Virtual Console videos let you at least see the game

by Alexander Sliwinski { May 6th 2007 at 4:42PM }

One of the rightful complaints about the Wii's Virtual Console is the inability to demo games. A pretty shady practice to say the least given that XBLA lets you demo pretty much anything. Oh well, now you can at least see the game before you buy it. Nintendo has a website up now which shows a 30-second clip (technically 25, minus 5 seconds for the ESRB rating) of each VC title.

Gamers who weren't around the first time these titles came out can at least see what they look like -- although it's still a poor substitute for a demo. Also, a 30-second clip of Zelda doesn't really give the title the oomph it deserves and some of the clips chosen just seem like awkward choices. Sure, they aren't demos, but at least they're something.

[Via WiiFanboy]

Tags: demo, videos, virtualconsole, wii

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Ian Von Porter @ May 6th 2007 5:03PM

For CHRIST's sake.. if you want to preview these VC games.. just go here:

http://everyvideogame.com/

After you discover that most VC games are sh!t, go donate that money to something worthwhile.

Bill nye @ May 6th 2007 5:12PM

There are some technical limitations to allowing someone to simply demo the game. What Nintendo could do is give you like a minute of play time before purchase so you could try it but that would probably require you to download the whole game costing Nintendo money in bandwidth so my guess is they just aren't willing to put down that kind of cash.

elmer @ May 6th 2007 5:29PM

I don't see why everyone thinks they've afforded some kind of right to demo everything. Sure there are trailers for movies and soundbites for music, but it's not like there's a demo machine running every game out in game stores. It's not like a bike shop lets you try it out for a week before you decide not to buy it. It's not like you can toast a few pieces of toast on your brand new toaster before you put down the money.

Think about some of the play implications.
An intro seq for FFVII might be a fair demo that gives a player a real taster of the goodies that await them, but the first level of the original donkey kong is so representative of the whole game that players may play that forever and not purchase. This applies for a lot of the early games, particularly the ones that didn't have battery backup, where the mechanics could be played and experienced in a short sitting.

Bluecup @ May 6th 2007 5:38PM

Grrr, the videos don't work on the Wii's internet channel. That's good thinking!

syco @ May 6th 2007 5:40PM

The only VC game I bought that I hadn't played before is Gunstar Heroes. I don't really see why this is a problem.

AndrewNeo @ May 6th 2007 5:40PM

How would they really do a demo, except for a time limitation? Most VC games are just ROMs they stick in an emulator.. to make demos out of these they'd have to recompile the games from source.

rom @ May 6th 2007 5:45PM

Well you can code in a time limit on the emulator itself. That's pretty much what I thought they would do for the VC games. I think videos are a pretty lousy way to demo things... but that's just me.

Liraco @ May 6th 2007 5:47PM

I saw a couple and thought they were neat, but they can do much better than what they've done in 30 seconds. Sure it can be hard to summarize a game, but at least SHOW what other stuff you can do. Most demos seem to be played by someone who was just handed the game for the first time.

Don't believe me? Check out the Bonk video where the manin character... DOESN'T bonk anyone and dies.

While no replacement for a demo, these videos should be made with more care as they can make or break the deal.

mushiking @ May 6th 2007 5:53PM

i think we all knew coming. people were all "AWESOME! i haven't played this game in years!", and then they buy it and realized just how badly the game has aged. Nintendo seriously needs to put some original content on the virtual console.

Slaziman @ May 6th 2007 6:00PM

And they should totally work on Wii Internet.

tcc3 @ May 6th 2007 6:02PM

I take it you guys are mad as hell? Are you not going to take it any more?

stonexavier @ May 6th 2007 6:09PM

Hey number three, were not talking about toasters. How about we take an unbiased look for a second. Were talking about game demos, which the competition lets you download. The problem is though, on Xbox, you need a Live account. And besides a few select games, I guess this is all you're doing on PS3.

rom @ May 6th 2007 6:32PM

"The problem is though, on Xbox, you need a Live account."

How is this a problem? I have never had a gold account (Silver all the way!), yet I can still download everything the Golds get like demos, videos, etc.. Maybe I just misunderstood what you meant.

Diskoboy @ May 6th 2007 6:35PM

Yay!!

Network = fucking great movie.

Shadow @ May 6th 2007 7:11PM

This is what I was expecting from the Wii Shop Channel ever since the E3 in which we learned of the Virtual Console. Of course I was always thinking the videos would be on the actual Shop Channel itself, but this is a step in the right direction.

Shadow @ May 6th 2007 7:14PM

Haha, I just saw Bonk's Adventure. They did tell the player that he wasn't playing Super Mario Bros., right? He kept trying to jump on the enemies, and didn't learn after the first few times that it wasn't working.

Patrick @ May 6th 2007 7:15PM

@12, lets look at something more a home. The games we by (software) is much like that of softwarte on pcs and macs. Now you can do a trial of pc sogtware so why not have demos of games?

JodyAnthony @ May 6th 2007 7:43PM

"waaaahhh! waah waahh waaaahhhhh! ugooaaahhhh!"
-every joystiq commenter ever.

Chris @ May 6th 2007 8:08PM

"18. 'waaaahhh! waah waahh waaaahhhhh! ugooaaahhhh!'
-every joystiq commenter ever."
...He says, in his comment on joystiq.

adam @ May 6th 2007 8:52PM

"..He says, in his comment on joystiq."

It's almost like he's crying about the joystiq criers.

Either way, I really don't see how you can spin the lack of demos as a positive thing.

I guess it is our fault for having expectations.

So what if every other company can do it, and it's been around since the days of shareware.

God forbid we cut into nintendo's "profits".

You know, all the "profits" nintendo lovers love to boast about.
So what if the gamecube (and from the looks of it, wii) had piss poor third party support, atleast nintendo made a profit off of us.
You have to support them for that (while slamming ms and sony).
We should just accept whatever it is nintendo gives us and be grateful that we get to play mario for 20+ years.

adam @ May 6th 2007 8:54PM

""waaaahhh! waah waahh waaaahhhhh! ugooaaahhhh!"
-every joystiq commenter ever.

Posted at 7:43PM on May 6th 2007 by JodyAnthony"

Irony at its finest.

Grog @ May 6th 2007 9:15PM

"So what if every other company can do it, and it's been around since the days of shareware."

I'm not too familiar with PS3, I guess. Do they have demos out for each of their 3+ online releases a week? Wait, they don't have that whole thing going yet? Oh...

I will say that I admire MS's ability to get demos out. Ideally, I think Nintendo should do at least as good of a job. Being perfectly honest with myself, however, I wonder if that would actually help their sales. Most people who buy VC games are bound to be the type of hardcore fans that A) owned the game in its original format B) wished they owned the game in its original format or C) could look up reviews online. Is a random casual Wii owner going to buy Legend of the Mystic Ninja because of a demo? Probably not. Of course, they might also decide not to buy it after playing the first level or two of the demo - that might be enough to sate their retro needs.

So yes, I wish they had demos. I'm not sure it would make me buy more, but it would be gratifying to me. Then again, your "since shareware" comment isn't really worthwhile: other than MS, consoles do not have a history of providing free demos.

Scumdog @ May 6th 2007 9:31PM

Boo fucking hoo.

Cutriss @ May 6th 2007 9:33PM

'"waaaahhh! waah waahh waaaahhhhh! ugooaaahhhh!"
-every joystiq commenter ever.'

"waaaahhh! waah waahh waaaahhhhh! ugooaaahhhh!"
-Every Joystiq article about the Wii ever.

Seriously, you guys on the one hand say that the VC only appeals to people who have already played these games, and then on the other hand, lambaste Nintendo for not providing demos for people so that they know what the game is like. Pick a side and stick with it already. It's bad enough having to ignore all your lefthanded jabs about Wiinjuries and "intentional shortages" and "waggle controls" and whatnot...

As for how to do demos, I'm thinking "PlayChoice 10".

adam @ May 6th 2007 9:52PM

"I'm not too familiar with PS3, I guess. Do they have demos out for each of their 3+ online releases a week? Wait, they don't have that whole thing going yet? Oh..."

Do you always answer your own questions?

I could have sworn that the ps3 does have demos. As far as the 3+ releases a week go, I think you have sony and nintendo confused. While sony may not release 3 roms a week (of 10-20 year old games) they do have demos.

Maybe if nintendo put the time into their releases, instead of just dumping roms every week, they could have demos.
But no, instead nintendo takes the lazy route (like always, contribute nothing but charge a high price), and dumps roms every week with absolutely no contribution.
And people like you eat it up, and defend nintendo like they can do no wrong.

I mean, how hard would it be to atleast add leaderboards? If emulators can add free multiplayer and leaderboards (you know, people who that kind of stuff for fun and ask for nothing in return), why can't nintendo?

Thats alright, eventually owners will become fatigued, and stop purchasing VC games as much (like there has already been evidence of).

"Being perfectly honest with myself, however, I wonder if that would actually help their sales."

Stop worrying about nintendo's sales, and start worrying about what us gamers want. Every game released on the virtual console has pretty much paid for itself. Sure, in the beginning people will eat up VC games. But in a year or so, once the nostalgia has worn off, people will be much more selective about their purchases.

You know, there are games that you think sound cool, or you heard some good things about. But after you download it, you realize that it hasn't aged well, and was pretty much driven on nostalgia. People will only tolerate this for so long, before becoming turned off altogether, or only purchasing games that they know for sure are great (ie, a select few).

It's like that saying goes.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

"Then again, your "since shareware" comment isn't really worthwhile: other than MS, consoles do not have a history of providing free demos."

Consoles or pc, free demos is not a new concept. It's been done on the pc, and it's being done on the consoles (360, and ps3). Just because nintendo is slow to adopt (like always), doesn't mean we shouldn't expect any less.
Quit making excuses for nintendo, and start holding them to the same expectations/standards that we hold sony and microsoft too.

If sony or microsoft was asking $10 for a arcade game you have never played before, and had no way to try it, they would ripped apart.
But since it's nintendo, it's ok.

Ian Von Porter @ May 6th 2007 10:02PM

The reason for no VC demos is simple: a lot of old games just SUCK or did not age very well. But, they can (and do) sell on nostalgia alone .. so, why risk putting a demo out? NintenBots will eat them up every week and come here to toot how great the VC is.

idioteraser @ May 6th 2007 10:27PM

"Most demos seem to be played by someone who was just handed the game for the first time."

Ever watch the IGN or Gamespot videos? Same crap there. Someone wastes ten minutes looking around and just jumping back and forth. These are the same people that rate the games btw.

Seriously they have reviews of these games you can look up. Why does anyone need to demo? Oh right so they don't have to buy the game. Ever wonder why a lot of people bitch about xbox hard drive space because 99% of it is demos to games they have no intention of buying because they have the demo.

Not having a demo is often a far smarter move. Seen far more bad demos that ruined a good games sales then a demo that increased the sales of a game.

NintendoFanbot @ May 6th 2007 10:58PM

ADAM:

"What gamers want"

Gamers don't know what they want. That's the simple truth. "Gamers" want Nintendo to support Mature-themed titles, but Eternal Darkness, Metroid Prime, Geist, and etc. are at the bottom of their sales.

People want a realistic Zelda (like Twilight Princess), it becomes too generic, unlike Wind Waker (which was too unlike Ocarina) . People want Nintendo to localize their JP-only games, but games like Elite Beat Agents don't sell as well.

What's Nintendo to do?

"Consoles or pc, free demos is not a new concept. It's been done on the pc, and it's being done on the consoles (360, and ps3). Just because nintendo is slow to adopt (like always), doesn't mean we shouldn't expect any less."

PS3 and 360 are PCs in console skin. The Wii is a videogame console, plain and simple.

To be honest I think the twisting of the definitions of words like 'nostalgia' towards a negative connotation on Nintendo's games and Nintendo itself is the only way you guys can take a swipe at Nintendo's experience with the industry. They've had their successes and their mistakes but mistakes are a key aspect of learning as well (maybe Sony will pick something up this generation). ;)

"But since it's nintendo, it's ok."
Well, something had to get Nintendo this far, didn't it?

*points to the VC selection*

Lemme guess what you'll say next:

If it isn't the Nintenbots buying their 'aged games' for $60-70 back in the day it was 'greedy Nintendo's' profit-hoarding.

You don't want to play these aged formulas but you want tacked-on elements like Leaderboards that had no bearing on the original game. You tell them, dawg.

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

IAN VAN PORTER, you try too hard, and you're simply not funny.

adam @ May 6th 2007 11:01PM

"Ever watch the IGN or Gamespot videos? Same crap there. Someone wastes ten minutes looking around and just jumping back and forth. These are the same people that rate the games btw.

Seriously they have reviews of these games you can look up. Why does anyone need to demo?"

Seriously, did you look at what you were typing?
On the one hand, you were bashing the people who make the videos of the games. Who you incidentally say they are the same people who review the games.

On the other hand, you say who needs demos, as long as you read the reviews?

So pretty much, the people who rate the games are morons, but at the same time, we should decide what games to buy based on their reviews?

I guess your left hand doesn't know what your right hand is typing.

adam @ May 6th 2007 11:41PM

Alright fanbot,

"Gamers don't know what they want."

Oh really.
I am pretty sure gamers know whether or not they want demos. It's a pretty cut and dry situation here. I've never really heard anyone complaining about having to play a free demo. If you can prove otherwise, be my guest.

"People want a realistic Zelda (like Twilight Princess), it becomes too generic, unlike Wind Waker (which was too unlike Ocarina) . People want Nintendo to localize their JP-only games, but games like Elite Beat Agents don't sell as well."

We were talking about Virtual Console demos. Bringing all that other irrelevant shit about twilight princess, ocarina of time, and elite beat agents, doesn't have anything to do with the topic at hand.
Please stay on topic.
That is, virtual console demos.

"PS3 and 360 are PCs in console skin. The Wii is a videogame console, plain and simple."

I'm sorry, but you're wrong.

Can I purchase pc (or mac) software, and install it on the 360 or ps3?
Can I type up a paper on word, with my 360 or ps3, and print it up on my networked canon printer?
Can I make a powerpoint presentation for my juvenile delinquency class on my 360, and present it to the class (which I have to do on thursday)?

Because If I can't do any of those things on a 360 ps3, it's not a pc.

"To be honest I think the twisting of the definitions of words like 'nostalgia' towards a negative connotation on Nintendo's games and Nintendo itself is the only way you guys can take a swipe at Nintendo's experience with the industry."

Let me be honest with you junior.
The only person I see here twisting things, is you. Telling me that gamers don't know what they want is bullshit.
Every gamer (and if you weren't, you wouldn't be here) who posts here, on a message board, has a blog, etc, or is capable of thinking for themself, knows what they like/want.
When people (notice the plural) complain about the lack of demos for the virtual console, that means
THEY WANT DEMOS.

I'm no stranger to nostalgia. I'm 24 years old, and grew up on a NES and SNES.
I had three Super Mario Brothers, four Mega Mans, Contra, Bubble Bobble, Rad Racer, Gauntlet, Sector Z, Mike Tysons Punch Out, The Legend of Zelda, Links Adventure, Track and Field, 1942, Master Blaster, Double Dragon 1&2, Battle Toads, all the TMNT games, and a bunch of others that I can't remember at this point in time.

With all the money my family and I have given to nintendo, I could have bought a new Hyundai Accent. Not that I'd want to, but you get my point.

Fact of the matter is, Nintendo has contributed significantly to the video games industry, and I'm not denying that. All I'm saying is that, it would not be hard for nintendo to implement SOME form of demo for the virtual console games.
Every gamer would benefit from this, plain and simple.

"Lemme guess what you'll say next..."

Please don't try and speak for me.

If there is one thing I can not stand, it's people who act like they know what I am going to say, and try to say it for me.

I don't try to speak for you, so don't attempt to speak for me. I am perfectly capable of thinking, speaking, and typing for myself.
I don't need your help.

Ken @ May 6th 2007 11:48PM

@JodyAnthony

I agree with you. That's how it sounds anymore. Hardly any intelligent conversations going on here. It's one step closer to GameFAQs message boards. :(

It's more like:

"BITCH BITCH BITCH!!!! COMPLAIN!!! whineCOMPLAIN!!"
-90% of all Wii threads. (Hell even 10% of non-Wii threads, that somehow turn into a Wii hating extravaganza)

NappyHeadedHo @ May 6th 2007 11:49PM

I love the Wiitards making excuses for no demos.

VC is basically a place to buy all the games you used to own so Nintendo can make money off of you twice and I have no problem with that but to say that people are asking for too much when they want demos is absurd.

How about people try downloading the ROMs and use those as demos? Oh, wait.

Ken @ May 6th 2007 11:53PM

adam

I think you should be working on your juvenile delinquency class; instead of typing an essay in the joystiq comments section... about something you don't like... that won't change.

You could be doing something better with your time. Like... growing pubic hair.

Ken @ May 6th 2007 11:54PM

@NappyHeadedHo

Oh wait... they're illegal. Isn't that what you were going to say?

Quit being a douchebag.

"wii-tards". Wow. So original. You must be the next Dane Cook!

Lord Chako @ May 7th 2007 12:03AM

"Because If I can't do any of those things on a 360 ps3, it's not a pc."

Replace any, with all. I really do wish we could edit our posts.
That and I used the wrong email account. I meant to use my Lord Chako.

Lord Chako @ May 7th 2007 12:10AM

"Hardly any intelligent conversations going on here. It's one step closer to GameFAQs message boards. :("

"You could be doing something better with your time. Like... growing pubic hair."

Hypocrite.

idioteraser @ May 7th 2007 1:27AM

The vc is not ROM dumps that shit needs to stop. The vc games are actually bug tested, and guess what they can be updated. N64 games run better on the vc then on the N64.

You also have a frigging manual with the game and guess what if you actually played a vc game you would know that you get a pause on the game that stays on even if you turn off the console.

No they are not rom dumps period. Stop saying crap like that. They are bug tested, rated by the esrb or other rating boards, heck they are the frigging original source code. Not some ROM third parties like Square-Enix said they couldn't put Chrono Trigger on the VC since they lost the source code. Nintendo commented they couldn't put some things on the vc because the source code no longer existed.

Btw I am speaking of vc reviews that are existed long before IGN or any of the modern game reviewers did that have tarnished the industry.

Nintendo won't do vc demos because they would have to devote resources to create vc demos and due to Nintendo's quality standards that would take forever. They will not do time demos since that would cut down on bandwidth.

Also the games are impulse priced. It's a frigging cheesburger, fries and a coke. At least a vc game you don't crap out hours later.

Burnt Meatloaf @ May 7th 2007 2:02AM

*Bill Nye: "There are some technical limitations to allowing someone to simply demo the game."

So? If Nintendo wants to make money, they should earn it. Hell, we'll just dump ROMs online and make profit for free! Why bother putting in any effort at all?

The problem, of course, is that people are buying games without demos. Nintendo is a business, and they're not going to do a damn thing if they don't have to.

Funny how people say demos aren't a problem because they've played all these games before, while at the same time, they praise the addition of TurboGraphX games because a lot of people never had the opportunity to play them before.

Nintendo puts the absolute minimum of effort into everything, and all they get is glowing praise. I don't get it.

Jerrison Chang @ May 7th 2007 3:22AM

Does 25 seconds enough for everyone?
http://ilovewii.blogspot.com/

NappyHeadedHo @ May 7th 2007 4:28AM

Incest is also illegal but that didn't seem to stop your parents from having you.

Slaziman @ May 7th 2007 7:54AM

Hey guys, there are reviews on the internet :O! SHOCKING!!!

Guess what guys, must of these games are ass, and if there were demos for them it would probably cost more bandwidth than it would give profit, so these games would not be put there at all, which would be a damn pity to those who want the games regardless of them being ass, because they played them as kids or enjoy a challenge.

Cheez-It @ May 7th 2007 8:02AM

Some of you people are absolutely retarded.

1.) The VC Titles* did not *magically* appear. One or more people had to load everything on to whatever they use to distribute the titles. People cost MONEY. Even if they automated the solution, the people figuring out how to aumomate cost MONEY.

*This includes the brief instructions, descriptions, screenshots, controller information, etc.

2.) Distribution is not free. There are two possibilities here: Firstly, Nintendo could outsource. That means paying another company a good deal of money for a reliable, vast quantity of bandwidth. Secondly, if the VC distribution architecture is based at Nintendo, that means paying for the pipe, paying for redundancy, paying for the networking infrastructure, paying for a data center etc. etc. Whichever solution they choose, it costs MONEY.

Does it cost as much as developing a game from scratch? Of course not. But don't be a fucking naive little wanker and pretend like Nintendo is attaining pure profit from these VC titles. The margins are probably decent, but...

Finally, we have this little concept known as demand. I'd say far less than 5% of Wii owners give a shit about demos. Perhaps

Almack64 @ May 7th 2007 10:09AM

Just to be honest with you guys. Chances are if Nintendo were to put demoes of the games, most of those games I probably would not buy after demoing them. That's just the truth of the matter. I wish the rest of you would be honest with yourselves too.

Now that doesn't mean I wouldn't like to be able to play the game over and over for free. All that means is that Nintendo is smart enough not to do it. I'm not defending them for their actions, I'm just saying that there are reasons. They may be greedy but they are not idiots.

I'm just tired of people saying it's a laziness issue, if you really think that you really don't have much business sense, I'm sorry.

The thing people forget is that MS is investing (loosing) tons of money to build up the new Xbox brand and also to boost popularity of the Microsoft name as a whole. For many years there has been an underground hatred of things Microsoft but they are trying to use the popularity of the xbox brand and the idea of games for windows, and things like the zune (which isn't working) to remove some of those negative thoughts. And its costing them a lot of money to do it, but their highups feel its worth it.

Its just different for Nintendo, they already have their brand identity. Right now they are just trying to make more money.