Got a modded Wii last night. Any must-haves for retro gaming?

[Yoder]

I've only spent a small amount of time on the Wii in the past and an opportunity came up to get one that was already modded along with a HDD with a bunch of games. Sure, I wanna play some newer Mario, Zelda, and Metroid stuff, but I'm wondering if there are any must-have apps, games, utilities, etc for retro gaming.

It did come with some previously purchased wii ware like Megaman 9 and 10, and the new retro Castlevania, which is awesome. Oh, and Sonic 4.

My questions are:

1. Any other must-have old school remakes?

2. And how are the emulators?

- Anything that stands out that's above and beyond what the original Xbox can do? I have one of those with a bunch of emulators setup...is it the pinnacle of emulation (outside of a PC) or does the Wii do a better job with some of the tougher to emulate systems like Neo-Geo, CPS2 and CPS3, etc?

Thanks!

[wingzrow]

1. Any other must-have old school remakes?

Not must haves, but the bit trip games are a blast and well worth the money.

2. And how are the emulators?

NES, snes, genesis, and gameboy are outstanding. I love being able to play NES games in their original resolution in s-video.

[dra600n]

I do believe the NES emulator runs a bit fast, and the SNES runs a bit slow, though they're still playable. I haven't tried anything past that since, well, I hate the Wii :P

[Yoder]

Cool, thanks. The Bit Trip games look pretty decent...Atari-like, actually.

Yeah, there are a lot of Wii haters it seems. I think it has its place in a few genres, though. I'll stick with my 360 for the FPSs and fighters, but I could see myself getting into a few Wii games and using it for emulation...but I do have all the actual retro hardware :-) Plus my son just turned 3, so he'll enjoy the cute games.

[geezuzkhrist119]

get Madworld. such a great game

[dra600n]

Cool, thanks. The Bit Trip games look pretty decent...Atari-like, actually.

Yeah, there are a lot of Wii haters it seems. I think it has its place in a few genres, though. I'll stick with my 360 for the FPSs and fighters, but I could see myself getting into a few Wii games and using it for emulation...but I do have all the actual retro hardware :-) Plus my son just turned 3, so he'll enjoy the cute games.

I just don't care for the motion controls :P

Some must haves IMO are Punch-Out Wii, Mario Kart Wii, and the New SMB Wii.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

CaveStory. Hop on the Shop Channel and buy that right now. You will not regret it.

Also check out the remake of Klonoa, if you like the idea of 2.5D platformers.

House of the Dead 2+3 Returns is a hell of a lot of retro lightgun fun.

Also remember the Wii is also a Gamecube. Go get Nintendo Puzzle Collection, which was only released in Japan for GameCube.

It contains Dr. Mario 64, a new remake of Yoshi's Cookie and a complete remake of Panel De Pon complete with all the Japanese and girly characters. It's totally worth owning just for Panel De Pon, otherwise known as Tetris Attack, Pokemon Puzzle League, etc.

These suggestions should be more than enough to get you started.

[LaughingMAN.S9]

get Madworld. such a great game

WORD!


lol you could also buy madworld, its 7 dollars on amazon new

[norkusa]

Load Homebrew Installer on your Wii if you don't have it already. It's basically what it sounds like - installs & updates all your homebrew apps & emulators via wifi (usually updated every week). No roms included but those are easy to find anyway.

The emulators for the Wii are great but make sure you get a classic controller to play them with. You can get by with the wii remote for the NES emualtor but you'll want a CC for pretty much anything else.

I've got a modded Xbox loaded with emulators too but I prefer playing them on my Wii for some reason. I guess it's because I like the classic controller much more than my wireless logitech Xbox controller. Plus Homebrew Installer makes it easy to update and find new emus. There's no SegaCD or TurboCD emulator on Wii though, as well as FBA XXX or a decent MAME emu. And they're all 480p only of course but there's some nice display effects that make them look crisp.

I haven't tried the N64 and PS1 emulators for Wii but I hear they run quite well. The NeoGeo emu is pretty good but it doesn't run all games yet (something to do with memory limitations).

[Yoder]

Thanks guys. SM, CaveStory looks great! Madworld looks cool too. The artwork is just amazing in that game. Can't believe you can get it new for $7!

And Klonoa is a game I never played on the PS1 so the remake would be awesome!

Nork, I think there is Homebrew Installer on there. It has Bootmii and priiloader along with a bunch of little tools to installw wads, rip, disks, etc. I'm still clueless since I haven't even played it yet.

Yes, I've played the House of the Dead remakes and they're cool...have to check out the Overkill version...

And I have a classic controller :-) I found one like-new at a yard sale for $3 a couple of months ago and grabbed it, even though I didn't have a Wii :-)

[Baloo]

Must have's for classic gaming?

An original system! I'll be honest, the Wii controllers just don't cut it at all when playing older games.

[Yoder]

Well, I have almost every console since the Atari 2600 and the Wii classic controller looks pretty good. Have you used it?

Also, there are retro restyled games (like castlvania and megaman) that you can't play on the older systems.

[Einzelherz]

Now I have to look into this wii hacking/modding stuff since the lure of S-Video for old systems is quite tempting.

[Yoder]

Yes, if you can get past the idea of not using real hardware, running games on an emulator can look awesome. Of course the Wii supports 480p over component too :-)

As a cheaper way to get into it, a modded original xbox is an amazing platform for emulators and it supports component out (up to 1080i). Even with the stock hard drive, you can fit tons of emulators/roms.

If you need one, PM me 'cause I have a few extra :-)

[wingzrow]

Must have's for classic gaming?

An original system! I'll be honest, the Wii controllers just don't cut it at all when playing older games.

There are adapters to use snes, nes, genesis, etc, controllers on wii. I own one and they work great.

[Yoder]

Yes, and here is one for $20 shipped from CA that does:

- SNES
- NES
- Genesis (and I assume Atari and SMS)
- N64

http://www.japanvideogames.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=wii-898455678550

Of course, there are PS2 adapters for both the Wii and GC ports that will allow you to use whatever PSX adapter you have (like an X-arcade or the MadCatz classic style PS2 controllers).

For $20 it's a steal, IMO...

Oops! I forgot the link. SM, is this the one you think I should avoid???

[Satoshi_Matrix]

Oh yeah, forgot to mention those. Get the Retrousb.com Retro Ports. They are NES and SNES to Gamecube adapter ports that will work with a good number of GameCube games (Soul Calibur II, SNK vs Capcom 2, Sonic Mega Collection, Megaman X Collection, etc) as well as any Wii game that supports Gamecube inputs.

I also recommend you get the Mayflash NES/SNES to Wii adapter, especially if you are handy and can do some minor soldering/modding. These are all over ebay and can be found for usually $20 or so. Mayflash make good products.

The difference with this adapter is it plugs directly into the Wiimote, turning NES/SNES controllers into Classic Controllers that will work on anything that supports the Classic Controller.

The problem with the Mayflash adapter is the NES side is a DB-9 Famiclone connector. Not willing to put up with that, I modded mine to support the NES 7 pin standard and wrote a tut on how you can do it yourself.

Here's the link to my tutorial. Sorry the images are temporarily down while I switch servers for them.
http://satoshimatrix.wordpress.com/2010/04/25/160/

One final thing I should say:
AVOID the 4 in one white adapters that are sold on ebay and other places. While in theory you'd think such an adapter would be great, they're far worse than the others. They produce input lag and worse yet, they don't map the buttons correctly. Don't waste your money on the 4-in-one.

[wberdan]

Cave Story!

A Boy and his Blob

Super Mario All-Stars

House and the Dead 2 & 3 with those perfect shot controllers.. that is an experience worth the $35 or whatever it costs if you are into "light gun" games... the precision is insanely good.

If you get into emulation or whatever- then the possibilities are.. a lot.
I'm just mentioning games that you can purchase in the online store, or a real store.

[Yoder]

Satoshi Matrix, thanks for the input on the controllers and games that go with them. That's super helpful. I saw some of those Mayflash ones on ebay and was thinking about them. Their SNES to USB adapter looks nice too.

So would you recommend I avoid the one here:

http://www.japanvideogames.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=wii-898455678550

That's a bummer, if so.

wberdan, I already have Super Mario All Stars :-) Will check out the Cave Story... I've heard of a Boy and his Blob, but never heard feedback on it. Will check that out too...

Thanks!

[Satoshi_Matrix]

Yes, avoid that. It's a total piece of junk, by far the worst adapter I own. I agree with you that's a shame; the idea of an all in one controller adapter sounds great, but this thing doesn't deliver. Like I said, input lag and it doesn't map N64 and Genesis games correctly. Also keep in mind that's a GameCube adapter, not a Wii adapter. In other words, that 4-in-1 thing will ONLY work on most Virtual Console and GameCube games, not on 95% of Wii games and Wiiware games.

Here's the Mayflash adapter I suggest you pick up.
http://cgi.ebay.ca/Mayflash-Classic-NES-SNES-Wii-Adapter-/170621205024?pt=Video_Games_Accessories&hash=item27b9d0fa20

It plugs directly into the Wiimote and converts SNES controllers into the Classic controller with no input lag or weird button mapping issues at all. The only problem with it is the NES side doesn't use the typical NES 7pin standard female connector, but rather the DB-9 standard of the Atari 2600/Sega Genesis. Without modding, you'd only be able to use Famiclone controllers with it.

If NES support is important, check out my tutorial in the link in my last post. You can get most NES controllers to work with it, but not the NES Advantage, Zapper or Power Glove (its so bad).

[Yoder]

Oh, man, that is a shame. You have great points. Honestly, I'm confused about when I can use GC controllers and when I cant. Your posts here and your two Mayflash articles helped a lot. When I was demoing the system I was playing the new Castlevania remake and I was using a GC controller. I assumed I could do the same with Megaman...sounds like that's not the case.

How about emulators/homebrew? Do they work with either GC or Wii controllers?

I think I'll pick up one of the Mayflashes. For now, even playing NES games or NES-style games like Megaman 9 and 10 on a SNES controller will do the job. As far as using the NES controller, I guess I could also add a DB9 plug to an NES controller too. I have a few extra and wouldn't mind doing that to one or two of them.

Thanks for all the help and the articles are great (even w/o pics)!

[ubersaurus]

Via homebrew, there's a nifty port of Star Control 2 (Ur-Quan Masters) to the machine. You can even use the 3DO music and voice packs, though they were kind of a pain to get running properly for me.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

Oh, man, that is a shame. You have great points. Honestly, I'm confused about when I can use GC controllers and when I cant. Your posts here and your two Mayflash articles helped a lot. When I was demoing the system I was playing the new Castlevania remake and I was using a GC controller. I assumed I could do the same with Megaman...sounds like that's not the case.

How about emulators/homebrew? Do they work with either GC or Wii controllers?

I think I'll pick up one of the Mayflashes. For now, even playing NES games or NES-style games like Megaman 9 and 10 on a SNES controller will do the job. As far as using the NES controller, I guess I could also add a DB9 plug to an NES controller too. I have a few extra and wouldn't mind doing that to one or two of them.

Thanks for all the help and the articles are great (even w/o pics)!

There are four controller options on the Wii:

GameCube controller
Wiimote
Wiimote + Nunchuck
Wiimote + Classic Controller

When buying Wii games, check the back of the case for controller icons that will show you just which controllers can be used to play each title. There are only a handful of Wii disc games that allow you to play with a GameCube controller, such as Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Muramasa. Most virtual console games support the Gamecube standard, but again, make sure you check for the GameCube controller icon when buying games. If there's no icon, GameCube controllers and GameCube adapters such as that 4-in-1 and the RetroPorts from Retrousb.com won't work.

Likewise, most Wiiware games require the Classic Controller and won't function at all with GameCube controllers, such as Megaman 9, 10, CaveStory, etc. For these games you will need either a Classic Controller or the Mayflash adapter.

Most of the better emulators in the homebrew channel support all four Wii control schemes.

Adding a DB-9 pin plug to a standard NES controller is another solution too, but you cannot use a salvaged controller port from an Atari or Genesis controller. If you plan on doing this, you must use a Famiclone DB-9 connector. The reason being is that Famiclone controllers use a completely different pinout. Make sure you double check the pin connections with a multimeter when using a DB-9 Famiclone controller port. I think I put a diagram in my tut of the correct layout.

For me, it simply made more sense to mod the adapter itself rather than a controller.

I wish you luck with your project.

[Leo_A]

Likewise, most Wiiware games require the Classic Controller and won't function at all with GameCube controllers, such as Megaman 9, 10, CaveStory, etc. For these games you will need either a Classic Controller or the Mayflash adapter.

Most support the standard Wiimote, including both Mega Man releases.

[wingzrow]

As long as we're on the subject, what N64 adapter do you guys recommend? The one I have maps the buttons incorrectly on virtual console games.

[Einzelherz]

Unrelated to controllers, do you use the Virtual Console to play retro games or homebrew + emulators?

[Satoshi_Matrix]

Just use a Gamecube controller for those N64 emulators. None of the N64 adapters really work correctly.

[Yoder]

SM, thanks for that clarification. That was helpful. I found out last night how picky it is with controllers. I was surprised that the New Donkey Kong Country doesn't allow you to use the Classic Controller :-/

Regarding the DB9. I was thinking of just soldering on a DB9 plug from Radio Shack. I'd just have to get the pin outs right. But it would be cooler to have the right port on the adapter. I'll check into purchasing one.

Einzelherz, the VC is just Nintendo's marketplace for buying their "old school" console games for $10 or whatever. They have Genesis, SNES, Turbografx-16 games etc. They're more for casual old school gamers, but the cool thing is they've released some rare/expensive game that are hard to come by.

With a modded Wii you could just emulate them, and I'd imagine performance is the same or better than the VC games, but maybe someone can comment on that :-)

[Lady Jaye]

Has anyone used the Classic Controller or the Classic Controller Pro? I might pick the Pro version this weekend but I want to make sure that it's worth it first.

[Yoder]

I have the Classic. It's OK...kinda like a SNES controller, but a little more bulky. The Pro doesn't do anything else...just has wings and supposedly some extra buttons were moved to the shoulder area. I may pick one up at some point...they have them for $20 at Walmart which is reasonable.

This thread was helpful to describe the differences...it's just a bit dated.

http://s9.zetaboards.com/Nintendo_64_Forever/topic/7176217/1/

[Lady Jaye]

From what I could see, the Classic Controller Pro is more confortable than the regular Classic Controller, especially for people with big hands. Since both models are sold at the same price in clearance at The Source, I will pick up a pair of the Pro version for sure.

Oh and to talk retro gaming on the Wii: I got Paper Mario N64 (more comfy to use the GameCube controller than the N64's) and Wonder Boy III. Still have 500 points on my account so I'll probably get another Wonder Boy game.

[Einzelherz]

fwiw the mayflash NES/SNES converter is now being sold with a 7 to 9 pin converter:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Mayflash-NES-SNES-Adapter-Nintendo-Wii-NEW-/260507663842?pt=Video_Games_Accessories&hash=item3ca7777de2#ht_1968wt_905

Does the 9pin plug work with genesis controllers?

[dystopian]

I would really recommend playing No More Heroes and No More Heroes 2.

(Lurker, now poster!)

[Yoder]

fwiw the mayflash NES/SNES converter is now being sold with a 7 to 9 pin converter:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Mayflash-NES-SNES-Adapter-Nintendo-Wii-NEW-/260507663842?pt=Video_Games_Accessories&hash=item3ca7777de2#ht_1968wt_905

Does the 9pin plug work with genesis controllers?

Actually, this is to make it so that you can actually use NES controllers with the adapter! I don't think Genesis controllers will work with this adpter, but they actually are DB-9 which is what the adapter actually comes with (but it accepts a famiclone controller signal which is different).

This adds a lot of value to the adapter since there is now nothing to hack. The crazy thing is that they actually got away with calling this an NES adapter for so long. Imagine how many were returned when people couldn't actually use their NES controller with it.

Dystopian, thanks for coming out of "lurker" staus and making your recommendations :)

[BetaWolf47]

I don't see the point of emulators on Wii. Its emulators don't match the ones for PC. I loaded it up to see what the hype was, and lo and behold, inaccurate sound everywhere.

The ones which were ported to Wii, such as SNES9x 1.49 and an old version of FCEU, are second rate compared to newer emulators on PC.

[JSoup]

Among the many emulation options, Homebrew Browser has a really nice GB/A emulator that I use all the time. Last I checked, there is also that prototype Saturn emulator on the list, with a long list of other interesting options.

[Yoder]

The point of emulation on the Wii? IDK, why not? You can use real 8 and 16-bit controllers, it's small and portable and you can hook it up to a TV without the drama behind hooking up a computer (especially for older SDTVs).

Cool, there are some really good GB and GBA games...I'll have to check it out. Would like to play Metroid Zero mission. Of course I have a GBA flash cart and a Gameboy player on my GC, so I could play the real thing :-)

I'll have to check out the Saturn emulator...pretty cool.

[JSoup]

I don't see the point of emulators on Wii. Its emulators don't match the ones for PC.

With the exception of N64 emulation. The Wii has that down pat.