Majora's Mask on Virtual Console

[basement24]

...and should be released in 2 weeks as the 300th game.

That's definitely a good guess. I would consider this being more likely than being released at a random time because they held AoL to be the 100th title. They also made Super Mario RPG the 250th title, so they're definitely up for big name titles being milestone numbers.

I would really hope this is the case over my idea that they might hold it to go along with Spirit Tracks. It would also make a nice beginning to a summer season of game news with E3 right around the corner.

 

[Zenox]

Majora's Mask was a good game and all, but it was much less known than Ocarina of Time which basically stole it's thunder and in my book, still is. I think Nintendo is waiting for MM because they doubt it's profit. I certainly would. And besides, they probably need to add extra coding to apply for the Wii version.

 

[MrMosley]

Majora's Mask was a good game and all, but it was much less known than Ocarina of Time which basically stole it's thunder and in my book, still is. I think Nintendo is waiting for MM because they doubt it's profit. I certainly would. And besides, they probably need to add extra coding to apply for the Wii version.

I don't think coding would be a big problem, seeing as how they seem to do it easily with Ocarina of Time and pretty much any other game. All they really have to do is set up the controls for the Classic and Gamecube controllers. After that its really just a ported game. I think the reason they are waiting so long is like some others have said; to have it be released on a special number. You have to think, Majora's Mask is really the only game yet to be released on the Virtual Console of all of the systems available there that have had Zelda titles. I can see why they wouldn't want to save it for a special occasion.

However, I probably won't be buying it. The only Zelda title I have bought on the VC has been ALttP, and that was because I had lost my GBA version a while back. I have the Collector's Edition disc for the Gamecube, so I'm not going to waste my money on games that I can already play on the Wii.

 

[basement24]

Ladies and gentlemen, get your Wii Points ready!! Majora's Mask is the 300th VC game released (TODAY!) for 1000 Wii Points! It's not up yet, but it was on the release list for May 18th. I think they go live later in the day.

From the press release:

"The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. (Nintendo 64, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone - Cartoon Violence, 1,000 Wii Points): Link must save the world! This time, he finds himself trapped in Termina, an alternate version of Hyrule that is doomed to destruction in just three short days. Link must race to recover the Ocarina of Time (which allows him to manipulate time in multiple ways), defeat challenging bosses in dungeons spread across Termina and discover the key to the mystery of Majora's Mask. Along the way, he'll obtain new weapons and items and help other characters (some strangely familiar) in their everyday lives. In addition, Link must use a wide assortment of masks scattered throughout Termina, each with its own specific use or power. Never before have three days offered so much in the way of action, mind-boggling puzzles and depth. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask is an adventure unlike any other!"

Good going to LinkAlmighty for the 300th release guess! You were spot-on!

 

[Skull_Kid]

Finally we, europeans, can stop hearing all the whining of americans who don't have the original MM and were dying for it to be released. Lol.

I pity that you'll have to play it with the crappy classic controller.
It's so much better in the good old N64 controller.

Is it the GCN version port, like the European VC's MM, or a direct port of the n64 one?
Because the European one has the same freezing thingies that the Collector's edition had

 

[Kazumi]

Huzzah!!! I am downloading MM as we speak, at 11:00AM Central Time. Yay........ I have been waiting for this day... for a very long time. And this will be the first time I ever play Majora's Mask. I'd like to thank Nintendo, and Basement24 fro confirming it's release today. :cry: I'm going to go play it now.

 

[basement24]

From the review at IGN, for all of us who were worried about it being a direct Collector's Edition port for the North American release:

"Note: Since a few readers in the Comments box below have brought it up, you can rest assured that the emulation in this VC edition is glitch-free. The version of Majora's Mask made available on the Collector's Edition GameCube disc was plagued by some sound and transition issues that didn't destroy the play experience, but were certainly annoying to deal with. Well, they've been dealt with and dealt out of the deck -- VC Majora is perfectly presented, so download with confidence."

I won't copy the whole review here by any means, but I was greatly satisfied to read this. Although I already downloaded it, because c'mon, it's only 1000 points, and I've never owned a copy!

 

[DeletedUser9]

I don't think coding would be a big problem, seeing as how they seem to do it easily with Ocarina of Time and pretty much any other game. All they really have to do is set up the controls for the Classic and Gamecube controllers. After that its really just a ported game. I think the reason they are waiting so long is like some others have said; to have it be released on a special number. You have to think, Majora's Mask is really the only game yet to be released on the Virtual Console of all of the systems available there that have had Zelda titles. I can see why they wouldn't want to save it for a special occasion.

Porting is harder than you think. You have to do one of two things. Either you modify the game to make it work on new hardware, or the hardware itself includes emulation software so as to mimic the game's original console.

Although I believe the Wii might include such hardware, but I might be wrong. I'll have to look into it, I suppose. At any rate, you don't really know how long they spent converting other games to Virtual Console, so it could still have had an effect on the length of time it took for MM to come on on VC. Granted, at this point it seems clear they were waiting for the 300 mark, but it's possible they could have released it at an earlier number if they didn't have technical work to do.

Anyway, glad to hear it has finally come out.

Now you people who haven't gotten to play it yet can know the awesomeness that is Majora's Mask.

 

[chrisbg99]

Got it downloaded and will play it after I beat OoT again.

I'm just happy to have completed the Zelda VC Collection.

 

[Emma]

Might I ask a big favor from the people that downloaded it? I want to know if you experienced any of the technical glitches that plagued the Collector's Edition version of the game. Among those are frequent lockups and corrupted sound. The information is for the wiki really. But it is only good information if the info is confirmed by many people having the same result. I do not own a Wii myself. All my sisters do (there are four), but I doubt they would let me do anything like test a whole game out on them. I also doubt any of them even know what the Virtual Console is.

Forgive me if I just don't take IGN's word for it. I don't exactly trust them. I'd rather hear real input from people that actually played through this version of the game in its entirety.

 

[Skull_Kid]

Might I ask a big favor from the people that downloaded it? I want to know if you experienced any of the technical glitches that plagued the Collector's Edition version of the game. Among those are frequent lockups and corrupted sound. The information is for the wiki really. But it is only good information if the info is confirmed by many people having the same result. I do not own a Wii myself. All my sisters do (there are four), but I doubt they would let me do anything like test a whole game out on them. I also doubt any of them even know what the Virtual Console is.

Forgive me if I just don't take IGN's word for it. I don't exactly trust them. I'd rather hear real input from people that actually played through this version of the game in its entirety.

IGN is a trusted and respected site, if yuo don't trust, it's your problem.lol
I don't think that they'd lie telling that there are no sound glitches and freezing ones, like in the Collector's edition.
But, as i said, and always will, the best way to play MM is on the n64

 

[Abyss Master]

I have no problems with MM whatsoever, it doesn't glitch or anything. It's as awesome as it was on the N64 (perhaps even moreso).

 

[skynet136]

its here its here its finaly here!!!!!!!!!!!! im at snowhead almost in the temple but im going to backtrack to get the faries

 

[DvSag]

Is it just me, or does this version seem a bit cleaner than the N64 version? What I mean is that, graphically, it seems a lot smoother and crisper. This is just from memory, but I recall the game being a lot blurrier on the N64.

 

[basement24]

Is it just me, or does this version seem a bit cleaner than the N64 version?

I booted up the title screen of it earier and wondered the same thing. I didn't play through the entire gameon the N64, but I remember it being a muddier than what we have on the VC. I thought maybe it had something to do with the component cables I have my Wii hooked up to my LCD with, or that it was on an LCD at all compared to an old tube TV.

I wonder if they ported over the cleaner graphics that would have been enhanced with the expansion pack. I know the game said it required it originally, but a friend owned MM without the pack.