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 and World Heroes for the NeoGeo, which the US got two weeks ago

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 sequel of all time", but this is honestly not doing it any justice, as it's a pretty good game. Just don't expect anything similar to the original!

Second today, it's the first Turbografx-CD game, Gate of Thunder! It's a really good horizontal shmup, with a rocking soundtrack. There's a reason this is frequently mentioned in lists of best shoot 'em ups!

And finally today, we've got World Heroes. It's a good fighter for the Neo Geo, and it's cartoony characters are a nice alternative to Fatal Fury's slightly more realistic approach. Still, it and most other "early" Neo Geo fighters are outclassed by their own sequels, so it might be worth waiting!

A fairly diverse selection for Europe today, and none of the games are bad. Take your pick:

Castlevania II: Simon's Quest - NES - 500 Wii Points

Gate of Thunder - Turbografx-CD - 800 Wii Points

World Heroes - Neo Geo - 900 Wii Points

Note: I already mentioned this in the previous US VC update news story, but Turbografx-CD games will be listed under Turbografx games. It's the same way in the Wii Shop, in fact, because it was pretty much just an add-on!

Akira_EX via vc-reviews.com »