do you think unreleased import titles will reach the virtual console?

[Richter Belmount]

I was thinking that maybe they could draw in the hardcore gaming fans if they released like squaresoft games that never came to the usa. Or some nintendo japan only games (1st fire emblem).

[djsquarewave]

Depends on if you'd consider Battle Lode Runner to be a precedent or an exception.

The publishers putting games on VC are doing so to make a quick buck. Until it's more profitable to translate and release new games than it is to bring existing titles with an established nostalgic fan-base, I don't think we'll be seeing too many of these. Despite what anyone here might know or want, most Wii players aren't going to know what Sin & Punishment is.

[udisi]

I'd say we won't see many just because the VC is essentially just emulation, they don't change any code. To bring over some of those titles, they'd have to spend money on translation and or localization and I don't see them doi ng that.

[DefaultGen]

.....

[Captain Wrong]

Not unless we're talking titles that need zero localization (which probably aren't anything ost gamers are interested in.) VC stuff is nickle and dimes, publishers aren't going to sink money into new translations.

[smork]

I don't think Sin & Punishment will make it to Western VCs, nor will any of the Mother games. S&P is silly as it's in English anyway, but I think Nintendo will mostly drop known titles and franchises they can for sure make money off of. Could be wrong, just one gamer's opinion

S&P was just a cult hit anyway, not a Mario or Sonic-style smash hit.

[j_factor]

It's already happened. No Turbografx games were officially released in Europe, but it's still in the VC there. They've also got a couple of NES games that never saw European release, such as Wario's Woods. In Japan there's a few VC games that weren't originally released there, such as Vectorman. In North America, we have Battle Lode Runner, as someone already mentioned.

I think these will continue to trickle in. I think it will mostly just be a case of "why not?", as in, when they're preparing a particular game for VC release, why not just release it everywhere? Obviously it's different for a game that would require translation or whatever, but other than that, it's not like they have anything to lose by allowing people in certain parts of the world to pay to download their game. I don't think it'll ever be a huge part of the VC, but it will be there.

I think, with the exception of text-heavy Japanese games and MSX titles, whether or not a game comes out for the VC in places it hadn't originally will mostly be an issue of whether or not the game comes to the VC period.

I don't think sales are that much of a concern. It hardly costs anything to throw up a game on the VC (I think N64 games might take some effort, but other than that). I think potential sales might drive the order and timing of VC releases, but considering how often new games are available for it and how many years (potentially) of new VC games we have to go, I don't think "it won't sell well" disqualifies a game from VC release. Actually, we've already seen some relatively obscure stuff. And for third parties, isn't the license paid on a per-unit basis? So they really only stand to gain from releasing "imports" worldwide.

I doubt we'll get Bahamut Lagoon, but I bet we'll see Alien Soldier.

[Icarus Moonsight]

With the release of better than 10 VC games a month it's possible but, down the road, so to speak. Watch TG16's roster. It's most likely to get imports first because there were few US games published vs the other systems on VC. I thought Battle Load Runner was just unreleased but, a US version was completed and that is what appeared on VC... Am I wrong here?

Alien Soldier?!? You think? OMG that would be excellent. Yes please! That would be the best $8 I ever spent.

[j_factor]

Battle Lode Runner never saw release in the US, only Japan. Hudson/TTI may have prepared to release it in the US and canned it, but it didn't come out here.

I think Alien Soldier is a good possibility. Gunstar Heroes is already on there; I think the rest of Treasure's Genesis games (which are all owned by Sega) will follow. Yu Yu Hakusho probably won't due to the license, but the others will. And Alien Soldier is already on Gametap.

[Kitsune Sniper]

I'd love it if we romhackers could get our work out there, but it's not going to happen.

I'd KILL for Kid Dracula on a Wii.