Aside from Final Fantasy and Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana is one of Square's most highly regarded games. While it's not readily apparent, the game is actually a sequel to Final Fantasy Adventure on the Game Boy (Which secretly really isn't a Final Fantasy game). It's not a standard RPG like most Square games - Instead it's an Action RPG. This means there's no actual "battles" (You just attack your opponent on the overworld). Another unusual thing is that you can play the game with 2 or 3 players! Of course everything else you normally expect in RPGs is still there - Spells, items, experience, stats and more. Secret of Mana was followed by lots of sequels - It's still going strong today.
Street Fighter II: Special Champion Edition is yet another version of Capcom's Street Fighter II. This is basically just Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting for the Genesis/Mega Drive with some minor changes - Unless you really like the slightly different control, graphics or music, this is pretty pointless.
Nintendo seems to be stepping up their game in the USA! What wonders will await next week? On WiiWare today, you can download two excellent games as well - The already highly-acclaimed World of Goo and the second in the Art Style series, Art Style: Cubello.
Comments 171
what a great update
wow first post today is my lucky day....
secret of mana is my favourite snes rpg ever. i must download it when it comes here in the u.k. later this week. EDIT: Damn, you Andy! I almost had the first post!
If it comes here this week, NoE might not want it to conflict with Mario Golf
Awesome week for the US!
or it could be an extra special awesome week with these two games and Mario Golf too. i must get some wii points soon in anticipation! whoo! so excited!
awesome we been getting some really good games lately hope they continue
Now this update makes me smile
!!!!!!!!!!!!
What a surprise!
Can we have Earthbound next week Nintendo? PLEASE?!?!
Hudson must be fuming now. Are Gradius 2 and Digital champ boxing ever, ever going to come out.
Apart from that. One phrase comes to mind and that is. Wallet am cry. 1500(World of Goo)+600(Cubello)+800=2900
What a brilliant week..though i'm in Europe with a UK Wii so can't technically buy any of those...or can I?
Nintendork,
There is no chance of Earthbound being release next week. According to Hudson's vc website, Digital Boxing and Gradius II: Gofer no Yabou will be released next week.
evermore>mana
2 great games, but I will not downloading them. I own both of them.
Secret of Mana is one of the greatest action rpg games that I ever played.
Wow, Secret of Mana! I rented it back when I had my SNES but I never really got a chance to really play it. Unfortunately, SMRPG was my first role playing game so I was probably expecting the graphics to be a little better. Of course, now that I'm grown I have the ability to separate graphics from gameplay so I might just give this classic another shot.
This week for you guys is well worth it just for Secret Of Mana. Can we have that game pritty please NOE?
Oh and i guess you guys are getting Gradius II next week.
Awesome news for the yankees!!!! Congrats guys, secret of mana has been desired for ages!!
Is this just the standard MD version of street fighter II or is this yet another new installment of the same old stuff?!
I think Mana is better than even Zelda. It truly is a dream to play to the very end.
Holy Crap!!! I thought they were going to make the U.S. wait for at least 6 months to bring Mana over here, if at all! This is without a doubt my favorite action RPG of all time, even more so than Link to the Past!
@ Nintendork
I don't know why but I have a feeling that EarthBound will be released around December. I think NOA is holding on too EarthBound because they wan't too have a big holiday release. And what better vc game than EarthBound? lol
@ 7th lutz
Don't trust Hudson's vc site. Only NOA knows what games will be released.
@ 7th Iutz
They was delayed once [see, Camelot Week], it could happen again.
I guess wer getting all these great VC games at the moment because there are no big Wii releses right now? Hey, Im not complaining!
That was fast - you guys got Secret of Mana faster than expected
Surely it won't be long until us Europeans/Australians get it too; emulated it, enjoyed it and I want to experience it all over again without the strain of using a keyboard all the time.
I hate Final Fantasy. I think it's the most overestimeted thing in the business. But Secret of Mana pick my curiosity.
Yay! It's my birthday today, and this is an excellent present for myself! I was hoping for EarthWorm Jim, but Hell, I didn't even EXPECT Mana so soon
"Secret" is still the best of the series translated officially into English. I picked up "Sword" a few years ago thinking it would be similar but I just didn't like it.
I was thinking Earthworm Jim would be a shoe-in for this week's VC update but hey I'll take Secret of Mana anyday. VC updates have been going great in US for a while now. I hope it stays that way.
Now I have to purchase this game and World of Goo. Another 2000 point card down the drain. =P
OMG OMG OMG!!
Secret of freakin' Mana!!!
What a surprise!
Heh, after getting WoG, SoM, and this week's Art Style game, I'll only have 100 points left. Ah well, it's worth it.
Hopes that Seiken Densetsu 3 will come out on the VC even though it needs to be translated & it could take a while.
@ Bass XO
secret of mana is a great game but better than zelda i would have 2 disagree
@ Bass XO: I actually liked Sword of Mana. And the one on the PSX wasn't too bad either. I haven't cared for the DS iterations... And I've never played Dawn of Mana for PS2... Now, better than Zelda? Nahhh...
lol @ SF II Genesis; Prepared to be over looked. Fail
@ marktheshark there was an unofficial fan translation of the game. Will that version appear on VC? Who knows.
YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!
I didn't think SoM would be out so soon.
"Unless you really like the slightly different control, graphics or music, this is pretty pointless." FINALLY! A reviewer gladly point it out the obvious! The reason is to wait the final version of this kind of game but is like he says:"Unless you really like the slightly different control, graphics or music, this is pretty pointless."
I LOVED the multiplayer aspect of Secret of Mana back in the day. This is a definite download! Yay!
@Steven#12
I agree with you but I think you should add a '>everything in the entire universe' to the end of your equation. Those two games are without equal.
I came to the site to see what was released, and was floored by the unexpected awesome! I didn't expect another Squenix game for another month at least! Now I KNOW they've finally gotten serious with their VC releases! Gotta go buy a points card now...
@ marktheshark there was an unofficial fan translation of the game. Will that version appear on VC? Who knows.
The fan translation can't appear on the VC since the people who did it probably can't be contacted (it was nearly a decade ago so I imagine most have moved on) and if Nintendo (or anyone) puts it up it counts as copyright theft and you get a messy court case and counter case of each party accusing each other of doing what the other is (the translators have no legal to impliment the translation into the game and Nintendo have no legal right to steal this implimented translation).
As for a new translation. The VC just doesn't sell enough to make it worthwhile*. It's weird that Nintendo love to randomly tinker with thier ROMs (the VC version of Super Mairo RPG has more transparent special effects and a darker moleville to name just one game) but when it comes to useful changes like a translation they won't bulge...
-[50''000($8-X%-Y%)]-Z=Not nearly as much money as you get for release yet another Mario game so why bother putting the effort in?
X is Nintendos cut for the service (said to be between 30 and 40%) and Square-Enix as it's their game.
Y is for anything else not covered. I'm guessing making the manual is part of Nintendos cut and emulator development is handled by Nintendo so is part of Nintendos costs; not Square-Enix cost.
Z is the cost of the translation. 1 translator if they work at Ted Woolsey standards will take a month (thats how long he had to do FFVI, had to revise it several times due to length), a programmer to get it working though its not real programing so its hard to find someone and a testing team make sure the whole thing works.
Didn´t see that one coming! Congratulations, yankees!
Best virtual console day ever.
Help! I only have 2000 wii points, and world of goo looks awesome. I've played a few of the mana games, and they never really got past 'mediocre' in my eyes, but I heard this one was the best. What do I do!?
Awwwww yeeeeaahhhh!!! It's Mana Time!
<--Is seriously thinking about skipping the rest of his classes today.
I got so excited I actually started looking for the download link on this page...it's probably part excitement and part sleep deprivation...
All right, give me some Earthbound and I'll be all set!
Wow, Secret of Mana? That's a shock. Like literally, I'm pretty speechless.
@saki
buy more wii points
OMG... My favourite SNES game is actually here! Hurray! Hraey! Hurrah! Thanks Square! How appropriate for me to thank them for a wonderful treat on Thanksgiving Day!
Will have to get both WW games as well. Big week! Happy Thanksgiving!
This is ridiculously good news. Happy Columbus Day, denizens of Virtual Console America.
PS: Europe, I have a sad suspicion that you guys will be missing out on Mana or Mario Golf for a week or two, since we don't have Earthworm Jim yet. It sounds like the perfect set-up for a trade-off catch-up week later on. Hope I'm wrong, but...
Saki, the recent Mana games are indeed mediocre and none of them properly capture the true spirit of the original. Secret of Mana is still the best game in the series and you shouldn't really let your bad experience with the recent games put you off downloading this. Even though I speak through nostalgia, I do always enjoy starting a new game - it never gets old, and I'm sure someone who never played it before will soon come to love it as much as we nostalgics do. It doesn't have a strong storyline like the Final Fantasy games do however, what story there is only serves as a light way to explain your path during the game. Unlike many recent RPGs, the story never gets in the way of the action and even through you won't be playing just to see more of the story unfold, you'll keep playing to see more areas, to get your characters stronger and just because its a wonderful game to play. Its even better with more people if you have them but when I was playing with a friend many years ago he kept hogging the sprite because it had the best magic.
Secret of Mana? What a pleasant surprise! Instant download for me.
Wow! I never expected this game to come out so soon. With Mario RPG and most other SNES games, I thought it'd be at least two months before we got this one. Still have to finish Mario RPG but I'll be getting Secret of Mana as soon as I do. ]
As for Street Fighter, I already downloaded Turbo so I don't see any reason to pick this inferior version up. I just can't believe how much better the VC has gotten sinse the summer of suck ended.
i just hope that it doesnt take us a long time to get earthworm jim i really wanna play that game again
They've finally figured out how to offload something like SF II Mega Drive without pissing everyone off.
Hudson must be fuming now. Are Gradius 2 and Digital champ boxing ever, ever going to come out.
I wouldnt think theyre mad since when they updated their website on Friday they reconfirmed those games for the 20th and not today.
Damn you america!! xD
I really want this to come to europe. It was released in europe on the SNES right?
yes it was. mrlopez.
@Rapadash6
yea ever since aug 4 with that whole mix up we been getting some really good games for the vc just hope they continue
this is a really pleasent surpise!!! can't wait to download SoM as i never had the chance to play it back then, the VC is starting to shape up again after that terrible summer!!
This is so cool. I never had a SNES growing up, so I'm definitely going to download this right away! I'm so glad the "summer drought" is over and we're getting so many great games on a weekly basis once again.
I was planning on downloading Mario Golf if nothing good came out today... I'm pretty sure Secret of Mana is classified as "good!" haha (Is Mario Golf worth getting though?)
Wow Great update USA!
Now please bring them to europe please ;_;
Wow. Bass X0 saying this is better than alttp?!? Going to have to have a crack at this one then!
Secret of Mana is truly one of the best games I have played in my life. I still hear the OST from time to time, takes me back to simpler times. I hope this one gets to Europe fast.
Holy.... o.o
Congrats America! Now, let Europe gets its hands on SOM soon too.
Secret of Mana is the highest on my wishlist of possible VC releases, so once this comes out in Europe I simply must download it - even if it means moving yet again something else to a SD card.
YOU LUCKY BUGGERS!!!! Me want secret of Mana. Hope it comes to Europe on Friday.
I wouldnt think theyre mad since when they updated their website on Friday they reconfirmed those games for the 20th and not today.
I didn't know about the Friday switch but thats been three dates for the things...
WHOA! Never saw that one coming this soon... And it's holiday here in Canada! Yay!
rushes to his Wii
@whalleywhat
Hah, yeah. I didn't even notice that the SF title was on the MegaDrive. That's pretty funny. (and slick on Nintendo's part) Another MD title to add to the list, yet it slides by without offending folks, thanks to SoM.
/edit/
-I enjoyed SoM more than any Zelda game. Between the weapon level-ups, game setting & world, and 3-player possibilities, it's a slam dunk title.timp - both games are great but there's no clear winner. zelda beats mana in terms of puzzles but mana beats zelda in terms of combat.
in zelda, you'll be using your sword most of the time and you only get three or four levels. in mana you get eight weapons and they get stronger the more you use them; some weapons are more fun to use than others (the javelin and bow needs your accuracy) but since you'll want to build all eight up you'll be using a variety of weapons throughout. the same goes for magic - the more magic you use, the stronger and more effective it becomes.
as for puzzles in mana, there are none, not really. there are no pushing blocks or anything. just straight forward fighting.
Well done NOA!, nice to see good games coming out this week, I may DL Secret of Mana in the future, there is a World of Goo I must purchase first and a long wait to get wiipoints.
I've never played SoM before & to be honest almost nothing SquareEnix had ever made after the merger has truly struck my interest... (Save for Kingdom Harts)
Leaving me a little hesitant to bother looking into the post merger games that I missed the first time around...
I had what I would now consider the horrible misfortune of playing Chrono Trigger as my first JRPG, making pretty much any JRPG that came before it (And most that came after it up until the later days of the Dreamcast) look & feel like utter garbage by comparison... (Save for Earthbound, But that's more or less because of it's radical departure from most JRPG's in overall style & presentation)
So even though I'm reading massive praise left & right I still need to ask... Where exactly does SoM stand next to a game like CT or the few of comparable quality?...
If it REALLY is that good I might give it a shot, But that's a vary tall order to fill for me unfortunately...
As for SF2SCE well... Meh... Others have already said just about all there really is about that one...
It's easy the most inferior looking port of the game without question on a 16bit console...
Even its sound quality it lacking to the point of WTFniss in regard to it's release now... (Why not just make a Wiiware update of SSF2T at this point for crying out loud?)
But that said, This does give me some hope that we might get to see the PCengine port of SF2 eventually... (Which actually does retain value after all these years for it's unique sound if nothing else)
@Surgical Precision: You can't really compare Secret of Mana to Chrono Trigger. SoM is an action-RPG with relatively little in the way of a story (but like Bass XO said, it doesn't matter because the game's so fun), and Chrono Trigger is an AMAZING game with top-notch ATB battles and an unrivaled time-traveling story. I'm not even sure I'd say that people who like Chrono should automatically like Mana. But Mana's still great because the battle system is fun (if simple), and the music is superb (for a SNES game, anyway). And how disappointed can you really be on 800 points? Just give it whirl, I doubt you'll be disappointed.
I forgot Canada had a different Thanksgiving than America...works out great for you guys, huh? I guess Nintendo's saying "Happy Columbus Day" to us? Fat lotta sense that makes, but whatever...
I'm definitely downloading SoM in a few minutes, though. Just bought my points card.
And to anyone asking if you should download this game, the answer is YES! Even if you have to not download something else, or move/delete something to make room, or if you didn't like other entries in the series (neither do I, but I still love this game), just make sure you download it! It's the most worthwhile just Square (Mario RPG doesn't count in this equation) game on VC yet, and encouragement for the likes of Secret of Evermore would be greatly appreciated!
@Surgical Precision
Well first off SoM is not a post merger game, it's pure Square. Some people were originally put off by its "childish" look, but I think it was part of its charm, much like LoZ:ALTTP. Colourful graphics and EXCELLENT multiplayer make it a must get. It was one of the few games to make you want to get a Multitap.
It is really a great game, but don't expect a CT or FF type RPG, it is more of a hack n' slash type of game and while the comparison to Zelda isn't really exact, SoM does have more in common with Zelda than with traditional Square RPGs.
Holy ever loving crap! Secret of mana? Omg omg omg! I'm squirting all over myself here!
I am happy to Street Fighter 2 SCE. I don't feel its pointless. This one is for the Genesis fanboys
Rushes off to read Secret of Mana review, followed by getting some Wii Points
Stuffgamer thanks for your input...
I'm not to sure about a JRPG without a real story though, as that element is kinda a key motivator for me... (Even in games like LoZ-LttP)
But if the combat really does make up for it... Well... You're right... 800 points won't break any limbs...
Edit:
@Kultist... Oh... Um... I was under the impression that the term "post" ment it came before something...?
My bad I guess... Sorry...
At any rate thanks for your feedback as well!
Some much for the drought of AAA VC releases... We really have been treated to some great games lately.
Woohoo!! I haven't actually played Secret of Mana before!
Happy Thanksgiving fellow Canadians!!
This update caught me completely by suprise! DLing Secret of Mana right away! I loved it's prequel, FF Adventure! I'm not even paying any mind to the completely redundant Street Fighter port!
Only 2 more days, and I can finally get my hands on some more Wii Points!
@The people mentioning the summer months. What summer months?
@Max Plastic. Happy birthday!
@Nintendork. I highly doubt we'll get Earthbound next week, or the week after that. I smell a December/January release. E-Bound is a BFD after all, and Christmas would be perfect timing for it.
Edit: I didn't know Canada celebrated thanksgiving now. I always thought they celebrated it the same time we did.
Edit 2: @Mr. Lopez. You got ANOTHER avatar!? For god's sake man pick something and sitck with it! Every time I see you you've got a new one!
Secret of Mana being released definately made my week! Now i can finally box up my old snes b/c this was the only game i'd go back occasionaly to play. This game is well worth it's asking price. I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I had over the years.
@Surgical Precision. "post" means coming AFTER something, "pre" means coming BEFORE something.
I've noticed a lot of old posters are coming back this week.
If we can get Kirby's Dreamland 3 within the next 4 weeks, my day will officially have been made!
@Mr. Cheez
Ah! ok... I'll make a note to remember that from now on...
And OMG I know!... I just can't get enough of the pink god of death!
Also, this is a nice update because Nintendo didn't fall back into the 2 games one week, 1 the next pattern again like I feared they were going to. Looks like they just want a solid 8 titles a month and that's why they broke up some of the weeks in the 5 monday September we just had. Obviously we will likely (finally) get the two TG16 imports next week and the following week I predict that we'll get Earthworm Jim and Castlevania III as a little Holloween treat.
Congrats. Fingers crossed for Friday.
Where's Earthworm Jim?
But Secrete of Mana is a good release.
OMG Yes... Perfect vc game to get for the Canadian holiday!!!
Off to play some Mana....
Oh yeah, it's Monday again. Well, I could care less about either of these games. I already have Street Fighter, and I never really liked Secrets of Mana. Oh well.
Edit: Wait, World of Goo is out? Now that really brightens up my day! This is an awesome week!
Uninteresting (to me).
To me this is an amazing week for the virtual console because I get a new RPG
SWEET USA got surprised with a great game awesome i cant wait to play SoM
I can't wait to try out secret of mana. With the next dlc for mega man 9 next week I'll need to wait to know if I have enough points left monday. I'm close to getting low on points and am waiting for my next paycheck.
Long time reader, first time poster.
I forgot who it was, but a few months ago some one here posted about how they had emailed NoA about their displeasure with the quality and variety of virtual console releases. I'd like to thank them for the inspiration.
I took it to queue and wrote them my own letter of dissatisfaction, and I imagine quite a few others did too. Perhaps it’s coincidental but there really have been some great releases since a few weeks after that.
So did anyone else go as far as to contact NoA and tell them to give us the goods?
p.s. interestingly their responding email was snide and boisterous.
So TG16 games next week, and the last Monday in October is probably Castlevania 3 and Earthworm Jim.
@Rapadash6: I agree with ya.
Did anyone play Sword of Mana for GBA? I thought it was pretty good. Mildly challenging.
What a great week.
I'll download Secret of Mana after World of Goo.
Edit 2: @Mr. Lopez. You got ANOTHER avatar!?
You think that's cool?
I have a new name!
Sorry to be a spoilsport, but I second the notion that Evermore > Mana. If only it had the obvious inclusion of 2P control over the dog... An updated version with this feature would rock my world, but I don't know if I can cross my fingers that long.
Still, Mana was quite fun because of the multiplayer aspect despite being another generic fantasy adventure. RPG fans with at least 2 friends should give it a look.
I think SoM and NBA Jam were the only reasons I owned a SNES 4-player adapter.
In other news, I never played Secret of Evermore.
So now Secret of Mana is on VC it's safe to assume it's not getting a remake in the near future
Hey guys, I went to walmart to get a new points card and at the end of the aisle they were clearing out the points card that was sold with the classic controller cover. That pink/blue/green plastic looking thing. Well they said that they were not selling well since people did not want to cover so all walmarts were told to clearance them.
They only had pink left at my store...my friends gave me a bad time about that...but they were 2000 point cards for $15. Just thought I would let everyone know. I went to another walmart in the area and they had just sold out of them, said someone bought most of them when they went on sale that morning.
I needed more points for this great update.
I would gladly buy those points off people with my paypal account Tragickingdom for my American Wii! That's incredibly cheap
Sorry I am going to use all the ones I was able to buy...I do have some extra pink controller covers...lol. Maybe someone else can find some extra's at thier walmart to sell to you.
Good luck....and do they not have walmarts where you live? they seem to be on every corner over here.
Already have it for SNES but can't resist getting it again on the Wii! It was the title that introduced me to the RPG genre and for that I owe a debt of gratitude to this game.
It seems like the VC and Wii Ware releases are getting much better after the harsh words gamers had for Nintendo after E3.
But latley they have done much better in my book!
yay!
No thanks, already have a full plate of games.
Awesome week, my fav version of Street Fighter 2 is now on the VC, I already have Street Fighter 2 and Super Street Fighter 2 on the VC, I will get SF2 CE whenever I get some points, I didn't download SF2 Turbo but I will get the Genesis version.
@7th Lutz - Haven't you learned not to trust Hudson? It's not their fault; it's usually Nintendo's, but don't trust Hudson's site.
I'm hoping for some Castlevania love by the end of the month to tag along Order of Ecclesia.
All the Street Fighters are getting really redundant.... I know they were everywhere when I was little, but there many other cross-platform games in the past and we usually get just one version of it. I know there are a couple of exceptions with Street Fighter II being the biggest one. Seriously what is this, the 4th version of pretty much the same game? I downloaded World Warriors when it first came out and although I think this Genesis version or Turbo Hyper-Fighting are the best, I can't see it being worth shelling out 8 bucks just for faster moves. This starts to make me wonder if the catalogue of games will start expanding to include the ports of games for other consoles, like maybe we'll see the SNES version of Earthworm Jim on the VC someday? Just a thought....
On another note, Secret of Mana has always been a game that interested me since I was little, but I never played it. I always considered renting it, but I'd always end up getting something else. I might give it a download.... but I'm out of channels... and I should probably finish playing Super Mario RPG or Mega Man 9. And I also really want to download World of Goo, but deammn! 1,500 points?! I bet it's worth it though... I'll get it plus an NES game with my next Wii Points card... hopefully something good comes out on the NES next week... and I think I'm just rambling now... this is a really long post, I'm just going to stop typing. Now.
but I'm out of channels...
How in the world did you run out of channels before memory?
@AlexSays
Probably a LOT of NES games.
i want secret of mana.... snif
Wow Secret of Mana! Getting it as soon as I finish studying! Excellent updates NoA has been giving us. They finally decided to start thinkg about what games to release and what not to release.
@ 7th Lutz- Don't go by Hudson's site. Those two games were supposed to be released two weeks ago.
@ Max Plastic: Happy Birthday!
@ Mr. Cheez: What summer months? Did those ever exist?
@Alexsays. "You think that's cool? I have a new name!"
And you suddenly moved to America?
Also, x.Supermario.x already took your new name.
@Clayfrd. Nah, I think it's more Hudson's fault than Nintendo's. They always announce their games without Nintendo's authorization, and so they're never released the day they're supposed to. They really need to stop doing that.
@ Conral: If anything I would expect Castlevania Dracula X: Rondo of Blood to come out before Casylevania III: Dracula's Curse comes out.
@ Mr. Cheez: AlexSays is x.Supermario.x.
I managed to grab a real copy of Secret of Mana (Boxed and complete) for the small price of £1.50 bout 2 years ago. Cash Converters really have no idea about games it would seem.
For what it's worth, for the doubters—I think Secret of Mana is a better game than Chrono Trigger, a better game than Final Fantasy VI, even a better game than Final Fantasy IV (barely). It's a better game than Link to the Past. It's a much better game than Secret of Evermore. Tons of light-hearted fun, fun to play, fantastic music. 10x more fun if you have 1-2 other people to play with.
@rodoubleb
What's the best way to contact NoA? I'd love to (a loathesome evil grin has just stretched across my face). I'd definitely love to give NoA my thoughts...
@alex says
If you download NES games only its possible to fill up all the channels
Secret of Mana.
I don't think my heart is supposed to miss that many beats.
@ Jogurt the Yogurt: Yeah, see. I'm a big Secret of Mana fan. I've played it when it first came out, years after it came out, and it will surely be played now. That's how much I adored the game, but I never compared it to another beloved of mine, Link to the Past. Not because I don't want to, but because they are total different games — genre and world wise. Both are amazing in their own.
Clayfrd-
This is the form they specify to use for general comments.
http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/webform.jsp
I was impressed I got an actual unique response, and not just an automated 'Thanks for your comments, Nintendo cares about what you think' line.
@Clayfrd
I already know that posting orginally. Next week has a better chance of tg-16 games being release then the week after that.
Both of know us it is not very likely that tg-16 games will be release Oct. 27th.
October 27th should have Holloween themed game releases like Castlevania 3.
@MrPoo6321: " I downloaded World Warriors when it first came out and although I think this Genesis version or Turbo Hyper-Fighting are the best, I can't see it being worth shelling out 8 bucks just for faster moves."
Well, you also get new moves and the ability to play as the bosses. Seriously, it's worth it.
Well, I'll echo the others: what a week. Mondays are getting exciting again.
OMG!!... we got Secret of Mana and Street Fighter 2 CE.. this is a great week for the US and im gonna go and buy Secret of Mana and World of Goo in a few mins.. this is cool!!
@ Jogurt the Yogurt: totally agree.
It's a lot more fun shouting at the person next to you telling them where to go, instead of just at the screen!
You lucky yanks
After the disappointing update last week in Europe, I expect these games and more in this VC update, and a decent WiiWare update following. You're on the brink of my wrath, Nintendo...
OMG everyone download it, NOW NOW NOW!!!.
(Everyone on this region anyway xP)
Secret of Mana was a great game to play with my brother... but we got stuck about 2/3 of the way through and never managed to finish it sadly. The cart on my shelf still probably has our save on it (if the battery hasn't died!).
if you never played secret of mana before now, what is your impression of it?
@ Loooca — I know Link to the Past stands on its own. I was merely explaining Mana's high quality in relation to games that had been invoked throughout the course of discussions here already, especially for the sake of people who have played those games and not Mana. Basic point: Mana is a champion among SNES games, not to be missed.
Well, they are only different really in that one's from Nintendo the other from Square. I don't think they are different genres - just that the way for improving your abilities is different. and neither do i think they are different world wise. just that mana has very few puzzles whereas Zelda throws up puzzles every step of the way. both are good games. i just prefer mana.
Oh god, will you please sort out the storage solution problem Nintendo!
What's so difficult, you release a HD people buy it, you get money.
People have more space for more games, you get more money!
Where's the downside.
I want Mana but probably won't have space for it when it arrives in Blighty
Alright, SoM has been purchased. I still had the SNES and cart back at my parents' house, in a box I never organized when moving out, but I don't know if it still works. It probably does, but more importantly, I don't feel like having multiple systems plugged in everywhere. There was no resisting Secret of Mana... I knew I'd cave sooner or later, so I just went ahead and bought it. No time to start it yet, but it's next on my list after DQIV on the DS.
Anyone else surprised at how few blocks the game takes up?
Wow. This appeared fast. Wasn't it only recently announced for a VC release in Japan?!
Hopefully we'll get it relatively soon. Not too soon though, as I can't afford it, =P
Re: Seiken Densetsu 3.
If it ever gets translated into English then I'd expect it to be on the DS not on VC. Square seem happy to translate their full price RPGs into English but just don't expect a VC release.
Anyone else surprised at how few blocks the game takes up?
Nintendo are compressing VC games now (Super Mario RPG is roughly 8 blocks smaller than it would have been without). Secret of Mana being a fairly early SNES title was'nt too large to start with as well.
How in the world did you run out of channels before memory?
In the VC oinly days if you avoided N64 games it was very doable (especilly if you only got say NES and TG16 games). Nowerdays with nearly everyone putting out 300 block WiiWare its not the case any more
@Jogurt the Yogurt: I totally agree with you, especially with the people who played the recent Mana games (I don't think I need to tell you what a big disappointment they are), who'd think that this is just another one f them — wrong, people This is the best RPG you can find on the Super Nintendo.
@ Bass X0: Nah, it's just that I started off with the Zelda series back then before discovering Mana, so they seem like different worlds to me. And @ Seiken Densetsu 3: So true. SquareEnix is ALLLL about the re-makes and prequels, they wouldn't want to release it for the VC, not at all.
Until Seiken Densetsu 2 was announced for VC in Japan, I had long been wondering why they were ignoring that particular game since they openly shunned the Virtual Console and instead were remaking and porting their popular games for the DS. I am happy that they finally decided to give it to us on VC but I'd have bought it on DS if thats how they gave it to us.
I do have a novel idea for poor old Hudson. Post what games are coming out for each month, but avoid putting actual dates on the VCR site until Nintendo actually releases them.
Anyway this is a good month in VC land and we still might get Gradius 2 and Castlevania 3
I have noticed since september the comments on this site have been much more positive then when we were getting 1 neo-geo game a week.
I downloaded and played Secret of Mana last night. Woooo! Eight bucks for such an awesome game? No question, a must buy! Now I just have to make time to play it to completion.
I can name various characters...I can switch which character leads my party on the fly...THREE player co-op in an RPG!...Equipping a different weapon actually makes a visual difference. I know this all sounds trivial, but for the time was freakin' awesome! Still is.
OH, and I forgot to mention, it's so small (filesize)! I was going to start the download and go get a drink, but I didn't have time. I stayed because I was surprised it was downloading so quickly. I guess I'm used to the WiiWare download times now...
@ Tony hopefully you guys will get Gradius II next week (unless the site changes again). Besides it has to come out this month for you guys.
The file size is fairly small, I was amazed.
And, look! It already made it to the Most Popular downloads list ;D
In the good old days when I had a SNES I wanted to buy Secret of Mana and knowing that its been released in the USA is good news. I like street Fighter 2 the Mega Drive version is good, brings back good memories. I'm hoping that the UK gets these great games soon, this Friday (17 October) would be nice but maybe we could get an exclusive?
I'm expecting a good week for Europe tomorrow night. Secret of Mana is my main priority but after that, I hope we get three or four games regardless of quality. we need to catch up to the americans more and this two VC games a fortnight plan they have is really slow and tedious.
Im honestly just not ready for secret of mana to be released in Europe yet. I still have to DL shining force II, bloody well cant get anything done with all these games.
where is everyone? nobody else seems to be posting here.
probably all playing secret of mana on their wii than talking about it here.
Geez settle down bass... you're like a kid on christmas eve wanting to open his present early!
@Bass XO (comment #146): YOU guys need to catch up with US? Come on dude, we STILL don't have Super Mario Picross! Maybe I'm the only guy here who's mad about that, but COME ON! It's been out on the European VC for over a YEAR!
Not saying I don't like the stuff we've been getting lately (especially SMRPG and Mana), but I just had to say this since you're talking about "catching up." Seriously, though, why DON'T we have that game yet? Anybody want to venture a guess?
Just for the record, I counted it up and Europe is waiting for 28 games that USA has already, while USA is waiting for 22 games Europe has already (and 5 or 6 of those would be commodore 64)
Stuffgamer, I think its because there's a Picross game on the DS.
Also, for any of you who are enjoying Secret of Mana, you can also play a fan-translated version of the sequel, Seiken Desnsetsu 3. I was lucky enough to find a guy who sold me a custom cartridge version of it so I can play it on my Super Nintendo system. Amazing game!
@timp29 I actually really really want SOM too. And here was me hoping i wouldn't be buying any more Wii points for a while. Wrong as usual.
@corbie I heard there is an actual cartridge of Seiken Desnsetsu 3 alright but I dunno if the emulation of the game plays just like Japan version. I don't really like playing PC ROM dumps from their original games. Besides i don't really like dragging my SNES out.
@Bass XO: Yes, and Picross DS released in Europe BEFORE Super Mario Picross released on VC. So what's your point?
Sorry if I'm coming off as rude. I just REALLY love Picross, and want to play the SNES one!
People keep menctioning in their comments that they know what games are supposed to be released for the upcoming week. What website are you all getting this information from. I would like to know. There needs to a good scarey or bloody game released for the last week of October.
@ Devastor: People don't exactly know what is gonna be released next week or in a month. They just guess or assume what is gonna be released based on what information they know.
Exactly. Since SMRPG's announcement in Australia, people kept putting up false hopes for it coming sooner than it finally did. I wish I can do the same for the EU releases for SoM and for Mega Man 3, but I can be happy to wait until their scheduled release dates, whenever they would be.
Also, I still need to play Shining Force II yet >.>
Great week for North America, can't wait 'til we get SoM.
A note that's semi-related to the wish for Earthbound on VC. For those who don't know, the Mother 3 Fan Translation is supposed to be launching this weekend. You can find it at http://mother3.fobby.net/
Just trying to let people know, because I'm excited for it, and I think at least one or two people here should be, too.
Which two?
Ok though the real question... EU releases!!!
I'm predicting disappointment (that is no secret of mana for 2 weeks). Probably Last Ninja 3 now that the AU$ is worthless and the exchange for UK points will bankrupt me
Secret of Mana (Virtual Console) and World of Goo (WiiWare) already proven to be so far the best weekly update for Wii Shop Channel ever.
Secret of Mana taking its time to be released on the EU VC doesn't bother poor, broke me, =S
I want GB VC releases so I can download Robopon, :B
@Stuffgamer1, comment #161: I've subscribed to the mailing list for that Mother 3 translation project months back; if it's launching this weekend, then count me in!
But still, after all that hype we get a bit of disappointment - Space Harrier, Street Fighter 2 Genesis and Mayhem in Monsterland (although, I do appreciate a good C64 platformer). Oh well, at least it bought me more time to actually get into Shining Force II >.>
@Rexy: I'm on the mailing list, too, but have yet to get an e-mail. That said, the patch is up for grabs TODAY!!! I already downloaded it and tested it briefly on an emulator. Now I'm just waiting for my GBA flash cart to get here...
Also, you might want to make note of the handbook they're putting together for the game. It's not out yet, but you can preorder it. It looks to be every bit as awesome as the classic Earthbound guide (which, for those who've never seen it, is quite awesome indeed ).
I got the patch
Strangely enough, instead of waiting for a flash cart I'm better off waiting for an actual game controller for my PC to play it with. Everything is working fine with the setup I'm currently using though, so hats off to Tomato and the team
Well, that's great for you. I don't really have the kind of computer access necessary to play through an RPG on the thing (it's really my dad's computer, after all). Also, the translation team did say that the game should run the absolute smoothest on original hardware (plus the screen will look the best). So that's for me!
I wish somebody else here had show interest in this. Oh, well. I guess one's better than none! Seeing as the translation team reported a half million unique visitors to their site, I guess it's just coincidence that hardly any of us are on this one (or reading this slightly outdated board).
Wow. Secret of Mana. I sure didn't expect that! Although I knew it was coming eventually, of course.
Note: This post is a little late, I actually heard about it a week ago, but something happened to my original post.
Do you think that Nintendo is testing the waters with RPGs on VC?
@DDR Paladin356: Maybe to a point. It seems that most of the RPGs on VC had been from the Genesis or Turbographix so far, but that's starting to change! Mostly what I think is that Squenix finally figured out what they should and shouldn't release on VC, and promptly started releasing what they could so they could get the money from it faster. I'm hoping for either Secret of Evermore or Soul Blazer before year's end (maybe both if they hurry?).
At last, memories of my youth can be re-captured.
I would have bought a Wii for this game alone.
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