Super Dodgeball (Wii) listed on the ESRB website

I'll admit that I haven't been following the Wii Virtual console releases very much over the last few months. While I do understand the appeal that the service has for gamers who do not have a rather large backlog of classic carts or are unwilling (or unable) to emulate the titles, I haven't been incredibly satisfied with the bare bones ROM dumps that we are getting for our Wii points.

This isn't to say it is a bad system by any means. The ability to play the games in their original form would be highly tempting for me if I didn't already own most of the 8bit/16bit era games that I would want to play, but even still, when I look across the aisle with Xbox Live arcade's re-releases of 'classic games' I can't help but wonder if gamers are really going to get their dollars worth while looking at a system to system comparison.

With that said, I was browsing through the ESRB website earlier tonight and stumbled across a listing that made me smile a bit. It seems that as part of the tight relationship between Arc System Works and Aksys, some of the rights to the Technos NES era games have been worked out for Virtual Console releases. While we have already seen the fruits of this relationship with the release of River City Ransom on the Wii via Aksys, I noticed that the ESRB has also recently (I think?) put up a listing for one of my favorite NES titles - Super Dodgeball.

While I do already own the NES release of the game, I'm at least happy that the Virtual Cosnole library can finally have one of its glaring holes filled. With Super Dodgeball Brawlers coming stateside later this month, this should give gamers a chance to play the original for a nice price (since Ebay listings regularly have Super Dodgeball running for around $12-$20). It does bring up one bitter point though... The lack of online play for Super Dodgeball seems to be a crying shame.

Nintendo of Japan dropping Hardware support for the Famicom

Itmedia is reporting that Nintendo of Japan is finally ceasing hardware support for the Famicom system (the Japanese equivalent of the NES) as of October 31st. With all the news of Sega finally ending support on the Dreamcast consoles this past year, it is amazing to think that Nintendo has carried on the Famicom system for this long. According to the report, Itmedia cites the company as stating that the necessary parts for repairs have become increasingly difficult to obtain.

Also mentioned in the report, Nintendo of Japan is also ending their support for the Super Nintendo (Super Famicom), Nintendo 64, Gameboy, and Gameboy Pocket lines.

There is a silver lining however (according to Nintendo). With the Wii Virtual Console allowing for downloadable releases of classic NES, SNES, and Nintendo 64 games, you'll be able to continue enjoying the games long after the original systems have died. Unfortunately, this doesn't take into account needing to buy the games a second time and also the fact that the library selection pales in comparison to the full libraries of the host systems, but we can't win all the battles, right?

Good night Famicom, you started a revolution and are to this day a solid workhorse that has inspired two generations of gamers.

Contra Force (NES) Gameplay Video

I dreaded playing this game.

When I first started this video series of 1 credit playthroughs of the Contra franchise, Contra Force was high on my list of games that I have a tendency to struggle with. It isn't because of the game's difficulty which causes problems for me. When it comes down to it, due to the 4 different characters each with their own number of multiple lives that can be switched between on the fly, the game is actually one of the easier Contra titles developed. The problem with game comes primarily from its horrible level design, iffy controls, and game breaking frame rate issues.

It's important to note that all of the hiccups, hangups, and frame rates shudders in the video above are not the result of video encoding. These problems occur 100% in game and create one of the most frustrating Contra titles to play through.

To be fair, in some ways I don't believe that Contra Force began its life as a Contra game. It reaks of a title that started development as something else but had the Contra name tacked on to help increase potential sales. I'm sure there's probably a story behind it all, but unfortunately in the late 80's, early 90's, a lot of the back information about the games were locked behind closed door secrecy more akin to the CIA than a game's development.

If it wasn't for the Contra name (and subsequent disappointment), Contra Force may be remembered with a fonder memory. It could've been simply an over-ambitious action title that just didn't quite succeed at the tail end of the NES lifetime rather than the worst Contra game released until the Playstation era.

But we'll get to this in a bit...

For those keeping tabs at home, this is the fifth video in the series thus far. Building up to the release of Contra 4 on the Nintendo DS, I'm performing 1 credit clears of the Contra series starting with Contra (Arcade) through NEO Contra on the Playstation 2. Though I may jump around in the order a bit, when Contra 4 finally hits store shelves I should have a full "history" of the Contra franchise via gameplay videos.

The next update is set to be Super Contra for the Arcades or Contra III Alien Wars for the SNES.

Konami Contra History (Gameplay Videos)
Contra (Arcade)
Super Contra (Arcade)
Contra (Famicom/NES)
Super C (NES)
Operation C (Gameboy)
Contra Force (NES)
Contra III: The Alien Wars (SNES)
Contra: The Alien Wars (Gameboy)
Contra Hard Corps (Genesis)
Contra Legacy of War (Playstation 1)
C: The Contra Adventure (Playstation 1)
Contra Advance The Alien Wars EX (Gameboy Advance)
Contra Shattered Soldier (Playstation 2)
NEO Contra (Playstation 2)

Gryzor/Contra (Famicom) Gameplay Video

Gametrailers was finally able to finish compressing another one of my videos in my Contra series playthrough. The latest game that finished uploading is Gryzor for the Famicom. Fans of the series should recognize this game as being the same as the American NES version of Contra, however, due to a policy Nintendo had with third party companies in Japan that allowed them to use custom chips there are some subtle differences.

For this game (and several other Famicom titles), Konami created a special VRC chip. Some of the more noticeable changes include background animations (notice the trees on the first stage and the Alien's Lair on the last stage), snow falling in the Ice Fields, and new opening scenes with in between level cuts for each stage. There is also a slightly extended ending featuring more animation.

Most people will recognize this and the NES version of the game as being the definitive Contra experiences. As I stated in my first post when I started these videos, my first experience with the series was with the arcade game so I have other feelings. It is however one of the best NES games of all time and should definitely be on anyones "must play" list of gaming history.

Konami Contra History (Gameplay Videos)
Contra (Arcade)
Super Contra (Arcade)
Contra (Famicom/NES)
Super C (NES)
Operation C (Gameboy)
Contra Force (NES)
Contra III: The Alien Wars (SNES)
Contra: The Alien Wars (Gameboy)
Contra Hard Corps (Genesis)
Contra Legacy of War (Playstation 1)
C: The Contra Adventure (Playstation 1)
Contra Advance The Alien Wars EX (Gameboy Advance)
Contra Shattered Soldier (Playstation 2)
NEO Contra (Playstation 2)

Punch-Out and Virtua Fighter 2 for the VC on Monday

Seeing Punch-Out!! is such a tease.

After playing Wii Boxing and seeing the new Hajime no Ippo Revolution in action, Punch-Out!!'s inclusion on the VC is just a sad reminder of Nintendo's unwillingness to provide a new Punch-Out!! game to Punch-Out!! fans. Though Wii Remote and Nunchuck controls are a bit hit and miss with some titles, the classic arcade Punch-Out!!-style seems to be a perfect match for the motion-sening capabilities of Nintendo's innovative new controller. The game basically builds itself when you think about it.

But with that said, I guess our consolation is the abilitiy to play the original NES version of Punch-Out (sans Mike Tyson), with our Wii Remote turned sideways. Perhaps one day we'll face off against a next-gen King Hippo, but until then, this will have to do...

Punch-Out!! is also joining Bonk's Revenge for the Turbo-Grafx 16 and Virtual Fighter 2 for the Sega Genesis when it comes to Virtual Console release this Monday. Bonk's Revenge is a good side scroller but lacks depth, and Virtua Fighter 2 is a sad shadow of its former self. Though you couldn't fault Sega for trying to please fans at the time by releasing VF2 on the Sega Genesis, even the system with "blast-processing" couldn't handle the game without sacrificing a ton of animations and details.

It's playable... But only if you close your eyes and pretend you are playing something else. Stick to the Saturn version if you need a copy of this game. This version isn't worth it.

Virtual Console Release for Monday
Punch-Out!! - Nintendo Entertainment System
Bonk's Revenge - Turbo-Grafx 16
Virtua Fighter 2 - Sega Genesis
*Links need to be opened in Firefox or IE7*

Galaga hits the Virtual Console (Nintendo Wii)

If there is one game that has been singly ported more places than the original Galaga arcade game, the only game that I could consider to even come close would be another Namco arcade title, Pac-Man. The original Galaga spawned an entire generation of arcade gamers, and suckered little Timmy's across the United States into plopping in one more quarter in a bizarre face off against insect hordes. Space Invaders may have been the first, but Galaga did it fiercer, quicker, and better.

With that said, one of the first home ports of Galaga was on the Nintendo Entertainment System. The game featured a near flawless arcade conversion that was dampened only by its inability to keep high scores from previous plays. Despite being ported to nearly every other console since the NES, it was only a matter of time before this port was brought over to the Wii Virtual Console for download.

As of this morning, the NES version of Galaga is now available for download for 500 Wii Points. Though you still can't save high scores, the same great Galaga gameplay is undisturbed. For some players who are used to the Halos of the world, the game may feel dated. But even then, the shining example of arcade brilliance will win you over. So what if you can't move up and down, are limited to 1 fire button, and the enemies move in patterns? As soon as the 8bit tunes and simple sound effects start up, you'll get hooked all over again.

Is it worth picking up if you already have another version of the game? Probably not. The NES version while being the first isn't necessarily the best. And considering the sheer number of collections this game has been on (including a NAMCO Museum collection for the Gamecube playable on the Wii with multiple other titles), $5 may be a bit steep. For everyone else? I would recommend it only if you cannot find the aforementioned Namco Museum Collection for the GCN. It's a good game, but other alternatives are better deal for your dollar when it comes to replaying classic Galaga.