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Let's talk Handheld VC (and exclude the Nintendo stuff)!! [roundtable]
 
Were there actually any good Game Gear games? Exclusive ones, maybe? I want to know what to look forward to on the service.

Do you guys think we'll see some of the TG-16 classics that never hit the VC, like Legendary Axe? Or just the same stuff again? With a brand-new price-tag? What are the odds that our VC purchases will carry over for identical titles? 1:1,000,000? 1:500,000?

Can NGPC be far behind, considering that the VC already has (overpriced) Neo-Geo games? Who owns the rights to the Wonderswan? Should we even care?

Will we see a Handheld VC Arcade? With 3D Vector games???

Is Nintendo going to whore out Game & Watch yet again, instead of giving us a proper collection? Will we be able to play Chef in full, meaningless 3D?

If the Handheld VC just sticks to handheld consoles, I don't think it will hold the untapped riches that the regular VC does. I think those riches might get tapped pretty gd fast, frankly.

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03/09/11, 17:54  
 
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I just hope that the popularity of the PSP in Japan has lit a fire under Nintendo's ass. Over there, more than 600 PSOne Classics have been released, and the demand is there not because of the PS3 but mostly because of the PSP's success. And the fact that they transfer over from one system to the other is a huge advantage.

I hope Nintendo sees this, and emulates it. i.e., I don't think it will happen, but it would be cool.

Just the fact that we're getting TG-16 games on the 3DS and that it's likely we'll have to pay for them again shows that Nintendo chose the wrong path already.

Then again, what goes for third party systems may not go for Nintendo's own games. I just mentioned how Sony did things with their systems, but the "carry over" thing is only for PSOne titles. Neo Geo games have started appearing on PSN, and those don't carry over, you have to buy them separately for each system. The selection isn't even the same.
03/09/11, 18:00   
By emulate it, do you mean having full VC support, rather than just handheld systems? I dunno. For some reason, I kind of like the separation of handheld and home consoles on the VC. But that reason is not rational in any way, whatsoever. Of course, it'd be nicer to have cross-platform stuff. I'm not sure it would be as easy as the PS1 cross-compatibility, though, at least for N64 stuff. That emulation seems a bit trickier and less reliable.

As far as paying for TG-16 games again, let's think it out. Who benefits from NOT paying for them again? No one, really. I mean, like you said, Sony owns the platforms, so pushing that compatibility on PS3 and PSP is kind of an extra bullet point. I'm not sure TG-16 games would be a bullet-point for anyone, and Hudson has kind of been whoring that stuff around, anyway.

So the Neo-Geo titles on PS3 don't carry over to the PSP? Do the TG-16 ones? Or do they not have any? That would answer the question, I guess.

Regardless, isn't Japan becoming increasingly meaningless, in terms of raw numbers? It seems like mostly a symbolic battleground these days.
03/09/11, 18:09   
Edited: 03/09/11, 18:10
Nah, I just meant that IF they decide to bring the current VC to the 3DS, I hope they follow Sony's example and have the stuff you bought on the Wii transfer over.

I think there are TG-16 games on PSN in Japan, I don't know if they carry over (edit - looks like they do).

As far as Japan becoming meaningless... on the handheld front? Really, Anand? Really?

edit - So yeah, there is a precedent in Japan for being able to buy PC-Engine games on one service, and download them on both a home console and a handheld. So you gotta wonder how Nintendo asking people to buy them a second time will be received, there.
03/09/11, 18:13   
Edited: 03/09/11, 18:19
I wouldn't mind seeing some of the Virtual Boy titles appear on the service... but hopefully with a bit more color

It seems like it would be anti-Nintendo to give us any sort of convenience when it comes to transferring VC titles though. It would be great to have some of our current purchases work across Wii-3DS but I'm not holding my breath.

EDIT: Sorry, I just noticed the "exclude the Nintendo stuff" part Oh well, Virtual Boy is still the only thing I can think of cause I'm not very familiar with classics from other consoles.
03/09/11, 18:14   
Edited: 03/09/11, 18:18
Actually, VB talk is fine, since it hasn't been officially announced. I'd love VB support, as well. My VB died from Battery Acid leakage! Adding color might be weird, though. Unless you could change the default monochrome and background from red and black to other stuff.

@Pandareus
So the TG-16 games in Japan DO carry over? That seems like a pretty good sign. Wouldn't Hudson be the main decider in that decision? Nintendo would probably stand to benefit more from the feature than the royalties.

I guess Japan will never become meaningless in terms of handhelds. At least, in terms of hardware and games that appeal to adults. Smartphones will probably ensure that the handhelds will never be as prominent here as they are in Japan.
03/09/11, 18:43   
Are there really any Game Gear games worth getting...and at what price?

I'm looking forward to Virtual Boy games, it's a no-brainer for the 3DS.

I think it's BS if I have to pay again to download TG-16 games I already own for Wii. Though, I'll probably still get Devil's Crush. It's worth two purchases, damn it.
03/09/11, 23:37   
Edited: 03/09/11, 23:37
To be honest, I never owned any non-Nintendo handhelds. I remember fiddling with a friend's Game Gear, but other than Sonic, I can't for the life of me remember what I played.

I do look forward to hearing the consensus on the games released for the 3DS's VC, and maybe picking up some lost gems.
03/09/11, 23:51   
Honestly, I'm not sure that Nintendo's going to put a ton of effort into the Handheld VC for one reason and one reason alone: 3D Classics

3D classics span from Gameboy to NES to Virtual Boy to N64 to everything in between. Why should I care about the library on the VC when the titles I really want, across multiple platforms, will be available in 3D?

Surely Nintendo realizes this and will focus their efforts on the 3D classics rather than the VC.
03/10/11, 00:22   
I actually did own a Game Gear (didn't own the Gameboy line until Advance game along). The best game that I played on the system was Shining Force 2: Sword of Hajya. I had no idea what the game was when I bought it, and had never played an SRPG before, and I fell in love with it. I haven't really played the Genesis titles to compare, but I would say it's worth a purchase if you're in to those games.

I also owned pretty much all the Sonic titles. Now they all blend together in my mind, but I remember having a fun time with them, they were hard though. I know some were on the Master System, but I'm not sure if they were Game Gear ports, of if the GG titles were Master System ports. I would say Triple Trouble is the best, from memory.

I also had Sonic Drift 2 which was ok for its time if you wanted a sub-par Mario Kart clone on the go.

The rest of my games were garbage though, but when you're a kid, you love each and every one of them because that's all you have. Maybe they will release some of the Japan only titles, surely there were some good ones. As for pricing, I can't see paying anywhere over $3, and that's really pushing it. $2 should be a good price
03/10/11, 00:49   
@casper884

Yeah, 3D classics could be excellent. I'm curious to see if they adapt the VB's entire library (wouldn't be too difficult to do given the size of it) as 3D classics. I'm most intrigued by this prospect as well.
03/10/11, 00:50   
@casper884 The 3D for the sprite-based games is nothing more than a gimmick, though, one that will get old fast, I believe. I don't think it will convince people to buy the VC games they have a second time.
03/10/11, 06:37   
@Pandareus

What if they did something like Four Swords Adventures? The effect wouldn't be as prominent since the original games weren't made for 3D, but I think it could work.
03/10/11, 06:43   
@Secret_Tunnel

Never played FSA, sadly, and I'm not sure what you're talking about.

Man, would be cool if someone brought that game to NYC... though my GBA is long gone.
03/10/11, 07:11   
@Pandareus

A ton of effects (explosions, shock waves) were Wind Waker-style. It gave the game a really awesome look.
03/10/11, 07:17   
Pandareus said:
@casper884 The 3D for the sprite-based games is nothing more than a gimmick, though, one that will get old fast, I believe. I don't think it will convince people to buy the VC games they have a second time.

This is so far from the truth. The 3D classics they had on display at E3 looked brilliant, and serious care and effort was poured into each title to be displayed in stereoscopic 3D. We are not talking about a simple emulator trick. Every single one of those game were properly tiled and re-designed for stereoscopic vision. I don't know who they have working on these games, but they are doing a fantastic job.
03/10/11, 07:54   
Edited: 03/10/11, 07:55
@casper884

I care about those about as much as I care about HD remakes. Call me a purist if your want, but I like my pixels chunky and my sprites on the same "elevation" as the backgrounds.

Maybe if we're talking about games that haven't appeared on VC, like Yoshi's Island or Starfox. But rebuying the ones I already own? No way. I hope Nintendo doesn't waste too much time on this.
03/10/11, 15:13   
Pandareus said:
Over there, more than 600 PSOne Classics have been released

REALLY!? Do you know how many have been released here? It doesn't seem like a whole lot.

anandxxx said:
As far as paying for TG-16 games again, let's think it out. Who benefits from NOT paying for them again? No one, really.

...consumers?
03/10/11, 16:21   
Edited: 03/10/11, 16:24
@Simbabbad
They'll likely be adding 3D to retro games that were purposefully unreleased on the Wii's Virtual Console, like Yoshi's Island and Star Fox. So we'll have no choice but to get them on the 3DS.
03/10/11, 16:28   
@Zero

Actually, maybe I misunderstood and it was more like "600 retro games, with PSOne, PC-Engine and Neo Geo games combined".

But yeah, in NA we are nowhere close to that.
03/10/11, 16:31   
@anon_mastermind Were those purposely unreleased, or was it just because they used the FX chip that wasn't part of the VC emulation?

Though it is true they are prime candidates for 3D remakes, as they actually have 3D elements. Man, the original Starfox could benefit a lot from true 3D, it was a great game at the time but it was so difficult to determine where you were in relation to other stuff.

I'm not too excited about 3D remakes of classic games though, especially if the price tag shoots up.
03/10/11, 16:37   
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