like that game again?), and 6.00 for Bomberman 95. The only game I feel was worth 8.00 was Castlevania IV, but I'd like to actually own a tangible version of it instead of a digital copy for that price.
-justin
KC @ Dec 30th 2006 8:52PM
Don't know bout the rest of ya'll, but part of the reason I like buying the games on the Wii VC, is to play them on the Wii VC. I love the controller and I like having all my games in one spot(now I can play Wii,cube and some of my fav oldies all in one simple box.)
I do have a little extra cash to throw around.... maybe if I didnt have that I'd feel differently.
Of course,I've never pirated games in my life. Gaming is something I love to do, and I'll support it with my money to keep it going. Just my feelings on it.
In terms of, "try before you buy", doesnt reading about the game in mags or online suffice? I mean, we don't demo everysingle game that we purchase before we buy it. At least I dont.
Ic0n7 @ Dec 30th 2006 8:59PM
i can see all the coments on here being about is it right to use roms and tbh no but its up to you and if nintendo put a demo thing on the wii u wouldent have 2 do this
Shagi @ Dec 30th 2006 9:00PM
vNES won't play on PS3 browser, they need to fix that.
mo @ Dec 30th 2006 9:01PM
yeah im 18 so my oldest memorys are
-diddy kong racing
-smashbrothers
-mario 64
-moriokart 64
and all the original gameboy games
but i have enjoyed games like bomberman and altered beast which i had never played before until VC
i really didnt think i would be playing these games but its kinda nice when there just right there on the menu
but on the other hand id be pissed off if i bought an 8 bit game from the 90's for 5 bucks and it turned out i didnt like it
i want to see more N64 VC games
McTendo @ Dec 30th 2006 9:02PM
I pirate DS,Genesis,SNES,Arcade,NeoGeo, etc etc etc with gigs and gigs of it on my laptop harddrive that I can easily connect to my TV via S-Video and play using usb controllers.
And I STILL buy VC games, DS games, etc etc.
Why? Because I have a great job, work hard for my money, work on Christmas for that sweet double time and a half pay and (most importantly) like playing it on the VC using the Classic Controller rather then on the laptop through svideo blah blah blah.
It's my money, I do whatever-the-heck I want to do with it.
Carlos is just angry because his parents put parental controls on their computer after he downloaded "HARDCORE WAREZZZ TENTICLE PRONZZZZXXX" and infected the keyboard with his semen stains.
v1cious @ Dec 30th 2006 9:03PM
translation: FREE GAMES!
seriously i know you wanna support Nintendo and all, the virtual console's useless they add some new special features or something. i say happy leeching.
bearattack79 @ Dec 30th 2006 9:20PM
Can you save your progress on super mario?
Slashbunny @ Dec 30th 2006 9:12PM
All games are pointless because you can pirate them, right? Well I suppose the next gen consoles aren't to that point yet, but anything previous can be pirated and played "for free". Does that make buying them pointless? I guess carlos and v1cious think so.
v1cious @ Dec 30th 2006 9:23PM
oh please don't get all elitist on me. i bet you have at least one emulator on your PC. i mean come on they have been around for nearly 20 years, and Nintendo's well aware of this. don't you think they should be giving you some kind of incentive to use their service? i mean it's just a smart business decision.
Brian @ Dec 30th 2006 9:33PM
Brilliant, v1cious, brilliant.
Just speak clearly and say "I'll stop stealing games from Nintendo when they lower the price to make me stop stealing."
Gee, you are a regular Robin Hood. Stealing from the rich and giving to...yourself.
Large numbers of people work at these game studios and development houses making these games and you are just taking money out of their pockets when you pirate their games---even if the games are 10 years old. It's no different than taking any intellectual property at any time.
Justify it how you want but you are stealing when you use emulators.
McTendo @ Dec 30th 2006 9:34PM
I agree with v1cious.
Playing River City Ransom with JNester and my brother over IP was a complete blast. Nintendo should throw some simple online play coded into the emulator. They should take a look at all the emulators out there and rip them off with equal to better features.
There's no shame in pirating movies, games, software, etc etc as long as you show some love and by the greats to give credit where credit is due.
I'm sorry, but I'd rather download and pirate a game to see if it sucks before buying then waste money renting it. Or even worse, buying it because IGN or Gamestop gave it thumps up only to find out it's utter crap and I have to waste my time returning the thing.
To me, piracy is try before you buy and also to play games that either never came out in your country or just aren't available anymore to the general public.
If Nintendo can bring back my memories as a kid and also allow me to play them with my brother who goes to university 6 hours away, then all the emulators in the world suddenly mean nothing to me.
Johnny Bloom @ Dec 30th 2006 9:35PM
1. Bearattack- Not in the literal sense, but you can make a "Restart" point from which you can continue ( ask another commenter, as a I'd rather not go into detail).
2. v1cious- Personally, I don't. However, let's say I pirate Generic Game 5. And they release it on the VC. Suppose I like said game. I will most likely buy it, do to a) controls
b) ease of continuous access
c) guilt. actually, mostly guilt
2.5 v1cious- that is an awesome online name/tag. Really, it is.
McTendo @ Dec 30th 2006 9:37PM
by = buy. :( I'm so ashamed.
Josh @ Dec 30th 2006 9:44PM
Quick question, how many people have honestly never laid their hands on a NES? I'm 17 and have three of them...
BleachMan! @ Dec 30th 2006 9:49PM
Well, Personally i use emulators, but here's the thing, I got a n64 emulator call project 64k which lets me play N64 games (mainly Super Smash Bros.) online. But I'm pretty sure if Nintendo somehow add online multiplayer to VC games, it gives more reason to buy them.
McTendo @ Dec 30th 2006 9:53PM
I don't know Josh, but my fiancee is the same age as me (23) and she's ONLY laid hers hands on a NES.
That's the ONLY system her family ever had. I gave them my SNES but that only a year ago. They have only ever played Sonic on Genesis a couple times as their uncles when they were kids so that's once or twice a year, and never had anything except FAXANADU(sp?), Mario3, and some others for NES to pass the time.
Her family loved the Wii when I brought it over for Christmas and I played Gunstar Heros with her little brother, who has never even heard of the game before.
And no, none of them ever heard of an emulator before either. They are all into iPods, myspace, blogs, etc etc and never heard or knew anyone (besides me) that has these fancy ways of playing NES games on the computer.
The VC will microprint money, regardless what we unrar onto our computer and play for free.
Bruce Deschacht @ Dec 30th 2006 10:05PM
It tells me that:
"vNES does not work on the Wii.
Use the Virtual Console"
CJC @ Dec 30th 2006 10:09PM
I was going to post some furious comment about encouraging piracy, but I seem to be distracted by: Startropics, Ultima,The Adventures of Lolo, and all of my other childhood favorites... so I'll let you off with a warning THIS TIME Joystiq.
Linkman2004 @ Dec 30th 2006 10:19PM
Bah, just go to ConsoleClassix.com. They've got a free -- not to mention perfectly legal -- system where you can play almost every NES game ever made. I won't bother explaining here why it's legal, they say it right on the site. The point is, they have buttloads of NES games, and it's perfectly legal. Well... almost.
Sponge @ Dec 30th 2006 10:32PM
Actually BleachMan!, you can play SSBM online if you can find the GC internet adapter. There is a video and instructions somewhere but I can't remember it.
Josh @ Dec 30th 2006 10:51PM
All this talk about Virtual Console and everything has got me wanting to get some nice working old systems off eBay and just buy the original cartridges.
Oh, and I'm 17. The first game I played was The Legend of Zelda for NES and I grew up on NES and Super NES until I was eight, then N64.
Crazylink @ Dec 30th 2006 11:08PM
You can't access the site through the Wii's browser...
Lekko @ Dec 30th 2006 11:15PM
so... a post about pirating Nintendo games is filled with "...but you should buy a Wii and pay for it instead". Meanwhile any PSP pirating of PS1 games gets a "here's a link! stealing is fun when it's Sony!".
:/
BleachMan! @ Dec 30th 2006 11:18PM
@Sponge-
yea, i saw the video for that, but apparently, it lags, and i don't wanna subcribe to Phastsny Online so yea, but Old School smash brings back so many memories :P
Pince @ Dec 30th 2006 11:57PM
5-
You are 18 and your first memories are of N64?
At what age did you start gaming?
As a point of reference, I am 20 (born 1986) but I started gaming before the age of 4, so NES was definitely my first.
thejakeman @ Dec 31st 2006 12:10AM
"Carlos is just angry because his parents put parental controls on their computer after he downloaded "HARDCORE WAREZZZ TENTICLE PRONZZZZXXX" and infected the keyboard with his semen stains."
QFE lol
JJ @ Dec 31st 2006 12:54AM
What about if you were a videogame maker, and you worked your butt hard to make that videogame... and some people come and pirate your game, wouldnt that piss you off??? Knowing that the sells went down because of some people pirating it?? They put effort, work, hours & heart into the game just so they could release it & so we can enjoy it... Think About That...
Lijik @ Dec 31st 2006 1:22AM
I used to work with the guy who made vNes on some old site of his thats no longer around. I remember the day I got fired vividly, we're in a chatroom meeting about games being made exclusively for the old site (made in gamemaker or something mind you, not a rom or anything) and no one has said a word in about 10 minutes, so I say "Screw this, I'm going to go play Scrapland" and the next day I find some "You've been fired" email in my inbox.
His old site had an online GB/GBC emulator similar to vNes only it wasn't as compatible with alot of roms.
... Oh wait the comment trend is "Piracy issues" not "Hey I used to know that guy!". Crap.
Jose @ Dec 31st 2006 2:34AM
I find the claim that "Joystiq" doesn't support piracy extremely amusing when you guys post links to emulators (with ROMS!) and every single PSP firmware hack imaginable.
111 @ Dec 31st 2006 3:37AM
Honestly, the only people getting money now for any of these old games are Nintendo S(on the VC) - possibly some of the original developing studios. Nintendo owns the rights to games and they reap the rewards of repackaging and reselling the games. Same as Lucas is doing with Star Wars. What this means is that none of the original creators, artists and programmers are getting a cut. By the way, any know the residual situation in the game industry? In film the Director, Writer, Producer, Actors, etc. get a piece of the cut (ticket-dvd-tv) proceeds thanks to many different guilds that fight to earn them part of the future profits. I haven't heard of any such deal in gaming.
The closest to supporting the original creators is to follow the work, like the games they were a part of and purchase a future product. Those old titles are being used to make money for the developers. This generates income to pay for future titles, but each title sold doens't mean that a penny goes into the hands of the original designers of the title.
Regarding piracy of games, it's ok to collect a few games for use on a pc psp xbox, because you can't buy everything. Spend what is affordable on the titles that matter to you. Obtain other titles for demonstration. Maybe later when you a demo title for $10 retail you'll purchase to play online or to get the box and cd art. Same goes for movies. Purchase what you want to own and watch obtain or rent the others.
Burnt Meatloaf @ Dec 31st 2006 6:41AM
It's the lack of original content that ticks me off.
So long as people buy VC ROMs, Nintendo will not spend a dime making new content.
Harlock @ Dec 31st 2006 11:52AM
VC lacks a lot of pc emulators functionalites. Multiple save slots, video filters, even online multiplayer. And titles available. It's more or less okay the price, but the service need more value.
Jamie Sanders @ Dec 31st 2006 1:03PM
Being the guy that made vNES, I kinda have to voice my opinion on this. vNES was designed because I got really sick of the people that try to recreate NES games in Flash.
I don't think that every game needs online multiplayer, as that concept is getting rather tired. Also, what happened to using review sites and magazines for game purchases? I read reviews online, I've got a subscription to Electronic Gaming Monthly, and I even write for one (http://www.game-couch.com). It's not an issue, really.
Additionally, vNES is designed to work on computers, not consoles. And Lijik, it was Jazz Jackrabbit 2, and you were the only one not talking.
Lijik @ Dec 31st 2006 1:55PM
No I'm pretty sure there was a gap in everyone else talking that caused me to leave.
Spartacus @ Dec 31st 2006 4:12PM
1. Wii's VC is horribly overpriced considering that a current generation title can hit $20 brand new with full retail packaging. There is no way I would pay $6-$8 to play emulated 20 year old software on a console. On a PC it is different because the files are transferrable, savable and most importantly FREE.
2. I have no problems in "pirating" NES ROMs because they are no longer sold, therefore the original parties responsible for creating them are not losing any potential sales when you download a ROM. Newer titles, and especially movies, do not fall into this category. I would NEVER pirate a movie as a 20 year old film can still be purchased brand new and the money still goes to the original studios.
3. I could care less about NES games. Nostalgia gives me no pleasure. Duck Hunt was cool in its day, but things have changed. For me, playing old games is similar to viewing a 13" black and white TV from the '60s after watching a DVD on a 60" 1080p HDTV- it sucks. Now Nintendo is calling retro cool and charging a premium for what has long been unprofitable. Ninty fans call the pricing fair even though when Nintendo announced VC you all were saying it would be free. Incredible.
4. How many of you would pay $40 to download an "official" version of Windows 3.11 from Microsoft for "nostalgia's" sake? "Are you crazy? I can buy Windows Vista Home Basic for $99!" EXACTLY. I just don't get why people would spend good money on tired old software when there are better products out now. But hey, to each his own.
PL98 @ Dec 31st 2006 4:20PM
Well, I used to have 100+ nes games and they all got stolen at the same time...so I don't mind pirating nes games. And one thing also, 90% of the stuff I pirate, I wouldn't buy them anyway even if I was close to rich. And, I won't go trough all the pain of getting every rare game I want in real cartrige or vc, or implement the transalated version. And I won't wait on nintendo to come out with Guardian Legend, Vice Project Doom, Ultimate stuntman and Faxanadu lol. And, save stating has made my life less frustrating, I can leave when I want, I can test stuff in games that would take me hours. I will support nintendo, for new games especially if they make the games on pc hehe
Pl98 @ Dec 31st 2006 4:24PM
Woa, Spartacus...your harch, old games can have a lot of value, and I think vc is doing a great job to recover good old classics to some new public. Newer isn't always better, it's like art and music...video games are inconstestable pieces of arts that can't be justified by time.
Shagi @ Dec 31st 2006 9:08PM
Spartacus is not a moron
you nintendo fanboys are
yeah
Brandon @ Jan 5th 2007 5:35PM
I accessed the vNES site yesterday, played many of the classics, but today when I try to open the site it says This Account Has Been Suspended, please contact the billing/support department as soon as possible. Will I eventually be able to access the site again? Thanks.
Suspect X @ Jan 29th 2007 3:26AM
This is funny. A couple years ago emulators were preserving 20+ year old games that would have long faded away otherwise. But now its piracy?
If you think the popularity of emulation on pc isn't the reason nintendos vc exists you're kidding yourself.