Commodore 64 coming to European Virtual Console in 2008
by Ross Miller 
{ Feb 21st 2008 at 2:30PM }
The first two games for the shop will be Uridium and International Karate. Are these games really worth the price of an NES title? Other recent Virtual Console platform additions include the Sega Master System. No word on when C64 will find its way into non-European Wii units.
[Via VGB, NWF]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Bob @ Feb 21st 2008 2:42PM
We'll probably never see it on VC, but "Below The Root" is a timeless classic for the c64.
umm....hello??? @ Feb 21st 2008 6:33PM
yes....that game and "Wizard" by EA...AWESOME platformer...unfortunately if I remember the wikipedia remarks the licensing is likely unobtainable...
Schoon @ Feb 21st 2008 9:56PM
Even better - Fort Apocalypse.
ThornedVenom (Ludwig Defense Force) @ Feb 21st 2008 2:42PM
OMG there were consoles before the playstation??!!!!
FOXHOUND @ Feb 21st 2008 2:43PM
$5 for a Commodore64 game? ouch...
Eric @ Feb 21st 2008 3:59PM
Yeah, it seems pretty steep, but most Virtual Console games are overpriced as is. Anyways, I bet our European friends wish they could pay in dollars right now.
$5 = 3.40 Euros = 2.57 British pounds
Or maybe one can?
Roto13 @ Feb 21st 2008 4:44PM
Yeah. I don't mind $10 for a N64 game or even 800 for a SNES game, but there are only a couple of NES games I'd pay 500 points for, and there's no way I'd spend 500 points for a C64 game. Except maybe Space Taxi.
Neebs @ Feb 21st 2008 2:43PM
Can't you just say this year now?
FOXHOUND @ Feb 21st 2008 2:44PM
blah, I typed that response faster than I had checked the pricing...
5.00 EUR = 7.40777 USD
...still pretty harsh pricing for games older than a lot of peeps on Joystiq here. :\
CloudANDTidus @ Feb 21st 2008 3:01PM
For £3.75 a british person will buy anything. Fact.
FatalisticDread @ Feb 21st 2008 2:57PM
500 points for a C64 game? The "are you fucking kidding me!?!?" response is trying to push through...but I think I can control it.
makishima @ Feb 21st 2008 3:04PM
Well screw it I can't. Thats outrageous! 500 pts? Screw that, call me if they ever go to something more reasonable like 250-300. Nostalgia for some NES games and wanting a legit copy of some of your favorites is one thing, but 500 points to download a game whose size gets put to shame by a single digital camera picture? No thanks.
baby sea tuna @ Feb 21st 2008 3:18PM
Yeah, that's just obscene.
Blazur @ Feb 21st 2008 3:28PM
500 points is rediculous, especially considering the quality.
I used to program in my own C64 games back in the day, which was the equivalent of installing them. My father was subscribed to a computer magazine that had a few games in the back of each issue, which you had to input line by line as either machine language or basic.
fawazr @ Feb 21st 2008 2:57PM
This will finally give middle-aged dads everywhere the chance to show off their old-skool gaming skills on their kids' Wii.
mr mobius @ Feb 21st 2008 3:02PM
If WiiWare games are £10, I'd take 1 WiiWare over 3 C64.
These shouldn't be any more than 250 points. That is just a really stupid pricing system.
CloudANDTidus @ Feb 21st 2008 3:03PM
The real question is is whether or not it will have that authentic cassette tape quality we all know and love.
I miss my Commodore ;-;
wait in the car @ Feb 21st 2008 3:05PM
Give me Impossible Mission, Jumpman, Skyfox, and Montezuma's Revenge and I will be one happy camper.
Eric @ Feb 21st 2008 4:01PM
Give me Castle's of Dr Creep!
Co-op game play
Tons of levels
Seriously a great game.
TCW @ Feb 21st 2008 3:30PM
Great idea, mad price point. Most of C64 games ended up in the £1.99 rerelease pile and many gems started off as £1.99 budget titles. To charge nearly double that (£3.75) for a digital distribution 20 years later is daylight robbery.
Shagittarius @ Feb 21st 2008 3:32PM
heres an idea: download an c64 emulator and the entire library of c64 software for your PC for absolutely nothing.
FOXHOUND @ Feb 21st 2008 3:38PM
At least then, it's not a legal issue on most of them(if not all).
tc @ Feb 21st 2008 3:33PM
i broke out my commodore about a year ago. Was really quite amazing fun...until the whole thing died and i was left with a useless tape deck and funky keyboard.
Chris Ferguson @ Feb 21st 2008 3:42PM
...and you can't forget G.I. Joe, Skate or Die, Winter Games and Beach-Head (with its 14-minute load time)!
Onomah @ Feb 21st 2008 3:40PM
What? 500 points? For commodore 64 games?
I call shinanagens! Shinanagens I say! this is outrageous! Let the blogosphere shake with my indignation!
Gerwurztraminer @ Feb 21st 2008 3:45PM
yeeaahh... as much as I like the Virtual Console concept, this just doesn't make sense to me. But, then again, I started my gaming on the NES.
dave @ Feb 21st 2008 3:52PM
Wizard of Wor!
TerokNor @ Feb 21st 2008 4:14PM
Huh? What's with all the complaining about the 500 points when NES games cost the same? The specs of both systems are about the same (they basically use the same CPU), and both have lots of classics in their library. IK and Uridium being two of those classics, obviously.
XDragon @ Feb 21st 2008 4:15PM
The more the merrier right? But C64 at the same price as NES seems a bit off to me.
I wonder if SMS will be the same price as NES since they're a lot more comparable.
Mr.Mr. @ Feb 21st 2008 4:16PM
In that case, what about bringing over the Commodore AMIGA? I need to get my Shadow of the Beast, Blood Money and other classic Psygnosis games.
Oh, wait. Psygnosis was bought out by Sony way back.
Oh, well....
ymmv @ Feb 21st 2008 4:23PM
Psygnosis became Sony Liverpool. They were responsible for the Wipeout games among others.
Burnt Meatloaf @ Feb 21st 2008 4:32PM
Microsoft will be releasing some Amiga games.
Burnt Meatloaf @ Feb 21st 2008 4:33PM
Just accept it, folks. There is no such thing as a download for less than $5.
Mr Khan @ Feb 21st 2008 4:39PM
That's probably the long and short of it, Nintendo never planned on having VC titles be less than $5, so either they aren't able too (possible, if $5 is hard-coded as a minimum), or figured they may as well stick with it and swim in profit (more likely)
However, more VC games area always better
Keiichi @ Feb 21st 2008 5:21PM
The GameCentral Inbox Magic strikes again! URIDIUM on the Wii, baby!! Now let's get Uridium Plus, Wizball and MicroProse Soccer on there an'all...
Vidikron (FU) @ Feb 21st 2008 5:38PM
The good old C64. I remember playing a pretty cool game called Destroyer and another much simpler game called Radar Rat Race.
Keiichi @ Feb 21st 2008 7:14PM
Bearing in mind the C64 is an 8-bit machine, I have no problem with paying 500 points for one game, the same as a NES game. There are far more C64 games I want to play again than NES ones: Wizball, Que•Dex, Sanxion, Delta, Armalyte, Microprose Soccer, Hunter's Moon, Iridis Alpha, Batalyx... and the music is of a much higher quality too. Two words: Rob Hubbard.
Shame we won't see Great Giana Sisters though ;-P
rokobungi @ Feb 21st 2008 7:46PM
I had the pc version of uridium like 20 years ago thought it was kinda dull but I really liked wizball maybe they'll bring that one to the US too.. but please PLEASE make them reasonably priced I think 250-300 wii points should be about right
Keiichi @ Feb 21st 2008 7:50PM
Reasons to put C64 games on the Wii, Part 1: Jeff Minter did original games instead of endless Tempest rehashes.
500 points = ¼ of a 2000pts card = £15/4 = £3.75. Perfectly reasonable when pre-owned 3-year-old Gamecube games still go on store shelves for a full THIRTY QUID (nearly sixty bucks for the slow of maths).
rokobungi @ Feb 21st 2008 8:31PM
that said I think the nes stuff should be 300 points
I'm ok with the other console's prices except genesis.
MysticX @ Feb 22nd 2008 12:50AM
All right, I find it a bit steap to pay 500 points for NES games, but 500 points for a C64 game? No way jose.
jamesFF @ Feb 22nd 2008 1:39AM
Will you get to play reproduction version of Super Mario?
Do you realize that the C64 has half os many keys that todays computer have?
driven2sin @ Feb 25th 2008 4:56PM
after replaying Speedball II I have to agree these old great favorites don't age THAT well to be changing that much for it..
didn't Ultima come out on C64 too? but i will say two sleepers on the Amiga that WOULD be worth it was Syndicate and Hired Guns