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Three big releases are set to finally grace the Virtual Console. Nintendo have announced that Super Mario Kart will be available for download this Monday, allowing fans to re-experience the game that started off the series. Nintendo have also stated that Super Smash Bros. and Pilotwings will finally be released sometime this "holiday season." So make sure you've got some money saved up.
"Before Konami made NES games they were a key MSX developer. Parodius and Metal Gear originated on the system and you’ll be able to play the games that started those series if you have a Japanese Wii soon.
Over the coming months, Konami will release thirteen MSX games on Virtual Console.
What games? These games.
Metal Gear
Yie-Ar Kung Fu: Counterattack of the Emperor
Space Mambo
Penguin Adventure
Road Fighter
Parodius
Contra
Gradius 2
Salamander
Quarth
Knightmare ..."
"Seeing Super Mario Bros. for the tenth time is nice, but I’d rather see obscure, hard to find, games on Virtual Console. Before Natsume became synonymous with Harvest Moon they released all kinds of games. RPGs, steampunk shooters, and even ninja titles.
Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 whetted my appetite for a two player ninja game so I asked Natsume if we would ever see Shadow of Ninja available as a Virtual Console download.
“Funny thing…you’re the fourth person to ask this question in the span..."
"In this week’s packed Wii Shop Channel update, return to the Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles universe on WiiWare, and celebrate the 300th Virtual Console release as the Hanabi Festival continues. Meanwhile, the Nintendo DSi Shop welcomes the return of a much-loved puzzler."
No, not that FFIII for those who are confused with the numbering. The original FFIII, featuring the onion knights, is coming to the Virtual Console in July. The game had also been re-released on the DS a few years back, but this is a good chance for purists to pick up the original version or try it out if you haven't played it yet. The game can be purchased for 500 Wii Points.
Square Enix has also said that they plan to release three more ports on the VC. Maybe that other FFIII might also ...
Coming this Friday to the European Virtual Console is a well-loved classic: the original Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo 64. The original eight of Mario, Link, Samus, Donkey Kong, Pikachu, Fox, Yoshi, and Kirby get ready to duke it out across the game's nine stages.
Other games hitting Nintendo's European downloadable services this week are Cocoto Platform Jumper for WiiWare, and Asphalt 4: Elite Racing and Sudoku 150! For Challengers for DSiWare.
With Wii Firmware 4.0U also comes a new update to the Wii Shop Channel: a new platform!
Classic arcade titles will now be available for the Virtual Console, with pricing beginning at 500 points. Four titles are currently available in North America and Europe: The Tower of Druaga, Mappy, Starforce, and Gaplus (600 Points). Japan has these four games, along with Space Harrier, Return of Ishtar, Solvalou, and Emeraldia.
During Satoru Iwata's keynote at the 2009 Game Developer's Conference, the Nintendo CEO announced two new WiiWare titles: one that we already knew about, Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, and one we didn't: My Life as a Darklord: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, the sequel to last year's My Life as a King. Also announced by Iwata is that the Final Fantasy series will make its way to the Virtual Console.
You can view the rest of the happenings during Iwata's keynote here.
"Early in the summer of 2007 Starmen.Net received an unsolicited message:
"EB on VC in July."
There wasn't much else to the message. We were skeptical at first -- EarthBound fans have endured more ill-fated rumors, delays, false starts, cancellations and disappointments than probably any other fanbase in gaming history, so we approach everything with a healthy skepticism. Like, 0% body fat skepticism."
Exar, makers of the Wii Neo Geo Stick, have announced that they will be releasing two new arcade sticks for the Wii. One will be a regular edition for Virtual Console titles, and will be priced at 5229 yen. The other stick will be a sexy Tatsunoko vs. Capcom-branded stick, complete with images of Ryu, Chun-Li, Ken the Eagle, and Casshern, and will retail for 6279 yen.
The sticks will release on November 27th, a couple weeks ahead of the retail release of Tatsunoko vs. Capcom Cross Genera...
It looks like Nintendo is adding the SuperGrafx to the Virtual Console.
A little background; the SuperGrafx was a variation of the standard PC-Engine (TurboGrafix-16 in the US)
"Many will recall that Capcom has numerous classic titles from the days of the Nintendo Entertainment System and the Super Nintendo as well, yet there are specific games from that era that have still yet to make their way onto the Virtual Console retro download service. The reason behind this has now been revealed.
Unfortunately, because Capcom teamed up with Disney for many NES, SNES and Mega Drive classics, such as Duck Tales, Chip N Dale, Aladdin, DarkWing Duck and TaleSpin, it means th..."
It was a decent August for Japan, what with Rockman 2, Twinbee, and Nazo no Murasamejou coming out for the Japanese Virtual Console service, but their September just may trump what August had to offer. One of the more celebrated games for the SNES makes its way to the service this month.
Famicom:
Super Famicom:
Nintendo 64:
As we approach a new month, Hudson gives us a look at the upcoming games coming out for Nintendo's Virtual Console service, updating its ware on its Virtual Console site.
For the North Americans, we will see at least these two games make its way to the Virtual Console in September: the shooter that tests your manliness, Cho Aniki and another shoot-em-up from Hudson's Star Soldier series, Final Soldier.
For those in PAL Land, on September 5th you will see the arcade police chase game Cha...
"We will be streaming a feed live on our website of us playing Mother 1,2,&3 from August 28 at 4pm till August 30 at 11 pm (55 hours straight!). We will feature chat along with video to create an interactive event. Our main goal will be to encourage phone calls to Nintendo of America (NOA) requesting Earthbound to be brought to the U.s in some way shape or form."
When Friday rolls around, those in Europe know that they're due for their update for Virtual Console or WiiWare titles. With Nintendo of Europe choosing to alternate between each, the surprises seemed to be nil.
That is, until NoE announced that its Hanabi Festival will return once more, for a third go-around. The Hanabi Festival is NoE's showcase of import titles that will make their way onto the region's Virtual Console. Two games made their way onto the service this week.
The high...
A controversial game hits the Wii Shop Channel's virtual shelves this week, flanked by two popular quality games. Sure, it isn't SBCG4AP like people were expecting, but there are some retro gems to be had.
The WiiWare game this week is the much maligned Pong Toss--Frat Party Games, developed by JV Games. It aims to bring the collegiate pasttime to the Wii, making use of the Wii Remote. It has received much controversy and criticism in the mainstream media, that prompted the name change....
After having some pretty good releases last month in both quality and quantity, Japan's VC fare for August seems a bit dialed back. There are some definite gems, but there's nothing really groundbreaking. Also included is Japan's update for next Tuesday, the last update of July.
Next week's releases (July 29, 2008):
August Release List:
Famicom:
After having a WiiWare week last week, Europe gets its Virtual Console fix this week, with three new games added to Nintendo's retro download service. The games this week provide an arcade-type action feel, with all three games pretty much pick up and play.
The first game is International Karate + for the Commodore 64, a very popular sequel for International Karate. The game pits three different fighters in a free-for-all match; up to two are controlled by human players, with the third a...
"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:
Super Famicom:
Nintendo 64:
-Nothing
Sega Master System:
Sega Mega Drive:
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:
Super Famicom:
N64:
-Nothing
Master System:
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...
It's the first of the May updates for the Japanese Virtual Console, and its update sees a trio of shoot-em-ups reach the VC, along with a rare appearance by a Neo Geo game.
The first shoot-em-up is Axelay for the Super Famicom. Players gain their weapons as they advance further into the game. Largely considered one of the better shmups out there, Axelay is already available on the Virtual Console in North America.
The second shoot-em-up is the classic and highly popular cute-em-up S...
This Monday you can expect to see Pokemon Puzzle League and Renegade.
Pokemon Puzzle League made it's hit back on the Nintendo 64. The basic goal in the game is to line up three or more blocks of the same color, either horizontally or vertically. Almost like Tetris.
Renegade is a pre-Double Dragon beat-em-up side scroller from the NES. The game's controls and graphics were nothing great back in the day, but the game is always worth a try.
Cult favorite SNES RPG Earthbound is one of the games constantly clamored for by fans for release on the Virtual Console. Perhaps, they'll get their wish.
It was discovered today that Earthbound has been rated by the ESRB for the Wii, with an E rating.
The question is, now, will it be the next Super Mario RPG/Shining Force II, or will it be one of the 200+ games available on the Virtual Console and actually release?
Only time will tell.
In other news, another game rated by the ES...
After North America's one game offering on Monday, Japan's update isn't that much better, with only two games in the update: one of which the other two regions already have, and one game that probably won't leave Japan's shores.
That game stuck in Japan is the Super Famicom remake of Famicom Tantei Club II: Ushiro ni Tatsu Shoujo (Famicom Detective Club Part 2: The Girl in the Back), the second game in the Famicom Tantei Club series. It is a text adventure, which is the primary reason why...
"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 ..."
One of the many things that Nintendo of Japan does right and Nintendo of America doesn't do right is that NoJ releases before the start of every month what games will release that month onto the Virtual Console. While this doesn't really match how awesome April was, the month of May is shaping up to be a pretty good release month... in Japan.
Oh, and the MSX finally shows up.
Notable highlights include:
Axelay (SFC)
Ganbare Goemon 2: Kiteretsu Shogun Magginesu (SFC)
Front Mission:...
Europe can't decide if it wants to be hip or boring. One week, they get lots of games. The next week? Only one.. And now this week? They get three games. Stop being inconsistent.
The first game available is a Commodore 64 action-adventure game, The Last Ninja. It features an isometric perspective, and a blend of exploration, puzzle solving, and combat.
The second game up is World Games for the C64. It is similar in style to California Games and is a part of that series. World...
Japan's Month of Why Do They Get All the Good Things reaches an end, with the Japanese Virtual Console getting the most celebrated release of the month, in a four game update.
That game? Akumajou Dracula X: Chi no Rondo, better known as Dracula X: Rondo of Blood/Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, for the PC Engine Super CD-ROM. The game is highly praised by many, and finally saw its first release in the United States as a part of Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles for the PSP.
One of t...
A couple weeks ago, publisher Interplay had planned revivals for several of its properties. The first step probably is to game the previous games onto the Virtual Console.
Interplay announced today that four of its Genesis games library will be headed to the Virtual Console: Earthworm Jim, Boogerman, and Clayfighter.
While no specific dates have been announced, they are slated for a 2008 release.
[Image Credit: VC Reviews]
Europe, even after getting four games last week, returns to the norm, getting only a single game today as its Virtual Console update.
That game? Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom for the Sega Mega Drive. Compared to Phantasy Star II, it is regarded as not as great, and one of the weaker, if not weakest, of the four original Phantasy Star games. However, it is still a RPG, which the Virtual Console is sorely lacking.
Recap:
Japan gets another mediocre release week for its Virtual Console, but that just means that the games remaining in April's Month of Uber-Awesome and Why Can't We Get All This will provide an impactful final two weeks.
The first game released this week is Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards. After already being released in both NA and PAL Land, rehashing an explanation is not necessary.
Next up is a boxing game for the PC Engine, Digital Champ: Battle Boxing. It is fought in first-person, wi...
Technos is a now-defunct video game company, whose claim to fame was the widely ppopular Kunio-kun and Double Dragon series.
IGN has confirmed that Aksys will be releasing three Technos NES beat-em-ups for the North American Virtual Console, starting next week. The first game released, next week, will be the hugely popular River City Ransom, followed up by Double Dragon and Renegade.
Out of the three, River City Ransom is the most anticipated after being released already on both the ...
So, this is weird. Europe gets a grand total of four games this past Friday, and for two of the newer systems to grace the Virtual Console: the Commodore 64 and the Sega Master System.
First game up on the docket is the fan-favorite cute-em-up, Fantasy Zone, for the Sega Master System. It is one of the more celebrated games for the system, lauded by many. The game's controllable character, the sentient spaceship Opa-Opa has made cameo appearances in other games and media.
Next up i...
After a week of releases that led to the introduction of the Commodore 64 last week, Europe's Virtual Console regresses back to a single game this week.
That game? Yoshi's Cookie for the NES. It is a puzzler, where the goal is to mix and match cookies by rotating rows and columns.
Single game recap:
Keep track of the latest VC releases with the 2008 edition of What's New on VC? in the Wii Virtual Console forum.
For the Japanese Virtual Console, April is month full of awesome and win. For Tuesday's update, Japan got some of those gems in a package of five games for their Virtual Console.
Leading off the pack is a familiar game: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for the Famicom. Those who do remember know that it was a hard and frustrating game, and also because of the license it's 600 Points.
Next up is Sky Kid, also for the Famicom. It is a horizontally-scrolling shooter made by the folks ove...
This week's European VC update packs so much more content than the previous weeks, that it is insane. Coupled with the fact that Japan didn't get a Virtual Console update (probably because WiiWare had launched), Europe gets a virtual megaton.
The first notable bit is that Europe gets a whopping three games, and two of those games are on a newly supported system for the Virtual Console: the Commodore 64, a widely popular system back in the day, that can boast approximately 10,000 software ...
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:
A few weeks ago, Europe got the Contra and Metroid bastardization, Super Turrican. Not really content to limiting themselves to just that, Europe gets another one of those games to their Virtual Console.
The game is Mega Turrican for the Sega Mega Drive, with the alternate title of Turrican 3. If you were a fan of Super Turrican, then Mega Turrican should be a treat.
Also of note, is that there's a Wii Shop Channel update that just preps the channel for WiiWare.
One-game recap:...
Japan gets a varied set of games for its Virtual Console update Tuesday, with each game representing different genres. For me, anyway, there's not really any game out of these four that I'm looking forward to, although some of these may be interesting.
The first game is Nekketsu Koha Kunio-kun for the Famicom, better known outside Japan as Renegade. From what I hear, even though it is a Kunio-kun game, the quality isn't up to par. Its impact is what it spawned: most notably, River City ...
Whenever NA gets a pretty good release week, Japan seems to do it one better. The region gets four games to their Virtual Console, and just about all the games have their good qualities, including some that I would want to purchase.
The more interesting one for me is Joy Mech Fight for the Famicom. Hardcore Gaming 101 also has an excellent writeup about Joy Mech Fight. It's a Famicom fighter with 36 different playable characters. It is also influenced by Street Fighter II, and has a gr...
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...
It's Friday once again, and for the third week in a row, Europe only gets one game added to its Virtual Console. However, this one is a pretty good game.
This game is called Lords of Thunder, and it's for the TurboGrafx-16 CD. It's a sequel to Gate of Thunder, and like its predecessor, it's a shoot-em-up that is highly lauded.
Recap:
Keep track of the latest VC releases with the 2008 edition of What's New on VC? in the Wii Vir...
Despite Japan getting four games last week, the offerings in the Land of the Rising Sun were slashed in half to two games. Good, decent games, but still only two nonetheless.
The first game is Dungeon Explorer II for the PC Engine CD. It is the sequel to the original Dungeon Explorer, which has seen releases on the European and North American Virtual Consoles.
The other game is Wrecking Crew for the Famicom, starring Mario and Luigi. This has already seen releases in Europe and Nort...
"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..."
Like it says, there will be a NeoGeo Joystick Wii-bound in Japan. This won't be the first arcade stick to reach the Wii, although this is more designed for the NeoGeo, and the quality fighting games that have appeared on the system, including The King of Fighters and Samurai Shodown.
There are no official images, but the Japanese retailer Rakuten has said it looks similar to the PS2 Neo Geo Stick 2.
The this couple of weeks for Europe has been quite lonely. Last week PAL Land only got a single game added to their Virtual Console, and it's the same case this week.
In fact, this game came out last week in North America. For those who have not kept up, this game is Adventures of Lolo 2 for the NES.
Short recap:
Keep track of the latest VC releases in the new 2008 edition of What's New on VC? in the Virtual Console forum.
Not going along with the rest of the crowd, Japan gets a welcoming four games added to its Virtual Console this week, highlighted by a classic.
This classic is Phantasy Star II, the second game in the vaunted Phantasy Star series. Having wanted to play this, I personally cannot add much, other than the couple hours I did play it, I had fun.
However, that isn't the only game joining the ranks of the Japanese Virtual Console this week. There's also Mappy, an arcade game featuring the ti...
Starting next month, there will be a new console on the Japanese Wii Virtual Console: the Sega Master System, Sega's 8-bit predecessor to the Sega Genesis/Sega Mega Drive. By way of sharing the same hardware, games for the SG-1000 Mark III and the Sega Game Gear will also be available.
Pricing for the Sega Master System games will be akin to those of the NES: 500 Points, with an extra 100 for any extra licensing. Two games have been lined up in Japan: Fist of the North Star (600 Points) ...
Following in the wake of Japan's one game week, Europe follows suit, but with a better game than Devil World.
Europe's single game this week is one of the games North America got this week: Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers. For those that need a reminder, this is the game that introduced Cammy, Dee Jay, T.Hawk and Fei Long as playable characters.
In recap:
Keep track of the latest VC releases wi...
Well, Japan gets an astounding one game this week. With the the number of releases per week in 2008 a lot fewer than in 2007, you'd have to start wondering if Nintendo is slowing down the VC from the breakneck pace we have enjoyed before.
The single game this go around is a Famicom title called Devil World. Many US gamers will recognize the Devil character as being an Assist Trophy in the upcoming Super Smash Bros. Brawl. European gamers have already gotten a taste of this Pac-man-like ...
Europe is truly a follower this week. They follow in both Japan's and North America's footsteps by getting one game from each region that had released this past week. One pretty good one from Japan, and one mediocre one from North America.
The pretty good one from Japan is none other than the hit snowboarding game 1080 Snowboarding for the N64. Out of the four or five snowboarding games that had hit the N64, 1080 Snowboarding is the third best, if only because of Snowboard Kids 1 and 2....
Japan gets a three-game update this week, consisting of Famicom, Mega Drive, and Nintendo 64 games. One is more thematic with the cold weather most of us are getting, and the other two are thematically related to each other.
The cold game is the Nintendo 64 game 1080 Snowboarding, one of the few Snowboarding games on the N64 that was fun to play, and a game that I have good memories of. It's a game I would consider getting once (if?) it reaches stateside.
The other two games are a par...
Europe continues the trend this week of getting only two games for its Virtual Console update. Although the two games were released already in North America, it would be the second week in a row that Europe has gotten at least one quality game, with last week's game being the original Harvest Moon.
The first game, and the aforementioned quality game, is none other than cult favorite StarTropics, a Zelda clone that turned out to be a very good, solid game, that North America had gotten o...
After a week-long hiatus for the New Year's holidays, Nintendo kicks off the new year by adding two new games to the Japanese Virtual Console.
First on the list is the pre-Street Fighter 2 fighting game, the phonetically misspelled Yie Ar Kung Fu. It has not been released in any of the other regions.
The other game is Genpei Toumaden Kannoni, better known under it's other moniker as Samurai Ghost. It has already been released for the Virtual Console in North America and Europe.
To ...
It's now 2008, and thus the start of a new year in gaming, including a new year of releases on the Wii Virtual Console. As we trek through the regions week by week, I wonder what games of old will make there way into this generation on the VC.
Europe gets the first update of the new year, with Japan not getting an update on New Year's. The main game in the update is a fan-favorite: Harvest Moon for the SNES. The original farming game that could has been widely considered as one of the b...
Well, it's the last day of dear old 2007, where we've seen many games get added to the Virtual Console in North America, Japan and PAL Land. We've seen some all-time classics, and there's another one today.
Without further ado, the last VC update for 2007:
So, what are you eyeing? ...
With the NA releases of Sin & Punishment and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels on the Virtual Console, paying attention to which games get VC releases in both Japan and Europe get much more important, as these games are then available on the VC, and sport the possibility of crossing the ocean.
It's a day of RPGs for the Japanese Virtual Console, with three games being added; it's not the top tier stuff that we would like, but there are some serviceable RPGs here.
With the NA releases of Sin & Punishment and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels on the Virtual Console, paying attention to which games get VC releases in both Japan and Europe get much more important, as these games are then available on the VC, and sport the possibility of crossing the ocean.
Europe's Virtual Console update today consists a hockey game, a skateboarding game, and another North America got on Monday. No holiday appeal to be found, though:
With the NA releases of Sin & Punishment and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels on the Virtual Console, paying attention to which games get VC releases in both Japan and Europe get much more important, as these games are then ready to be used on the VC, and sport the possibility of crossing the ocean.
There's nothing like a good update without our two favorite manly men Adon and Samson. Ai Cho Aniki stars just Adon and Samson (without the prequel's Idaten and Benten), and features button ...
With the NA releases of Sin & Punishment and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels on the Virtual Console, paying attention to which games get VC releases in both Japan and Europe get much more important, as these games are then ready to be used on the VC, and sport the possibility of crossing the ocean.
The European Virtual Console was updated twice this week, first with the surprise update of the Wii-enhanced Pokémon Snap on Tuesday, and the standard release on Friday. By no means is the r...
With the NA releases of Sin & Punishment and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels on the Virtual Console, paying attention to which games get VC releases in both Japan and Europe get much more important, as these games are then ready to be used on the VC, and sport the possibility of crossing the ocean.
Well, Japan finally gets Super Mario Bros. 3, after both North America and Europe have had it for a month. Not much else to say, except that it is still one of the greatest games of all time...
With the NA releases of Sin & Punishment and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels on the Virtual Console, paying attention to which games get VC releases in both Japan and Europe get much more important, as these games are then ready to be used on the VC, and sport the possibility of crossing the ocean.
This week is the monthly Sega Week in Europe, and Sega releases two games, and a third game shows up with a NEW! tag that was apparently delayed.
The three games are:
With the NA releases of Sin & Punishment and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels on the Virtual Console, paying attention to which games get VC releases in both Japan and Europe get much more important, as these games are then ready to be used on the VC, and sport the possibility of crossing the ocean.
This is the first of the three regions to get the Wii-enhanced Pokémon Snap this week, with Europe presumably getting this on Friday, and North America already confirmed to have it December 1...
With the NA releases of Sin & Punishment and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels on the Virtual Console, paying attention to which games get VC releases in both Japan and Europe get much more important, as these games are then ready to be used on the VC, and sport the possibility of crossing the ocean.
The highlight/better of Europe's two offerings this week is Baseball Stars 2 for the NeoGeo. I've heard some good things about this game.
Joining it is The Dynastic Hero for the TurboGraf...
With the NA releases of Sin & Punishment and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels on the Virtual Console, paying attention to which games get VC releases in both Japan and Europe get much more important, as these games are then ready to be used on the VC, and sport the possibility of crossing the ocean.
Japan this week gets a pretty good batch of games this week. Out of the stuff I've heard of, here are the two notables:
With the NA releases of Sin & Punishment and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels on the Virtual Console, paying attention to which games get VC releases in both Japan and Europe get much more important, as these games are then ready to be used on the VC, and sport the possibility of crossing the ocean.
Compared to last week, Europe's Virtual Console offerings doubled, and the continent gets two pretty good games.
Those games?
With the NA releases of Sin & Punishment and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels on the Virtual Console, paying attention to which games get VC releases in both Japan and Europe get much more important, as these games are then ready to be used on the VC, and sport the possibility of crossing the ocean.
Highlighting Europe's offering this week is Double Dribble for the NES.
Joining it, is well... nothing. Note that I said "offering" not "offerings" previously. The only game Europe got w...
With the NA releases of Sin & Punishment and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels on the Virtual Console, paying attention to which games get VC releases in both Japan and Europe get much more important, as these games are then ready to be used on the VC, and sport the possibility of crossing the ocean.
The highlight this week is Balloon Fight for the Famicom, which both North America and Europe already have.
Joining our returning friend this week is another game from legendary studio Tre...
It's Mario Galaxy hype week. Not wanting to be left out, Europe also got one of the greatest games of all time, just without the voicemail.
The obvious highlight this week is Super Mario Bros. 3 for the NES, for 500 Wii Points.
Joining it are Power Golf for the Turbografx (600 Points), which NA got along with SMB3, and [link name=Blue's Journey]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue's_Journey[/link] for the NeoGeo (900 Points).
With the NA releases of Sin & Punishment and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels on the Virtual Console, paying attention to which games get VC releases in both Japan and Europe get much more important, as these games are then ready to be used on the VC, and sport the possibility of crossing the ocean.
We have two highlights this week:
Highlight #1: The King of Fighters '94 for the NeoGeo. Why so notable? Beside being KoF, it's the first KoF.
Highlight #2: Ganbare Goemon: Karakuri Douch...
With the NA releases of Sin & Punishment and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels on the Virtual Console, paying attention to which games get VC releases in both Japan and Europe get much more important, as these games are then ready to be used on the VC, and sport the possibility of crossing the ocean.
Highlighting this week's Europe VC offerings is what Japan got a month ago, legendary studio Treasure's Alien Soldier for the Mega Drive.
Joining it are Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island for the ...
With the NA releases of Sin & Punishment and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels on the Virtual Console, paying attention to which games get VC releases in both Japan and Europe get much more important, as these games are then ready to be used on the VC, and sport the possibility of crossing the ocean.
Last week's Japanese Virtual Console updates was the virtual megaton. This week, not so much.
Highlighting this week's offerings is the Square Enix Famicom RTS (o_O), Hanjuku Hero. It is...
It's another Monday, and three new games were added to the North American Wii Virtual Console. In a Halloween special, we get a NES game, a TG16 game, and a NeoGeo game.
First off, we have what Europe got two weeks ago, in Castlevania II: Simon's Quest. Next is the TurboGrafx16 game Samurai Ghost. Finally, we get what Europe got last week in Magician Lord for the NeoGeo.
As always, these games will go live at Noon EST. Keep track of the latest VC releases on What's New on VC? in th...
Announced on Friday by Nintendo is a new feature for the Wii Shop Channel--the channel where Wii owners can buy Virtual Console games and WiiWare. This new feature will allow Wii owners to gift Virtual Console games to any of their Wii friends, by purchasing the game on the Wii Shop Channel, and then sending a notice to the friend's Wii to download the game.
This makes for some good possibilities. Birthday Gifts? Secret Santa?
The estimated launch is unknown, but many assume it will ...
With the NA releases of Sin & Punishment and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels on the Virtual Console, paying attention to which games get VC releases in both Japan and Europe get much more important, as these games are then ready to be used on the VC, and sport the possibility of crossing the ocean.
Highlighting today's Virtual Console offerings for Europe is Magician Lord for the NeoGeo.
Joining it are Yoshi's Story for the Nintendo 64, which NA has gotten a while ago, and Super Air ...
Simply put, Japan's Virtual Console additions totally outclass North America's VC Offerings for this week.
There are not one, but TWO highlights this week.
Highlight #1: River City Ransom for the Famicom.
Highlight #2: Cho Aniki for the PC Engine CD (TG16 CD)
They speak for themselves.
Joining them are Donkey Kong Country 2 (Super Famicom), Dyna Brothers 2 Special (Mega Drive) and Raguy/Blue's Journey (Neo Geo).
With the US releases of Sin & Punishment and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels on the Virtual Console, paying attention to which games get VC releases in both Japan and Europe get much more important, as these games are then ready to be used on the VC, and sport the possibility of crossing the ocean.
Highlighting today's Virtual Console offerings for Europe is Castlevania II: Simon's Quest for the NES.
Joining it are Gate of Thunder for the TurboGrafx, which the US got this past Monday...
With the US releases of Sin & Punishment and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels on the Virtual Console a couple weeks ago, paying attention to which games get VC releases in both Japan and Europe get much more important, as these games are then ready to be used on the VC, and sport the possibility of crossing the ocean.
Highlighting this week's Japanese VC Offerings is SNK's Samurai Spirits, better known as Samurai Shodown in the US. As such, the possibility is now there for it to be rele...
It's another Monday, and three new games were added to the North American Virtual Console. Today marks the appearance of the first TurboGrafx-CD game, Gate of Thunder, and will go for 800 points.
Also joining the shmup is Ninja Gaiden II for the NES and Metal Marines for the SNES.
As always, the games will go live at Noon EST. Keep track of the latest VC release on What's new on VC? in the Wii Virtual Console forum.
With the US releases of Sin & Punishment and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels on the Virtual Console a couple weeks ago, paying attention to which games get VC releases in both Japan and Europe get much more important, as these games are then ready to be used on the VC, and sport the possibility of crossing the ocean.
Highlighting this week's VC update for Japan is Alien Solider for the Mega Drive, developed by legendary development studio Treasure. Also making the jump are ZANAC for th...
Well, this press release was true.
Games will be for 900 Points, and will go live at Noon EST.
The October 2007 NA VC Release Post has been updated.
Apparently, Nintendo has sent out some PR to news site, confirming that games for SNK's NeoGeo console are set to appear on the NA Virtual Console Monday at Noon EST. The three games are Fatal Fury, World Heroes and Art of Fighting, with all of them going for 900 Wii Points per. Start saving up?
As always, there will be a NA Wii Virtual Console post both on GameGrep (as of last week) and the Wii NA Virtual Console Release thread.
"WII-KLY UPDATE: TWO NEW CLASSIC GAMES ADDED TO WII SHOP CHANNEL
Oct. 1, 2007
This is a special week on the Wii Shop Channel. Frankly, it's a gamer's dream come true: Nintendo is launching the new Import genre with the release of two games that previously have never been available in the Western Hemisphere on their original platforms. The first will be hugely popular with Mario fans, who will love reliving the style of his classic games as they encounter new skills, new levels and new d..."
"Everyone believes education is important, even apes. To celebrate the back-to-school season, Donkey Kong Jr. Math is now available on the Wii Shop Channel. Itll help you get those math skills back in shape after their summer slumber. After that, theres still plenty of adventure, treasure seeking and a never-ending supply of bad guys to fight. Good thing its a holiday today, huh? Enjoy.
Four new classic games go live at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Nintendo adds new games to the Wii Shop Channe..."
"New games from the Neo Geo console will be making their way to the Japanese Virtual Console from September, SNK has confirmed.
The arrival of the new format on the Wii retro download service will kick off on September 11 with beat-'em-up, Fatal Fury, followed later that month by another fighter, World Heroes, and scrolling action game Magician Lord. Neo Geo games will cost 900 Wii Points"
Rare talked about Nintendo's Virtual Console in their mailbag today. They hinted at the possibility of their games coming to the VC in the future. According to Rare, it's Nintendo's decision whether Rare games get released on the VC or not.
"Ah, the three classic summer leisure activities: golf, pinball and battling hordes of evil creatures. Luckily, its Monday and once again Nintendo has you covered. Players can hit the crazy links with the spherical Kirby, become a pinball wizard or just enjoy an afternoon of helping good triumph over evil. So pour yourself a tall glass of lemonade and settle in for some classic gaming fun.
Three new classic games go live at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Nintendo adds new games to the Wii Shop C..."
"Nintendo of America on Monday announced three new additions to its Virtual Console download service. The titles include the critically acclaimed N64 hit Paper Mario, the NES classic Balloon Fight, and Silent Debuggers for TurboGrafx-16. Descriptions and pricing details verbatim from NOA's release below:"
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- NES Open Tournament Golf (NES, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points): Enjoy a long and relaxing walk with Mario, stopping occasionally to batter an innocent white ball with a large club. Tournament and Match Modes sound enjoyable enough, though you'll probably want to put on a hat for Stroke Mode.
- World Sports Competition (TurboGrafx-16, 1-5 players, 600 Wii Points): Comprised of 18 events, the Olympics competition sees the world's most skilled photographers competing to capture the first image of ...