"Prepare to battle it out in the toughest fighting contest of them all, King of Fighters, as ART OF FIGHTING 2TM arrives on Virtual Console! Originally released in 1994 by SNK on NEOGEO, knuckle down for this high-octane fighting game and use a range of deadly techniques to unleash devastating attacks on your opponents to become champion! As in the previous version of the game, using a deadly technique lowers your 'rage gauge', so use them strategically to cause the maximum amount of damage an..."

It's another Monday, and two more games were added to the North American Wii Shop Channel. Today should have been a release for Plaatchen Twist and Paint, but that was later pushed back for later in the month. In it's stead, we have the meager offering of one WiiWare game and one Virtual Console game. Disappointing week to be sure.

The WiiWare title is SPOGS Racing by D2C Games, an arcade-style racer that aims to bring the experience to the home console. The game will sport pick-up-and...

It's kind of hard to compete when last month had one of the best weeks ever. But somehow, just somehow, Nintendo manages to cook up a month that is a ridiculously good follow-up to their June releases. Why can't they show this kind of love to outside Japan?

Famicom:

Dig Dug [Wiki] (July 1st)

Chack'n Pop

Donkey Kong 3 [Wiki]

Super Famicom:

Fire Emblem: Thracia 776 [Wiki]

Nintendo 64:
-Nothing

Sega Master System:

Space Harrier [Wiki]

Sega Mega Drive:

Splatterhouse 2 [Wi...

It's Tuesday, so it's Japan's turn to shine with the Wii Shop Channel. Can they top what North America got? Unfortunately for those in that hemisphere, Japan churns out one of its best weeks as of yet, with the dream combo that highlighted this month. That's right, folks: this is the week that we see Super Mario RPG and Phantasy Star IV.

For the uninformed, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars is a game highly praised and has been a fan-favorite since its release for the Super Fam...

"The RetroUSB NES/SNES controller adapters enable gamers to easily attain a more genuine Virtual Console experience through the ability to use original controllers. Some hackers have gone even further, building custom circuitry into old equipment. Custom Nintendo themselves have contributed the Super Famicom Classic Controller to the cause of authentic retrogaming.

Raphnet's projects include not only adapters and fully-modded SNES and NES controllers, but also N64 solutions. Raphaël Assénat..."

The Virtual Console was a wasteland in Europe last week, with the region getting a grand total of zero new games. This week is looking to make that back up, with a whopping five games added to the service.

The first game is Last Ninja 2: Back with a Vengeance, the sequel to the original The Last Ninja game that was already released, for the Commodore 64. The game retains the isometric view and gameplay elements from its prequel, but this time with a more modern setting, set in New York.
...

The train just keeps on rolling.

The fan-favorite and ever-popular Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars for the SNES was rated by Australia's review and rating board, the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC).

The game, at first being thought to be a pipe dream due to Square's reluctance to release its games on the Virtual Console, is one step closer to reaching North American Virtual Console shores. It is already set to release this month in Japan.

Nintendo has released its release list for the Virtual Console in Japan for the month of June, and there are some show-stoppers on that list. It is looking to be another great month for the Japanese VC.

Famicom:

Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa

Transformers: Convoy no Nazo [Wiki]

Nekketsu Koukou Dodge Ball Bu (Super Dodge Ball)

Yoshi's Cookie [Wiki]

Super Famicom:

Super Mario RPG [Wiki]

N64:
-Nothing

Master System:

Ashura (Secret Command in Europe, Rambo: First Blood Part II in the...

This is the third week of Nintendo of Europe's Hanabi Festival for the European Virtual Console, where US and Japanese imports are made available to be downloaded. Whether this week will be the last for the Hanabi Festival is unknown, but there's a good chance it will be, given that WiiWare will launch in Europe next week.

After last week's release of Cho Aniki, NoE returns this week to release another three games, two of which are even more shoot-em-ups for the Virtual Console.

The fi...

With North America seeing the launch of WiiWare this past Monday, Japan gets the first real Virtual Console update this week. There are a couple gems in this update.

The first game is the Taito classic, Bubble Bobble for the Famicom. With gameplay that stands the test of time, join the two Bubble Dragons Bub and Bob through multiple levels, defeating enemies.


Next up is a game featuring Sega's top mascot before Sonic, Alex Kidd. This game is Alex Kidd in Miracle World for the Sega...

It is the second week of Nintendo of Europe's Hanabi Festival, where NoE will bring US and Japanese imports to the European Virtual Console. For this week, quite possibly one of the most quirkiest games ever will be released on the Virtual Console. It is accompanied by three additional games, making for a four game update.

That quirky title is none other than Cho Aniki for the TurboGrafx16. Featuring two of the most manly men in existence, the game is a shoot-em-up that features musclem...

"The Virtual Console is home to a lot of scrolling shooters. It seems like every week, at least one of the releases in every region is a shmup. This week, three of the four games coming out in Japan are shooters. But after years of seeing the once-prominent genre fall into obscurity, we really don't mind having a download service full of the things.

For that matter, the same goes for side-scrolling brawlers, one of which is the other Japanese release this week. The VC is a great system for ..."

"Sat, 03 May 2008 - By Dazza

Pokemon puzzle fun for all the family

So what wonderful games can you get your grubby mitts on this Monday? Prepared to be amazed as the Virtual Console is getting a new N64 game in the shape of Pokémon Puzzle League.

For those not in the know Pokémon Puzzle League uses the exact same gameplay found in the old SNES and Game Boy title Tetris Attack. You're given a Tetris-like field full of coloured blocks, which you must arrange into horizontal or vertical ..."

"If you're familiar at all with the Mother series (Only the second game was released outside Japan, as EarthBound) you should know it's got an enormous cult following. In fact, EarthBound was the number one wanted VC game in the Nintendo Power poll just a few days ago! Fans have pleaded for Nintendo to release the other games in the series, Mother and Mother 3 in the West, or at least give the series some more attention, but to this day, their wishes still haven't been satisfied. That is all c..."

"It's a rather small week on the Japanese Virtual Console, and one that means virtually nothing to gamers outside of Japan. Usually, Japan's releases allow us a look ahead at what's coming for us. This week's two releases just aren't useful for that purpose.

There's extremely little chance of any of Nintendo's Famicom Tantei Club (Famicom Detective Club) games being released outside Japan, which is unfortunate, because we'd love to play these Nintendo-developed text adventures. The one rele..."

"But let’s be realistic. What could that game possibly be? Ninjas, kung-fu, twin brothers, a gang leader named Willy, girlfriends! This game could not possibly exist, it would contain too much awesome for an NES cart to hold. But wait, what does this press release say? Ninjas? Check. Kung-fu? Check. Twin brothers? Check. A gang leader named Willy? Check. Could it be? Girlfriend’s being kidnapped for blackmail? Check! Double Dragon (NES, 1-2 players, Rated Everyone 10+ — Mild Violence, 500 Wii ..."

"Famicom:

Bubble Bobble

Super Famicom:

Axelay

Ganbare Goemon 2

Front Mission Gun Hazard

Nintendo 64:
Nothing this month!

Master System:

Alex Kidd in Miracle World

Mega Drive:

Gynoug (Known in the US as Wings of Wor)

Super Fantasy Zone

PC Engine:

Star Parodier (CD)

Fire ProWrestling 2nd Bout

Break In

Martial Champion (CD)

Neo Geo:

Fatal Fury 2

Ninja Combat

Burning Fight

MSX:

Eggy

Aleste"

"It seems every two weeks we get a Commodore 64 week now - No complaints from us, especially when it means that we get The Last Ninja, an excellent action platformer/puzzler hybrid featuring an agile ninja with a whole assortment of weaponry. The game was incredibly well-received in its day, being the number one selling original creation on the Commodore 64.

Accompanying it is World Games. In a fashion similar to California Games, it features a number of sports, only this time, from around ..."

"No joke titles, no casual Cho Aniki references, no making fun of the slow release schedule, or any of the usual stuff we do in these -- today is too important, too auspicious an occasion for us to ruin by being jackasses. As of today, Akumajou Dracula X: Chi no Rondo, the PC Engine Super CD-Rom Castlevania game, which is the narrative predecessor to Symphony of the Night and also the last traditional Castlevania game, is now available on the Virtual Console in Japan.

Get here soon, please...."

"Following news that publisher Interplay was preparing to revive a number of its owned properties, the company has announced that it will soon be bringing several of its Sega Genesis titles to the Wii's Virtual Console, including Earthworm Jim and Clayfighter.

Buoyed by the $5.75 million sale of its Fallout license to Bethesda, the company said in its 2007 earnings report that in addition to its planned Fallout MMO, it intended to revisit former properties. Interplay owns the rights to a nu..."

"After the 4-game blowout last week, some Europeans wondered if Nintendo of Europe had somehow completely turned around and would start to throw out multiple games every week from now on. This dream has been quickly shattered, because it's just one game again this week.

Apparently not considering the two Master System games last week as a true "Sega Week", Sega has now released a new Mega Drive game. Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom is the sequel to Phantasy Star II, also available on..."

"Of all the gamers and non-gamers that the Wii is designed for, we think we've identified the audience that would be happiest with the system: people who love Wonder Boy. Specifically, people who love Wonder Boy and don't already have the games, either in their original form or the Monster World Complete Collection. If you're over-the-top crazy over Wonder Boy, the Wii is easily the best system that has ever existed. Monster Lair is just the latest Wonder Boy game to arrive in Japan.

Also u..."

"Aksys has confirmed to IGN that it is delivering three NES beat 'em ups to the Virtual Console soon. First up is the beloved River City Ransom, arriving next week. Double Dragon and Renegade will follow in each successive week.

River City Ransom features the same Kunio-Kun characters found in Renegade and Super Dodge Ball. All three games were developed by Technos in Japan.

Double Dragon follows Billy Lee, a buff vigilante who fights his way through numerous thugs and crime bosses to sa..."

"You might remember that Europe got the first two Commodore 64 games two weeks ago. Well, this week two more games join them. But that's not all, because the Sega Master System also arrives, and also brings two games with it!

As a new console is arguably more important, we'll list the Master System's games first - Fantasy Zone is a rather colourful shooter from Sega themselves. The game is unique in that you can fly both left and right at any time you wish, there is no autoscrolling. The ga..."

"So what’s up for grabs on the European Virtual Console update this week? Well, sadly nothing other than a rather lonely looking Yoshi’s Cookie!

It is hard to get too enthusiastic as the VC already has an abundance of Nintendo puzzlers such as Mario & Yoshi, Wario’s Woods, etc but it is not such a bad thing that this has finally come out even if it is the less attractive NES version opposed to the SNES version we might have preferred.

With Mario Kart Wii coming out on April 11th in the E..."

"The Month of Awesome (as we have unofficially dubbed April for its wealth of Virtual Console releases) has kicked off rather well in Japan, with a bunch of new games available to NTSC/J Wii owners. Surprisingly, only two of these games are scrolling shooters (Sky Kid and Musha Aleste), and of those, one is an absolute classic of the genre. If you like giant robots mashed up with Japanese mythology (and why wouldn't you?) Musha Aleste is right up your alley (and shooting glowing shurikens).

..."

"If you like the number 64 you're in luck today - Not only are there three new games, they're all for the Commodore 64 and Nintendo 64! Obviously this also means there's now a new system on VC. Commodore 64 games cost 500 Wii Points each.

As the C64 is arguably bigger news than a new N64 game (It's not that great of a game anyway), its two games are our "top picks" this week. International Karate is probably the single most popular C64 game. It was ported to a variety of systems, some of th..."

It's March 25th, and thusly, Nintendo's WiiWare has launched in Japan, as a platform for developers with smaller budgets to produce quality, innovative games.

The launch titles are as follows:

Okiraku Ping Pong Wii - 500 Wii Points

Kotoba no Puzzle Mojipittan Wii - 1000 Wii Points

Saku Saku Animal Panic - 1000 Wii Points

Star Solider R - 800 Wii Points

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King - 1500 Wii Points

Tenshi Solitaire - 500 Wii Points

Dr. Mario & Saikin Bokumetsu...

"Tomorrow's Good Friday in most of Europe - Last year, Nintendo of Europe updated the VC a few hours earlier than normal because of this. Not this year though, the update was at the regular time!

Super Turrican was only added 3 weeks ago - But now you can get the game that was originally released before it: Mega Turrican! This game's a bit more similar in feel to the original duo of games on Amiga and Commodore 64 (In fact, it was released on Amiga as well, as Turrican 3), but features some..."

"This week's Japanese Virtual Console update features three games that aren't what they seem. Super Gussun Oyoyo totally looks like a platformer in screens, but it's actually a Lemmings/Pac-Man 2 style game in which you direct an uncontrollable character with falling blocks. Similarly, you might make assumptions about the genre of a game called Bomberman: Panic Bomber (possibly that it is in the Bomberman games genre) but it's also a puzzler!

Most deceptive of all is Nekketsu Kunio-kun. It'..."

"Four games hit the Virtual Console this week in Japan, none of which cost more than 600 Wii Points. Some of them may even be worth those small prices! The Famicom's original 2D fighting game, Joy Mech Fight stands out; though we have no idea if the game's any good, we suddenly have an interest in Nintendo-developed fighting games. Fantasy Zone is, of course, one of the Sega Master System's best: a free-scrolling (Defender-style) shooter in a super-colorful, cute environment.

For us, howeve..."

In this edition of the Wii Virtual Console Wrapup, we'll review the two weeks that have gone by, and the new games that have been added to the three Virtual Consoles. For those who have been paying attention, the regular on-the-correct-day-non-late-and-actually-on-time articles will resume next week.

First of all, let's recap the last week of February, 02/25/08 - 03/02/08:
On Monday the 25th, the North American Virtual Console was updated with two new games, already previewed on GameGrep...

Due to me being away for a week, there are Virtual Console updates that were not added to GameGrep. To rectify the situation, I bring you the first (and hopefully last) edition of Wii Virtual Console: Week in Review (name pending).

North America updated on Monday the 18th, with the new standard offering of two games. However, these two games aren't just mediocre low-tier stuff that you'd toss aside.

Game 1 for the NA crowd is Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom for the NES. Th...

"The third (!) week in a row with just one game! You can now download Lords of Thunder, a Turbografx-CD sequel to Gate of Thunder, which is a fantastic game.

Aside from the fact that the game was listed as costing 600 points instead of the usual 800 (which has now been fixed), there's not much else to report here. Obviously it's annoying that Nintendo are only releasing single games at the moment, when the title in question is as good as Lords of Thunder you really can't complain; this is o..."

"After last week, we thought Nintendo might be returning to form with Virtual Console releases, at least in Japan. We didn't get our hopes up, which is good, because we would be disappointed right now otherwise. Nintendo is continuing to do their best to make people forget about the Virtual Console, with another week light on releases. Not that many games for Japan means even fewer games making it out West. We don't even really care that the games aren't Goldeneye or Earthbound or whatever. We..."

"While Nintendo's 2007 success now seems like a foregone conclusion, it wasn't always so. In 2005, Electronic Entertainment Expo attendees who'd been wowed by the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 unveilings left Nintendo's press conference shaking their heads after being shown a nonfunctional mock-up of a tiny console code-named "Revolution." When that device was renamed the "Wii" in 2006, doubt became incredulity--until Nintendo showed off the console's motion-sensing remote at an E3 event that was..."

"It had to happen. With SNK supporting the Virtual Console and consequently making some of its wonderful 2D fighting games available for download, it was almost inevitable that someone, somewhere would look at producing a more ‘suitable’ control method than is currently offered by the Wiimote, Cube pad and Classic Controller.

Japanese retailer Rakuten has posted information regarding a new joystick that will be fully compatible with Virtual Console games and should allow for a more ‘faithfu..."

"The drought on new games coming to the Virtual Console continues for yet another week as Europe gets just one game today. We’ll try our best to smile because Adventures of Lolo 2 is a great game for anyone who likes puzzlers but we can’t help feeling a little disappointed at Nintendo’s lack of support for the VC of late.

Lolo and Lala are back in this sequel to the popular puzzle game Adventures of Lolo. On their return from the Haunted Castle, the Great Devil kidnaps Lala and challeng..."

"Sometimes, we can't help but compare the Japanese Virtual Console releases to the American ones. In some cases, they're about equal in quantity (which, lately, means low). Not this week. In the U.S. we got one game. Japan? Four. And one of them is Phantasy Star II. We desperately wish that we could say this marks a return to 2007-level release density, but we really can't predict that. Next Monday and Tuesday could roll around and drop one game on us again. Let's just try to be optimistic!

..."

"Awesome news for people who love 8-bit games, or just wonderful things: Sega Master System games will be offered on the Japanese Virtual Console starting in February, with other territories to follow. It looks like the base price for games will be 500 points, with the customary 100 tacked on for licenses. Sega Mark III games and even Game Gear games will be offered for download -- marking the first handheld games available through the VC, all thanks to the Game Gear and the Master System usin..."

"VC gamers in Europe only get one game tonight in what seems to be becoming a trend for recent releases on the VC. C'mon Nintendo, surely you can give us more games than this each week? Anyway, lets not look a gift horse in the mouth - when the game is as good as Super Street Fighter II on the SNES who can complain?

For somebody only wishing to buy one Street Fighter game on the VC this is probably your best bet. It has the most options, its got Cammy, Fei Long, DeeJay and T. Hawk and a num..."

"Despite both of this week's North American VC releases being quality games in their own right, we found the selection disappointing. We only got two games, one of which is only a minor upgrade over an existing release. Why did Nintendo skimp on the releases? And why have they been skimping for the last three or four weeks?

The situation is actually not that much better in Japan. This week only one new game is available: Devil World, the weirdo Famicom maze game designed by Miyamoto. With t..."

"Hot on the heels of Japan, who got the game on Tuesday, Europe has gotten the next N64 game - 1080 Snowboarding! This is another "realistic" racer, similar to Wave Race 64, except that you're, of course, snowboarding instead of riding jetskis. Like the other 3 N64 racers on VC, it holds up quite well and is well worth checking out.

On the other hand, stay far away from Riot Zone. This is a rather blatant clone of Final Fight and Streets of Rage, and unfortunately for us, it's not nearly as..."

"This week brings another rare (not Rare) Nintendo 64 release, and a seasonally appropriate one at that. 1080 Snowboarding is making its appearance on the Virtual Console for the first time. When it hits the American download service, we look forward to playing it and pretending it's cold outside. Until then, we can just look at screenshots and pretend we're playing it and pretending it's cold outside.

The other two releases are distant cousins. Adventure Island is a remake of Westone's ori..."

"Once again, Europe does not get 3 or more games this week. And once again, Nintendo seems to try and make up for it by making one of the games they do release a great one (The other is ok). Well, at least it wasn't just one game again! The great game this time is StarTropics, the first of only two games in Nintendo's (unfortunately) dead franchise of the same name. It's a lot like the original The Legend of Zelda, with some improvements, leading some to refer to it as "everything Zelda II sho..."

"After a week off, Japan's Virtual Console is slow to pick back up. Really slow. Only two games made it to the download service this time, both martial-arts related, and both not very good.

Konami's Yie Ar Kung-Fu at least deserves a bit of respect for being one of the first fighting games. Of course, that means it suffers the fate of all pre-SF2 fighters and isn't much fun. But at least it's better than Urban Champion. Yie Ar Kung-Fu is also notable for its deceptively banal title. Yie and..."

"After ending 2007 with a one-game week, people hoped Nintendo would start the next year with multiple games. Unfortunately, they fail to deliver, and it's one game once again!

Just like last week, it's not a complete mess, however, as it's a quality title - Harvest Moon for the SNES. This is the first game in the popular farming series, and it's usually regarded as the best one, as well. The game's notorious among collectors for being extremely hard to find, the cartridge can fetch some pr..."

"December 31, 2007 - What are you doing New Year's Eve? Thanks to the Wii™ Shop Channel, you've got some outrageous new options. This week's classic game additions offer brilliant fantasy and crackling action to help you ring in '08. So if you haven't made any New Year's resolutions yet, allow us to suggest a few: pop more bubbles, battle more medieval beasts and try to save the universe a little more often.

Three new classic games go live at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Nintendo adds new games to ..."

"It's a wonderful Christmas for people in Japan who have the day off work. In fact, it's a pretty great Christmas on the VC for people who have the month off work. Japan gets a VC lineup this week that is wall-to-wall RPGs, including one of the rare VC appearances from Square Enix, foisting off another of the few games they don't feel like remaking for the DS, PSP, PS2, or cell phones.

Also appearing this week is Langrisser II, the second in Masaya's strategy-RPG series to appear on the VC,..."

"Our pals at Nintendo haven't exactly pushed the boat out this week with festive spirit sadly. Still it could be worse! We finally have Blades of Steel on the NES, even before North America! For those not in the know this is one of the best, if not THE best ice skating games from the 8-bit era. Very often NES games feel tired with age but the gameplay is still as much fun as ever with this one!

Another NES game in the shape of Skate or Die is also up for grabs on the VC today. It's quite a ..."

"As you've probably surmised from the hypnotic image already changing your life, more Cho Aniki is now available on the Japanese Virtual Console. Ai Cho Aniki is when the series really took off, when original, non-awesome protagonists Idaten and Benten took off and allowed the muscular Adon and Samson to take center stage.

Significantly less mantastic are this week's other games: Metal Slader Glory, a text adventure from HAL, Party Quiz Mega Q, which is ... you know, a quiz game, and anothe..."

"After already releasing Pokemon Snap earlier in the week, some people wondered whether Nintendo would release games at the normal time as well. Thankfully they did - And they included one of the greatest NES games in the update as well! Mega Man 2 is usually called the best classic Mega Man series game ever made (With heavy competition from Mega Man 3 - Which I personally find better). It's the only Mega Man game with an easier mode (Making it perfect for series newcomers), it's got an absolu..."

"One of the most celebrated Virtual Console games of the year finally makes it to Japan this week. It's already made its way to the VC in other territories, while Japanese gamers waited patiently for the chance to download it themselves. Now the long wait is over and they can finally get their hands on Pony Canyon's Lunar Pool.

As for new releases that we don't already have, we're looking forward to IREM's Image Fight II. Sure, it's another Turbografx-16 shooter, but we liked the first one ..."

"Breaking the norm again this month, Sega only releases two games instead of the usual three. No matter though when both of them are great! Rolling Thunder 2's one of Dazza's favourites. It borrows some elements from Shinobi and combined it with arcade action, as there's enemies coming at you from all sides. While somewhat short, the game just oozes quality every step you take, with great music, graphics and gameplay.

The other Mega Drive offering is Light Crusader, an isometric Action RPG ..."

"Two games this week involve things being thundery, at least in terms of title. Of course, neither Gate of Thunder nor Rolling Thunder 2 has much to do with actual thunder -- Rolling Thunder 2 is about dudes shooting guns at each other, and Gate of Thunder is about spaceships shooting space guns at each other. Pokémon Snap we've already discussed. It's really easy, but surprisingly fun for a Nintendo 64 game Pokémon spinoff game, and with added functionality that will let you bug the hell out ..."

"Two games again for Europe today. If you'd like to go through Wonder Boy in Monster World again with different music, or if you like baseball, you're right at home. Otherwise, tough luck! Baseball Stars 2 is one of the finest games ever made based on the sport, with over the top animations and gameplay. Characters fight each other, break their bats in frustration and more! It's presented in such a ridiculously cool style that everybody who plays it will get a smile on their face.

We're not..."

"We have a soft spot in our hearts for King's Knight. Not enough of a soft spot, we don't think, to pay 500 points for the thing, but it's still just such a weird product. It looks pretty much like Ultima in screenshots, but it's totally a vertical scrolling shooter. And the Square nostalgia crowd just has no interest in shooters -- unless they're Einhänder. Square couldn't even get the title right in the game's own title screen. Something as maligned as this, you just have to love a little. ..."

"Only two games for Europe this week, but who cares? Both of them are fantastic games, each with their own cult following! First off, we have The King of Fighters '94, the first in a long, long SNK fighting series, which has yearly installments (It's still going!). The series combines characters and stages from various SNK series into one massive game, which provides tons and tons of entertainment. There's a reason it's loved by so much people!

Second this week, it's Taito's classic arcade ..."

"If you were expecting another hugely popular, great game today to coincide with the release of Super Mario Galaxy, you are, sadly, wrong. While the game (Yes, GAME) was indeed quite popular, I wouldn't quite call it good these days.

Today's ONLY new game is Double Dribble for the NES. It's another one of those games like China Warrior - The game attracted many people because of it's good graphics, but the gameplay is incredibly lackluster.

Yes, that's the only game this week! Just forge..."

"The biggest surprise for us this week is right there in the title. Balloon Fight is one of the canonical first-generation NES games. It's already out in the U.S. and Europe, and it was even remade for the DS in Japan in a Club Nintendo-exclusive Tingle version. So why has it taken so long to show up on the Virtual Console in Japan? In the time that Japanese Wii owners have been waiting for Balloon Fight, they've gotten two versions of Wonder Boy in Monster World. Similarly, today brings the s..."

"Thankfully, Europe didn't have to wait long to get Super Mario Bros. 3 after America got it earlier this week. This game needs no introduction. It's easily one of the best games ever made (And according to many, THE best game ever made). If you haven't ever played it, you honestly have no idea what you're missing. Shame on you!

The other two games this week aren't so hot. First up is Power Golf for the Turbografx. This is, as the title may already reveal, a golfing game. Unfortunately, Mar..."

"For the second week in a row, American gamers have gotten the red carpet in comparison to Japanese Wii owners. The Virtual Console uploads for this week are tame compared to the wish-fulfilling awesomeness of Super Mario Bros. 3 and the VISUALSHOCK! SPEEDSHOCK! SOUNDSHOCK! of Alien Soldier.

The Japanese releases are by no means bad, and, in fact, there are some games that will genuinely interest people, like the first King of Fighters and the first console Goemon game, which would lead to ..."

"Less Sega games than normal in this month's Sega week - only two, instead of three. But one of them is fantastic, and there's two other games as well, so there's no reason to complain! Or is there?

The top pick is Treasure's awesome run 'n gun game for the Mega Drive, Alien Soldier. It's a bit like the also available Gunstar Heroes, but somewhat slower paced. Treasure delivers the goods once again!

Unfortunately, the second Mega Drive game this week isn't so great. Sonic 3D is one of th..."

"Well, we needed some time to settle down after last week's megaton. Being heartbroken about awesome games being released in other regions is hard work, you know! We're sure you all felt a bit of the agony as River City Ransom saw a release in not-here.

The highest-profile release for Japan this week is an N64 game we already have and don't care much about anyway; backing that up is a humorous NES RTS from Square Enix, which we'll probably never see, and a very early Genesis shooter/platfor..."

"This Halloween, you needn't leave your own living room to encounter spooky spirits and creepy creatures from mysterious otherworlds. The Wii Shop Channel is celebrating the year's most frightfully fun holiday by offering a mix of eerie games that'll keep players' spines tingling. Mash with monsters in a classic Castlevania sequel, tangle with supernatural samurai or battle as a powerful magician-you're bound to discover cool tricks and visual treats no matter which titles you choose. Happy Ha..."

"Wii owners will soon be able to buy games on the Wii Shop to send to a friend's Wii via a new gift feature, Nintendo has revealed.

The new Wii Shop feature will allow users to purchase a game (a Virtual Console game, for example) to send as a gift to another Wii owner. The recipient will then be notified of the gift and, once they accept, their Wii will automatically log into the Wii Shop to download the selected game.

Nintendo hopes this will get a larger portion of Wii owners to make ..."

"Instead of the third Neo Geo fighting game, Europe's in for a treat today - You can now download the great platformer action game, Magician Lord! This great game features a fantastic soundtrack, great visuals and fun gameplay, including the ability to shapeshift into different forms.

Second today is what is perhaps the first not so great Nintendo 64 game - Yoshi's Story. While Yoshi fans will no doubt like the game, it might be a bit too simplistic and easy for other people's tastes. A tip..."

"Nintendo of Japan just completely outclassed the meager offerings we got on the VC yesterday, even if we did get an import game. It was not a fair fight. Most significantly, our favorite NES game the best NES game is available for download in Japan today.

As we read the title, we tried to temper our excitement, afraid that we'd make an assumption out of the Downtown Nekketsu part and miss that it was actually Downtown Nekketsu Koshinkyoku: Soreyuke Daiundokai (otherwise known as the predec..."

"A diverse selection for Europe today, as besides a shoot 'em up and a fighter, we get the strange sequel to the original Castlevania, Castlevania II: Simon's Quest. The game is a lot different from the original game, though the influence is still very obvious. Instead of fighting your way through linear levels, you've instead got a large overworld to explore, complete with dungeons and secrets! The game's been criticized a lot over the years, and has even been called "most disappointing seque..."

"SNK is wasting no time getting all its big fighting franchises onto the VC. Even though their VC offerings are already dominated by fighters, we imagine that most Neo fans will be pleased to see the arrival of Samurai Spirits, also known as Samurai Shodown, as it heralds the release of the game in our region.

Other releases include one-time Turbo CD pack-in Ys I&II, a collection of two lovely action RPGs from Nihon Falcom; Assault Suits Valken, which you may recognize as Cybernator; and Fa..."

"This week marks the first appearance of a CD-ROM game for the TurboGrafx16 on Virtual Console™. Take control of the Hunting Dog ship and battle deadly Obbellon fighters in the classic horizontal sci-fi shooter, Gate of Thunder. If shooting's not your thing, you can go out and save the world from evil demons or a power-hungry general in this week's other offerings that bolster the Wii Shop Channel's catalog of action-adventure and real-time strategy games.

This week's new games are:

Ninj..."

"VISUALSHOCK! SPEEDSHOCK! SOUNDSHOCK! NOW IS TIME TO THE 68000 HEART ON FIRE! So says the