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 Famicom back in 1996. Developed by legendary RPG house Squaresoft, Super Mario RPG combined great gameplay with game graphics. The ability to have Mario explore a world and travel in any direction paved the way for Super Mario 64. The game featured an interactive battle system that became the basis for any future Mario RPG titles. Featuring recognizable and iconic characters, Super Mario RPG is sure to not disappoint.


The other great RPG available is none other than Phantasy Star IV: Sennenki no Owari ni for the Sega Mega Drive. The fourth and final installment of the original Phantasy Star series before it shifted online, the game is considered the best in the series, and is up there as one of the top RPGs of all time. With the series' classic gameplay, Phantasy Star IV built on the formula by introducing macros and combination attacks shared between party members. With its epic storyline, the game continues to live on.


The two RPGs were also accompanied by two more games, the first of which being Paranoia (Psychosis outside Japan) for the PC Engine. Already released in North America and Europe, psychosis is a horizontal shoot-em-up that features satellites that can be manipulated around the player's ship to either attack or defend the ship from oncoming attacks.


The other game is Ninja Commando for the Neo Geo. It is a vertical shoot-em-up developed by Alpha Denshi, that features three playable characters. One of the features is to ability for the player to input fighting game commands to perform special attacks.


In addition, Japan also received three WiiWare games that I don't cover. For the interested, they will be listed below with links.

Recap:
Virtual Console:

SFC: Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, 1 Player, 900 Points

SMD: Phantasy Star IV: Sennnenki no Owari Ni (The End of the Millenium), 1 Player, 700 Points

PCE: Paranoia, 1 Player, 600 Points

NEOGEO: Ninja Commando, 1-2 Players, 900 Points
WiiWare:

Saikyou Ginsei Go

Blue Oasis

Ouchi de Mugen Puchi Puchi

Keep track of the latest VC releases with the 2008 edition of What's New on VC? in the Wii Virtual Console forum.

[Image Credit: Wikipedia and Nintendo Wii Fanboy]