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It’s hard to believe that the Nintendo Wii came out a year ago today. I initially wrote off the console as a child’s toy, but I’ve grown to love it more than any other gaming console I’ve owned. What I love most about the Wii is its ability to engage non-traditional players. Whether you’re six years old or ninety-six, the Wii isn’t intimidating.

Nintendo: Bravo for making a console that has succeeded in bringing gaming to a new level. Happy Birthday.

Nintendo rocks. Seriously.Some time ago, my father-in-law started experiencing randomly shutdowns while playing games (even while fully charged) on his DS Lite. He mentioned it to me for the first time tonight, and I took a look at it. Sure enough… most of the time I hit the B button, it would shut itself off. I briefly searched online to see if anyone else had been experiencing this same sort of problem to no avail.So I called up Nintendo and explained the situation to them. They looked the system up to see when it had been purchased and the representative told me it just went out of warranty a couple of days - but not to worry… they were going to repair and/or replace the DS Lite anyways! You don’t know how happy that made me. A new or repaired DS Lite will be on its way in 2-3 weeks. Can you ask for anything better?I had read stories about how good Nintendo was to its customers, and this was the first time experiencing it first-hand. It makes me glad to own a Nintendo Wii, a DS and a DS Lite. I know the money went to a company that will definitely take care of its customers.Thank you, Nintendo.

Wiikly Update: Three more games added to the Nintendo Wii Virtual Console this week: Mighty Bomb Jack™ (NES®, 1 player, 500 Wii Points), Final Fight (Super NES®, 1 player, 800 Wii Points), and Ordyne™ (TurboGrafx16, 2 players, 600 Wii Points).

The introduction of Castlevania to the Virtual Console is certainly going to delight many a gamer.

• Castlevania® (NES®, 1 player, 500 Wii Points)
  Step into the shadows of the deadliest dwelling on Earth. You’ve arrived at Castlevania, and you’re here on business: to destroy the curse of the Evil Count, once and for all. Make your way through six monstrous floors filled with bats, ghosts, zombies and every kind of ghoulish creature you can imagine. Use the legendary whip Vampire Killer and a host of deadly weapons to battle your way to Dracula’s chamber and the ultimate duel of good vs. evil.
• The Legend of the Mystical Ninjaâ„¢ (Super NES®, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)
  In The Legend of The Mystical Ninja, take control of Kid Ying and Dr. Yang in an action adventure through feudal Japan. A curse has stricken the village of Horo-Horo, and its beloved princess has vanished. Together Kid Ying, a daring young mystical ninja, and Dr. Yang, master of the invincible spirit transformation, must overcome 10 levels of the Dragonbeast to save Princess Yuki. Each stage contains intense 3-D and 2-D zones where the duo must perform dozens of attack moves and solve magical problems and puzzles before advancing. Battle humorous enemies like the Carp Meister, who stuns victims with poisonous fighting fish, Tanaka-U-Out, a knockout artist who wallops opponents with a bone-crushing hammer, and the Sumo Tag Team, kings of the unbeatable belly-buster crunch. Collect coins to buy new equipment and to receive clues, spend some time playing minigames in the arcade or try your luck and increase your fortune at the Quiz House and Horse Races.
• Shockman (TurboGrafx16, 1-2 players, 600 Wii Points)
  It’s been two years since Arnold and Sonya were made into Shockmen. A message from the professor to return to their bodies has them head to his laboratory, but they are ambushed by a mysterious enemy along the way. After narrowly defeating the enemy, they catch a TV news flash announcing the Ryo Empire invasion. They find that the professor has been abducted and set out to rescue him. Shockman is a side-view action shooter that has eight stages, including Action Stages, where you jump and use special techniques, and side-scrolling Shooting Stages. This game expands on the well-paced story from the previous version and contains cooperative elements like shared life and a powerful Team Shockbeam that can be used during two-player simultaneous play.

I had to dig to find these… the Nintendo Press site doesn’t appear to be working at the moment. Three new games were released to the Virtual Console today. Here’s the rundown of what’s available now:

• Gradius III (SNES, 2 players alternating, 800 Wii Points)
  

  Extra Game Features:

  • Originally released in 1991
  • Download this Virtual Console title for only 800 Wii Points
  • Use the Classic Controller or GCN Controller to play this game

  Return as the pilot of the Vic Viper starfighter to battle the onslaughts of the Bacterion Empire. Blast through 10 action-packed levels in space, destroying everything in your path. Customize and power up your ship with weapons and upgrades including speed-ups, missiles, lasers, options, and shields.

• Wonder Boy in Monster World (Genesis, 1 player, 800 Wii Points)
  

  Extra Game Features:

  • Originally released in 1991
  • Download this Virtual Console title for only 800 Wii Points
  • Use the Classic Controller, Wii Remote or GCN Controller to play this game

  Monster World was a peaceful, happy place until one dark day when an army of BioMeka monsters invaded. As a young man named Shion, you’ve vowed to defeat the hostile foes and make the land peaceful again. You’ll attack enemies with swords and spears and guard against incoming projectiles with shields and armor. As you travel through the many different regions of Monster World, you’ll talk to the townspeople, collect money to buy items, and gather a large variety of weapons and magic. The further you venture, the more powerful your weapons and equipment, including suits of armor and boots, will become.

• Battle Lode Runner (TurboGrafx16, up to 4 players, 600 Wii Points)
  

  Extra Game Features:

  • Originally released in 1993
  • Download this Virtual Console title for only 600 Wii Points
  • Use the Classic Controller, Wii Remote or GCN Controller to play this game
  • For more information about this game, visit the Hudson VC Website

  This upgraded edition to the famous Lode Runner series includes a 5-player versus mode. Gold funds have been stolen from the Time Machine Research Center, and the group responsible used a time machine to escape and hide the gold throughout time. The center sends an elite team of “Runners” to go and retrieve the gold.

  In addition to the familiar Puzzle mode, the game features Battle mode, where up to 5 players can compete, and Edit mode, where you can create your own original stages.

  You can enjoy Battle mode in a number of different ways. Be the last one standing to win in Survival. Grab items from enemies and escape to win in Escape. With 4 players, you can separate into two teams to do battle in Tag Match.

It’s Monday and you know what that means: new games on the Wii Virtual Console! I’ve played all three games, and have to say that this is one of the most solid set of offerings Nintendo’s delivered for the VC so far. Am I upset that Punch Out!! is not Mike Tyson’s Punch Out? Not at all.

• Punch Out!!® Featuring Mr. Dream (NES®, 1 player, 500 Wii Points): As young boxer Little Mac, players have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to battle the big guys of the World Video Boxing Association circuit. Take them on one by one, starting with skinny Glass Joe. Battle up through King Hippo and all the way to the WVBA Champion himself. Players use their best jabs, hooks and power uppercuts to knock out opponents, but must pay attention to subtle changes in their body position to dodge jaw-breaking blows. With great graphics, addictive action and a touch of humor, this game will keep players entertained for hours.
• Virtua Fighterâ„¢ 2 (Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points): Virtua Fighter was the very first 3-D fighting game in the industry and introduced six unique characters, each with their own martial arts style. In Virtua Fighter 2, the intrepid fighters return to the World Fighting Tournament. Players take to the stage to see who will claim the championship title. Will it be Lau Chan, Kage-Maru, Wolf Hawkfield, Jeffry McWild, Akira Yuki, Jacky Bryant, Sarah Bryant or Pai Chan? The answer lies within. Players immerse themselves in this technically challenging game and see if they have what it takes to be the champion of the second World Fighting Tournament.
• Bonk’s Revenge (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points): The “hardheaded” hero is back for more in the second installment of the Bonk series. Taking place in the Monster Kingdom, Bonk the Caveman makes his way toward King Drool III. Bonk’s Revenge is a side-scrolling action game in which players Jump and “Bonk” (head-butt) their enemies while they make their way to the goal at the end of each stage. Double, even triple, attack power by eating the meat that appears in a stage. There are eight different hidden bonus stages, and the Dinosaur Train that appears after players defeat a boss will change depending on how many Smileys they’ve collected. With new actions such as the Triangle Jump and the ability to climb trees, as well as seven variety-packed stages, Bonk’s Revenge will keep players playing over and over.

Nintendo added three new Virtual Console titles this week:

• Galagaâ„¢ (NES®, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points)
• BRAVOMANâ„¢ (Turbografx16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points)
• Alex Kiddâ„¢ in the Enchanted Castle (Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)

Aside from Galaga, this week’s games are, imho, mediocre at best.

Three games were added to the Nintendo Wii Virtual Channel today. I am super-excited about the addition of Star Fox 64 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles this week.

• Star Fox® 64 - (Nintendo® 64, 1-4 players, 1,000 Wii Points)
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles® - (NES®, 1 player, 600 Wii Points)
• Dragon’s Curse - (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points)

Only one game was released on the Wii Virtual Console this week, and I have to admit: I’m not familiar with it at all.

• Romance of the Three Kingdoms IV: Wall of Fire™ (Super NES, 1-8 players, 800 Wii Points): Romance of the Three Kingdoms IV is a tactical simulation game in which the player takes the role of a ruler seeking to unite China in the era of the three kingdoms of Wei, Wu and Shu. The role of the ruler is to command a range of officers with differing characteristics - some cunning strategists, others brave warriors - and strengthen the military might of his or her kingdom. Foreign policy, involving forming alliances with certain kingdoms and hatching plans to weaken others, will play a major role in this process. Once players have developed a powerful enough military, it will be time to expand their borders through military conquest. Ultimate victory will only be achieved once all 43 cities in China lie within a player’s control.

Okay, now that Excitebike is out, I’m set. It was one of those games where I could play it for hours and hours. What made it stand out? It had to be the custom tracks… The other releases for this week… meh, I could do without.

• Excitebike™ (NES®, 1 player, 500 Wii Points)
• Beyond Oasis™ (Sega Genesis, 1 player, 800 Wii Points)
• SPLATTERHOUSE™ (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points)

View the Official Press Release