Although WiiWare and DSiWare have a lot of games left to get this year, if everything on Nintendo's list actually comes out, that doesn't mean the Virtual Console is going to suffer from it (At least not yet) - Today sees the release of two new retro games, just like last week. WiiWare gets two games as well, while DSiWare gets a single application.
For most people, the biggest release this week is probably Super Star Wars for the Virtual Console. This classic LucasArts SNES game is based on Episode IV of the Star Wars movies, meaning you can relive the late 70's all over again. On top of that, it's actually quite a competent game - Both of its sequels are arguably better, but you definitely won't be disappointed by this one. Read our review to find out more.
Sega fans will probably dig today's other VC game a little bit more though - The arcade version of Golden Axe is, naturally, the original version of the already available Mega Drive game. Unlike most home console ports, though, the only thing the arcade game really has over the Mega Drive version is the graphics - The Mega Drive version actually has a few extra levels and an extra mode, which means you're actually getting more for less money, because, just like Altered Beast, this arcade version actually costs 900 Wii Points instead of 800. Still, if you're curious about Golden Axe's origins - You can get the game tonight. We'll review it within the next few days.
Magnetis for WiiWare is a hectic puzzle game, in which the objective is to combine magnets with each other. It is possible to put many blocks between magnets as well, so that when the magnets come together, all the blocks between are taken along, giving you more points. With a ton of modes (Such as Normal, TIme Attack, Block Attack, Battle, Coop and Team Battle) and the lowest possible Wii Shop price of 500 Wii Points, it seems like it should be worth your money if you like puzzle games in the slightest.
Only the youngest need apply for Learning with the PooYoos: Episode 1 - Specifically made for young children, it seems to be a collection of very simple minigames, featuring cute, colourful characters. Mainly meant for some basic education, it is of course logical that anyone over the age of 6 should stay away, but for parents with young kids, perhaps it's worth a download for its measly 500 Wii Point price? We'll review it soon.
DSiWare gets its umpteenth new application today - MySims Camera seems to not be much more than being able to add MySims characters to pictures you take with the DSi's camera. For 200 points it's as cheap as can be, but we've really got to wonder who would download this! We'll also review it soon.
That's it for this time! We wonder how long Nintendo of Europe will keep releasing 2 VC games in each week.
[source officialnintendomagazine.co.uk]
Comments 59
Wow, Europe gets way more arcade games than us.
So LiT is appearantly not coming this year . Might get Super Star Wars someday, but I think I can use my points for an other game (LostWinds maybe)?
I do not mind about the extra Mega Drive levels, Arcade 'Golden Axe' was the superior game. Its visuals were more detailed and better coloured.
Back in the day (1989!) gamers analysed arcade games to spot differences, based upon the 'holy grail' achievement of "arcade perfection".
Mega Drive 'Golden Axe' was not a bad conversion at all, but it actually mattered to me that Gilius's axe was golden and the eagle's eyes blinked in the arcade version. These minute details were left out of the Megadrive conversion. I would prefer to pay the extra 100 points.
This comment sounds completely daft now, almost obsessive, but it was how me and my mates looked at things 20 years ago.
Does anyone know if US VCA is getting Golden Axe, too?
Cool. Super Star Wars at last!
Some other article said that all three are being released at once? I doubt that's true but I can only hope. Either way I'll take these two VC games over nothing for a couple of weeks.
Nothing for me this week. But I am glad we are getting two VC games this week. Plus with these two games, Europe is only six games in total behind America. We're getting closer. Also. with the two weeks we didn't get any VC games at all recently, it still works out to be 1 per week.
Golden Axe ftw! The arcade version also had better sound. The music didn't pause every time you defeated an enemy methinks. Boo for DSiware though. Proper games please.
Wow, NoE is messing up their 09 plans already. I really doubt that they will release UNO, Tales of Monkey Island Episode 2, Worms & You, Me, and the Cubes next week. It is possible, but just very unlikely.
Doesn't look like there's anything for me but I still have a huge pile of retail PC games to work through anyway.
Come on NOA, release the arcade version of Golden Axe in North America soon!
@JamieO: I'm with you. I got the Mega Drive version for 600 points for my Japanese system, but the decreased quality in the sound and animation just didn't cut it. As soon as the VCA release came along I happily dropped 800points and removed the MD version. Of course since RoW has to pay 800 points for MD games, they make the VCA release 100 more!
Nice to see Super Star Wars in EU. But they should hold off releasing it on the VC in Japan until we get some of their VC games that we've so far been denied.
Super Star Wars get announced, the DAY I said that I wouldn't buy anything and save up to buy presents for Christmas.
This is funny...I just recently had a rant regarding Virtual Console releases in Europe to the ONM Letters group. I'm just going to laugh if they publish it since no new games have come out in ages for the VC and this is the first time it's happened since when?? Hmmm...
@ 14: Huh? We get two games this week, two games the last week, a fortnight with no VC games before that and before that, Pilotwings. We are getting VC games at almost one every week even though they skip weeks and then make up for it later. We're not being hard done to.
Amazing download for you guys. You got Magnetis... lucky dogs.
Keep in mond that when Nintendo released a schedule...its likely a hopeful outline...its not written in stone.
looks like a great week for eu gamers
Wow, now you guys are getting two games a week AND the Star Wars games. Now there's no question about it, of the big 3 territories, North America is OFFICIALLY the worst for VC now. Lets see here, Smash Bros, Pilotwings, Altered Beast, Golden Axe, Rygar and Solomon's Key, not to mention about 10 C64 games we have yet to see... and what do we have? Tecmo Bowl... I give up on this ****.
@Rapadash6 yeah we got games I wasn't interested in and we are still waiting for the good games. When they have the same amount of vc of us; in comparison; they will have better games that I would like here.
You know, if we eventually got Golden Axe: The Return of Death Adder, I would be super happy!
finally super star wars, shame that there was no update to the nintendo channel for us but then again NOE are pretty useless updating new videos on that so what's the point
@BassX0
You're still counting how many games Europe is behind North America? Why? You're not really getting closer, actually you are getting farther, since most of this year you were only 2 games behind us. Besides, it will be 7 after Monday.
I like to keep record of such trivia.
@Rapadash6 We got those arcade games in the last couple of weeks, and you got Super Star Wars a fair few weeks ago, so it's only fair for you to wait and see if you get them within the next few weeks, right? As for stuff like Smash Bros and Pilotwings, remember that when they were originally released, you got Smash Bros 7 months before we did, and as for Pilotwings, that was a year and a half. Does that give you a little perspective? :/
I should get a wii from United kingdom for smash bros. 64 and others.
@DDRPaladin356 (comment 21) That is the most spot on comment I have possibly ever read.
Not just Wii either, if any system gets 'Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death Adder', I will download it as fast as you can "Sega 'System 32' Arcade games are massively neglected on home console systems!".
I would buy an XBox 360 to play that game !!!
Super Star Wars will be mine. Though I have the SNES cartridge, I don't have it around where I'm currently living. One the games that I've finished most times.
congrats on getting the star wars games guys, i have yet to get them
Woohoo! I can choose not to download Golden Axe due to its pitiful mediocrity! What a good day!
Wow! what a great update for EU. I'm glad you get Super Star Wars but Golden Axe arcade is icing on the virtual cake.
Golden Axe Arcade has a much better ending than the Genesis version. It will make you laugh for sure
Great Update, Golden Axe! Ill freely admit was big SEGA fan back then, so getting the Arcade games on Wii is pretty cool. Also avoids the whole 50Hz issue for us PAL folks...
"Who will buy MySims Camera?" you ask. Simple, people who buy 1000 points and then spend 800 of them on a game. Not wanting to leave a balance behind (and already owning the calculator, clock, and ever magic trick offered), thousands will go and buy the MySims camera program. Because they have 200 points and it is only 200 points and who can resist the impulse.
Sweeeeeeeeeet =D
Go AWAY Star Wars game! Silly game with SUPER in its time!
@JamieO : If it wasn't for the Golden Axe port, there would have been no Streets of Rage!
I saw a head-to-head comparison video of Arcade and Genesis versions of Golden Axe, and the graphical difference seems to be HUGE.
You guys got a cool VC week.
WW looks OK. (I will resist temptations to bash PooYoos because I'm not the darget audience Hopefully, It can attract kids to WW though)
MySims Camera looks interesting.
The Ninty list system has screwed up again as expected. Why do they bother? I doubt they'll give us 4 wiiware games next week. We're not Japan. That'd be more likely to happen in NA than us too.
Anyway, I'm not going for Super Star Wars anymore because of its stupidly brutal difficulty. I need a review to make a decision on Magnetis.
@RadioShadow (comment 35) You are right, the Mega Drive 'Golden Axe' port opened lots of doors for future 16 bit scrolling brawlers, not just from Sega, but the likes of Capcom's 'King of the Dragons' and further down the line the marvelous 'Dungeons and Dragons: Shadow Over Mystara'.
I wasn't actually dissing the conversion, it stunned people in '89 and it was very, very close to the point that Complete Guide to Consoles's Jaz Rignall enthusistically awarded it 96% declaring that the graphics were "Indistinguishable from the coin-op...and so's the sound!".
In hindsight it was not arcade perfect, but it was a close port. However, I have the Mega Drive game on original Japanese cart, and PS2/PS3/PSP/GBA collections.
It is the arcade game that I look forward to now, I played it back in the day and in my eyes it is the better game.
I agree thoiugh, the video gaming world would be a duller place without the 'Streets of Rage' trilogy
If misconstrued my above comment could be taken as saying that ‘Shadow Over Mystara’ was a 16 bit game. Apologies, it was not.
The popularity of Mega Drive and arcade Golden Axe did provide momentum for future fantasy brawlers to carry its torch.
@1. Sneaker
Never fear the developers Wayforward have confirmed that they expect LIT to appear "within a month" so we will get it before the end of the year.
Cool. I hope the arcade version of Golden Axe comes to NA's VC, to. The Mega Drive version is decent, but I'm pretty positive the arcade version wins full time. I played it on MAME32 (where'd that CD-rom hop up and disappear to??) SPOILER ALERT I do remember the ending being the most hilarious thing I had ever seen. [hint, hint; wink, wink; nudge, nudge ] SPOILER ALERT
@StarBoy91 Yep, the Golden Axe arcade ending is completely bonkers. I've seen interviews with the game's developers and it seems as though they had fun making it.
I'll be doing the Magnetis review, so hopefully I'll be able to get that out by the end of the week-end like Spaceball Revolution. Puzzlers for the Win!
Yes Golden Axe at last!! I've been wanting to download the Megadrive version for ages but never did since it doesn't support component cables - now I can finally get it (and a superior version to boot).
I might get Super Star Wars too - it's a tough decision that one though. On one hand I have a few nostalgic memories of it but on the other I found it too tough for its own good. It felt almost unplayable to me as a result. Is it possible to finish it without cheating or anything?
@madgear
Yes Super Star Wars is beatable with using the cheat menu. After a few times playing I found the game somewhat hard, but not in a frustrating way. In fact the later levels in the Death Star and trench run a pretty easy.
I will buy Golden Axe on VCA, even though I have it on MAME.
Just out of interest @StarBoy91 (and anyone else who knows), when you played the MAME arcade Golden Axe, was the double tap run input unresponsive?
I do not remember having any trouble with the arcade's sticks. I would miss using Gilius's charging headbutt.
Actually, I played with the keyboard. I don't even own a USB controller. I think I used the Ctrl, Alt and Space buttons. But, it's been awhile. Where'd MAME32 hide itself??? I think it must hate me.
[continued]
I don't think I had a problem double tapping.
I just bought the XBLA version. It's almost half the price of VCA version. The Nintendo pricing for VC games needs some adjustments...
@StarBoy91 Cheers for your answer mate, I may have downloaded an unfinished ROM. I'm sure something like that would not be spoilt in the VCA game (then again the Turtles in Time emulation on GCN had much more cumbersome controls than the SNES version).
I'm really jealous lol!
Well, then, Golden Axe for the Arcade may just be my first VCA title to download. [Oh, wait, what about Pulseman and Lords of Thunder?? GRAARGH with this indecisiveness! It's hard to choose!]
Again no Monkey Island? WTF??? I hope it will get improved for the EU-release... Maybe I should play it on our notebook after all.
Double-tap to run works fine in the Japanese version -- that's another edge over the Mega Drive since I couldn't pull that off effectively except with the VCA one.
I like the balance between Wii Ware and Virtual Console this week. I wish NOA would do 2 VC games and 2 Wii Ware as opposed to 1 VC and 3 Wii Ware. Variety is the spice of life.
Looking forward to the Magnetis revw. Its a puzzler so I am interested. Any first impressions by anyone out there?
Cheers @SeanAaron for helping with my Golden Axe douple tap run/charge Q.
@57. LEGEND MARIOID: Magentis is fantastic! Worth every nintendo-point!
I wonder if we will be seeing another two VC games this week as well. I think its unlikely.
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