March 12th, 2007
The fact that Tecmo Bowl came out today brings me great joy and great sadness. I’ve been waiting for this one to hit the VC for some time now. Unfortunately, I just spent my “allowance” on F-Zero last night. I’ve got 300 Wii Points left, but sadly, this addition will have to wait. Tecmo Bowl is joined by Sonic Spinball and Double Dungeons. If you’re like me, you probably just feel asleep. Anyhow, here’s this week’s offerings:
View the Official Press Release
February 24th, 2007
I still love gaming, though I don’t get to play as much these days. (Having a demanding 14 month old can do that to a person!) Video games were a big part of my life growing up. Me and my brothers had most of the major systems. Throughout the years, we had an Atari 2600, NES, Sega Genesis, Super NES, Sega GameGear, Nintendo GameBoy, Sony Playstation and a Nintendo 64. That’s why I love the Wii now…
One of the great things about the Wii is the ability to download older games via the Virtual Console. With the Virtual Console you can buy older games that appeared on older consoles like the NES, Super NES, Turbografx 16, Sega Genesis, or Nintento 64. So far, I’ve picked up Super Mario Bros. (NES). Super Mario World, Sonic the Hedgehog and Streets of Rage. Those are but a small selection of what’s already available on the Virtual Console… a large list of other games are also available. But there are lots of other games I used to play that I’d love to see come to the Virtual Console… so, here’s my Virtual Console wishlist.
UPDATE: It looks like a lot of my wishlist items are Planned Releases…
- PilotWings 64 or PilotWings- I had forgotten about this game until I heard it mentioned elsewhere. I freakin’ loved that game. Between flying, gliding, using a rocket jetpack, etc… this game had tons of replayability.
- Ninja Gaiden - Was, IMHO, one of the great side-scrolling games for the NES. I know a new Ninja Gaiden was released on the Xbox back in 2004, and a new version is planned for the PS3… but it just wouldn’t be the same.
- Road Rash - is one of the coolest motorcycle games I’ve ever played. I spent hours and hours playing this game on the Sega Genesis. I still get a kick thinking about kicking opponents off of their bike, or whipping them with a chain… This was a truly fun game, in spite of the racing violence.
- Tecmo Bowl and Tecmo Super Bowl - Tecmo had the greatest football games for a while. Tecmo Bowl and its successor, Tecmo Super Bowl were great games. It’s been ages since I’ve played either, but it’d be great to play them again.
- Metroid - A classic… probably one of the best NES games of all time. It’s probably only a matter of time before tis title appears on the Virtual Console.
- Battletoads - I don’t know why, but I loved this game.
- Blades of Steel - a great hockey game. I especially loved the fights in the game.
- Bionic Commando - Come on! What’s not to love about this game? It was a great side-scroller, and the use of the extending arm really enhanced gameplay.
- Castlevania - Another great side-scroller with a great storyline.
- Dragon Warrior - One of the great RPGs on the NES.
- Excitebike - Nintendo released a follow-up on the Wii called ExciteTruck, but releasing Excitebike on the VC would be much cooler. I especially loved being able to create my own courses…
- Mega Man - Subsequent versions were more of the same. The original was great and would be lots of fun to play again.
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - I loved the Turtles growing up. I collected the comics, watched the cartoons, collected the action figures, and watched the movies. This game, and the others that followed, were great to play…
- Star Fox - the original SNES game had awesome graphics and gameplay.
I could keep going… but this is a start. There were lots of great games on the older consoles, and knowing that at some point many of these might become available on the Wii Virtual Console.
What games are you looking forward to on the Virtual Console? Which games have you already gotten for the Virtual Console?
February 19th, 2007
Today Nintendo adds four new classic games to the popular Wii™ video game system’s Wii Shop Channel. The games go live at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Nintendo adds new games to the channel every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are:
- Donkey Kong™ Country (Super NES®, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points): Donkey Kong Country is an incredible island adventure, and the first game to feature Donkey Kong’s sidekick, Diddy Kong®. Challenged by the crazed tribe of reptilian Kremlings, the Kongs face their cunning adversaries armed with lightning-quick moves, chest-pounding muscle and awesome aerial acrobatics. The duo also gets help from a host of friends and family, from Funky Kong™, Cranky Kong™ and Candy Kong™ to Rambi™ the rhino, Expresso™ the ostrich, Enguarde™ the swordfish, Squawks the parrot and Winky the frog. This game has more than 30 levels, plus dozens of hidden caves and secret rooms - more than 100 areas in all. Help the Kongs recover their stolen banana hoard!
- The Legend of Kage (NES®, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points): This classic ninja-action game first appeared in arcades in 1985 and became instantly popular. As the Iga ninja named “Kage,” players embark on an action-packed quest as they move toward a magic castle where the Princess “Kiri” is held captive by “Yohshirou Yukikusa.” To stay alive, players move vertically and horizontally through forest and castle environments and execute massive jumps, all the while using throwing-star knives and a sword to take down hordes of enemies.
- New Adventure Island (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points): On peaceful Adventure Island, the islanders are celebrating the wedding of Master Higgins and Tina, the “Miss Island Queen.” Suddenly, the celebration is interrupted by the appearance of Baron Bronsky and his henchmen, who kidnap Tina and the island children. Master Higgins must set out to rescue the children and his beloved Tina in this side-scrolling action game. Throw hatchets and boomerangs, hop on skateboards and guide Master Higgins safely to the goal in each area. New Adventure Island consists of seven exciting stages. Each stage is split into four areas, with a boss waiting at the end of the final area. Defeat all the bosses and release the kidnapped children. And waiting in the castle of the final stage - the wicked Baron Bronsky. Help Master Higgins defeat him and reclaim his bride.
- Streets of Rage™ (Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points): The city was once a happy, peaceful place…until one day, a powerful secret criminal organization took over. This vicious syndicate soon had control of the government and even the police force. The city has become a center of violence and crime where no one is safe. Amid this turmoil, a group of determined young police officers has sworn to clean up the city. Among them are Adam Hunter, Axel Stone and Blaze Fielding. They’ve decided to put their lives on the line and take back their city through their special hand-to-hand combat abilities. They are willing to risk anything, even their lives, on the Streets of Rage.
I remember playing three out of four of these games. Streets of Rage was a fave of mine when me and my two brothers owned a Sega Genesis. I can remember many a long night spent duking it out… trying to make it through the game. Donkey Kong Country was one of the most beautiful games on the SNES. I never played Adventure Island on the TurboGrafx, but I do seem to recall playing it on the NES… (Memory don’t fail me now). I’ve got 700 Wii Points in my account right now… so I’m not sure whether I’ll pick any of this week’s offerings up just yet. Maybe I’ll let Kim pick something out 
February 5th, 2007
Nintendo Pressroom
Feb. 5, 2007 - Today Nintendo adds four new classic games to the popular Wii™ video game system’s Wii Shop Channel. The games go live at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Nintendo adds new games to the channel every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are:
- Super Mario World™ (Super NES®, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)
- VIGILANTE™ (TurboGrafx-16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points)
- Gain Ground™ (Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)
I’m definitely going to need to pick up Super Mario World. I’ve picked up three Virtual Console games do far: Super Mario Bros., Sonic the Hedgehog, and Mario Kart 64. Super Mario World will make a great addition to the console. Now, if only they’d come out with a new version of Road Rash for the Wii, I’d be in heaven.
