Adamant

A 7 is fair, the game certainly has it's flaws. But eh, it's not THAT hard, people. I beat it on Easy first time playing it after downloading it,spending only one continue, and it's been so long since I last played it I didn't remember much of the levels. Let's not scare the kids away from the game, here.
Loved the bit on the game's plot, but I agree with the others - cheap shots at Hamill: not cool.

@Sean Aaron: Well... Super Star Wars is overall a pretty good game, but it certainly has it's share of flaws. Some levels go on and on and far outlast their welcome, the controls are a bit ropey, there are a number of overly annoying jumps over large bottomless pits (and a lesson in bad level design at the bottom of level 4, where you WILL die the first time you get there), and the different characters aren't very well balanced. Still, probably worth the points. I predict an 8/10.

@Geo1AR: "500 pts? 200 at the most"

Maps are generally about this expensive. It's a fair price.

5/10 seems a bit low - sure the applications have their flaws, but they're still relatively useful for tourists going to these places. I'll pick them up if I need them.

Of course a tourist may go other places, but when only a few cities get maps, the maps should be of places most tourists would go to. Likewise, you might rather go to München than Moscow, but most Europeans wouldn't, and as mentioned, the maps are aimed at the average European, not the average German.I'd have more use of a map of Oslo than either of the offered cities, but it's not aimed solely at me either, and I'm in a definite minority there.

@KDR_11k: The maps are aimed at tourists, not just Germans. A map over all the cities in Germany would sell to anyone not going there living there, while these packs are of use to anyone going to any of these highly popular tourist cities. Getting the most useful maps out first is the best idea.
Also, the packs are 500 points each, which is what you'd pay for a good map of one of these cities anyway - add in that these maps are interactive and searchable, and you get pretty good value for your money if you're going to one of these cities.

They'll probably release more volumes down the line.

I quite like this idea, actually. If you're going to one of these cities, a city map would end up costing you this much anyway, you get a slew of other maps at the same time, they're interactive and can be searched, they're handy to bring around and check at any time, and you won't lose them. Plus, you can get them ahead of time and plan your vacation properly.

@LEGEND MARIOID & colmtheperson: It's best to get the cities of most interest to tourists out of the way first. A collection of maps for all the cities in country X is largely only going to be of interest to those who live in that country.

Why don't you complainers just import a Japanese Wii then, if you'd like updates like this?
And honestly most of the Japanese-exclusive Wiiware/DSiware games are rather dull. They're exclusive for a reason. If we HAD gotten them, you'd just be crying about how the service was getting swamped in shovelware.

@Rapadash6: "Yeah, other than Final Fantasy IV, there's not a whole lot here to get excited about. "

Oh hush you, Nekketsu Hockey is awesome.

@Skarnet: Oh, really? Thanks, had no idea. I'll check it out.

Took me 5 or 6 hours to play through with the hint system turned all the way down. A couple puzzles stumped me for a bit (getting the captain off the ship being the worst one), but nothing too bad, and nothing seemed unfair or anything, with the possible exception of the parrot, which could easily be missed, and will screw you completely over if you don't see it.
Otherwise, loved it. Great purchase. Yes, there are graphical problems and such, and yes they're a tad annoying, but it doesn't detract much from the game, and is definitely no grounds for lowering the grade.
The treasure hunting "minigame" selectable from the main menu was worthless, though. Don't bother if you haven't tried it.

@SuperSonic1990: "I have around a 100 VC games."

Only a 100? Then what's the problem? There's around 200 VC games out there you don't have, I really doubt you're unable to find something enjoyable among those.

Ah, America, you silly silly country.

@ Wiiperson11: "WoW is it that bad?"

No. I'm quite surprised at the score - while it's by no means something I'd recommend anyone actually buying, when games like Tennis are able to run off with a 4/10, a 1 seems rather unfair. Even crap like Volleyball and Baseball managed to snag a 2 - this game is in no way worse than those.

O NO THE VC PUZZLE LEAGUE SUX CUZ THERE'S KIDDY POKEYMANS IN IT!

Nice Wii update - MLaaDL looks really interesting and MUSHA is awesome. Unlike most here, I've actually played Smash Ping Pong before (sort of, at least - the MSX version, but it's similiar enough). It's... yeah, it's pretty bad. Don't download.

@Bass X0: "Vermin is quite a fun game still. Some others have dated terribly."

Vermin is awesome. One of the best G&W games.So simple, yet so addicting.
But yeah, there's definitely differences in quality here - Vermin and Donkey Kong Jr. being the only real must-buy titles, with Chef and Helmet being worth a look as well. Judge is great fun if you got someone to play with, but isn't too interesting in single player.
Ball is respected for being the first G&W game, but at the end of the day, it's rather dull. Flagman is just a collection of Simon and a "push the button that lights up" game, which is about as interesting as it sounds (ie not very). Mario's Cement Factory is slow and rather dull, and I have an intense hatred for Manhole and is ridiculously impossible challenge level. Evil game.

Outrun, the Hang On games and Alex Kidd in Shinobi World are all very high up on my list.

@KnucklesSonic8: "I hope Neko brings us other games like this too, not just Cocoto stuff."

Aside from the Cocoto and Heracles games, Neko largely developed childrens games, usually based off cartoon licenses. The only other game I could see them releasing for Wiiware is Mouse Trophy, a game where you need to alter a maze in order to lead a number of mice to the goal in the shortest amount of time.

Neko Entertainment's game library all fell under the "decent, but not spectacular budget games", and they never managed to make much of a name out of themselves with their "me too-ism". Their desicion to rerelease their games on Wiiware was a wise one - there's far less competition here, and the budget PS2/GC/Xbox-game production values and relative game size make the games stand out in the crowd of flash-esque puzzlers.

I take it we can expect Cocoto Fun Fair and Cocoto Kart Racer before too long.
EDIT: Hey, would you look at that, they've already released those on the Wii as disc games. Odd desicion, they'll just end up lost in the jungle of similiar games.
Ah well, maybe Wiiware will be graced with Cocoto Tennis Master?

The name "Othello" is trademarked, the name "Reversi" is not. Had the game been named "Silver Star Othello", licensing fees would've had to be paid.

People call the game by the name they're used to it being referred to as, which is usually the name on the box of the particular release of the game they own/have played.

@Sneaker13: "As an adventure fan, I would love to see Tantei Jinguuji Saburoo: Toki no Sugiyuku Mamani. But I don't think I hold my breath for a english translation."

It's already been released in English. The DS cart "Jake Hunter Detective Story: Memories of the Past" contains ports off all four Jake Hunter games available on the VC.

@Drake: But FF3 is better than FF6, so it's all good. Right, guys?
...guys? Hello?

(on another note, I think I must be the only non-Japanese in the world who's first Final Fantasy game was FF3 - well, at least until the DS game came out)

@Bahamut_ZERO: The "US numbering" has not been used for over 10 years by anyone other than stubborn Americans going "It's 3 because it says 3 on my cart lalala can't hear you". This is FF3, since it says FF3, not FF6. Had it been FF6, it would've said FF6. Plus, FF6 is a Super Famicom game.

And no, FF3 won't be released here. It's in Japanese only, and too text-heavy to play for Joe Non-Japanese von Average.

Ninja Ryuukenden 2/Ninja Gaiden 2 was indeed released in Europe as Shadow Warriors 2 at the very end of the NES' lifetime, as part of a bargain series of previously unreleased games.

Ninja Ryuukenden 3/Ninja Gaiden 3 was Japan/America only.

Shadow Warriors was presumably released as "Ninja Gaiden" on the VC both for the sake of title recognition (since the post-NES games were released as Ninja Gaiden here as well) and to keep the name of the series consistant for the release of Ninja Gaiden 3, since a "Shadow Warriors 3" doesn't exist. It's kind of scammy that they slap an import price on it, though.

But yeah, they really need to release the second and third game already.

@KnucklesSonic8: "Guys, Super Smash Bros. Fan1999 usually only considers a game if it gets an 8."

I take it he'll complain when the 7/10-rated game SSB is released too, then. Can't wait.

@Super Smash Bros. Fan1999: "Sigh. I was hoping this would be a good game. But it's not, leaving us with a medicoric week for the Virtual Console."

It IS a good game. Read the review, not the score.

Read the scoring policy too, while you're at it - 6/10 is described as "This game is not good enough to rush out and buy without doing your homework. Whilst you should approach with a degree of caution you might still really enjoy this game", which is a pretty damn accurate description of SimEarth. It doesn't have the kind of instant mainstream appeal like SimCity and The Sims did, but it's still a good game in it's own right. If the concept sounds intriguing, I pretty much guarantee you'll enjoy this game.

@Supermarioman: "Does anybody even care about SimEarth?"

Yes, several of us do, as evidenced by this thread.

And I STILL can't fathom why people whine about SSB so much. It's a really basic and outdated version of a game you all own anyway, and it's bound to severly dissapoint all who don't have nostalgic attachment to it. And for those people, if you liked it so damn much, why did you sell it in the first place?

@Sean Aaron: "It does make me wonder how they're going to pitch Altered Beast and Golden Axe on the Megadrive in NA/EU with superior arcade emulation for the same price..."

Same way they pitched Street Fighter 2 Turbo, I guess. "Hey kids, it's a better version of a game you probably own, and it's being sold for the same price too!"

Yep. There's several "Learn Japanese" carts out there, but since they're intended for Japanese children, not foreigners, they require some prior knowledge of the language.
Still, they're well worth looking into.

@mariofan5000: "Just look at how many people want it!"

I am. That's why I'm asking. SSB really isn't the sort of game people who haven't played it before are going to love. Did ALL of you complainers own it back in the day and sold it for no apparant reason? If so, why not accept that there are other people who want other games, and Nintendo doesn't have any obligation to follow YOUR personal wishes all the time?

And, in case you were wondering, yes, I still own SSB, find it an enjoyable game, and still play it from time to time, since unlike you, I didn't sell it off. However, I'm still able to see that this probably isn't going to completely win over those who weren't there when it was new, and experienced the evolution of the series. Yes, the gameplay is different from the sequels, but the content it offers is much much less.

So therefore I ask, why single out this game for the current whine parade? It isn't a timeless classic, it's appeal is largely limited to those who have nostalgia for it but don't currently own it, so it becomes a complete case of "I want THIS game because I played it as a kid, and Nintendo suck if they release games other people want instead of games I want". Games like Majora's Mask are genuinely quality games that offer unique experiences enjoyable to new and old players alike, but SSB is largely a nostalgia-fulfillment release. It's not something worth the complaints it's getting.

You guys complaining about no Smash Bros - have you actually played the game before? If you haven't, I can assure you you're going to be pretty damn disappointed with it - it's not an all-time classic, it's the outdated prequel to the other two Smash Bros games, with just the bare-bones ready - a short 10-battle single player mode, 12 characters, 9 mostly bland stages, and very little you haven't seen in the sequels. Yes, the fighting engine is different, so it doesn't quite play the same in multiplayer, but there REALLY isn't much here that makes this one the current game for the whine corps to focus on.
Sure, there can be nostalgia involved, but claiming that Nintendo sucks for not releasing the few games YOU feel nostalgic about is pretty childish. The VC service wasn't made for you alone.

If you're looking to re-live an experience you've already had, why do you care about the review? You KNOW what the game is like.
Meanwhile, this review informs those who haven't plaed it that it might not be as awesome as the game's fanboys probably gave the the impression of.

Sean, FF1 got a good PS1 port and a couple utterly horrible GBA and PSP ports. The original NES game was never released here.

^hush you, FF2 is awesome. You just need to know how to play properly, which is simple enough - everyone in the front row, give everyone a shield and a different type of weapon (not fists), give everyone Cure, Life and Heal, and don't bother "exploiting" the system - it's not only boring and completely unnessecary, but comes back to bite you in the ass later. And really - the importance of using shields can not be stated enough - way too many people miss out on how useful they are due to later titles that allow dual-wielding of weapons generally making shields worthless, as well as the fact that the shields won't make a difference right away. USE SHIELDS IN FF2.

Seriously, most everyone expressing dislike for FF2 seem to be getting their ideas on how to play the game from guidewriters who neither understood it or liked it themselves. There's a ridiculous amount of FF2 guides out there that spread the idea that "you must grind" and "FF2 is a bad game". Play it normally, the way it was intended, and it's a very entertaining game.

Ok, I'll be getting Nobunaga, then. I was going to, but then this one came out, and I wanted to know if it was a better place to start.

How does this compare to Nobunaga and RotTK?

@Super Smash Bros. Fan1999: "Also, this is based off a real person, so I believe that Nintendo is finally going to start clearing licensing issues." What? There's no licensing involved with Ghengis Khan's name and likeness.

@Syr: "On the FFIV:TAY website it says 1-4 players, but then the press release said one player... I'm confused.."

You can assign different controllers to different characters so each player will control specific characters in battle. Pretty fun, actually, especially since this game is quite challenging for a recent FF game.

Sean Aaron: Yeah, don't buy this until you've beaten FFIV. The game assumes you've done so, and will not only refer to events you're expected to know of, but also spoil important plot points.

"I wonder if there's an arcade version of Streets of Rage?"

No, that's a Mega Drive-original game.

@Roo: "Eh? It's nothing like saying that - from what I've heard about it, SIGE is an expansion far beyond the game reviewed here."

It's precicely liek saying that. SIGE has nothing but the name in common with the original SI.

A point on the naming scheme - "Densetsu no Stafi" doesn't translate to "Legend of Stafi" - such a title would be written "Stafi no Densetsu" in Japanese.

"Even Europe got an late 1980's title (Golden Axe)."

Europe got Space Harrier this Friday. We don't have Golden Axe.

@43: Yeah, seriously - why on Earth isn't Outrun on the VC in any shape or form yet? It's one of Sega's most popular games, and it got tons of ports all over the line.

Would like to see Hang-On too.

"Tantei Jinguuji Saburo: Toki no Sugiyuku Mama ni (A detective game.)"

Oh, and I think a remake of this one is released in the US, actually, as one of the 6 cases on "Jake Hunter Detective Story: Memories of the Past".

@Aquateen510: "Why does Japan ALWAYS get the good games on the VC first?"

Because they MAKE the games? Be happy you get any at all.

So now we're starting to double up on games for real, with both the arcade original and most well-known console port being available.
I take it we'll see the arcade Splatterhouse before too long, then.

And Nintendo, bring on Donkey Kong.

@Airola
"Or a lesbian/bi-sexual female"

Can't they just pull off their top and look in a mirror?
Damn, lesbians have it good.

"If one likes breasts in games and in real life it doesn't mean he/she is sad or lonely. It just means that he or she has higher standards fo aestethics"

Or just is a heterosexual male.

Heh, looks cool.
I actually own the original Famicom game too - good stuff.

"All in all, I would've appreciated if a certain stance was taken towards the review. That is to say that the review should've been a bit more tailored to include newcomers. Instead, a lot of parts within the review are basically explaining things in a light that would assume that people are familiar with how the first one works, but what if someone isn't?"

Well, the review of the original is right here on the site. If newcomers aren't familiar with the original, all they have to do is read up on it.

Yeah, this sounds a bit too barebones to be worth bothering with. I'm sure some other developer will take notice and release a more competent chess game WITH online before too long.

I wonder if we'll see more of the games in this series outside Japan. The most likely one to get a release would be Silver Star Reversi - the Go, Shougi and Mahjong games are based off games barely anyone outside Asia know how to play, and Five-in-a-Row isn't really a very popular game here either.

Looking at Silver Star's website, I see they more or less only release Go and Shougi games. What a boring developer.