Reviews

Wii Virtual Console Reviews

  • Review Baseball (Wii Virtual Console / NES)

    Batter up!

    Nintendo’s Baseball was actually a launch title for the NES way back in 1985. With unknown brands like Ice Climber and Gyromite it made perfect sense for Nintendo to have a representation of a popular sports game to attract sceptics to their new console. Predictably enough, it’s now horribly dated. The gameplay itself just focuses on...

  • Review Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (Wii Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)

    Fighting Street

    To say that the original Street Fighter II was a genre-defining game would be the understatement of the century. Not only did the game take the one-on-one fighting game idea and take it to heights never before reached, it also single-handedly kicked off a fighting game craze that's still in full swing to this very day and spawned...

  • Review Super Castlevania IV (Wii Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)

    Castlevania goes super

    Every now and then you play a game that simply changes your life. To me, Super Castlevania IV is that game. I recall playing it at a friend's house and regardless of the slow pace of the first few levels, it had a real impact on me. The game was quickly purchased and hasn't left my collection since. If your Castlevania...

  • Review R-Type (Wii Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)

    This is R type of game!

    R-Type is widely considered one of, if not the greatest shooters every created. But kick off any conversation with a shooter fan about R-Type and you're likely to get a 10 minute rant on how excruciatingly difficult the game is. Over the years, shooters have come and gone. Some have been good and some have been bad, but in...

  • Review ToeJam & Earl (MD)

    Toe Jam and Earl are two fun-loving aliens

    This is a very strange game. It was hugely popular at the time and most Megadrive / Genesis gamers at the time will probably remember the wacky lead characters, but how does it fare today? The action is played from a top-down view. As either Tom Jam or Earl you must search the planet Funkatron for all the...

  • Review Tennis (Wii Virtual Console / NES)

    Anyone for Tennis?

    Tennis was one of the launch titles for the NES way back in 1985, and it succeeded in winning new gamers to the system in much the same way as Wii Sports. That begs the question, of course, why bother with this if you already have Wii Sports Tennis, which you got as a freebie with your Wii? Well for a start you control the...

  • Review Space Harrier II (MD)

    Fantasyland has been taken over by destructive forces, and a call for help comes from deep in the universe.

    I'm sure most 80's gamers can recall their first brush with the arcade Space Harrier - it was like looking into the future. The silky-smooth sprite scaling coupled with the excellent sound and futuristic feel made this an instant coin-op...

  • Review Military Madness (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)

    Strategic lunacy!

    Also known as Nectaris in Japan, this game was a cult hit when it was released in the US many years ago. It wasn't a massive seller but positive reviews made sure it got a decent reception from gamers 'in the know'. For anyone who has played Advance Wars on the GBA you will know exactly what you are getting here. It’s a...

  • Review Urban Champion (Wii Virtual Console / NES)

    More like Urban chump!

    It's impossible to overlook the fact that many of the earlier NES releases were extremely simple in design and took very few chances when it came to gameplay design and visual substance. While many of the games were classic arcade titles from Nintendo, there were a handful of original releases that tried to up the ante. Urban...

  • Review Gunstar Heroes (MD)

    Gunstar, more like Funstar!

    Gunstar Heroes ranks as one of the finest Megadrive/Genesis titles ever, so it's no surprise that people are getting excited about the Virtual Console release! If you've ever played Contra or Metal Slug you will have a good idea of what to expect here. One or two players battle it out against a seemingly endless array of...

  • Review Ice Hockey (Wii Virtual Console / NES)

    Ice to see you again

    The earlier titles in the NES sports series are probably not remembered by many for being great games, but Nintendo’s Ice Hockey — a latecomer to the series in 1988 — certainly bucks that trend. It is fondly remembered as a semi-faithful translation of the sport which was fiendishly addictive to play and hard to put down...

  • Review Dr Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine (MD)

    Dr. Robotnik has hatched a plan to ensure that no music or fun remains on Mobius.

    This is basically Puyo Puyo given a lick of paint, but that's no bad thing as Puyo Puyo is an excellent Tetris-style game which is amazingly addictive in two-player mode. A series of beans of the mean variety fall into a pit. Your job is to rotate and arrange the...

  • Review Alien Crush (TG-16)

    Alien Crush is a fan-favorite pinball game that features a sinister sci-fi theme.

    It's easy to dismiss Alien Crush as "just another video pinball game," but those who do so will be missing out on an outstanding Turbografx-16 game. While it is a pinball game at heart, Alien Crush somehow takes a great Alien theme and manages to craft a...

  • Review Donkey Kong Country (Wii Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)

    Worth going bananas over still?

    Much fuss was made about Donkey Kong Country when it was first released, and with good reason - the CGI visuals were a cut above what SNES owners were used to at the time and the game seemed to give the Super Nintendo a much needed second wind. Donkey Kong Country is a side-scrolling platformer. Using DK and Diddy,...

  • Review Dungeon Explorer (TG-16)

    Dungeon Explorer is a multiplayer action/role-playing game where up to five players can play at the same time.

    When the PC Engine was first released, NEC and Hudson knew that they would have a hard time tempting third party companies to produce games for the machine - Nintendo's NES was still the number one machine and Nintendo themselves had made...

  • Review Donkey Kong Jr. (Wii Virtual Console / NES)

    Donkey Kong has finally been captured by Mario!

    Donkey Kong is one of Nintendo's quintessential characters; pre-dating even the illustrious Mario as a video game lead, the goofy simian was enthralling arcade-goers the world over during the early '80s. However, once the Italian plumber decided to star in his own game, Donkey Kong's appeal started to...

  • Review Columns (MD)

    Columns is loosely derived from Tetris, as it involves arranging falling blocks in such a way as to clear them.

    Much fuss was made over Columns back when it was first released. Nintendo had just launched its version of Tetris alongside the portable Game Boy, and puzzle games had therefore become a vital element in a console creator's arsenal. Sega...

  • Review Ristar (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)

    Ristar proves that being unique and different can sometimes be a good thing.

    Sonic the Hedgehog and Ristar actually began life as basically the same game. When Sonic Team began developing the game that would become Sonic the Hedgehog, they initially envisioned the character having the ability to reach out and grab things as part of the game's core...

  • Review Victory Run (TG-16)

    The TurboGrafx's answer to Rad Racer and Out Run.

    Victory Run may look like just another bland 16-bit racer. But once you dive into the game you begin to see that it's actually got a lot of depth and playability to it. Not only do you have to watch out for other racers, but you also have to spend a lot of time dealing with parts of your car going...

  • Review Super Star Soldier (TG-16)

    Super Star Soldier is a classic vertical-scrolling shooting game.

    The TurboGrafx-16 has more than its fair share of excellent shoot-em-ups. Super Star Soldier is a follow-up to Hudson’s NES classic Star Soldier. It was one of the earlier games on the TurboGrafx and spawned two quality sequels including the rather spiffy Soldier Blade. The...

  • Review Ecco The Dolphin (MD)

    Travel through the time along with Ecco the dolphin, in the only game that could call itself a 'dolphin simulator'.

    When Ecco was first released, there really wasn't anything like it. A game that featured a peace-loving dolphin as the lead character might sound like the most ill-advised release of all time, but Ecco had an undeniable beauty to it...

  • Review Golden Axe (MD)

    Golden Axe puts in the shoes of one of three heroes, each with his own reason for trying to overthrow the evil rule of Death-Adder.

    Double Dragon meets Conan is the best way to sum up Golden Axe. Easily one of the better side-scrolling fighers to be found on the Megadrive (regardless of the basic nature of the fighting system compared to the likes...

  • Review Bonk's Adventure (TG-16)

    Prehistoric bonking fun

    The Super NES had Mario, the Genesis had Sonic, so you knew it was only a matter of time before Hudson would be looking to create a mascot game for their Turbografx-16 system as well. Hudson went old school, and I mean really old-school to find their man. Like prehistoric old school. The result was Bonk, a loveable but rather...

  • Review Bomberman '93 (TG-16)

    Will there ever come a day when evil villains decide to give it all up in favour of getting an honest job?

    The first thing that most gamers think of when they hear the name Hudson is Bomberman. Having been one of the company's flagship series over the years, it's little wonder why. The Bomberman games have seen releases on just about every console...

  • Review Donkey Kong (Wii Virtual Console / NES)

    It's on like Donkey Kong

    As many will know, the mighty Miyamoto made his mark at Nintendo and indeed the world with this very game in the arcades. Donkey Kong was quite unique for its day; in arcades full of Space Invaders and Pac-Man clones, a platform game like was something new. Playing as Jumpman — who would later become known as Mario —...

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

    Will it clean your pipes?

    When Mario Bros. hit arcades in 1983, most Nintendo fans were expecting yet another Donkey Kong release and weren't quite prepared for the spin-off Nintendo served up. Now it was Mario and his brother Luigi who were at war with a constant flow of pests coming though their sewer pipes. The game was yet another hit with...

  • Review Pinball (Wii Virtual Console / NES)

    Pinball wizard

    Back in the '80s, pinball simulations became quite popular on home game consoles of the time period. Pinball for the NES takes a very basic approach with its presentation, but still manages to include just enough variety to keep it interesting. Toss in a Mario mini-game to spice things up and what you have is a fun little pinball romp...

  • Review Soccer (Wii Virtual Console / NES)

    This is most definitely not super soccer

    Soccer is one of the earlier titles in the NES Sports series, it also ranks amongst the worst. Back in 1987 it might have cut the mustard, but in this day and age it is too dated to be worthy of splashing the virtual cash on. Rather than support a full team of eleven players you only get five players, and a...

  • Review Solomon's Key (Wii Virtual Console / NES)

    I've got the key, I've got the secret!

    Solomon’s Key started life as a little known arcade game, but the NES version is probably more well known and remains a faithful rendition of the original. Playing as a little wizard by the name of Dana, you are tasked with escaping from a series of dungeons, using a handy magic wand that can create or...

  • Review Wario's Woods (Wii Virtual Console / NES)

    If you go down to the woods today...

    Toad, the hero of this story (or Mushroom-head to his mates) gets to show off his muscles in this Tetris-style falling block game by lifting and stacking bombs and monsters. Our friend Toad cleverly discovered that if he puts monsters of the same colour in a row along with a bomb of the same colour that they will...