Wii Virtual Console to Get Commodore 64 Games

By Michael Santo
Executive Editor, RealTechNews

The Commodore 64 is legendary, and just last year celebrated its 25th anniversary. Its still amazingly popular, with sites continuing to be devoted to it. And now owners of the Nintendo Wii will be able to play classic games of that era via the Wii Virtual Console.

The catch: only in Europe for now.

The first two games available will be International Karate and Uridium. The European Nintendo Wii site made the announcement, and in the press release, Bala Keilman, CEO of Commodore Gaming, commented,

“The massive impact the Commodore 64 had on video gaming is still evident today with many gamers remembering the computer and its games with great fondness. By working with Nintendo of Europe, we are ensuring that future generations of gamers can play some of the best and most popular titles that kick-started the computer games revolution and so keep the C64 legacy in gamers hearts.”

Yes, there’s still a Commodore computer company, though it puts out gaming systems now. But it does pay homage to the C64 on its site.

Laurent Fischer, Managing Director of European Marketing & PR of Nintendo Europe added,

“We are extremely pleased to be working with Commodore Gaming to provide even more retro hits for Wii owners to choose from on Virtual Console. With over 184 classic titles now available to enjoy, Virtual Console on Wii is a great way for users to access a breadth of classic retro games. We hope that this great choice of games will bring nostalgia to our gaming fans, while an entirely new generation of video game players can experience a host of classic games for the very first time.”

No word yet on when and if those with Wiis outside Europe will get a chance at C64 gaming.