Virtual Console Features

Very early edition

Believe your eyes: the Nintendo Download for North America is out, several hours ahead of usual. There's two Virtual Console treats and more to get stuck into, so here's what's up this week. Virtual Console: Wonder Boy in Monster Land (Virtual Console Arcade, SEGA, 900pts) — Just like Europe, North America gets a double dose of...

It's a Virtual Console explosion

As if any further proof were needed that SEGA is the greatest video game company in the whole world, this week it's bringing no fewer than three games to lucky European fans this week. Elsewhere there's a long awaited piece of 3DS download software and an out-of-nowhere DSiWare game too. To the list! 3DS Virtual...

Germs and birds

The eShop gets its cheapest game yet, a $1.99 'infinite challenge' title, and real-time strategy fans can rejoice that Intrinsic Games' molecular head-scratcher is finally out, plus the return of VC Arcade. Here's what's up and competing for your money today. 3DS eShop: Bird Mania 3D (Teyon, $1.99, 227 blocks) — Fly as far as you...

Virtual Console Arcade returns

In an unexpected (to say the least) twist, SEGA is bringing back Virtual Console Arcade this week with a truly classic racer. Elsewhere there's brand new DSiWare and a Game Boy Color game on 3DS too. Here's what's up this week. Wii Virtual Console: Super Hang-On (Virtual Console Arcade, SEGA, 900pts) — The legendary...

Blocks, fighting and Chuck E. Cheese

Virtual Console returns to Wii this week with a fighting classic, plus there's some original 3DS Download Software and DSiWare too. Here's what you can look forward to downloading later today. Wii Virtual Console: Super Street Fighter II (Genesis, SEGA, 800pts) — The 16-bit scrapper reaches North America,...

Why should it stop with the Ambassador scheme?

Before the Virtual Console, emulators provided the only way that people could relive their favourite gaming experiences of years past. Allowing players to download "rom" files and load them onto their personal computers and other platforms, their only real legal application is to allow those...

Four years later, which great titles still aren't available?

The Wii was released over four years ago, and alongside it came Virtual Console. Over time, some of the greatest titles of the 80's and 90's have been made available for digital download, but we can't help but feel that there are still some significant titles inexplicably missing from the...

60Hz and the confusing state of Virtual Console emulation

“Many people don’t know what the difference between 50Hz and 60Hz is, but since most modern TV models support 60Hz it’s definitely worth finding out.” This interesting and illuminative statement, plucked readily from any number of Nintendo Wii game manuals, is fascinating in its transparency; boldly asserting what the Big N believes..

What is stopping us from experiencing the entire history of video games?

Last year Taito issued Space Invaders Get Even on the WiiWare download service as well as multiple versions of the original game on the Japanese, PAL and North American Virtual Consoles. This was in celebration of the 30th annivesary of the release of Space Invaders in arcades worldwide. Similarly Namco is due to celebrate..

Since the birth of the Virtual Console a couple of years back we’ve been granted some truly amazing slices of retro-related brilliance. Zelda, Phantasy Star, Street Fighter, Alex Kidd, Mario, Castlevania, Sonic…all of these franchises (plus many others) have been reborn in a blaze of glory thanks to Nintendo’s download portal.

At the start of 2008 we asked a few probing questions about the..

This year brought two new systems to the Virtual Console with the Commodore 64 computer added to the European Virtual Console and the Sega Master System added to both the European and North American Virtual Console services. We also saw a host of new releases on the systems already available on the service including some very high profile titles.

As 2008 comes to a close, we at Virtual Console..

We've already done quite a few Top 10 lists of games we'd like to see hit the Virtual Console, but now that we're quickly approaching 300 Virtual Console releases, we thought it might be a good time to come up with a list of our favorite Virtual Console releases already available for the service.

I'm going to kick things off with my own personal Top 20 Virtual Console releases list. Now before the..

We've already done quite a few Top 10 lists of games we'd like to see hit the Virtual Console, but now that we're quickly approaching 300 Virtual Console releases, we thought it might be a good time to come up with a list of our favorite Virtual Console releases already available for the service.

I'm going to kick things off with my own personal Top 20 Virtual Console releases list. Now before the..

In 1989 the PC Engine was still selling quite well in Japan, but Sega's 16-bit Mega Drive system was beginning to pick up steam and Nintendo's Super Famicom console was looming just around the corner. Sensing this, NEC decided that they needed a true 16-bit console if they were to have any hope of continuing their success in the Japanese console wars.

The successor to the PC Engine was originally..

The Classic Controller is a great peripheral, modelled on the humble SNES controller of yesteryear with two analogue sticks and a few extra buttons thrown in for good measure to support N64 games - it is all you need to enjoy most of the retro games on the Virtual Console.

The only downside is that it isn’t completely wireless. Sure it is wireless in the sense you don’t have to plug it..

Racing or driving games are sorely underrepresented on the Virtual Console. Why is that we ask? They’ve always been popular with gamers since Pole Position on the Atari 2600. In the vain hope that powers that be at Nintendo ever visit this site for inspiration, here are the driving games which we feel deserve consideration for the Virtual Console.

10. Outrun – Sega Master SystemHow could a list..

Following the series of Top 10 lists we've already done, we've made a selection of puzzle games we would like to see! It should be noted that there's a bunch of great puzzlers already on VC - The likes of Puyo Puyo, Adventures of Lolo, Wrecking Crew, Solomon's Key and Pokémon Puzzle League are all top-notch and very much worth a purchase. Still, here's 10 that would make great additions as well.

1..

Since I've been fortunate enough to witness all of the shooter love in the comments lately, I thought I'd take a moment to share the love with a new top ten list chock full of shoot 'em ups. Although there have already been quite a few outstanding shooters released on the Virtual Console, there are still a lot of great titles left between the various consoles. Today we'll take a look at ten of the best. No need to thank me, just enjoy the list. :P

10. Star Soldier: Vanishing Earth (Nintendo 64) - Here's the forgotten member of the Star Soldier series and one that didn't get a lot of attention when it was first released on..

Recently we did an interview with Retro Gamer magazine about the success of VC Reviews and our thoughts on the Virtual Console service so far.

If you are interested to read it why not pick up the magazine (issue #53) and take a look for yourself? It is available today in all good newsagents such as WHSmiths in the UK. For our many international readers, we would hate for you to feel left out so our..

The Neo Geo console was a lot like a Rolls-Royce.

It wasn't necessarily that much better than the other consoles on the market at the time, it was just a hell of a lot more expensive. Not only that, but if you managed to somehow survive the $650 price tag the console hit you with, you'd still have to shell out another $200-$300 per game if you wanted anything to play on your shiny new console. It..

Our resident reviewer Corbie Dillard has been busy securing some fresh content for his SNES fansite. He really struck gold with a recent interview which he did with Brian Fehdrau, the lead programmer on the Squaresoft USA team that developed the Super Nintendo rpg hit Secret of Evermore.

At the present moment, Square seem to be reluctant to throw up...

Highly respected Japanese developer Square-Enix has broken its silence regarding the lack of support for Nintendo’s Virtual Console service in a recent interview at the 2008 Game Developers Conference.

Producer of WiiWare title Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King Toshihiro Tsuchida lifted the lid on why the company has been so reluctant to publish titles on the retro download..

As old school gamers on Wii the only thing we missed was a joystick peripheral for that authentic arcade feel

. Back in the days anyone who was serious about Street Fighter II on the SNES would have owned a Super Advantage joystick. The NEO GEO was famed for the quality of its joystick – indeed it was almost as big as the console itself. Why hasn’t Nintendo released an official joystick for the..

Now that the Commodore 64 is firmly established on the Virtual Console (at least for Europe) it seemed like an opportune time to compile a list of C64 games that I feel deserve a home on the Virtual Console.

All of these choices are influenced by games that I loved at the time, and, in my opinion, retain superb playability to this day. With such a wealth of games available it is inevitable that..