Zelda: Ocarina of Time now available on Virtual Console
by Jared Rea 
{ Feb 26th 2007 at 3:25PM }
Talk about making everything else look bad. Nintendo officially released The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on the Wii's Virtual Console today, alongside obscure Genesis shooter Bio-Hazard Battle and the even more obscure Chew Man Fu for the TurboGrafx-16. Cashing in at 1,000 Wii Points ($10), Ocarina of Time for the Virtual Console is the original version, as last seen on your Nintendo 64. You know it, you probably love it and so we don't need to go into details. Your wallet will take care of the rest.
Bio-Hazard Battle and Chew Man Fu on the other hand ... well, we won't hold it against you if you have absolutely no clue what these games are. Bio-Hazard Battle costs 800 Wii Points and is an easily forgettable, horizontal shooter that never really did anything of particular interest aside from featuring nuclear enemy crabs. Chew Man Fu is right out of the Pengo, Kickle Cubicle mold and while more compelling than Bio-Hazard, 600 Wii Points sounds like a bit much to ask.
All three titles are currently available and causing massive damage to a Wii near you.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Jack of No Trades @ Feb 26th 2007 3:31PM
This game was this bomb back in middle school. I stayed up so late playing it everynight. I remeber daydreaming about playing it when I was in class. That beautiful gold cart. I might buy it for my girl, I think she might like it though she tends to stay 2d.
JodyAnthony @ Feb 26th 2007 3:32PM
"prices are too high!"
"I can play it for free on my PC!"
"I already have it 17 times on gamecube!"
"nintendo fanboys buy anything zelda!"
"PS3 is better!"
"at least xbox live arcade has leaderboards!"
"$10 for a game we all played with no changes? no thanks!"
etc etc
Kevout @ Feb 26th 2007 3:33PM
How exactly are the buttons for N64 games mapped on the classic controller? This game used all 6 face buttons on the N64 pad, plus the Z trigger and the R button. How does a game like this work on essentially an SNES controller?
Geo @ Feb 26th 2007 3:34PM
Jack, not that I really took your posts seriously in the first place, but I certainly won't now knowing that you were in middle school when I was in college.
J @ Feb 26th 2007 3:34PM
I bought it anyways. I just want all the zeldas on my wii. Yeah all the above is probably true but all the zeldas on one system. Thats a nice thing to have if you love the series. I also never played Ocarina so it was a good time to get this for me.
Geo @ Feb 26th 2007 3:36PM
Kevout, I believe right analog is the c buttons, and there are four buttons on the top of the classic controller.
Kevout @ Feb 26th 2007 3:41PM
So you have to push the right analog stick to shoot the slingshot? That's kind of lame,,
Jack of No Trades @ Feb 26th 2007 3:40PM
@ Geo
I'm 21 right now. Been playing for as long as I can remember. My first system was the intellvision. I'm a true veteran of gaming. Used games to escape the hardships of life.
Chris @ Feb 26th 2007 4:23PM
So can we say Zelda hits Bio-Hazard Battle's Giant nuclear Crabs weakpoint for massive damage.
I know that joke is old as hell, but you put nuclear crab in the story and thats what you get.
JodyAnthony @ Feb 26th 2007 3:48PM
I'm hoping the controls will be alright (buying the game when I get off work tonight) but I don't see why they didnt release a 6-button classic controller. Still would of worked for NES/SNES/TG16, but would of been much better for N64/Genesis (any 6-button genesis games)
mepaco @ Feb 26th 2007 3:49PM
@Kevout
It's not that bad. I've been doing this for a while on the control pad I use with my emula ... alternate method to play games on a system I don't have. The only thing I have to remember with my crappy controller is to not just let the analog stick go because it swings back in the other direction and I end up playing a nice song on my ocarina while the enemies slap me around.
psplover @ Feb 26th 2007 3:52PM
for me it wa zelda 64 ocrania of time. I at the time had a n64 and snes but hardly touched the n64 and thats when my hate for nintendo begam. Everything on it had horribly bland and blocky cartoonish 3d graphics and gameplay while the ps1 had awesome title after title of every genre, and all I played were rpgs on the snes since the n64 didnt have any of those. Anyway, when zelda came out I thought you would be able to play it in a birds eye view by having various camera options like how the screenshots showed and how in the houses it zooms, but to my dissapointment it was another mario 64 type 3d platform game but with a sword! On top of it the game only had one town and after witnessing ps1 rpgs like final fantasies with huge worlds and multiple towns and envioerments I expected zelda to evolve. And thirdly I was utterly dissapointed in it in the way you could egt stuck in the game without a single clue where you were soppsoed to go or what to do, and a bunch of cheesy fishing game mini games to top it off.
not only that but the gay little rolls link would do and the sound affects really got to me on top of the other stuff, not mentioning how easy it was to kill anything with the auto aim basically making it a buttom masher.
vidGuy @ Feb 26th 2007 3:53PM
Nice for those who haven't played it in a while, if ever. I won't be buying since I've got the GC disc with MQ. I say bring on Majora's Mask!
vidGuy @ Feb 26th 2007 3:56PM
"bland and blocky cartoonish 3d graphics and gameplay while the ps1 had awesome title after title"
Haha, yeah right. Go back and see what the PS actually looked like. If you weren't watching a FMV, you were getting pretty much the same as the N64 graphics-wise.
"On top of it the game only had one town"
BIG ? THERE. WTH are you talking about?
"without a single clue where you were soppsoed to go or what to do"
You want a BIG game that tells you exactly what to do? No thanks, oxymoron.
"buttom masher."
Once again, WTH?
thisonekidmongo @ Feb 26th 2007 3:58PM
Of all the nitpicks everyone has with the Virtual Console, why is the lack of simple button configuration (via the Home menu or otherwise) not a bigger issue? I mean, I can almost understand the lack of online play, as that would take considerably more effort to implement. But why can't I assign the C-button items in OoT to say, X, A, and Z2 if I like? Or make Super Mario World playable with a GC controller, for that matter? All I can say is, when Smash Bros 64 comes out for the VC, I damn well better be able to press one of the face buttons to jump, not the right analog.
Blue Sam @ Feb 26th 2007 4:15PM
me want Chrono Trigger
Anonymous @ Feb 26th 2007 4:05PM
Post #2 got it absolutely right. Why would we pay 10 bucks for something WE HAD ALREADY PAYED FOR ONCE, with no changes, no addons, nothing to make us interested. This goes right to the heart of the problem this generation; Nintendo has abandoned it's hardcore fans in favor of attempting to gather the support of our grandfathers and with it, their money. Nice going Nintendo, instead of making a system with awesome graphics AND motion sensitive controls, you screwed us royally. Thanks a whole lot.
JodyAnthony @ Feb 26th 2007 4:12PM
Sorry anonymous, but the only thing I had right with my comment #2 is that people would continue to make the same exact complaints over and over and over again. Of course the only people that make these complaints are the ones that don't have/want a Wii and are fanboys of other consoles, but thats neither here nor there. Anyway, thank you for being an example of the kind of people I was poking fun at.
Myke @ Feb 26th 2007 4:12PM
Anyone else getting really REALLY annoyed with Nintendo not living up to their word on 4 new VC titles every week? I look forward to the new VC releases every single Monday and last week was the first week they managed to squeeze 4 out in a long time. I love the Wii to death but to be honest, if you're not planning on dropping 4 new titles then DON'T SAY YOU WILL! If they would have come out and said 3 titles a week I'd say "Ok, that seems like enough." But once you come out and publicly state that we'll be getting 4 new (old) games a week, then you go and drop 25% of your goal on a rather consitant basis, it gets irritating after a little bit. And if anyone says that it's not Nintendo's call on what 3rd party games come out each week, then Nintendo shouldn't have speculated on the # of games per week in the first place. I'm sorry, but Nintendo is losing points with me, and that's hard to do considering I STILL own every N console that has come out.
JodyAnthony @ Feb 26th 2007 4:13PM
Also, as someone that has had a Wii since launch day, I would like to say that I in no way feel like I've been "screwed royally". Quite the opposite, in fact. I have had tremendous fun out of the system and already feel I've gotten my $250 worth by a large margin.
Zoob @ Feb 26th 2007 6:49PM
Best day of my life: The day I beat LoZ:OoT in one sitting.
This is easily my second favorite game of all time (Final Fantasy 6 is number one by far), but I will not be buying it for the VC. Why? Because I have the gamecube disk you got when you preordered Wind Waker. No need to buy it again when I can already play it on the Wii.
AirIntake @ Feb 26th 2007 4:14PM
@15 Anonymous
Please leave Joystiq. You are not allowed to hold that opinion here. I mean, I certainly don't.
JodyAnthony @ Feb 26th 2007 4:15PM
Myke, they never said they would have 4 a week. They said they would have some every monday, and that there would be 4 THAT week. Never was it stated that there would be 4 new games up every monday.
vidGuy @ Feb 26th 2007 4:18PM
@Myke,
Nintendo said 3 titles a week. Go back and read the announcement. The FIRST week had four titles, from then on 3.
@Anonymous,
Lots of us are enjoying the VC. If you don't want the games for the price of sale, don't buy them. I will if I feel the games are worth the price, as will millions of others.
Myke @ Feb 26th 2007 4:23PM
Wow, now I feel bad for being mad at my Wii, way to make me feel like an asshole guys, thanks...
=)
Ok, I'll admit when I'm wrong, but where in the hell did I get 4 a week from? I swear to god I read something about 4 EVERY week, not just the first one...I'll have to hunt down that joystiq blogger and force him to emulate an extra VC game a week just for my amusement!!!
Vidikron @ Feb 26th 2007 4:24PM
@16
Actually, I have many of those same complaints about the VC and I've had a Wii since 12 AM launch day (have visual proof if you wish).
That said... OoT is one of the few games I'd consider paying Nintendo's BS prices to get.
Silver @ Feb 26th 2007 4:38PM
Will my Wavebird controller work for the virtual OOT? Does anyone know?
TwilightKnight @ Feb 26th 2007 11:59PM
This sort of thing is for the chunk of Wii owners who haven't played this before on account of this is their first console ever or this is their first Nintendo console. Mainly because I don't see a person owning Nintendo consoles to have not played this along the line somewhere, and asking to pay for it again for these people is rather off.
Now though all of these youngins have no excuse not to play one of the best games ever made.
bounchfx @ Feb 26th 2007 4:26PM
Nintendo specifically said 10 per month.
not a certain number a week.
it's already beating the shit out of XBLA and even moreso sony's whateverthefucktheycallit. try not complaining for once, it almost feels better than complaining.
we have already what, over 80 games on the vc?
Myke @ Feb 26th 2007 4:30PM
Anyway, I'm content without the VC for the first time since launch...
Pawnshop game deals anyone??? Here's what I found in 15 minutes at a local shop/2nd hand place, all the games are complete with perfect cases and all instruction manuals which is Uber-crazy for a pawn shop.
Final Fantasy 7 (black case) - 3.99
Final Fantasy 8 (black case) - 3.99
Crono Trigger, Snes (w/box and map) - 2.99
LoZ: OoT (
Myke @ Feb 26th 2007 4:32PM
LoZ: OoT (
Myke @ Feb 26th 2007 4:37PM
Anyway, I'm content without the VC for the first time since launch...
Pawnshop game deals anyone??? Here's what I found in 15 minutes at a local shop/2nd hand place, all the games are complete with perfect cases and all instruction manuals which is Uber-crazy for a pawn shop.
Final Fantasy 7 (black case) - 3.99
Final Fantasy 8 (black case) - 3.99
Crono Trigger, Snes (w/box and map) - 2.99
LoZ: OoT (
Crono @ Feb 26th 2007 4:37PM
Myke, BUY CHRONO TRIGGER NOW
That price is unheard of.
Myke @ Feb 26th 2007 4:38PM
Thanks for cutting off 3 posts in a row joystiq, love ya, pffff, anyway, i got some great deals...
Jake @ Feb 26th 2007 4:38PM
I would recommend trying to find the Gamecube version in hard disc. It is a superior version with an extra mode and actually has physical media. And, you won't feel like the company just straight emulated the original, already profitable game and charged you for altering your flash drive with the correct arrangement of 1's and 0's.
Myke @ Feb 26th 2007 4:43PM
Jake, I get that feeling too. I put my VC games on my huge SD card just to feel like I have them ON something, rather than just floating out in virtual space. Then I started thinking, and realized that our entire hobby is "virtual" anyway, and having the game IN the Wii is just as good (and safer) than having it on a disc bumping around my DVD cases.
Grog @ Feb 26th 2007 4:57PM
Jake, I have that version (though I'll admit I haven't actually played it yet), but it's not quite so easy as that for people who don't - I saw the disc for $40 at my local EBGames just a couple days ago. Complain about the $10 price if you want, but it's a heck of a lot cheaper than buying the physical media. For that matter, I wonder how much an N64 cart goes for these days...
Sensai @ Feb 26th 2007 5:05PM
Silver, yes you can.
And I'm going to download it right now...
John Doe @ Feb 26th 2007 5:07PM
If I wanted an n64/nes/snes game, I'd get it on VC, if only because those goddamn cartridges are so annoying.
Sensai @ Feb 26th 2007 5:10PM
And 23, you made me spit Mountain Dew that was so funny.
samfish @ Feb 26th 2007 5:13PM
"I would recommend trying to find the Gamecube version in hard disc. It is a superior version with an extra mode and actually has physical media."
I'd always heard the Gamecube version was buggy as all Hell, though?
Also,
"I put my VC games on my huge SD card just to feel like I have them ON something, rather than just floating out in virtual space."
You can do that??? I thought you had to keep them on the flash memory.
...perhaps it's time samfish finally shelled out for an SD card..
Anyway, I'll be buying it. I have it for the N64, but it looks terrible on my TV.
If not today then by the end of the week, surely. Although I've still got to beat Mario World, DKC and a LttP before I move on to something else...that's in addition to all the GC games I've picked up on the cheap lately.
mr mobius @ Feb 26th 2007 5:15PM
i've just ordered broadband (i know, how old school having dial up but ah well) so hopefully i'll find the correct equipment to get wireless wii internet (broadband is just ordinary modem so if some1 could direct me to where to get good equipment to get the wii online it'd help).
i'd go for something i don't have yet but i got OoT on gamecube disc so i'll be content to not buy OoT this time. MM would be nice though since don't have it and never played it.
maybe with this nintendo is trying to enrage a whole new generation of user with the water temple (and bring back bad memories for some people).
Archmagination2002 @ Feb 26th 2007 5:34PM
Is anybody else having problems with Nintendo's servers right now.. The Everybody Votes channel said they were having trouble with the Connect24 servers and also I keep on getting errors on the WiiWare channel too.
vidGuy @ Feb 26th 2007 6:05PM
I checked it today: OoT on the GC is $39.99 at GameStop. Having it on a physical media isn't worth the $30 difference. Plus, Nintendo has already said that you will be allowed to redownload all your VC games for free if your Wii craps out and you need a new one.
vidGuy @ Feb 26th 2007 6:06PM
@samfish,
You can put VC games on the SD card for storage but I think you have to have them on internal memory to play them.
Shop around for SD. If you look you can find 1GB cards for around $10 - $15.
Jacob @ Feb 26th 2007 6:35PM
If you want to trade friend codes with other zelda lovers hit up:
http://www.wiipals.net
Tom @ Feb 26th 2007 7:01PM
Does anyone know if the rumble works when using the Gamecube controller?
Dooder @ Feb 26th 2007 7:21PM
Once more Nintendo, we already have this game. You have sold us this game 4 times. How about some N64 love on something that didn't come with my Gamecube or with Windwaker?
jman @ Feb 26th 2007 7:44PM
I am so sick and tired of ppl complaining about nintendos vc games...there overpriced, that game sucks, ect....are ppl these daysa so stripped for cash they refuse paying at the most 10$ for a good game and it's not like nintendo is forcing u to buy games or even bother looking at them so if u dont like...who cares get over it..just stop repating the same complaint over and over again..at least come up with something new...
rodents @ Feb 26th 2007 8:24PM
I'm with jman, I am kind of irritated with all this harp on the games that are coming out for the VC. I myself am kind of poor, and I rather not commit myself to pirating so if I had myself a Wii $10 bucks for a game I've been told many times is wonderful and great I'd be all over that in notime. (I have though, rented it before back when n64 was the main nintendo console, and have to say it was great fun)
No new additions, no new this or that.. is it supposed to have additions? I figured the whole point of the VC was to showcase OLD games and play them in their true glory.
Yes it came out 4 times before, but why not get your cash out of it if it was a huge hit, plus what if someone didn't have the other 4 systems? It's a perfect opportunity to play this game.
I don't know really.. those are my few cents..
as for what I'm curious about, does the rumble work? I've heard it asked before but yes I would like to know.. the game was way more fun with the stone of agony.