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February 20th, 2007, 20:39 Posted By: wraggster
via arsetechnica
One of the major selling points of this newest generation of consoles is the ability to buy casual and classic games and download them directly to your console. The 360 has seen success with the Live Arcade gaming service, and Nintendo is undoubtedly doing well enticing gamers into reliving their youth via the Virtual Console service on the Wii.
There's no question: gamers love it, and sales are strong. However, one surprise has nipped us a few times, and according to your e-mails, a few of you have been surprised too. As it turns out, many of these games aren't completely faithful to our memories and to the originals they represent. Most of the differences are minor, and some are even improvements. Here's a rundown of some of the bigger gotchas we've run across to date:
Mario Kart 64 (Wii Virtual Console): The $10 downloadable version of Mario Kart 64 does not let you save ghost data in the time trials. The culprit is the lack of emulation of the memory pack slot on the back on the N64 system—a problem likely to strike other Nintendo 64 games. For Mario Kart, the missing feature isn't a show stopper, but racing against your best times was an addicting and popular way to play the original on the Nintendo 64.
Kid Icarus (Wii Virtual Console): This is a classic from the original NES, and while the graphics and sound are great on the Wii, you won't be able to use the popular cheat codes from your youth. We're not sure why they were taken out. This may not matter to some, but the memories of the codes are a big part of what made this game special. Who could forget DANGER !!!!!! TERROR HORROR or PAKING PAKING PAKING PAKING? There are other codes that work, but this subtly reminds you that you're not quite playing the game you remember.
Starfox 64 (Wii Virtual Console): Many gamers remember Starfox 64 for the fact it came with the rumble pack, allowing the controller to shake and buzz along with the game. Nintendo has said that rumble won't be supported in Virtual Console games, so if you like rumble in your games Starfox 64 will be different from your memories. While only some N64 games supported rumble, it was a big part of the Starfox 64 launch, and will be missed. Starfox 64 has no announced release date yet, but it and several other rumble-originals are expected later this year.
Frogger (Xbox Live Arcade): This is a harder one to quantify, but enough people have commented on it in reviews that we feel it's worth touching on. The game play just feels off. The download features updated graphics, but even in the original graphical presentation the game has a slightly different feel from the arcade original. If you're a huge Frogger fan and grew up giving the machine quarters, you can probably get used to the change, but be aware it's not exactly the same game you remember. Deaths seem to come a little easier, upping the overall difficulty.
Contra (Xbox Live Arcade): When people think of Contra they think of the Konami code (up up down down left right left right select start) and thankfully the code works in the downloadable version of the game. The gotcha this time was the fact that the download is based on the arcade version of Contra, not the widely known and loved NES port. While this is more of a bad decision than a glitch, some players have felt ripped off when they realized this wasn't the version of the game they remember. This is why demos are important, and companies should note which version of the game they are selling.
The D-Pad (Xbox Live Arcade): While not a game, we have to comment on the Xbox 360's controller. The Wiimote is a good fit for NES games, and Nintendo sells a classic controller for other games, and even supports the GameCube controller. The 360 controller is another matter entirely: the d-pad is terribly imprecise and the analogue stick is worthless in games like Street Fighter 2. Play a game of Pac-Man at the arcade and then try the same game on a 360 controller. The frustration will be immediate. In many cases playing with original controllers is enough of a reason not to play these games via official emulation at all. There have been persistent rumors that Microsoft might release a wireless joystick to combat this. We'll see.
Close, and the cigar?
How much these differences matter to you is a matter of opinion; some are going to pick and choose what games to buy based on what is included or missing while others may never notice a difference. What's clear is that it's harder to get an authentic experience using these download services than many people originally expected. In fact, some of you take these matters quite seriously, as reader mail and forum feedback shows.
It's worth noting that with these newer downloadable systems, there's plenty of positives, too. Convenience is king, and being able to even play these games is a huge boon to many gamers who no longer have old systems and the games that go with them. The quality can be quite impressive, too. Opposable Thumbs recently reviewed a new NES clone system, and after comparing the graphical output of each one, the Wii's picture was even better than the original. It's an old cliché that you can't go home, and maybe in this case without tracking down classic systems and original carts, you'll never be able to experience the games exactly how you remember them. Depending on your point of view, that could be a plus or a minus.
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