Wii Virtual Console Reviews
Review Mega Turrican (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)
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...
Review Spelunker (Wii Virtual Console / NES)
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...
Review Super R-Type (Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)
The BYDO Empire is back!
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 Nintendo. It...
Review DoReMi Fantasy: Milon's DokiDoki Adventure (Wii Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)
Doremi Fasol Latido
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 feature in such a list despite a modest loyal following in the gaming...
Review Puyo Puyo 2: Tsuu (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)
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...
Review Super Turrican (Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)
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...
Review Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (N64)
Not Kirby's finest hour
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 pals at HAL Laboratories have retained...
Review Psychosis (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)
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...
Review River City Ransom (NES)
Big trouble in River City
Street Gangs — known as River City Ransom in North America — is a strange 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 latest instalment being on the DS. Every game in the series has the same main character, Kunio, but...
Review Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom (Wii Virtual Console / NES)
One sequel too many
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 you’re one of the many people that weren’t aware of this third NES...
Review Phantasy Star II (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)
Hailed as one of the greatest games of all time by fans
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. The series would have to wait until the introduction of the Genesis/Megadrive before it would gain...
Review Lords of Thunder (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)
Lords of Thunder is a side-scrolling shooter that has you take on the role of a legendary warrior, blasting enemies to heavy-metal tunes.
TG16 fans thought they’d died and gone to heaven when Gate of Thunder was published for the system. A shooter of truly epic magnitude, it rocketed the underrated machine to the top of the pile when it came to...
Review Columns III: Revenge of Columns (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)
Oooh it's the revenge of Columns - I'm really scared!
Sega’s answer to Tetris is back once again. The first Columns has already been released on the Virtual Console and Sega never bothered to port the Columns II arcade game to the Megadrive/Genesis, so we swiftly move on to Columns III. While not terribly innovative in terms of concept, the...
Review Operation Wolf (Virtual Console / NES)
Operation initiated! Rescue the prisoners!
Operation Wolf was a massive hit in arcades when it was released in 1987. Although the concept of light gun games wasn’t a new one, Taito’s imposing arcade cabinet (replete with uber-cool replica Uzi) certainly made a lasting impact on gamers worldwide. Predictably, it was ported to pretty much every...
Review Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers (Wii Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)
Street Fighter made super
Gazing back into the mists of time, you can’t help but be amazed that Capcom managed to get everyone so excited about each new Street Fighter II update. On the Virtual Console alone we’ve already had two versions of the game, and now here’s the third! Thankfully, the improvements between the first SNES release and the...
Review Adventures of Lolo 2 (Virtual Console / NES)
Lolo and Lala are back in this sequel to the popular puzzle game Adventures of Lolo.
So you liked the original Adventures of Lolo and want more? Well, look no further. The sequel's basically the exact same. Like the first game, the objective is to collect all the Heart Framers in a room to open up a treasure chest. Then you enter the next room, and...
Review 1080° Snowboarding (Virtual Console / Nintendo 64)
Thrills and chills
1080° Snowboarding is a title that divided gamers when it was first released. Here was a game that mixed Nintendo's usual penchant for killer gameplay with a more serious subject matter than the company was used to dealing with. It got lazily compared to fellow N64 stable mate Wave Race and came out looking worse, because it was...
Review Pac-Attack (Wii Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)
Watch your back or Pac will attack, you don't want that!
Not even Pac-Man escaped the 8 and 16-bit eras without a spinoff puzzle game to his name. Pac-Attack was an obvious cash-in by Namco on games like Tetris, Dr. Mario, and Puyo-Puyo, but it's actually quite good! The game is an edited version of the arcade game Cosmo Gang the Puzzle (based on...
Review Riot Zone (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)
I predict a riot!
Released back when the scrolling fighter was still seen as a massive money-spinner, Riot Zone (AKA: Crest of Wolf in Japan) was Hudson’s attempt at muscling in on the territory traditionally presided over by Capcom (Final Fight, Captain Commando, Knights of the Round, etc) and Sega (Streets of Rage, Golden Axe). Now let’s not...
Embark on an extraordinary adventure
On first sight, StarTropics looks eerily like Zelda (in fact, when you start it up, there's the same name entry screen!). So you might be thinking, what's all the fuss about? StarTropics is about a typical American teenager, Mike Jones, who heads to the tropics to meet his archaeologist uncle after receiving a...
Review Harvest Moon (Wii Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)
Farm life
Harvest Moon, a role-playing game based around the noble profession of farming, was one of the later Super NES releases when it arrived in 1997. If you are not familiar with this series, stay with us — it's not as bad or as boring as it sounds on paper This is basically The Sims on a farm. So, if you're a fan of simulation and RPG...
Review Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! (Wii Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)
Double the trouble, double the fun?
After the stellar Donkey Kong Country 2, people were wondering if the third game would be even more amazing. It was released very late in the SNES's lifecycle, so naturally it was expected that Rare would be pulling out all the stops. In DK Country 3’s storyline, both DK and Diddy have been kidnapped. You're...
Review Skate or Die! (Virtual Console / NES)
Hop on your board and take part in five extreme skate events!
Long before the Tony Hawk’s franchise made skateboarding games mainstream the cool kids got their kicks on Skate or Die for the NES. The action begins in Rodney Recloose’s skateboard shop. He’s a crazy middle-aged dude with a blue Mohawk who organises different event such as...
Review Blades of Steel (Virtual Console / NES)
With sharpened blades and a lethal stick, you slash into a rink surrounded by thousands of screaming fans.
Blades of Steel, much like one of Konami's other NES sports games, Double Dribble, was loved all over the world back in the day. Double Dribble didn't hold up that well, so you may wonder how its ice hockey has fared. Actually, it has aged...
Review Alien Storm (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)
Shape-shifting aliens have infiltrated the city, creating chaos and panic!
There’s an alien invasion. Save the people! Kill the aliens! Not the most original premise for a game, granted, but Alien Storm carries its heart on its sleeve. Pretensions of artistry and greatness are laid aside; the story serves only as fodder to introduce baddies that...
Review Monster Lair (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)
Join young Adam and Laura as they embark on a fantastic adventure in this comical action/shooting game.
Before you get excited, this isn’t your traditional Wonderboy adventure. Although we’ve already been blessed with Virtual Console versions of the quite frankly sublime Wonderboy in Monsterworld (Genesis / Mega Drive) and the exceptional...
Review Mega Man 2 (Wii Virtual Console / NES)
Can Mega Man save the world again?
Surprisingly, the original Mega Man (or Rockman, as the series is known in Japan) did not perform very well. Initially reluctant, Capcom allowed its creator Keiji Inafune to create a sequel as a side-project in his own spare time, however, and with the effort of a few colleagues and a lot of time, he created Mega...
Review Top Hunter: Roddy & Cathy (Virtual Console / Neo Geo)
Take on the role of either Roddy or Cathy, bounty hunters in this side-scrolling action game set far in the future when humans have colonized space.
I'm sure many have played at least one game in SNK's awesome shoot 'em up franchise, Metal Slug. But did you know that SNK also created a game that's similar, yet at the same time quite different? They...
Review Pokémon Snap (Virtual Console / Nintendo 64)
Playing this is a snap
Pokémon Snap's an odd one - it's not an adventure game like the handheld versions or a fighting game like those on the console. Instead, you have to take pictures of Pokémon! You play as Todd, who you might know from the anime. He has been asked by Professor Oak to take pictures of the various Pokémon around the island for...
Review Ghosts 'n Goblins (Wii Virtual Console / NES)
Arthur's first ghostly quest
You thought Ghouls 'n Ghosts and Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts were hard? The NES original, Ghosts 'n Goblins set the bar. The main focus of the game is pretty much the same as in the sequels. Princess Prin-Prin has been kidnapped by demons and Arthur, the one-man army, sets out to rescue her. He's armed with only a lance and...
