Zelda: A Link to the Past teams up with Sega on Wii VC

by Christopher Grant { Jan 22nd 2007 at 1:56PM }

We're thrilled to see the seminal Super Nintendo classic, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, hitting the Wii's Virtual Console service this Monday, alongside Sega classics like Bonanza Bros and Comix Zone. Oh yeah, there's also Gain Ground. Unfortunately, as of this post, Zelda: LTTP stands alone at the top of the Wii Shop's latest VC additions, accompanied only by its 800 Wii Points price tag and the knowledge that three of its one-time foes were supposed to be there at 9am PT, but aren't. When (and if) they arrive, we expect them to be Genesis-priced at 800 Wii Points, unless they go the R-Type route and insist they're better than everyone else. Better than A Link to the Past? We think not.

Tags: LTTP, SNES, virtualconsolemonday, Zelda

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Pyronite @ Jan 22nd 2007 2:06PM

FINALLY a game worth the typically overpriced money they're asking for them.

We need more RPGs on the Virtual Console.

Albertini @ Jan 22nd 2007 2:07PM

Where is Yoshi's Island?

Shmil @ Jan 22nd 2007 2:13PM

I can't help but think of this
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2006/09/14

I'm glad that this game is now available for VC but we need more, and quick, bring out some more games for the 64, and Chrono Trigger needs to come out soon

SteveThug @ Jan 22nd 2007 2:26PM

bout fucking time.

Rob @ Jan 22nd 2007 2:27PM

Just got it. One of the best SNES games of all time.

Miniboss @ Jan 22nd 2007 2:28PM

The reason for R-Type being 800 points instead of 600 is because the game originally came on two cards, R-Type Part I and R-Type Part II. In Japan, you had to pay for these games separately, at 600 points apiece, bringing your grand total to 1200 points.

So basically, we got a discount on R-Type, if you think about it properly. Whether or not it's worth that amount is subjective, as there are many full-priced games that aren't worth $50-$60 either.

Guillermo @ Jan 22nd 2007 2:31PM

I'd definitely buy it, over and over again, if only I could connect to the goddamn Wii Shop. Is there a way to cancel out of the "connecting, please wait" screen without turning off the Wii?

Code @ Jan 22nd 2007 2:32PM

R-Type pricing was different because of the way the game is segmented in the Japanese Virtual Console release. I agree RPG's would be good, but Square isn't going to throw a game like Chrono Trigger on it any time soon, there's still plenty of money in a game like that >p>; Yoshi's Island I could see though coming soon.

ThorzHamer @ Jan 22nd 2007 2:38PM

you know, at first when I heard that that wii ( revolution at the time ) would have a full list of older titles to download I was pretty excited to get one; but really all you have to do is get a decent emulator and the specific rom you are looking for and WHAMO! you are playing said game on your PC.... and yes i know all of you out there will say "but I want to play on my couch". there are a ton of ways to hook up your pc to your TV... I've done it and if I want to play an older NES,SNES, or N64 game all I have to do is find the rom online and its game time.

Long Story short.... the Virtual Console is a waste of money.

Steve @ Jan 22nd 2007 2:42PM

#7 - Try changing the channel on your wireless router (you should be able to find it under "Wireless" on your router configuration screen). I had that issue until I changed the channel on my router from 6 to 11, and it's worked fine ever since. Haven't had any issues with any of my other Wifi devices as a result, either.

crono141 @ Jan 22nd 2007 2:43PM

Guillermo,

I had horrible problems connecting, and downloading once I was connected. I was pretty pissed at nintendo for a long time about it too. When I finally went to their page to troubleshoot the problems, it said that interference could be a problem and to change the channel of your wireless adaptor from 6 to 11.

It has worked flawless ever since.

On topic: Too bad I only have 700 points left. DAMN YOU NINTENDO AND YOUR PRICING!

Can we get a 50 point reduction for sega/SNES games please? That way, for 2000 points we could buy 1 nes game and 2 snes games, instead of just 2 snes games and have a 400 point remainder.

Damn.

HaloBreaker @ Jan 22nd 2007 2:48PM

Yeah you're probably right ThorzHamer It's way cheaper and easier for the typical family to buy a PC and have good oll Mom and Dad hop on the "Romz FoUrmz!" and start a bit torrent for the lasest pack of roms, then configure the Emulator to correctly for all the graphics, sound, and controller working On a PC.

Thanks for the big update on emulators and welcome back to 1991.

Kido1986 @ Jan 22nd 2007 2:50PM

Still waiting on Super Mario RPG...

adolph vega @ Jan 22nd 2007 2:52PM

11. That remainder points will go ontop when you purchase more in the future.

Also if you use your credit card you can purchase 1000 points so it doesn't have to be 2000 like the points card.

I already own LTTP on GBA so no need to buy it again. Comiczone looks very cool but not sure if I need more of those type of games when i havent' played much of the stuff i have.

religiousjedi @ Jan 22nd 2007 2:52PM

Finally, my life is complete...for now...I don't care if I have for SNES (twice because first one died), don't care if I have it for GBA, don't care if I have it for GCN (Collector's Edition). This is LttP, and it was the first Zelda game I ever played, so it deserves a spot on my Wii!

ThorzHamer @ Jan 22nd 2007 2:55PM

HaloBreaker.... actually YEAH it is pretty simple... thats my point. but most people are to lazy to do the simple leg work to get it done.... and no I wasnt referring to all little kiddies out there that need mom and dad to do it for them... cause you know.... are they really reading these comments? yeah, I didnt think so.

deaftly @ Jan 22nd 2007 2:58PM

you are a jackass if you cant use google to find roms and emulators, and even more of a jackass if you pay 10 bucks for a 10 year old game

miannone @ Jan 22nd 2007 3:02PM

@ThorzHamer - you could do that. But a lot of people prefer to get their games legally. That is unless you own the cartridge for every game you are downloading.

benjamin @ Jan 22nd 2007 3:12PM

Nintendo's VC has led me to make some interesting purchases, but probably not in a manner that'll make Nintendo happy.

Namely, it's shown me a lot of games I'd forgotten about (Comix Zone being a good recent example), but really wanted when I was younger.

I never get rid of my old consoles, of course, so that's not a problem.

So what I'll do is hop on something like half.com (where I can get a concrete price, as opposed to bidding) and seeing how much the game goes for in the market place. I can get Comix Zone for $5+3 shipping and have the actual cart, or download it for about the same price.

Since I have a ton of games to play anyway, I think I'll just buy it outright and have the physical cart, on the original hardware, this time.

Sometimes it works out in VC's favor, however. Gunstar Heroes can be pretty expensive when bought IRL.

Darkness @ Jan 22nd 2007 3:13PM

Link To the Past is a good game. I'll probably be picking this up later today when I get home from work. I'm kind of shocked that there is only one game up there currently, but hopefully they'll add more stuff later today.

Also, there's nothing wrong with paying $8 for a game on the VC. The game is well worth it and on top of that...LEGAL. Sure we can emulate and steal a copy, but for those of us who like paying for our games, it's a good way to go.

Fred T @ Jan 22nd 2007 3:18PM

Paying for VC games is lame; roms are basically free. Why would anyone pay for roms? Weirdos.

Shane West @ Jan 22nd 2007 3:18PM

Gain Ground is easily one of the best 10 genesis games. Kudos to Sega and Nintendo for giving this overlooked marvel another chance. It's just too bad they couldn't get the much prettier TG16 version instead.

ThorzHamer @ Jan 22nd 2007 3:19PM

miannone... I understand your point... but speaking as someone who is over 30 (33 actually) i have played most if not all of the currently available VC titles.... why would I pay for them AGAIN? and for that fact why SHOULD I?

FSK405K @ Jan 22nd 2007 3:23PM

religiousjedi, A Link to the Past is NOT on the Collector's edition....Zeldas 1, 2, 4, and 5, not counting Link's Awakening, are.

robh @ Jan 22nd 2007 3:24PM

To those who think Square won't release a FF game or Chrono or Mana, think of this, there are almost 4 million Wii's sold to date (or there abouts) and even if %50 of those buy the game Zelda (I assume at least %50 will cough it up) thats 16 million USD (and will grow as Wii base grows)...for a game thats already been well paid for. Its pure profit. I'm not sure even square can turn a blind eye to 'free' money. Its this kind of thing that can tip a company's quarter from good to bad and increase share value (and that in the end is most important).

Allister @ Jan 22nd 2007 3:32PM

I completely agree with Miannone (Post 18). I've only bought three VC games so far (Gunstar, TJ&E, and Mario 64) and all three I didn't previously own. I've played all of them, way back when I used to rent N64 and Genesis games. Link to the Past will probably be the first VC game I buy that I actually own the cartridge for.

Sure I have a laptop with ZSNES, Gens and other emulators on it. Sure I can eaily hook it up to my HDTV with a VGA cable. Sure I ave a great gamepad for the computer. But frankly, I like to legally own things. And given how many times I've played through LttP (And how crappy the actual SNES looks on my new TV), I can easily justify paying 8 bucks USD for it.

Andrew @ Jan 22nd 2007 3:33PM

@17 (deaftly) -- I don't know, I kinda like purchasing my games -- and other things -- legally. :/ I mean, I'll be the first to admit that I pirate on-and-off, but I've already purchased from Adobe, iTunes, and the Virtual Console. Why? Supporting the companies' endeavors -- and of course, alleviating my guilt.

If that makes me a jackass, I don't know what else can bring me down.

Zell @ Jan 22nd 2007 3:37PM

It is a bit nuts that I'm going to buy A Link to the Past again, considering I owned the original and I have the GBA version. It's one of my favorite games though and I'd been waiting for it to hit the catalog. Came sooner than I expected. Now... Super Metroid and I'd be almost complete.

JodyAnthony @ Jan 22nd 2007 3:44PM

who cares if you want to buy them on the virtual console or not? some of us are willing to, and guess what, we can do what we want with our money. sheesh.

Evorgleb @ Jan 22nd 2007 3:44PM

Ok as fans I understand why you guys may complain about only getting one game today or not having more AAA titles already available but its all about business sense.

Nintendo wants to make as much money off of the virtual console as possible. And thats why they are releasing things the way they are. They don't want to canabalize there own sales. If they had 4 AAA titles availble on the same day, they would sell less than if each title had its own week to shine. You also have to keep in mind user base. We aren't getting many VC games each week because of where the install base is. As more people own Wiis, expect to see more games released each week. I woulnt be surprised if by the end of the year we are seeing between 8 and 10 games released each week.

I work in the musc biz and we do things pretty much the same. One thing I'd do if I was nintendo is I put even more crappy games on there. just get them out the way so from now on they can just release the top tier games.

Nintendo says they want the VC to be like iTunes for video games. well they have a ways to go but they are doing it right for the most part. can't wait to see some games on there that aren't for the current five systems. thats when things will get really interesting

Code @ Jan 22nd 2007 3:46PM

Hey sure you CAN go and download an emulator and find the rom, and play a game on your PC. But real gamers aren't afraid to do the leg work to spend some money on classic games, they love it THAT much. Frankly anyone who can't shell out $8 for Zelda: A Link to the Past, doesn't deserve to be called a gamer, infact they should think about why there even posting on a gaming site >p>;

Sean @ Jan 22nd 2007 3:46PM

Piracy is always cheaper... but it's still weak.

I have no problems throwing $8 down to play LTTP again.

Vidikron @ Jan 22nd 2007 3:47PM

These games are just too expensive. LttP is close to a being a decent value, but not enough for me to pay for the game again. Yes, emulators aren't really legal, but when they offer scaling, save states, fast forward, and all the other tricks emulators can do... paying what Nintendo wants for 20 year old games with no extras is just not worth it.

They need to take the same approach as MS on the Live arcade. The classic titles on Live Aracade are scaled to HD, some have updated graphics, multiplayer games (like Gauntlet) have internet play, they have achievements added, and have online leaderboards. Sure, it may take little work to add this stuff, but it's not like Nintendo is pumping these out at a fast rate anyway. Plus, they might actually be worth the money they are asking.

Also, anyone remember when the promo videos Wii was first announced? I remember seeing one that showed some woman sitting on a couch playing the Wii. She was holding the Wiimote and everytime she would flick it upward you would here the sound of Mario jumping from SMB1. This lead me to believe that they would be adding motion sensing controls to their VC games... but this turned out to no be the case at all. Very disappointing.

I have yet to download a single VC game and don't plan to until Nintendo actually gives me a compelling reason to do so. They either need to add some value to the games or drop their prices by at least 50%.

DocEvil @ Jan 22nd 2007 3:50PM

My memories of this game as a kid are way too valuable to destroy them by playing the game today. I'm glad if you will be happy with your 800 pt. purchase(what's that, 5-10 bucks?). Frankly, I don't plan to pay anyone money to rape my childhood memories.

dantebk @ Jan 22nd 2007 3:53PM

Never played the Zelda game or Bonanza Bros. but I can say to anyone curious that Comix Zone is awesome. It's a Double Dragon-type game except you're inside comic book panels. You break through from one panel to the next, you climb panels, you fall through panels... very cool and innovative.

But hard as hell (at least it was for me way back then).

umm....hello??? @ Jan 22nd 2007 3:56PM

*yawn*

I have a SNES and this game already (which I highly recommend if you haven't played it yet). Blissful nostalgia. I'd like to see more sega/turbografx games, since I have all of Nintendo's systems already. Although it's awesome that the Wii is bc with Gamecube games, 'cuz now I can buy/play all those for cheap...and my Dreamcast emulates just about every regular NES game on one cd. sweet.

NintendoFanbot @ Jan 22nd 2007 4:04PM

ThorzHammer,

...maybe you shouldn't download VC games. For you, it's pretty easy to do whatever you want with a ROM. For one person, finding the actual cartridge was a better option. For those that don't want to hunt the cartridges, VC is mostly convenience.

Most of all though, just because you own SOME games doesn't mean everyone has.

Boo to non-productive emulators. I'd like to see some significant product of what people have learned from the alternative, mythical "homebrew" scene that everyone seems to talk about.

--------------------

I'll say it must be sweet for some guy that owns every NES cartridge in existence. Now he doesn't need to pay for VC NES games. :D

jon @ Jan 22nd 2007 4:10PM

sure you could download the rom and emulator for free... and while we're at it lets just rent games and rip them so we dont have to pay full retail... and lets just rent dvd's and rip them so we dont have to pay full retail again... and lets illegally download all of our music so its free... BUT if everyone thought like this then the entertainment industry would go down the tubes b/c they dont make any money and then no more good games come out because the companies arent making any green... personally i'd rather pay for a game (for one, im not a cheapass broke person) and support the companies/artists/studios/etc. that make good media so that there is plenty more good media in the future... i guarantee if you look at the bank accounts of anyone who steals media, it's probably pretty close to zero... i feel bad for you guys

DakranII @ Jan 22nd 2007 4:14PM

@ Vidikron

That woman in the commercial was playing Warioware: Smooth Moves. There's a mini-game where you make Mario jump by flicking the remote. It wasn't SMB on the VC that she was playing.

Vidikron @ Jan 22nd 2007 4:18PM

@ DakranII

Well... that explains it. But you can see how my hopes were raised, right? I was very disappointed to find out there were no enhancements of any kind to the VC games.

se37 @ Jan 22nd 2007 4:20PM

If you don't want to pay for the game, go ahead and play it on the system you have it on. Nintendo is trying to give everyone a break with this with there games... if you don't want it, don't pay for it. If you are still wanting it on the VC but not willing to pay for it, then sell your old game. There is more then enough people that will want to pay for a game for more or less then what Nintendo is offering.

I never agree to ROM's (unless it's something like SD3 where you can't get the game) cause they are illegal. Paying 6 bucks or even 10 bucks for a game that used to cost 50 or even if your trying to find the game which is over 100 (ie Chrono Trigger) and Nintendo is only offereing it for 8 bucks, why not. Any game company will not be stupid enough to give away a whole mess of games for free when they still own the rights to it after all these years. They are in the bussiness to make money after all...

JodyAnthony @ Jan 22nd 2007 4:24PM

"personally i'd rather pay for a game (for one, im not a cheapass broke person) and support the companies/artists/studios/etc. that make good media so that there is plenty more good media in the future..."

For one, I AM a cheapass broke person, but I would rather pay for a game and support the companies/artists/studios/etc all the same.

Have I downloaded games/movies/mp3s? of course. I would say most (if not all) of the people that come to joystiq have pirated something or other in their life, but that doesn't mean I am some how against paying for games. If I wanted to play a game like Bird Week or something like that on NES, I would download the game illegally, because frankly, it wouldn't be worth the $5 it would cost if it ever came out on the virtual console. But for just about everything that's on the VC as of this moment, they are worth the few bucks. They're just stupid old games, sure, but they are only a few dollars. People are 100% willing to spend $4.50 for a cup of coffee at starbucks, but not willing to pay $5 for the legend of zelda or super mario bros? thats just being silly.

It's a matter of convenience. Going back to the coffee thing..sure, I could buy a coffee pot and make coffee at home for a fraction of the cost of buying a cup of coffee at starbucks, or I can suck it up and pay the premium for the convenience of getting coffee on my way to work. Same with these games. I can go and download the emulators and the ROMs and play them sitting at my desk on my PC, or I can pay a measly five bucks here or eight bucks there and play them from the comfort of my couch, on my TV. Again, a matter of convenience. I would rather be able to play games quickly and easily on my tv and stop quickly and go on with my life rather than go upstairs, wait for my PC to boot, wait for the game to load up, and then sit in my desk chair for an hour or two playing the game, save my state, shut down my pc, and go back downstairs to go on with my life.

Plus, playing them on the Wii has the added bonus of having my fiance cuddled up next to me on the couch reading a book or watching me play or playing two players in Golden Axe and having her be way better at it than I am. A SNES fan and a Genesis fan, living together in harmony. awww.

Sean @ Jan 22nd 2007 4:26PM

"i mean hell you could probably find the actual cartridge for 5 dollars."

Actually... a quick look on ebay shows that the average cart is going for about $15.

Jameson McCandlish @ Jan 22nd 2007 4:28PM

The Legend of Zelda:A Link To The Past! Woot! I'm going to download it as soon as I get home since I just payed off half of my credit card!

Note to self: Call Ebgames about Classic Controller.(I have a wavebird but I hear that the Classic Controller is better for SNES games like Super Castlevania IV, which I highly recommend.)

v1cious @ Jan 22nd 2007 4:31PM

8 dollars? i could see if it was Ocarina of Time... but for an SNES game? i mean hell you could probably find the actual cartridge for 5 dollars.

v1cious @ Jan 22nd 2007 4:35PM

"Actually... a quick look on ebay shows that the average cart is going for about $15."

ever heard of pawn shops?

DakranII @ Jan 22nd 2007 4:39PM

I'm a fan of the Virtual Console. I had all Nintendo systems growing up. I kept them in great shape and had my favorite games for all of them (NES, SNES, N64). Then in college I had all three of them stolen. At this point I wasn't playing games much, but I wanted to get the systems again, so I allowed myself to spend a small amount to regain what I had had stolen. I bought on eBay, Craigslist, whatever.

I ended up with a yellowing SNES that didn't work all too well, and a random smattering of bland games that came for "free" with it, and then I picked up a few of my favorites. I got an N64 with 4 controllers, but not the original colors I had and I couldn't find all the games for reasonable prices. I got a NES with the cartridge cover missing and that required me to blow into the games and pray for them to work. And this left me with three systems, hogging all the inputs to my tv, with all the tanglement of cords, etc.

Now, I can get these games for a small fee (a few bucks more, sometimes a few bucks less than eBay, etc), download them in no time, play them in my living room on the couch on a 32" HDTV with 5 speaker surround sound. I don't have a generic third-party corded controller in my cold, isolated spare bedroom on a 15" monitor while sitting on a computer chair (I do have most of the ROMS).

It's all packaged in one neat, small console, with nary a cord to be seen. I don't have to pull a cartridge out of storage, blow in it, hope it works, hope the battery kept my saves, unwind a controller, unhook a DVD player/Wii/VCR/Home Theater to free up an input. I don't have to drag an S-video cord across my living room to hook up my laptop which outputs a very poor signal to my tv anyway and listen to it through my cheap laptop speakers.

The VC is simple, clean, affordable and works. End of story for me.

Fanboy @ Jan 22nd 2007 4:44PM

#46, are you seriously suggesting that searching pawnshop after pawnshop in an effort to luck out and find a working Zelda cartridge for $5 is somehow more convenient than just paying the extra $3 to avoid that hassle, and to have the game easily accessible from your Wii menu? If that's your angle, then this isn't a case of you having a legitimate issue with the pricing system. It's about you having some kind of weird fruitcake vendetta against the concept of the Virtual Console

DakranII @ Jan 22nd 2007 4:45PM

"ever heard of pawn shops?"

Yeah, but how many would have this game? Pawn shops are always in the seedy part of town, and if you're lucky to find one, it's probably a grungy copy and wouldn't be much cheaper than $8 (if at all) anyways. Why not spend a dollar or two more and play it right now? Why drive all over town to all the pawn shops hoping they have a copy?

mkoracer @ Jan 22nd 2007 4:46PM

RE: ROMz
If you have a regular job, you start to feel like something called "your time" is valuable. The time and effort it takes to string a controller/keyboard/mouse/video/audio cables from my computer to my living room where my TV is, or hooking up 3 ancient systems to my TV adding even more insanity to the web of wires behind it is totally worth Nintendo's price per game. It is bliss to have one little white box and a wireless controller that I can just turn on and play.

| 1 | 2 | Most Recent | Next 50 Comments