Virtual Console Reviews - Page 12

Not quite a home run.

To herald the start of the new baseball season in the USA, it seems fitting that Bases Loaded should get a Virtual Console release. When this was first released on the NES twenty years ago there wasn’t really much that came close to it. The simple, yet innovative gameplay struck a home run with baseball fans all over the world. Like other baseball games of the era, Bases..

Mmmm, cookies!

Another Mario puzzler? Say it ain't so! Like Yoshi (Mario & Yoshi in Europe), Yoshi's Cookie is less well known than Dr. Mario and Wario's Woods, mainly because, well, it's not that interesting. To its merit, it's not another falling block puzzler. In fact, this is one of the more unique puzzlers on Virtual Console. The objective...

As Tom-Tom the Wonder Boy, it’s up to you to rescue your girlfriend Tanya from the vile clutches of the monster that has kidnapped her.

Wonder Boy was one of the first games I got for my beloved Sega Master System. Having played the original arcade game on seaside weekends of my youth it seemed amazing to have such a faithful conversion of the...

15 Super-Dreadnought ships have invaded your galaxy, each looking to steal a different precious metal.

Uridium is a much loved classic amongst Commodore 64 enthusiasts. Well known for its fast-paced gameplay and unique game mechanics, at least some of that reputation is deserved. Designer Andrew Braybrook was known for his idiosyncratic but eminently playable game concepts, and they are plentiful..

It's karate time!

You could almost hear the groans of disappointment when this game was announced for the Virtual Console, simply because the sequel, "International Karate Plus", is so legendary. But that's a disservice to the original, as it is a strong game in its own right. Those looking for a quick pick-up-and-play brawler will be...

Put pedal to metal and hang on for a wild ride across the highways of America!

One of the first games to be announced for Nintendo’s 64-bit console, Cruis’n USA was given a fair amount of attention when it was first released; for the 32-bit generation, driving games that had established the credentials of rival machines (Ridge Racer for the...

Eight different teams representing various nations are vying to become the Powerball champions, and you control one of the eight in your quest for the championship.

This forgotten futuristic sports game by Namco undoubtedly takes some inspiration from Speedball 2, which was really popular at the time. The basic premise is that Powerball is a futuristic sport that takes the brutal elements of rugby..

In the kingdom of Izander, the fair Princess Claire has been kidnapped by a foul and insidious dragon, and it is the mission of four brave fighters to save her.

Since the inception of the Virtual Console, fans have been waiting hopefully for many must-have titles; people usually have one game they’re especially fond of and would like to see given a new lease of life on Nintendo’s retro gaming..

The Machine has enslaved the galaxy under its tyrannical rule.

I know what you’re all thinking: why have another Turrican title on the Virtual Console when we’ve only recently been blessed with the delights of the sublime Super Turrican – especially when you consider these 16-bit titles look very much the same? However, while it’s true that Mega and Super Turrican do share some design..

Going underground

Spelunker is a blast from the past. It started out life on home computers such as the Commodore 64 and was eventually ported to the NES. The game’s protagonist is tasked with working their way down a giant cave to find the great treasure that is rumoured to be hidden within the depths. Along the way, perils such as water, uneven...

The BYDO Empire of mutant extraterrestrials is back with evil intent and awesome power.

That naughty Bydo Empire! You would have thought they would have learnt their lesson last time when a solitary R-9 craft kicked their butt so badly. Alas, they are back and wreaking havoc wherever they go. Time for you to save the universe, again! Super R-Type was one of the earlier games released on the Super..

More Puyo Puyo fun for the Virtual Console.

We’ve already experienced the first Puyo Puyo title on the Virtual Console, although you may not have noticed as the western version was retooled as Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine. As far as laying down the foundations of the Puyo Puyo franchise, it’s not a bad game at all, but it was undoubtedly trumped in pretty much every respect by this..

Dive into the cute fairy-tale world of Fantasia in this exciting SNES action-platformer.

If you ever read a list of the top 10 platform games on the SNES you will more likely than not see favourites such as Super Mario World and Yoshi’s Island hogging the top spots with DK Country following closely behind. Sadly, DoReMi Fantasy would rarely...

You are Bren McGuire, on a United Planets Freedom Forces mission to save the peaceful planet Katakis from the Machine.

Ever wondered what happens when a Western developer takes inspiration from the Japanese and decides to create a ‘run and gun’ game with flashy graphics, amazing special effects and killer gameplay? Well wonder no more, because Super Turrican is one such game. Originally..

This is a side-scrolling shooter played in a world created from the mind of a twisted demon.

The PC Engine/TG-16 is a machine that is famous for its wide and diverse range of shooting titles, but Psychosis (also known as Paranoia in Japan) is one title that you might not be familiar with, despite the fact that it was deemed worthy of a Western release back in the day. We also like to see..

Kirby’s first 3-D adventure is also his Nintendo 64 debut.

Since the first Kirby game, we’ve seen our puffy pink friend in a series of high quality platform adventures (not to mention spin-offs) up until the release of Kirby 64 back in 2000. Despite predictably rendering Kirby’s world in 3D for the first time, true to form for a N64 outing our...

It’s up to our heroes to save poor Cyndi and free River City from the clutches of Slick and his underlings.

River City Ransom is a bit of a weird game. It's one of many in the extremely popular Japanese "Kunio-kun" series, which started in the arcade and is still going strong today with the newest instalment being on the DS. Every game in the series has the same main character, Kunio,..

Join master ninja Ryu Hayabusa, last member of the famous Dragon Clan, in the third and final chapter of the legendary Ninja Gaiden saga.

Ninja Gaiden is practically a household name now thanks to the fantastic Xbox title and the very promising (not to mention gory) next-gen sequel. The NES original is still fairly well known and fondly remembered, but the two 8-bit sequels are more obscure. If..

Hailed as one of the greatest games of all time by fans and media alike, Phantasy Star II is an RPG that features an epic storyline and turn-based battles.

The original Phantasy Star never really had the impact it deserved, mainly thanks to the fact that its host platform - the Sega Master System – failed to sell in significant numbers in the US...