So many great Sony and Microsoft articles today, but I know most people here like Nintendo, so let me deliver you the depressing news you didn't know you were actually happy to hear today!



So, according to NintendoLife, Nintendo has decided to abandon it's ports of classic games to the 3DS virtual console. What this means is, classic gameboy games will no longer be released for the Virtual console. Any games not currently available to play will remain unavailable forever. So, it's a sad day for people who love the classics... but is it bad news for Vizzed?

Learning to look at opportunity anywhere I can, I'm willing to bet that this announcement might actually help Vizzed get a larger fan base. Think about it, people want to play these classic games. If my suspicion is true, we will get a boost in traffic! Imagine if we could offer the RGR for select emulators (Maybe the Gameboy, Gameboy Color, Gameboy Advance, and other small emulators) on the mobile device. If we could get that to happen, we would surely attract a new amount of traffic! Now, I know this isn't going to happen any time soon - but if it does it'll be big.

So, that's what's happening in the world of Nintendo. Maybe they'll come back swinging at a later date, or maybe they plan to release them for mobile devices. I remember reading that mobile devices was their new target in the upcoming years, so who knows. If you have anything on your mind about this, don't forget to let me know! Thanks for reading guys & gals!

Source: http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2015/10/nintendo_has_moved_on_from_game_boy_games_on_the_3ds_virtual_console

While, yes, it might be a boon for classic game websites such as Vizzed, it would require IMMENSE budgets to promote the classic games. Plus, is demand for such games high enough to justify their "recycling"? People younger than 25 basically grew up with the PSX and next-gen consoles; I doubt my younger cousins would be interested in "archaic" games from the Super Nintendo or the old Game Boy, even with modern graphics.

janus : For the most part, I agree with your post. However I would note that the vast majority of Vizzed's "active members" is below twenty five (probably below eighteen), and yet they all knew about these classic games and came here to play them. So there will always be an appreciation for these games, though it will become smaller as time goes by. And really many probably came looking for earlier installments in their favorite Nintendo franchises such as Mario or Metroid.

But overall, yeah, I'm sure interest in these games is a fraction of what it was back in '08 or whenever the Virtual Console launched.


Skilledtree - So it'll still be available on Wii U and "NX" then? I can understand that honestly, and I think it's high time Nintendo got out of it's kick of reselling us the same games (the literal ports, like releasing Super Mario All-Stars what, four times? Five maybe?), but I do wonder if this is the first step to the final demise of all Nintendo classics, as they've already proven that they won't tolerate people handing out free ROMs of games that they no longer sell anyway (why? Why make a piece of history die just because you aren't selling it?).

At any rate, I can't really blame Nintendo for this, as releasing these games on a new system isn't just like flipping a switch, it requires some work with the code to make it run on the new system. That means manpower, time, and money. Who knows if the 3DS' virtual console was even turning a profit anymore?

And then there's the fact that Nintendo has been having to push it's fan base into their next system each generation recently, and this could easily be them beginning the next push, getting us less attached to our current systems so we'll embrace the NX right out of the chute. Who knows? Maybe I'm just wishful thinking because I want to see the NX already.

Eirinn : I would be curious to see which games they play the most. No doubt that some will play the classics (I have read reviews from young gamers about NES games), but I have a hunch that, for many of them gaming started with Pokémon. 

It's an odd, but also an understandable choice. People aren't all that willing to pay $5 - 10.00 for games that are almost 30 years old. Get what I'm saying? The classics are amazing. But I'd really like it if they were always at lower prices. This is very strange. Especially since yesterday Nintendo sent "NX" prototype hardware out. What could it mean?!

janus : I guarantee if you set your cousins up with Donkey Kong Country or Super Mario World they'd be unable to stop playing!

Just a thought: What if they did this because they plan to start porting their classic games to iOS and Android instead of 3DS? That would actually be genius! What mobile gamer wouldn't drop $5 to play a legit Super Mario game on their phone? Some of the most popular mobile games are popular because they're blatant rip offs of Nintendo's classics (Mario Kart clones, SMB clones, Zelda clones, etc). What if we see the original Super Mario Bros. and Legend of Zelda on iOS and Android next year? That would be a mobile game strategy that I could agree with on Nintendo's part. And this is actually something that several others have been doing for years, Konami and Square Enix to name a few.

janus : Probably so, given Pokemon's popularity on here. But that's a series that'll likely have the same effect for years to come. And hardcore Nintendo fans will always know there was a first Super Mario game, and a first Mario Kart game, etc. But yes, it will fade more and more over time.

The issue here is this. Nintendo realizes that their gameboy games that they are releasing on the Virtual console are not selling/performing well. So they are going to stop taking the time to port games to the virtual shop that aren't selling.

Ultimately I think they should focus on making "3D remakes of some of their "classics" Like Sega was doing there for awhile.

I also think that the lack of Sales for Gameboy games might ultimately HURT sites like Vizzed because it's possible that these developers will try to take down their IP's that other sites like this are using because they feel it's hurting their sales. Just a thought anyways.

As Jordan stated in his last post, Nintendo ultimately started cracking down on places like Vizzed, hurting us more so than helping. They probably blame things like this site for the bad sales. It's a shame too. Now it's even harder for people to enjoy these classics that deserve to be played as much as possible. At least on the bright side, it seems as if Nintendo is more focused on the future now instead of just riding the gravy train of their past successes. I love concepts like their Virtual Console, so it's sad it had to come to an end, even if only for a single system.