I had already been toying with the idea of buying Cave Story for WiiWare after I played through the Downloadable game for PC. It's simply that much fun, but then I noticed some of the articles at Wii Fanboy about just how much is being done for this game's move to the Wii.

Seriously, let's list this out here:

1) completely redrawn, upgraded sprites (top half is the old, bottom half is the new)

I mean, look at this, it still has the same beautiful vibe, but it's like someone gave me glasses. And that's not just backgrounds, it goes for the individual character sprites as well.

I mean, it's seriously incredible how much more detailed they manage to make everything while still keeping that retro feel to it. I suppose a lot of this is directly resultant of just how incredibly the 8 bit style had been used already, but it still never fails to impress me just how aesthetically pleasing this game is, and how it's somehow managed to raise that bar even higher now.

2) Multiple Save slots. Sure, it was kind of a given that this would need to be included so that multiple players could use one game without losing other people's progress, but many ports fail precisely on including these type of integral updates.

3) New Audio tracks. I loved the sound in Cave Story, yet I honestly can't recall a single tune without hearing them first, it was that perfect, because they apparently fit so well with the mood of the game that I just never consciously registered them. New audio tracks should give the sound a fresh feel to match the fresh feel of the graphics. I'm pretty sure the cave story's main site has a sample of the updated music to give you a taste of what's to come, and I'm really digging it so far.

4) True to source. Everything has been personally reviewed by the original creator of the game; Pixel. He was the one that created everything in Cave story already, and he's personally giving feedback and final approval of every piece that goes into updating the game.

5) Fair price point. The interviews stated this was intended to be between 500 - 1000 Wii points. I'd list that as fair, personally. Sure it's a port of a free game, but with everything new that's going into it, I'd say this easily has the value of an SNES game. I've always considered it to be like Chrono Trigger Lite turned Action Adventure, and Chrono Trigger is being ported to the DS for $30.

6) Controls? I haven't heard anything about the controls, but it shouldn't be too difficult to fit them to any of the different control styles available for the Wii. Even the single Wiimote should be able to handle all the buttons needed. (dpad = updownleftright, 1&2 = jump&shoot, B&A=Weapon Cycling, -&+ = Map&Inventory) If you had a USB game controller to plug into your PC, then you already can play the PC version using a controller, but those that don't will finally have a way to use a controller to play this game, no matter which one it ends up being.

7) OPTIONALITY! Good god! This in my eyes is what pushes this port over the edge. This is above and beyond what I could expect. I mean, hell, even Nintendo didn't do this: all the new stuff, is OPTIONAL. You can turn it on or off as you please. If you don't like the new music and new graphics, you can just straight out turn them off and be left with teh original game in all its glory. How awesome is that?

I would have liked to be able to turn the mirrored world option off in Zelda: TP and allow that to let Link be left handed again, but no dice for that. Only time Link has ever been right handed. I still feel a little dirty when I think about it.

But still. with everything going into this, I can't help but wonder how 3rd parties have managed to screw up their ports trying to make a quick buck. If you can convince ME to buy a game, that I already have, and have already played, for free, then you should be able to convince ANYONE.

How could 3rd parties have dropped the ball with their ports when it's so obvious that a good port is going to do well?
I suppose Cave story has the advantage in merely needing to revamp the sound and image libraries it pulls from, and beyond that little needs to be done with the actual game. Games like Okami require that the actual game engine itself be modified, which I suppose leaves little room for improving other areas, but it still doesn't explain the cut credits and a completely overlooked option to speed up or skip cutscenes, which are the only major complaints I've heard of this port.(the ign logo on the official box cover was just the icing on the cake)

I hear a lot of outcry against ports, but I personally am in favor of as many ports as possible, but just that they be done properly, and Cave Story seems to be a prime example of that so far.

They're basically upgrading it from 8-bit to 16-bit, but I'll be getting it for the simple reasons that Pixel deserves to get paid for this game and I really want to play it with a proper D-pad.

I am SO buying this once it comes out in Europe. I really liked the original PC version, and I still have the redemption ending to unlock.