Super Mario Kart drifts onto Wii VC

Original Super Nintendo kart racer arrives this Monday; Pilotwings SNES and Super Smash Bros. N64 to follow this holiday season.

Since the day the Wii launched, Nintendo's Virtual Console library of games has offered some of the company's all-time classics in downloadable form. Several of the service's more notable omissions will be addressed this holiday season, as Nintendo told GameSpot a trio of fondly remembered titles will soon arrive on the Wii Shop Channel.

The original Super Mario Kart will give gamers a chance to reexamine the series' roots.

Starting this Monday, the original Super Nintendo version of Super Mario Kart will be available as a Virtual Console title. Originally released in 1992, Super Mario Kart was the first installment in the long-running series, which has recently seen hits in the form of Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart Wii. When it launches, Super Mario Kart will sell for 800 Wii points ($8).

Trailing behind Mario Kart sometime this holiday season will be two more series starters. The 1991 SNES launch title Pilotwings may have spawned only a single sequel, but it proved a capable showpiece for the system's Mode 7 scaling and rotating graphics capabilities.

Also set for launch by year's end is Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo 64. A rare four-player fighting game at the time of its 1999 release, Super Smash Bros. included characters from many of the hardware maker's biggest series and spawned sequels for the GameCube and Wii.

Pricing on both Super Smash Bros. and Pilotwings has yet to be announced.

201 Comments

  • scouserfuller9

    Posted Nov 24, 2009 6:25 am PT

    I suppose all this is for the USA as the UK already has Pilotwings and SSB on the virtual console. Had them for quite a while too!
    I hope Super Mario Kart isn't a long wait in the UK like some of the classic SNES games have been. I remember Zelda: ALTTP and Super Metoid were released in the US 2-3 months before the UK got them :-(

  • TurkeyBro7

    Posted Nov 23, 2009 9:07 pm PT

    "Nintendo told GameSpot a trio of fondly remembered titles will soon arrive on the Wii Shop Channel."

    Sorry, but I'm pretty sure Super Smash Bros. has been available on the Wii Shop Channel for at least a couple of months now for 1000 Wii Points, and I just checked the Shop Channel and found Pilotwings which I know has been around for a while. Super Mario Kart isn't there though, but...
    "Starting this Monday, the original Super Nintendo version of Super Mario Kart will be available as a Virtual Console title."

    GameSpot, where are you getting this info? The only thing you got right is the title of this article!

    Wait a second...scratch all that. Before you all start screaming NOOB, this must be a GameSpot UK article..showing up on GameSpot AU. My bad.

  • lightning_kf

    Posted Nov 23, 2009 6:22 pm PT

    @ Dualmask

    Captain Falcon was awesome back on the N64 version, but yeah. When I played Falcon again on Brawl I was like, "the hell happened to Falcon?"

    Yay for the original Smash Brothers coming back.

  • skullboy950

    Posted Nov 23, 2009 5:37 pm PT

    YES.....YES!!!

  • zelosphia_8

    Posted Nov 23, 2009 3:40 pm PT

    Good start, now bring more games that are classics and lay off of the wiiware crap. Earthbound, Final Fantasy games, more N64 games, the list can go on and on.
    Also, lay off of the party games on the Wii and focus on actual "games" that last more than 1 hour or less.

  • numbthumb

    Posted Nov 23, 2009 12:39 pm PT

    P I L O T W I N G S ! ! Finally. Glad to see some great games are getting the VC treatment. Can't wait.

  • Dualmask

    Posted Nov 23, 2009 11:31 am PT

    Hmm, the original Smash, huh? That sounds good. That was back when Captain Falcon wasn't nerfed to pointlessness and was actually a powerhouse character. Or maybe he just changed so much in Melee and Brawl that I couldn't play him the way I did in the original. But I digress. Good week for the VC, and it'll be even cooler when Smash gets here.

  • Flint247

    Posted Nov 23, 2009 10:54 am PT

    @Osnic

    Why would I steal instead of just buying it for $8 cheap?

  • condelirios

    Posted Nov 23, 2009 9:52 am PT

    Rottenwood... Love your post. "they don't mind paying the equivalent price of a large ham sandwich" is especially hilarious. Seriously, Nintendo has done the best job of providing cheap downloads of old games on the new system. It has forced Sony to make PSN prices more reasonable on PSOne games. Now if we get Sony to put some PS2 games on for download....

  • HerofJustice

    Posted Nov 23, 2009 9:21 am PT

    Awesome! Can't wait to download it.

  • PotHeel

    Posted Nov 23, 2009 8:55 am PT

    I don't get it: why use a large flightless bird to play a game rather than a video games console? Why are Emus illegal? They're just birds.

  • TheTHCGamer

    Posted Nov 23, 2009 7:53 am PT

    i think nintendo needs to focus on making more original worth owning titles for the wii instead of relying on old successful titles. that also should apply to nintendo having a standard when it comes to third party developers because as we all know there is no standard currently with all the terrible wii games that have been released.

  • linkyshinks

    Posted Nov 23, 2009 7:49 am PT

    Well it will be 1000 on SSB 64 and 800 on Pilotwings. SMK should hit the European store this Friday.

  • Rottenwood

    Posted Nov 23, 2009 7:49 am PT

    @Osnic

    "Seriously, why buy this when you can download an emu and the game for free?"

    Probably because emulation is illegal. Or because people want the game on their Wii so they can play it nice and easy on their normal video game set-up, rather than sitting a bunch of people around the computer area. Or because they don't mind paying the equivalent price of a large ham sandwich to legitimately support the providers of great software. Or because they don't feel like fiddling with emulation hardware support when you've got a nice shiny Wii Classic controller.

    Any number of reasons, really.

  • Osnic posted Nov 23, 2009 6:37 am PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    Osnic

    Posted Nov 23, 2009 6:37 am PT (hide)

    Seriosly, why buy this when you can download an emu and the game for free. The games are so old they're not really worth anything, some are rare, I know. But this is kinda stupid, Wii Ware is OK....I guess. But...nah. I think it's stupid. And in my opinion this game is rubbish, becaus it is a classic, it dosen't mean that the game is good, and it's not good becaus it's "MARIO" either. Ther're maaaaany good classic games, but this one is just as enjoyable as staring into a wall. But that's just my opinion, and I don't think it's worth 8 $. Well, emu is just better. Or even better, you have a old system with all those classic games.
    But the thing I really want to say, and alredy said. We have good emus, so why waste money on this? Well, I guess it's good for people who dosen't know anything about emu's or computers I guess. So it's good for people who dosen't really know how things like that works.

  • Natatteru

    Posted Nov 23, 2009 6:31 am PT

    @cldntthnkofasn

    I do! It was my first N64 game, I have so many awesome memories from it. But I wonder if it'll be actually released, I mean it's a pretty obscure game, not very known

  • danny21_82

    Posted Nov 23, 2009 6:26 am PT

    they need to add killer instinct gold already.

  • da_chub

    Posted Nov 23, 2009 5:51 am PT

    its about time....

  • cldntthnkofasn

    Posted Nov 23, 2009 2:18 am PT

    i just can't wait for quest 64 to be added! anyone remember that game?

  • feryl06

    Posted Nov 23, 2009 12:37 am PT

    I think a few people said this as well, but when the "Wii 2" comes out, I wonder if all these games people have downloaded will be transferable or do you have to break out your Wii to play the games you downloaded? I'd rather have the hard copy myself and break out my old systems if this is gonna be the case.

  • Blade8Aus

    Posted Nov 23, 2009 12:23 am PT

    @neonhair

    sorry my mouse slipped that was supposed to be a thumbs up....

  • Evil_Robo

    Posted Nov 23, 2009 12:20 am PT

    The guy who loves Atari is slagging off Mario Kart? lol.

    To be honest though, this is one of the reasons I really like the Wii. The VC and Wiiware titles are just ace. As for Super Mario kart, well, it's never been bettered. I find the auto-balancing within the last few games to be incredibly annoying. Yes it keeps games close, but unfairly so.

    @EternalYoshi. You make some good points, however, if you want to play all the VC games, you'd need to pull out a Megadrive, Snes, N64, Nes, Mastersystem etc. So pulling out a Wii with your favourite retro games on it is a lot easier, and takes up a lot less room. Many of us older guys, simply can't have 5 consoles lieing around doing nothing. Having one though, is superb.

    As for the TOC though, Nintendo can't pull the games that you've downloaded. As long as you have your Wii, you'll have the games. However, as you can link your Nintendo Wii to your Nintendo account, and would no doubt be able to do the same thing with any new Nintendo console, its feasible that you would be able to transfer games to your new console. I do however, think that the games should be linked to a VC account, rather than the Wii serial number. Its much safer and fool proof.

  • lbptoady

    Posted Nov 22, 2009 10:54 pm PT

    Yay, now that I erased my homebrew, I can get this! And, I can't wait for SSB to be on the shop. It's about time. Still waiting for Mario Tennis though.

  • Atari_7200 posted Nov 22, 2009 10:39 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    Atari_7200

    Posted Nov 22, 2009 10:39 pm PT (hide)

    Oh wow *sarcasm*

  • Rottenwood

    Posted Nov 22, 2009 10:38 pm PT

    The original Mario Kart is still the best, in many regards. Just so playable, and it doesn't punish you for being skillful as some of the later editions do, with their rubber-band A.I. and assortments of overpowered items that get showered on anyone past third place. Lapping the second-place racer because of your absurd sliding skills and track knowledge was always a gas.

    Glad to see Pilotwings getting some spotlight, too. When it came out, too many people were busy dismissing it as a great-looking Mode 7 technical demonstration (which it certainly was, in part) that they forgot to just play it and realize what a unique and terrific game it was. Anyone complaining about the lack of challenge in today's games can direct themselves to Pilotwings and enjoy the delightful torment of my high school days.

  • Flint247

    Posted Nov 22, 2009 10:36 pm PT

    @oajlu

    ...right...

  • kiramasaki

    Posted Nov 22, 2009 9:31 pm PT

    @specialed
    if you havent played the original by now, you probably werent too interested

    its neither difficult or expensive to get either the snes or this particular game, so those who wanted to play it have probably by now

    at most the people who will get this are ones who had it before sold it, and are like, maybe i will try it again

    although i do think mario cart is right up their with the wiis cutting edge graphics, so maybe a couple other wii users might check it out and be mind ****** by 16 bit graphics

  • Flint247

    Posted Nov 22, 2009 9:06 pm PT

    @EternalYoshi

    Good logic there, now explain the same thing for people who NEVER owned a SNES or N64.

  • zakkess

    Posted Nov 22, 2009 8:57 pm PT

    nintendo should also fix online for brawl too..but atleast we get to relive some fine memories

  • jjjrrr11211

    Posted Nov 22, 2009 8:20 pm PT

    Super Smash Cool!!! I Think The Turok Game For The 64 Should Be There 2. That Was A Great Game

  • chedder221

    Posted Nov 22, 2009 8:14 pm PT

    its about time they added smash bros to the library

  • Nintendofreakx

    Posted Nov 22, 2009 8:06 pm PT

    Yes about time electric thwomps on rainbow road here i come!

  • brok

    Posted Nov 22, 2009 8:03 pm PT

    Good, now bring on pilotwings 64 and the rest of the 64 titles you've been holding back. Also SSB was only 'A rare four-player fighting game at the time of its 1999 release' because everyone was happy as punch just slugging it out in Goldeneye. Hmm, remember that game, Nintendo? Yeah didn't think so...

  • EternalYoshi

    Posted Nov 22, 2009 7:51 pm PT

    This is nice, but I won't buy the VC versions.

    After reading the TOS of the Virtual Console service, I have come to the conclusion to buy the cartridges again and/or buy and replace the internal batteries instead.

    If you thoroughly read the TOS, you technically aren't buying the game literally, you are leasing it or a license to use it.
    The license is revokable if the TOS goes sour. Also, the games aren't transferable.

    Considering the software architecture of the Wii, it is HIGHLY unlikely that you will be able to transfer them to it's successor, meaning you have to pull out the Wii to play them. This means I might as well pull out my N64.

    Another thing to consider is that my N64 and SNES game collections cannot completely be recreated on the VC(Diddy Kong Racing, Turtles in Time, Donkey Kong 64, and Goldeneye come to mind) and the fact that it took so long for SSB64 to get here(It's been in japan for 10 months and europe for about 5 months already) means I lost my patience and not using this service anymore.

    Piracy is wrong and I won't DL the games.

    Also, the cartridges aren't revokable and are hard copies of the game that you can keep provided you have an N64.
    I'll just buy the carts again and play those instead.

  • GameBeaten

    Posted Nov 22, 2009 7:28 pm PT

    About time we got Super Smash Bros. on the Virtual console. I only rented the game before back in the day.

    As for Super Mario Kart and Pilotwings, I have both on Super Nintendo.

  • Desulated

    Posted Nov 22, 2009 6:22 pm PT

    Man I miss SSB64.

  • lightning_kf

    Posted Nov 22, 2009 5:53 pm PT

    Super Mario Kart and Super Smash Brothers?

    SMK was great but SSB on the N64 was one of my favorite games for that console. Ah, I still have fond memories of beating up the pathetically weak Jigglypuff and owning my friends with Pikachu (when I used to be really good with him).

  • nickythenewt21

    Posted Nov 22, 2009 5:49 pm PT

    Smash Bros, yes!

  • mitdchly

    Posted Nov 22, 2009 5:10 pm PT

    As an long time nintendo gamer I got 3 wordz to say: Oh hellz yeah!!!

  • LqdSnk

    Posted Nov 22, 2009 4:37 pm PT

    Ah, Super Mariokart. I remember getting into fights when it first came out at the local Toys 'R Us with other kids over hogging the demo unit.

  • leeko_link

    Posted Nov 22, 2009 4:04 pm PT

    @ soccerguy93
    Well Nintendo already did it with the Donkey Kong Country trilogy so I see no problem in them releasing DK64 on VC. My guess is that they are saving that game as a future release as the N64 library is quite small and when you minus those games that Nintendo can't release(Perfect Dark, GoldenEye 007, Killer Instinct, Banjo-Kazooie, etc.), you'll start to wonder why they had the least number of releases on VC.

  • KillerWabbit23

    Posted Nov 22, 2009 2:52 pm PT

    Smash Bros. N64? Yay! it's about time!

  • DamnedApples

    Posted Nov 22, 2009 2:33 pm PT

    I don't own a Wii, but if I did, I'd want them to bring back games I used to like--Goldeneye, Pokemon (IN HD!!!!--if it would make a difference...)....Actually, I'd basically just want goldeneye with online MP, but apparently that's too difficult for the big N-Titan to manage.

  • neonhair

    Posted Nov 22, 2009 2:05 pm PT

    Finally Super smash bros is coming

  • oajlu posted Nov 22, 2009 1:35 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    oajlu

    Posted Nov 22, 2009 1:35 pm PT (hide)

    @Flint247
    yes it is. how many AAA titles does wii have? lol, how come wii has more games than 360 and PS3, but it has the least AAA titles?

    if HD not matter, then 3D not matters either. wii fanboy always says graphics is not important so it can make them feel better.

    back to mario kart, i already have it on SNES, why should i get it on wii if it's not HD...lol.

  • persia316

    Posted Nov 22, 2009 1:01 pm PT

    Finally. I'm begging Nintendo to add Earthbound to the Virtual Console. I'll be so happy if they add it

  • MrHatnClogs

    Posted Nov 22, 2009 12:45 pm PT

    Ah yes, the memories of being five and beating my Dad at this game (However he did win ONE game but that was only because I let him), *sigh* good times.

  • SadPSPAddict

    Posted Nov 22, 2009 12:06 pm PT

    super cool

  • geoff-uk123

    Posted Nov 22, 2009 11:23 am PT

    Its about time!

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