In a move that falls somewhere between odd and underhanded, the NES version of Capcom’s brutal coin-op “classic” Ghosts 'n Goblins has curiously vanished from the Wii's Shop Channelimmediately followingthe release of the Arcade port this week. Okay, on the surface it’s difficult to see why anyone would care.After all,both versions are seemingly identical, save for one “big” difference: The new version of Ghosts ‘n Goblins costs THREE DOLLARS MORE! ALAAAAAARM!
We don’t mean to downplay the situation, absurd as it is to think about people still willing to pay/play this excruciating relic from 1985, but it’s hard to imagine the move as anything other than purely money-motivated. What’s even more troubling is that it’s an especially bizarre, evencallous, maneuver from the notoriously fan-friendly Capcom for a variety of reasons.
Above: Which version of the game is this? AHAHAH, WE’LL NEVER TELL!
First off, multiplatform versions of Street Fighter have coexisted peacefully on theVirtual Console for years. Second, is Ghosts ‘n Goblins really that much of a cash cow? For $5 more than the VC Arcadeversion, you can get that game, multiple versions of SFII, 1943, and Bionic “Goddamned!” Commando and a dozen othergames in theCapcom Classics Collection, all brand new and discy. Hell, you can play it right now, FOR FREE, on the iPhone! (Up to three times a day in the Capcom Arcade app.) Lastly, who the hell is still buying Ghosts ‘n Goblins?! As one of the most unforgiving games of all time, it’s not really what you’d call “fun,” and most old school gamers know full well it’s a trip down memory lane you’ll never survive.
Above: Just as easy as it looks
Ghosts ‘n Goblins has one sole remaining demographic: Collectors... who probably would’ve happily purchased both without being forced to make such a decision. Yet they’re precisely the ones getting screwed, and at a premium no less. No matter how inconsequential you consider the game, it’s a profoundly "dick move" on someone’s part, and makes almost no sense ina world of digital releases and games that consist of less than half a dozen MBs. Shame on somebody!
Jan 11, 2011
