Nintendo announces full Wii, Virtual Console games release list

The Wii launches on November 19th, but a system launch is only as good as the games that are released alongside it. Nintendo has announced the titles you’ll be able to pick up for the Wii and purchase on the Virtual Console in the "launch window," which means some of these games will be released for purchase on the 19th with the rest following soon after.

Virtual Console games will be purchased with "Wii points," with the conversion adding up to $1 for every 100 points. The in line with what we expectedbetween $4.50 and $9.00 per titlewith NES games available for 500 points, SNES titles for 800 points, and N64 games at 1,000 points. Sega Genesis games will start at 800 points, with Turbografx games made available for 600 points. It sounds like it will be very easy to blow through quite a lot of money on Virtual Console titles, although it’s worth nothing that many of the first-party N64 carts still go for a competitive price online, $10 per game may feel little a bargain for some titles.

There is a some fat in the Wii launch lineup, but also more than enough high-quality releases to keep gamers occupied for quite a while. The notable games are not a surprise: Twilight Princess, Excite Truck, Trauma Center, Red Steel, Rayman: Raving Rabbits, Madden 2007, and Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz are all expected in the launch window. The full list:

Wii titles		Virtual console titles
Wii Sports The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess EXCITE TRUCK Call of Duty 3 Marvel Ultimate Alliance Rapala Tournament Fishing Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam World Series of Poker: Tournament of Champions Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 Trauma Center: Second Opinion Madden NFL ’07 Need for Speed: Carbon Elebits Happy Feet Rampage: Total Destruction The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy	The Ant Bully Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz Metal Slug Anthology Super Swing Golf Avatar: The Last Airbender Barnyard Cars SpongeBob SquarePants: The Creature from the Krusty Krab Far Cry: Vengeance GT Pro Series Monster 4X4 World Circuit Open Season Rayman Raving Rabbids Red Steel Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Double Agent Ice Age 2: The Meltdown	Mario Bros. The Legend of Zelda Donkey Kong Donkey Kong Jr. Ice Hockey Pinball Soccer Tennis Urban Champion Wario’s Woods Baseball Solomon’s Key F-Zero SimCity Super Mario 64 Sonic the Hedgehog	Altered Beast Golden Axe Columns Ecco the Dolphin Gunstar Heroes Space Harrier II Toe Jam & Earl Ristar Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine Bonk’s Adventure Super Star Soldier Victory Run Bomberman ’93 Dungeon Explorer

While there are a good number of games launching with the Virtual Console, one wonders where all the classic Nintendo IP is hiding. My guess is that Nintendo is planning to release a steady trickle of the games Wii owners will really want to make sure there’s always at least $10 in our pockets we can send their way. Still, this is a large lineup of quality games on both the Wii and Virtual Console side of the aisle, much stronger than what the 360 had at launch.

November 19th can’t come soon enough. Be sure to keep your eye on Opposable Thumbs for more Wii news as it’s released.