Critical Hit | Nintendo Wii U Virtual Console: Retro Heaven or Archaic Hell?

Jorge Ba-oh, Editor & Founder

 
Having to pay for these upgrades if you've already shelled out £5/£10 on these titles on the Wii is a disappointing move. There is of course business logic behind the decision - upgrades and re-releasing costs time and resources, but for those who did pay full price for the original Wii Virtual Console release; a Wii U upgrade should be free of charge. That said, upgrading is optional and you can still play the game through the Nintendo Wii Mode to avoid making the jump.
 
The bigger drawback about the Wii U Virtual Console, for PAL gamers, is the decision to start releasing games in 50Hz - a move that fizzled out on the Nintendo 3DS but by the looks of things, may well return on the Wii U. With this in mind, we're petitioning for change, hoping Nintendo will at least give players the option to download the 60Hz version instead.
 
So far a good start for Nintendo and the Wii U Virtual Console, something that will hopefully be addressed when the service rolls out in full this spring.

Adam Riley, Operations Director

The only reason for having to part with money is if the '3D Classics' route was taken, perhaps sprucing up the sprites to look better when viewed in HD format. Currently, the whole idea seems ludicrous and something that only people with money to burn will take up. Personally, switching to Wii mode to access the Virtual Console collection is preferable.
 
On a positive note, however, the trial service to encourage people to dip into the past is intriguing, although Brits get burned in the conversion rate in order to stick to the '30' theme! Still, 30p for Super Metroid? Yes please! Hopefully there is a strong response to this particular scheme so that Nintendo decides to do regular sales on a wide variety of titles further down the line.
 
Lastly, the addition of Game Boy Advance games to the ever-burgeoning format list was pleasing to see, but what about other systems? Where are GameCube, Dreamcast, Saturn, Lynx, WonderSwan, NeoGeo Portable, and so on? Come on Nintendo; try to not hold out on too much, please!
 

Shane Jury, Feature Writer

From what we know at this point, one select Virtual Console title with be uploaded each month and set at 30 pence for the remainder of that month, which even with unfortunate picture setbacks, is a bargain worth going for. With luck, Nintendo have learnt that regular sales drive purchases and store visits more so than otherwise, and implement regular discounts in the future (though probably not this low in hindsight).  
 
We also know that there will be a slight charge when upgrading from already-owned Wii Virtual Console games to the new Wii U Virtual Console version which sounds like sheer profiteering except when taking in account the game-restructuring needed to enable Off-TV Play, customizable control and an entire dedicated Miiverse community. Even without this, the games are still playable through Nintendo Wii Mode so there isn't an absolute need to upgrade should you not want to pay that bit extra.
 

One thing to consider at this point is that for the Wii U Virtual Console's full launch there will undoubtedly be a higher number of games added to the service at once; whether they'll just be updated versions of titles already on the Wii Virtual Console or not is anyone's guess, although it would be safe to assume that they would fall under the three confirmed formats of NES, Super NES and Game Boy Advance software. It is odd to see Game Boy Advance support for a home console before a handheld (minus the Ambassador titles of course), but it is by no means unwelcome.
 
I was slightly disappointed that there were no mention of Nintendo GameCube-era support for the Virtual Console, though something like that might be best left for an E3 reveal anyway, and in the case of the recently revealed HD remake of the The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, GameCube remakes and upgraded ports might be what Nintendo is considering to pad out Wii U retail releases. Their comment about knowing the small install base of the GameCube leads me to believe they will give special focus on that machine's library even if it ends up just being stuck on Virtual Console.
 

Az Elias, Deputy Editor / Database Manager

Another matter that has me very disappointed is charging those that bought VC games on Wii to download them on Wii U. Yes, I understand that they will come with the benefit of being playable on the GamePad and will support Miiverse features, but I don't agree that it is fair that people must pay again, whether that is a discounted price or not. I know some people have downloaded an awful lot of Wii VC games and it would still cost a hefty chunk to repurchase them on Wii U. To squeeze even more money out of fans that were looking forward to playing their VC games on the GamePad is cruel. Of course, Off-TV Play in itself is a very enticing feature, and I'm sure a lot of old-school classics are going to look great on the small screen.
 
In light of the NES' 30th anniversary, the 30p/$0.30/30 Yen offers on select games are very welcome. However, I'd like to see discounts much more often, and indeed a regular stream of additions to the Virtual Console catalogue. Nintendo has a terrific history of games at its disposal, and really didn't push the VC service on Wii as much as I would have liked, with it sadly being forgotten about over time. I really want to see Nintendo adding a good consistency of games, hopefully with some more interesting touches such as online play or one player playing on the GamePad whilst a second player competes on the TV. I was particularly happy to see the Game Boy Advance listed; obviously the GamePad means portable games fit the Wii U VC service very well, but it also allows us to play such games on the big screen, too, acting like the GameCube's Game Boy Player.

 
Speaking of the GameCube, clearly one of the big announcements of the Nintendo Direct was a remake of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. Since no mention of GameCube games coming to the Wii U VC has ever been officially confirmed, this makes me think remakes and enhanced ports might be the way Nintendo chooses to go. It would mean a lot less potential GameCube games arriving on Wii U in some form, surely, but it leaves us to ponder just which games have the best chance of receiving such upgrades. I do feel that in the case of The Wind Waker, this will prove to be a good decision to fill in the gap before the next true Wii U Zelda arrives. At least fans will have something to tie them over until then.