Wii Virtual Console News

December2007

  • Review Cybernator (Wii Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)

    Don't be a Cybernator hater

    The Japanese have a real love for big robots that hasn't entirely crossed over into the West. Thankfully Cybernator (AKA: Assault Suit Valken) - a follow up to the Megadrive Assault Suit Leynos/Target Earth - made the jump from East to West and remains one of the more memorable SNES shooters. After the mission-based...

  • Review Rolling Thunder 2 (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)

    Bring the thunder!

    Rolling Thunder 2 is a conversion of Namco’s 1990 sequel to its original James Bond themed Shinobi-like game. The Megadrive home version is faithful to the arcade original in terms of gameplay and features a few improvements, including cut scenes between levels that feature some lovely artwork, 3 additional stages and some new...

  • Review Light Crusader (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)

    Take the role of Sir David in this action-RPG and get to the bottom of the mysteries of Green Row.

    After dazzling Megadrive/Genesis owners with the likes of Gunstar Heroes and Dynamite Headdy (let’s forget Ronald’s McDonaldland Adventure for now), Treasure turned its talents to the Action RPG genre with this 1995 release. Published in the...

  • News Nintendo of Europe relaunches with Wii Points exchange!

    After a little over two weeks of downtime, the Nintendo of Europe site has relaunched with a totally new look and new features. One of these is the ability to swap your stars for Wii Points!

    Go to and select your country. After logging in you can exchange your hard earned stars for Wii Points! They come rather expensive though - 4 stars for 1 Wii...

  • News EU VC Releases - 7th December - Sega Week

    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 is 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 which is somewhat similar to Landsta...

  • Review Eternal Champions (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)

    This 2-D fighting game introduces a cast of different characters that met untimely deaths in their lives on Earth.

    Released at a time when Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat were both selling like hotcakes, Eternal Champions may have had players thinking it was an exploitative cash-in to make Sega a quick buck. This could not be further from the...

  • Review Zanac (Virtual Console / NES)

    Take control of the state-of-the-art fighter, Zanac, with the objective of destroying the bases of the mechanized enemy forces.

    When you’ve got shooters of the calibre of Gate of Thunder, Soldier Blade and Super Star Soldier to choose from, it’s not unreasonable to question the sanity of downloading a NES blaster; surely anything available on...

  • News US VC Releases - 3rd December - Eternal Champions

    After last week's disaster, this week's releases are a bit more bearable. First up is Sega's answer to Street Fighter - Eternal Champions. Instead of having fighters from around the world, Eternal Champions has fighters from various time periods! This of course leads to wildly different movesets for each character. The formula has obviously been bettered nowadays, but if you like the genre it's still worthwhile to check out the game.

    Hot on the heels of Eternal Champions for pick of the week is Zanac. You might be thinking -...

  • Review Baseball Stars 2 (Virtual Console / Neo Geo)

    Lace up your cleats and step onto the diamond with the pros of Baseball Stars 2.

    Are you getting sick of all the sub-par sports games on VC (excluding Kirby's Dream Course, Punch-Out!! and, to some, Ice Hockey)? Yeah? Well, here's Baseball Stars 2 - a game breaks every rule in the book and delivers a completely crazy experience filled to the top...

  • Review The Dynastic Hero (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)

    Take control of Dyna as he battles through action-filled stages.

    Dynastic Hero is basically identical to the Megadrive Wonderboy in Monsterworld. Anyone who has played this MD classic will know that this is no bad thing - it's one of the strongest titles in the Wonderboy series. However, this version features different characters. I can only guess...

November2007

  • News Japanese Virtual Console List - December 2007

    A lot of sequels in this month's Japanese VC list. A couple of surprises (Including the next N64 game) as well. Without further ado:

    Japanese VC List - December: Famicom: Downtown Nekketsu Koushinkyoku: Soreyuke Daiundoukai (The Japan-only sequel to River City Ransom/Street Gangs) - December 4th Super Mario Bros. 3 Metal Slader Glory Lunar...

  • News EU VC Releases - 30th November - Baseball Stars 2

    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.

    ...

  • News VC Earns over $30 million so far

    A recent press conference in Tokyo shed some light on the astonishing success of the Virtual Console service so far.

    Nintendo's own Shinji Hatano reiterated a previous figure of 7.8 million downloads and then went on to reveal that currently the service had generated 3.5 billion yen ($33 million / £16 million) The humble Nintendo exec then saids of...

  • Review Ecco Jr. (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)

    The aquatic adventures of Ecco come to life for a younger generation of gamers.

    Ouch - what happened here? Ecco the Dolphin, suddenly transformed into a kid-friendly educational game? In this game, you play as Ecco Jr., a younger version of Ecco, or one of his two friends (Tara the baby orca or Kitnee the baby Atlantic dolphin). There is no real...

  • News US VC Releases - 26th November - Vegas Stakes

    After last week's "big" releases for the Wii's one year anniversary, calling this week "underwhelming" would be an understatement. While it's a total of three games, we can't really seriously recommend any of them to everybody. The only good game this week is Vegas Stakes, a gambling simulation for the SNES. It's all well and good for gambling fans, but everybody else (Which is very likely a lot of people) would be better off skipping it unless they're really interested in finding out how the casino world works.

    ...

  • Review Bubble Bobble (Virtual Console / NES)

    Hi, Bub and Bob

    Bub and Bob are two rosy-cheeked dinosaurs who spit bubbles at their enemies and pop those bubbles for food rewards, all on the quest to save their girlfriends. If you don’t remember this classic arcade game from yesteryear you’ll probably know the two main protagonists from the Bust-a-Move/Puzzle Bobble series. The gameplay is...

  • Review The King of Fighters '94 (Virtual Console / Neo Geo)

    Fatal Fury x Art of Fighting.

    Although SNK's Fatal Fury and Samurai Shodown franchises placed the company on the map as far as 2D fighting games were concerned, it wasn't until the release of the first King of Fighters game SNK could go toe-to-toe with Capcom's Street Fighter – and win. For the uninitiated, KOF involves picking a team of three...

  • News EU VC Releases - 23rd November - The King of Fighters '94

    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 game, Bubble Bobb...

  • News Japan gets Wii SNES Pad

    We're not jealous types here at VC Reviews but the news that Japanese Club Nintendo owners will be getting their hands on a Wii version of the classic SNES control pad has made us green with envy. Nintendo of Japan's 'Club' service is clearly head and shoulders above its Western counterparts! Why can't we get fantastic goodies like this over here?

    C...

  • News US VC Releases - 19th November - Wrecking Crew

    The Wii's out a year today in the US, so to celebrate, have another Mario game! Wrecking Crew is one of the more unknown Mario games, frequently not even being mentioned in lists of his games. Despite this, the game has held up very well, and those who've played it agree that's it really fun. With 100 stages and a level editor it's more than worth the price.

    Nintendo also apparently found it a good idea to release another Sonic game today. Great, right? Well, normally we'd say yes, but as it's Sonic 3D Blast we're not so happy. Download at your own risk, as it's probably the worst Gen...

  • News The Virtual Console Archive is One Today!

    Happy Birthday To Me

    Crack out the cocktail sausages and don your party hats, because today the Virtual Console Archive celebrates its first birthday along with the North American release of the Nintendo Wii. When we started this site over twelve months ago we saw it as a side project that would keep us busy once we'd ran out of things to do over...

  • Review Double Dribble (Virtual Console / NES)

    Double Dribble is a 5-on-5 basketball game for the NES, based on the 1986 arcade game of the same name.

    This is the first basketball game to come to VC, and unfortunately for us, it's not very good. While Double Dribble was fairly popular back in the day due to the graphics (There are some cutscenes with fairly detailed stuff, like a crowd marching...

  • News EU VC Releases - 16th November - Double Dribble

    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...

  • Review Axelay ( / Super Nintendo)

    Who said the SNES couldn't handle shmups?

    Regardless of the fact that it was released fairly early on in the life of Nintendo's 16-bit console, Axelay remains one of the best looking and most impressive shooters available for the format. Employing a similar format to Konami stable mate Lifeforce, Axelay switches between a vertical and horizontal...

  • News The Shaft - Virtual Console joystick

    Much like people had a little chuckle at the name of the Wii the trend continues with the upcoming release of a new joystick for the Virtual Console from Overline Gaming. It is amusingly named The Shaft. We like to think this is a reference to the cool private detective John Shaft however it could be taken in different ways!

    Designed as a Virtual...

  • News US VC Releases - 12th November - Axelay (+ Worldwide Mii Contest Channel)

    Only one exciting VC game for the US today, but it doesn't matter too much - Super Mario Galaxy is out in the US today!

    This week's great game is Axelay. One of the SNES's finest shmups (And one of the most loved ones of all time!). It has very unique 3D-esque effects which give it a unique style almost no other game has copied. This one's worth...

  • Review Blue's Journey (Virtual Console / Neo Geo)

    I'm blue da ba dee da ba daa

    The Neo Geo is known primarily for its fighting games and the occasional shoot-em-up, so it’s good to come across a cutesy platformer on the system. If you are familiar with Super Mario Bros 2 on the NES you’ll have an idea of what to expect from Blue’s Journey. Every good platformer has a gimmick: in this one the...

  • News EU VC Releases - 9th November - Super Mario Bros 3

    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...

  • News Check Mii Out Channel to hit on Sunday

    Get ready to make some more free space this coming Sunday, because a new Channel will hit the Wii Shop in America (Possibly also other regions, unknown for now though). It's the Check Mii Out Channel, which was announced a few months ago.

    Despite it coming so soon, there are still no official videos or screenshots yet. There are however a few videos...

  • Review Power Golf (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)

    Every system needs a golf game, right?

    If Wii Sports’ gesture controlled club swinging has grown old for you, the more in-depth game offered in Hudson’s Power Golf might be of interest. There are three modes of play on offer here: stroke play is for a solo player, match play lets you take on a friend, and competition play allows for two to three...

  • Review Super Mario Bros. 3 (Wii Virtual Console / NES)

    The Mario Bros get even more super

    Back in 1990 when this was released in the USA, Mario fever was at an all time high. A few months earlier, there had even been a movie released called ‘The Wizard’ with that kid from the Wonder Years, which was essentially a commercial for this game. If you never played Super Mario Bros. 3 when it was first...

  • News US VC Releases - 5th November - Super Mario Bros 3

    With the release of Mario Galaxy next week our pals at Nintendo have decided that the long wait is finally over. Today the North American region gets the sublime Super Mario Bros. 3 for the NES. This game will not need much introduction for most Nintendo fans. You'll have either played it back in the days, on a SNES with Mario All-stars or the GBA port. Either way you cannot afford to be without this. The best game on the Virtual Console to date! (Well next to Super Mario World of course!)

    ...

  • Review Alien Soldier (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)

    Hello Epsilon-Eagle

    Treasure produced some of the finest games for the Sega Megadrive such as Gunstar Heroes and Dynamite Headdy, both of which are available on the Virtual Console. Alien Soldier follows in that great Treasure tradition by being a great game that shows off what Sega’s 16 bit wonder was capable of. Outside Japan this game only came...

  • Review Sonic 3D Blast (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)

    The evil Dr. Eggman stumbles upon an alternate dimension where some odd birds called Flickies have the ability to travel anywhere.

    After producing three Sonic titles for the Genesis/Megadrive Sega decided to do something a little different – instead of creating another platformer they produced an isometric adventure with CGI rendered graphics, and...

  • News EU VC Releases - 2nd November - Sega Week

    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 ever so...

October2007

  • Review Samurai Ghost (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)

    This action platformer features a samurai ghost from the depths of the underworld.

    The ghost of a samurai? Surely this must be awesome! Unfortunately, the truth is far from it. You play the ghost of a samurai who has returned to avenge himself. Thankfully the game information tells us this, as the main character looks nothing like a samurai. Your...

  • News US VC Releases - 29th October - Magician Lord

    Two sequels and a standalone game today, the highlight of the bunch being the standalone one - Magician Lord. This is a great arcade-style platformer (And thus also the first non-fighter Neo Geo game) which features some pretty tough challenges. It's certainly not for the less skilled players! One could argue that it is currently the most arcady game on VC, so if you want that quarter-munching feeling of the good old days, this is for you.

    To tie in with Halloween this week, the US gets the approp...

  • News TMNT increases in price for Europe

    A strange development recently (We are unsure when), as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles now also costs 600 Wii Points in Europe (And Australia) instead of 500, just like America.

    Not that this really matters, as the game's not very good. We sincerely hope that you don't download it now, why would you buy a stinker for an increased price!? Save your Wii...

  • News Virtual Console gift giving service

    Nintendo President Satoru Iwata unveiled a function recently that allows users to send each other games over the Internet using the Wii's shopping channel.

    With a few clicks, a user will be able to select a game to send as a gift to another user online, Iwata said. When the recipient accepts, the Wii automatically launches the shopping channel and...

  • News Japanese Virtual Console list - November 2007

    Japan's Virtual Console list for November has been published, and it has some surprises - including a fan-favourite SNES puzzler. Yup, it's none other than Nintendo's strange take on Tetris (Well, that's what they want you to believe anyway), Tetris Attack! Alongside it are a few more small surprises, including the first Square game that was originally released outside Japan. Here's the full list:

    First off, next tuesday (October 30), Japan will get: NES: Hanjuku HeroN64: Yoshi's StoryMD: Target E...

  • Review Magician Lord (Virtual Console / Neo Geo)

    It's magic!

    One of the first games produced for SNK’s arcade system, Magician Lord is a lot like Capcom’s Ghouls ‘n’ Ghosts. You play the titular wizard as he battles to defend his homeland from the evil advances of the absurdly named Gul-Agieze. Considering the age of the game the visuals and sound are both excellent. The sprites...

  • Review Super Air Zonk: Rockabilly Paradise (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)

    Super Zonk!

    Fans of excellent Turbografx-16 shoot-em-up Air Zonk will undoubtedly be intrigued by this sequel which was released in the latter years of the console for the CD-Rom attachment. Given the CD format, it would be fair to expect the sequel to be a vast improvement over the HuCard original, but sadly, this is not the case. In this version,...

  • News EU VC Releases - 26th October - Magician Lord

    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...

  • News US VC Releases - 22nd October - Ninja JaJaMaru-kun

    Nothing too grand for the US today - two average games and one that leans slightly towards the bad side. Still, you should check them out, as one of the games, Ninja JaJaMaru-kun, is a previously Japan-only game. It's a strange little arcadey platformer, in which you take out ever-stronger enemies through an infinite number of rounds in order to rescue your love, the princess Sakura, from the evil Lord Namazu Dayuu. As with all other import games, it comes at an increased price - 600 Wii Points.

    ...

  • Review Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (Wii Virtual Console / NES)

    Simon's flawed quest

    Castlevania was a smash hit. Despite the difficulty of the game and its lack of quality in some areas it was loved worldwide and proved very popular. It was a no-brainer for Konami to create a sequel. Perhaps borrowing ideas from Nintendo (Super Mario Bros. 2, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, etc.) the game is very different...

  • News EU VC Releases - 19th October - Castlevania II

    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!

    ...

  • Review Metal Marines ( / Super Nintendo)

    Heavy metal

    The Japanese love big robots; you only have to look at series like Gundam, Macross and Patlabor to see this. However they seem to like strategy videogames a lot less, which is what makes Namco's Metal Marines (Militia in Japan) all the more surprising. Released at a time where real time strategy titles were only just beginning to...

  • Review Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos (Wii Virtual Console / NES)

    The ninja returns

    Ryu Hayabusa is back, and this time he brings his dad along for the ride. Well, not really, that was Indiana Jones, wasn’t it? The storyline is largely irrelevant; the point is this series features Ninja action, and therefore a sequel was inevitable. What we really want to know is how this Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos...

  • News US VC Releases - 15th October - Gate of Thunder

    You only got Neo Geo games last week, but now it's time for another treat - The first TurboGrafx-CD game! Gate of Thunder is a stunningly good shoot 'em up that has the power to pretty much destroy any other shmup on VC. A fantastic soundtrack, great graphics (Check out the parallax scrolling!), and fair, fun gameplay (Nothing overly cheap!) all make this a great game to have for any shmup fan. Not one to miss!

    Second today is the second title in most peoples' favourite NES ninja series - Ninja Gaiden II. It's a g...

  • News Metroid Prime 3 Preview Channel hits Europe

    The patience of those who waited in order to watch some Metroid Prime 3 trailers has paid off - The Metroid Prime 3 Preview Channel is now available on the European Wii Shop Channel.

    You can find it under the Wii Software section in the Wii Shop, and it, obviously, comes absolutely free of charge! There are currently six videos available, with one...

  • Review Gate of Thunder (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)

    The legendary sci-fi shooter is back!

    Playing very much like the highly regarded Thunderforce IV, Gate of Thunder represented a turning point for the PC Engine/TG-16 CD-ROM format. So long the recipient of sub-par ports and lackluster titles, the system was given a much-needed shot in the arm with this stunning shooter. Hudson and NEC promoted the...

  • News EU VC Releases - 12th October - Super Metroid

    After many long, long months, the time has finally arrived for Europeans: The legendary Super Metroid is now available on VC! In the third Metroid game, Samus travels back to Zebes to dispose of the Space Pirates once and for all. It's one of her longest and greatest adventures ever, and if you haven't played the game before, you honestly owe it to yourself to experience it, as it is often classed among the top games in Nintendo's history. Also, this is the 150th game on the European VC!

    ...

  • News US VC Releases - 8th October - Neo Geo Week

    It's fighting time for the US today, as not one, but three Neo Geo games hit VC. And all three are fighters! All three are the first in their respective series.

    First up is Fatal Fury. This is pretty much one of the most well-known fighters besides Street Fighter. It has some neat ideas, such as being able to hop into the background and back to the...

  • Review Art of Fighting (Virtual Console / Neo Geo)

    Art of the deal

    What with this, Samurai Showdown, Fatal Fury and World Heroes, the Virtual Console is certainly going to have its fair share of one-on-one fighters! Art of Fighting was another attempt by SNK to usurp Capcom’s Street Fighter 2 from the position of ‘best 2D fighter’ back in the early ‘90s. Again, SNK have shamelessly stolen...

  • Review World Heroes (Virtual Console / Neo Geo)

    A fighting game released in 1992 featuring eight characters, including Hanzo, Janne and Rasputin, modeled on historical figures from throughout the ages.

    Released when the avalanche of Street Fighter 2 clones hit arcades in the early ‘90s, World Heroes was a minor success that gained a cult following thanks to a combination of impressive graphics,...

  • Review Golden Axe III (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)

    The once-peaceful kingdom so familiar to fans of the original Golden Axe is under threat once again.

    If you’ve played Golden Axe 2 then you will no doubt be aware that it’s a little too similar to its predecessor. When Sega came to create the third game in the Megadrive trilogy it obviously realized that a sweeping change was in order. Sadly,...

  • Review Fatal Fury (Virtual Console / Neo Geo)

    SNK's answer to Street Fighter II

    When you consider the sheer volume of one-on-one fighters produced by SNK over the past decade or so it's amazing to think that 1991's Fatal Fury was the first time they'd attempted such a game since the company's inception in 1978. Produced to compete with Capcom's legendary Street Fighter II, SNK's game was very...

  • News EU VC Releases - 5th October - Fatal Fury and Sega Week

    The time has come - The first Neo Geo game has hit the European VC! As expected, it's the classic fighter, Fatal Fury. Play as Terry Bogard, Andy Bogard or Joe Higashi and try to avenge yourself on Geese Howard. Neo Geo games cost 900 Wii Points each (As previously stated), due to their great graphic and sound quality.

    Joining Fatal Fury are 4 Mega...

  • News Dress up your Wii remote, for free!

    Due to the many complaints over the past months about how Wii remotes slip out of hands easily, Nintendo will soon start packing "Wii remote jackets" with Wii systems and additional remotes. If you already have a Wii though, you can order them free! Simply head to your region's Nintendo site and fill in the form to receive your free remote jackets starting mid-October.

    Here's the links to each region's request form: Europe (Select your country, click Consumer Service, Safety Information, and then...

  • News US VC Releases - 1st October - Two Japan-only games

    Apparently trying to imitate Europe's past couple of weeks, the US gets two previously Japan-only games this week.

    First up is Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels. This game was never released in it's original form outside Japan, no matter what anybody says. The All-Stars and Super Mario Bros. DX versions are both easier, and the SMBDX version even...

September2007

  • News SMB: The Lost Levels removed from EU Wii Shop

    Sunday was the last day of September. As such, the Hanabi Festival has now come to an end, and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels has been removed from the Wii Shop. If you didn't download it, you might've missed it forever! Nintendo stated that it was a "collectors' item", which implies that it might not return for a second chance. Still, anything's possible, so if you did miss it, just hope for the best!

    To clear up the confusion which seemed to exist - No, the other Hanabi Festival games are not gone. The Lost Levels is the only game that was available for a l...

  • News Quick! Super Mario The Lost Levels Almost Lost

    Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, originally released on the Famicon and then again on the Virtual Console last month, will be deleted off the VC list in just over an hour.

    Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels is the original sequel to Super Mario Bros. and was only released in Japan. The game was very difficult and for this reason it wasn't...

  • News Japanese Virtual Console list - October 2007

    Not too much big titles in Japan's list for next month, but there's quite a few games that could be coming to Europe and America as well. Have a look!

    Japan's list for October: Famicom: Esper Dream (October 2nd) Zanac Famicom Tantei Club Part I River City Ransom/Street Gangs Hanjuku Hero Super Famicom: Cybernator Donkey Kong Country 2 Nintendo 64:...

  • News EU VC Releases - 28th September - Sci-Fi Week

    Get to your Wii! It's Sci-Fi Week! Part of this final Hanabi Festival update is Sin and Punishment, the highly anticipated N64 action game never released outside Japan! It has an inflated price like most Japan-only games before it - 1200 Points. If you love yourself, get this. It's an extremely good game, somewhat like Star Fox 64/Lylat Wars, except even better. This is the first Japan-only game to be translated! All menus and such are in English!

    Gradius III for SNES makes up the middle of this week's p...

  • News Samba De Amigo Coming To Virtual Console

    SEGA open the door for Dreamcast games to hit the Wii's Virtual Console starting with rythmn action favourite Samba De Amigo.

    US publication Nintendo Power gave the word that Gearbox Software (Brothers in Arms) will be working on the game. Samba de Amigo marks the first time that a Dreamcast title will be heading to Virtual Console but also spells...

  • Review Legend of Hero Tonma (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)

    Fight your way through seven stages using Tonma's jump ability and shot power.

    What happens when you cross Ninja Spirit and a shoot 'em up? This. Unsurprisingly, it's a game by Irem, who made both Ninja Spirit and quite a few shoot 'em ups! Also not surprising is that it’s a port of the arcade game of the same name; again, just like Ninja Spirit!...

  • News US VC Releases - 24th September - Streets of Rage 3

    The long-awaited final part of Final Fight's rival series, Streets of Rage, hits the American VC today. Yup, it's Streets of Rage 3! The game's had quite a lot of criticism over the years (Especially compared to Streets of Rage 2), but it's still a great game and any beat 'em up fan should check it out (Though SoR2 should still take priority).

    Secon...

  • Review Streets of Rage 3 (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)

    Just when you thought the world was safe from the Syndicate and its shady leader, Mr. X, they have returned to torment the city once again.

    Streets of Rage 3 has been the victim of much flak over the past few years. Coming after the sublime Streets of Rage 2, the third installment had a fight (ho-ho!) on its hands to better such a fantastic game. On...

  • Review Ninja JaJaMaru-kun - A Former Famicom Exclusive Comes To Switch

    Time to put Lord Namazu Dayuu in his place

    Of all the Japan-only games to be given new life on the Virtual Console – and now in 2021, Nintendo Switch Online – Nintendo, oddly enough, picked this Famicom exclusive. While on the surface Ninja JaJaMaru-kun looks like another not-very-good arcade game, it's actually quite fun if you give it a...

  • News EU VC Releases - 21st September - Ninja Week

    As promised by Nintendo, this week is "Ninja Week", with two new ninja-related games and an unrelated Turbografx game. No real surprises here this week, I'm afraid.

    First up is the NES platformer Ninja Gaiden. Originally released in Europe originally as Shadow Warriors, it's a fast-paced ninja platformer with loads of action. Blame...

  • Review Yoshi's Story (Wii Virtual Console / Nintendo 64)

    Not Yoshi's finest hour

    Remember Yoshi's Island on the Super NES? That awesome platformer that swapped the roles and made Yoshi the main hero with (Baby) Mario being the sidekick? It's become iconic, but this is perhaps the first "real" Yoshi game (Mario isn't in the name and he's barely seen in the game) and it does things a bit differently. The...

  • News US VC Releases - 17th September - Yoshi's Story

    merican gamers expecting an update akin to Europe's last update, prepare for disappointment or joy, depending on how you look at it. You don't get Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels or Super Picross, instead you get the next N64 game.And no, it's not..

    merican gamers expecting an update akin to Europe's last update, prepare for disappointment or...

  • Review World Class Baseball (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)

    Batter up!

    This game began life known as Power League on the Japanese PC Engine and spawned many sequels due to the popularity of Baseball in Japan. The game offers a comprehensive range of options to fine tune your game. For instance you can switch the players in your roster and play a quick game or play in pennant mode. It’s really as...

  • Review Super Thunder Blade (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)

    In this follow-up to Thunder Blade, you'll fly a new and improved attack helicopter in a series of attacks against guerilla armies that are bent on taking over the world.

    One of the very first Megadrive/Genesis releases, Super Thunder Blade is a pretty underwhelming action title that failed to get pulses racing when it was converted to the 16-bit...

  • Review Mario's Super Picross (Wii Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)

    You won't pi cross buying this

    Ask anybody to name some Mario puzzlers and you'll most likely hear Dr. Mario, maybe Wario's Woods, Yoshi or Yoshi's Cookie. They never name the best of the lot though — Mario's Super Picross, or its predecessor, 1995 Game Boy title

  • News September is Hanabi Festival in Europe

    Nintendo of Europe has announced their VC plans for the rest of the month, and they've got quite a treat: They're releasing 4 more games that weren't released in Europe before in what they call the "Hanabi Festival" - The Hanabi Festival is a Japanese fireworks show which starts in mid-September and ends at the end of September.

    The update...

  • News TurboGrafx-CD games for the VC?

    More encouraging news in the world of the Virtual Console today. It looks as if PC Engine CD-ROM2 games will be hitting the VC soon according to Nikkei's all Japanese website. The initial releases are thought to be Ys Book 1 & 2 and Cho Aniki.

    Ys is one of the finest RPGs on the system and Cho Aniki is a weird and wonderful shooter from the...

  • News EU VC Releases - 14th September - Double Japan-only games

    very big surprise for Europeans today, as they get not one, but TWO titles that were previously only released in Japan. And Europe gets Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland and Super Paper Mario today as well!The first game today is Super Mario Bros.: The Lost..

    very big surprise for Europeans today, as they get not one, but TWO titles that were previously...

  • Review Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (Virtual Console / NES)

    For the first time outside of Japan – experience the original sequel to the best-selling video game of all time!

    Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels is a bit of an oddity. "The Lost Levels" isn't even it's real title - This is actually the real version of Super Mario Bros. 2. Japan got this game (As SMB2), but when Nintendo realized...

  • News Neo Geo confirmed for US Virtual Console

    NK has issued a press release to inform us that Neo Geo games will indeed appear on the American VC. They have also revealed 3 of the titles to appear, and all of them are fighters! They are Art of Fighting, Fatal Fury and World Heroes (Yes,..

    NK has issued a press release to inform us that Neo Geo games will indeed appear on the American...

  • Review NES Play Action Football (Virtual Console / NES)

    Ready! Hut hut hut…

    Coming quite late in the life of the NES - 1990 to be exact - Play Action Football was Nintendo's attempt at creating a realistic gridiron game for their aging, yet still popular console. The diagonal viewpoint is 'fake 3D' which looks a little pathetic by today's standards but was pretty impressive back then. At least it looks...

  • Review Neutopia II (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)

    Some years have passed since the brave hero Jazeta destroyed Dirth, the Emperor of Darkness.

    Looking very much like it predecessor, Neutopia II plays more like an expansion pack than a fully-fledged sequel. Shamelessly stealing ideas from Nintendo’s Zelda series, this action RPG trundles along quite amiably but never really reaches the heights of...

  • News US VC Releases - 10th September - Sonic 3

    Hot on the heels of Europe's update last friday, North America gets Sonic the Hedgehog 3 today as well. The final game in the trilogy is a bit of a drop in quality from the second, but it still fun. And before you ask - No, it's not the "& Knuckles" version.

    From out of nowhere comes NES Play Action Football. This is Nintendo's own...

  • News Sin & Punishment heads our way

    A new title has just been rated by the OFLC - Yes, it's Sin & Punishment! This N64 game is not known by too much people, and for good reason - It wasn't released outside Japan originally. However, those that did play it all share the same opinion: It's one of the greatest N64 games ever made. It plays similarly to Star Fox 64, except that you can also run, jump, slash your sword, have one on one duels and more. Highly recommended when it does come out, especially if you didn't play it before!

    ...

  • News EU VC Releases - 7th September - Sega week

    guess you were all expecting 3 Mega Drive games this week, huh? Well, Sega surprises us all, because instead they release five of them! And what a bunch of games they are!Leading the bunch is the final game in the Mega Drive Sonic trilogy - Sonic the..

    guess you were all expecting 3 Mega Drive games this week, huh? Well, Sega surprises us all,...

  • Review Crack Down (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)

    The situation is critical. The evil Doctor K has created an army of deranged replicants in order to take over the world, and only two can stop him - Andy Attacker and Ben Breaker - the top soldiers of the CIA's special Crackdown force.

    No, this game is not related to the Xbox 360's Crackdown! Hardly anybody seems to know this game, despite it being...

  • Review ESWAT: City Under Siege (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)

    All is not well in Cyber City. Criminals are running amok - looting, pillaging and raping the city of all its worth.

    This was one of the first games I ever loaded into my Megadrive and it still sticks in my memory as one of the best action platformers for the machine. Although it isn't a conversion of the arcade game of the same name (neither was...

  • Review Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)

    Sonic and Tails are back for another adventure as they again battle the evil Dr. Eggman (AKA Dr. Robotnik), who is desperately trying to collect all the Chaos Emeralds in order to rebuild his Death Egg.

    After the sublime Sonic 2 Sega decided to stick with the same tried and tested formula for the sequel – a move that disappointed many fans that...

  • News Join VC Reviews Facebook Group

    Why not?

    Shamelessly jumping on the Facebook bandwagon we wanted to let you know that Virtual Console Reviews now has it's own Facebook Group! You'll be able to experience again our interview in GamesTM and watch the website's first outing on German television! If we are lucky then our new VC:A recruit Marcel (AKA Drake) might even add some cool...

  • News US VC Releases - 3rd September - Landstalker

    Yet another great week for Americans. This week you don't get 3 games, but 4! Although it's questionable if one of them can be considered a game...

    The big game of the week is Landstalker. This RPG for the Genesis is one of the finest games on the system, and one of the best isometric RPGs ever made. It's quite a big game and will keep you...

  • News Neo Geo Hits VC Japan

    Neo Geo fans in Japan will finally get the chance to start downloading some classics over the Virtual Console system.

    It's been quite a wait, but after the universal excitement that Neo Geo would be coming to VC, Nintendo have announced that the following three games will be available this month in Japan. World Heroes Magician Lord Fatal...

  • Review Adventure Island (Wii Virtual Console / NES)

    An island of adventure

    Adventure Island is somewhat of a Mario clone - you guide Master Higgins to the end of every level (8 worlds with 4 levels each, sound familiar?) dodging wildlife, boulders and fire in order to defeat the witch doctor at the end of each world (also familiar?) who has captured your beloved bride-to-be Tina. Things aren't as...

  • Review Landstalker (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)

    After hearing of the legendary treasure of King Nole, the elvish treasure hunter Nigel undertakes a quest to gather various pieces of the famed loot.

    Landstalker is an action RPG released in 1993. It's got an isometric view, something which is quite rare in games, and sounds a bit dated. So does it still hold up? In the game you are Nigel, a...

  • Review Vegas Stakes (Wii Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)

    Always bet on black

    Here's an odd offering for the VC - a gambling game! In Vegas Stakes, sequel to Vegas Dream on the NES, you head to Vegas with a group of friends to try to make it rich. There are four casinos to go to, ranging from the-run-down Hideaway, which only allows small bets, to 2020, a futuristic-looking casino that allows high bets...

  • News Rare Confirms Banjo possibility for the Virtual Console

    interesting news for those who fear that some of the jewels in the N64 crown may never get released on the VC. Our friends at RareWare have now stated "it's ultimately Nintendo's decision what gets released" on their own official website.It would appear..

    interesting news for those who fear that some of the jewels in the N64 crown may never get...

August2007

  • News Japanese Virtual Console list - September 2007

    Japan's VC schedule for September 2007 features some more surprises, including the next Nintendo 64 game - Sin & Punishment! This excellent game was only released in Japan originally, maybe we will finally get a translation for VC?

    Japan's schedule for September: Famicom:-Battle City (September 4th)-Mach Rider (September 4th)-Burn! Professional...

  • News News explosion: Neo Geo and more!

    uite a bit of news today, as Japan gets a reconfirmation that Neo Geo games are headed to their VC. And sooner than you might expect! According to the site of SNK, the company who originally created the system, the first games will be coming to Japan in..

    uite a bit of news today, as Japan gets a reconfirmation that Neo Geo games are headed to their...

  • News EU VC Releases - 31st August - Bonk 3

    t's back to two games again this week for Europe, as one of the games is a "big" title, which seems to mean that we are only deserving of one other game. Yes, it's Bonk 3, the final game in the original trilogy! The final headbonking adventure on the..

    t's back to two games again this week for Europe, as one of the games is a "big" title, which...

  • Review Bonk 3: Bonk's Big Adventure (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)

    The hard-headed hero is back for more side-scrolling action in the third installment of the popular Bonk series.

    Bonk 3 was the final game in the original trilogy of Bonk games. As it was the last game, Hudson seemingly decided they had to cram as much into it as they could in order to make it the best game yet - They succeeded. First off, pretty...

  • Review Super C (Wii Virtual Console / NES)

    Super Charged

    After Konami's maddeningly hard Contra/Probotector proved immensely popular, obviously it wasn't going to sit around and not make a sequel. Super C/Probotector II puts you in the role of the same heroes once again as you try to take out alien scum. This time they're possessing humans to attack you. The game's got practically the same...