After reading a very "Colorful Commentary" about an issue in video games, I got to thinking. Said commentary talked about the Xbox 360, and its backward compatibility. In the article, the writer states that what Microsoft is doing is very valiant, but they have the wrong ideas. They make games backward compatible, but they choose games that no one cares for. He stated that for every 20 games they create that is backward compatible, only five are worth getting. Also, later in the article he gives a quote from Peter Moore, from Microsoft, on backward compatibility. This is what Mr. Moore stated on the situation of backwards compatibility for the Xbox 360:

"Nobody is concerned anymore about backwards compatibility. We under promised and over delivered on that. It's a very complicated thing... very complex work. I'm just stunned that we have hundreds of games that are backwards compatible," he said. "more are coming, but at some point, you just go, there's enough, let's move on, or people aren't as worried about a game being backwards compatible - and I like to think we've upheld our end of the bargain in making at least two or maybe three hundred games backwards compatible."
Now you may be saying "What in the world is he talking about?" I have to agree with you. This statement is as wrong as Satoru Iwata’s statement in May, 2004 that, "Customers do not want online games." People want old games, period.

This brings me to the point of this. Nintendo has in the past made the statement that they might update some old school games to feature something along the lines of updated graphics and gameplay. Is this really necessary though? Is it what we really want? In my opinion, the answer to both of those questions is no.

Why do people play old, classic games? If I am not mistaken it is to experience the game because they could not when it was available or because they loved the game in the past. Both these things have one thing in common, the want for nostalgia. Now nostalgia is the "bittersweet longing for things, persons, or situations of the past" (Dictionary.com), or in layman’s terms a longing for something from the past like a sort of homesickness. Both these kinds of people take this into account, somehow, the person wants to experience the game like it was when they could not and the other wants to experience the game like they did when they played it.

Now if nostalgia is truly there, then why would the consumer want an updated version? Nintendo should get out as many great, classic games out as possible and not worry about making them "better." The nostalgia of each game will sell them, and not a revamped Super Mario Bros. 3. People will buy SMB3 because they love the game as it is. If Nintendo "updated" it, they would kick out that feeling of nostalgia.

Right now, Nintendo has the right idea. They are trying to get as many of their great games on the Virtual Console as possible for the consumer. With this, they will not run into a situation like Microsoft is. They can keep adding great games until there are no more. Gamers want their favorite games, not some crap that can get ported quickly. If Nintendo can keep with their current plan and not revamp classic games, the Virtual Console will be a prime entity in the world of online distribution of games.