The First Virtual Console Title With Online Play Is Out Today!

Striking while the iron is hot, Nintendo have today released the Sega Genesis version of Capcom’s Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers to the Virtual Console, with online multiplayer, and at the standard Genesis price point of 800 points, or $8 US (unless you took advantage of a sale on video game accessories that included point cards.)

By the way, I was being sarcastic. Not about the release—that actually happened, and has been expected for some time. That first part, though, that was sarcasm. What with multiple versions of Street Fighter II having long ago seen release—in fact, every console Street Fighter port for a system featured on the VC, save for today’s release but including the SNES port of the exact same —as well as the Wii being nearly six years old, the decision to finally add online play to a Virtual Console game, and it being a different port of a game that is already on the service and that some people presumably already own, seems to be striking while the iron is, in fact, COLD, and is a puzzling one to say the least. Still, that beguiling quality and curiosity as to how online play is implemented is almost enough to entice one to check it out. Well-played, Captendega?

Though unusual, it is not unheard of for extra features to be added or changes to be made to Wii Virtual Console games. Wave Race 64 had its billboards altered since Nintendo’s license with Kawasaki had expired long ago; Kid Icarus‘ password system was MUTILATED—well, the special passwords no longer worked due to being controlled by something that either proved a problem to emulate or just wasn’t worth it at the time, so ICARUS no longer FIGHTS MEDUSA ANGELS in that version; pinball classic Devil’s Crush had the six-pointed star symbols in the popholes changed to triangles; and StarTropics had the word “yo-yo” changed to “star,” as yo-yo is apparently a trademark. As for added features instead of removing things, Pokémon Snap was the first (and only one until today, if I recall correctly,) featuring the ability to post one photo per day from the game to the Wii Message Board, subsequently making them available in the Photo Channel and to send to Wii friends in messages.

Oh, and for those playing along at home, that makes the latest three Virtual Console releases fighting games that are already available in some form on Wii, and that’s merely salt on the wound of several titles being pulled since the year began.