Wii Virtual Console - Timeline
Thursday28th Mar 2013
Review Art of Fighting 3: The Path of the Warrior (Wii Virtual Console / Neo Geo)
Third time's a charm?
Art of Fighting sprang onto the Neo Geo arcade scene in 1993 and brought with it several innovations that would become a staple of future Neo fighting titles. For one thing the game featured huge character sprites, some spanning nearly the height of the screen. It also introduced the now famous SNK zoom system that would keep...
Friday22nd Mar 2013
Review Punch-Out!! Featuring Mr. Dream (Wii U eShop / NES)
Heavy Hitter
Boxing is a fascinating sport. Two human beings enter the ring, then skilfully and tactfully beat the tar out of one another using nothing but their own gloved fists. It’s the perfect fodder for a video game, and that’s exactly why the Punch-Out!! series is such a classic. Originally released in North America as Mike Tyson's...
Thursday21st Mar 2013
Nintendo Download 21st March 2013 (North America)
Luigi goes on a spooky quest, Pokémon go exploring, Zen Pinball and more
It's Thursday, and time for your Nintendo Download update, North America. This week we have an oft-demanded Wii U download that finally makes it across the Atlantic, two major retail offerings, a couple of discounts and some extra download goodies. Check out all of the details...
Wednesday20th Mar 2013
Review The King of Fighters '98 (Wii Virtual Console / Neo Geo)
The best there ever was
For many 2D fighting game fans, The King of Fighters '98 represents the zenith of the series; the crowning glory of the only rival lineage to truly bloody the nose of Capcom's genre-defining Street Fighter. It's not hard to see why this is the case; the game looks stunning, has a massive roster of characters and boasts one...
Monday11th Mar 2013
News There's A New Turrican Game Inbound, But Super Turrican Is Off The Table
News of a new entry is sullied by the removal of the SNES version from the Virtual Console
The latest issue of German Retro Gamer magazine has revealed that a new entry in the Turrican series is on its way. Turrican Rebirth will be a 2D shooter with a heavy emphasis on customisation, allowing players to make their own weapons and stages to share...
Thursday7th Mar 2013
Nintendo Download 7th March 2013 (North America)
A Nano Assault, falling down a well, wild ATV racing and much more
It's Nintendo Download day, North America, which is particularly good news if you own a 3DS or like a bit of Neo Geo retro action on Wii — if you only have a DSi or Wii U, never mind. It's a packed lineup for the big N's current handheld, with a broad range of download-only and...
Monday4th Mar 2013
Nintendo Download 7th March 2013 (Europe)
Assaulting a virus, life-saving fishing and classic run 'n gun action
Nintendo is on the ball this week Europe, sending sweet download news our way as we awake from our slumber. The list this week is a rather small one, but the mix of new, old and revamped old franchises arguably represents quality over quantity. The goodies for 3DS and Wii are...
Thursday21st Feb 2013
Review World Heroes 2 Jet (Wii Virtual Console / Neo Geo)
Jet setter
Speed upgrades became all of the rage during the early fighting game craze during the early '90s — Capcom practically made a living at it for a while. So when arcade gamers began complaining about the sluggish speed of World Heroes 2, SNK did the logical thing and borrowed a page from Capcom's book. When World Heroes 2 Jet burst onto...
Wednesday20th Feb 2013
News The European Version Of F-Zero On Wii U Virtual Console Comes With 60Hz Support
Nintendo does listen, after all
If you're a European gamer then you'll no doubt be aware of how TV standards can impact the way games play. Back in the days of the SNES, NES and Mega Drive, EU gamers were saddled with slower versions of existing software. This is because Japanese and American TVs used the NTSC standard, while in Europe the PAL...
Thursday14th Feb 2013
Nintendo Download 14th February 2013 (North America)
Hitting the streets with Wii U, going digging, time travelling and more
It may be the most loved up day of the year and an occasion for Nintendo Direct madness, but we still have a download update to deal with. Nintendo delayed the details slightly while Reggie Fils-Aime and company did their thing, but now we know about a Wii U app and a mixture of...
Monday11th Feb 2013
News Paper Mario, Kirby Super Star and More Join Club Nintendo Rewards
Sucking up your coins
It's Club Nintendo Rewards time again, North American gamers, with more downloadable goodies becoming available in exchange for some treasured gold coins. This month offers a mixture of retro Virtual Console treats and some DSiWare titles, detailed below. Bird & Beans — 100 Coins Metal Torrent — 150 Coins Paper Mario...
Friday8th Feb 2013
Review Metal Slug 4 (Wii Virtual Console / Neo Geo)
Fourth time a charm?
If there's one thing that can be said with any degree of certainty, it's that SNK's Metal Slug series always remained fairly consistent over the course of their releases. The gameplay remained pretty much the same, with little more than a few tweaks here and there for good measure. Metal Slug 4 was developed by Korean firm Mega...
Thursday7th Feb 2013
Nintendo Download 7th February 2013 (North America)
Ken is raging, the Blue Bomber returns, concentration testing and more
Nintendo has confirmed what download delights are coming to North America this week, and it's certainly a diverse range. We have a download-only retail game on Wii U — if you can tolerate the term — some retro goodness and a long-awaited demo joining a major retail release on...
Monday4th Feb 2013
Feature Wii U Blockbusters - What to Play While You Wait
If in doubt, go retro
The start of a new Nintendo generation is always cause for excitement for many, with the promise of new entries in the company’s greatest franchises often enough to convince many to buy the system on day one. But with Wii U, Nintendo kept very quiet about its big franchises, and when the system arrived we had little idea of...
Nintendo Download 7th February 2013 (Europe)
North Star action, fire fighting, Sonic transforming, something a bit Mega and more
Update: Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage 2 on the Wii U eShop has now been officially added to this week's set of downloadable delights. It's a dreary Monday morning, but we at least have some Nintendo Download news to keep Europeans happy. There's a range of...
Thursday31st Jan 2013
Nintendo Download 31st January 2013 (North America)
An awakening, a puddle, underwater exploration and more
While this week's Nintendo download update for Europe is rather modest, albeit with a long-awaited Wii U release, you lucky North Americans have a broad range of content across every platform. There are demos, retail downloads and some interesting new and retro options, so let's get right to...
Tuesday29th Jan 2013
News You Can't Use Your Wii Virtual Console Saves With the Wii U Virtual Console
Quelle surprise!
Last week, Nintendo confirmed that the Wii U would be getting its very own Virtual Console service, allowing owners to play retro classics from yesteryear. If you're a longstanding Wii owner who likes to play NES, SNES and Mega Drive games, you may be wondering to yourself if all those hours of effort you put into The Legend of...
Thursday24th Jan 2013
Talking Point The Wii U Virtual Console Trial Campaign's Advertising Role
Simple but effective
Among the many announcements in yesterday's Wii U Direct, only one had an immediate impact on console owners, with the Wii U Virtual Console Trial Campaign launching right after the broadcast. Balloon Fight is now available to download with some Wii U-exclusive features — which we'll get to later — and the release schedule...
News Balloon Fight On Wii U Reportedly Running At 50Hz in Europe
Oh, Nintendo
So, Balloon Fight is available in exchange for some loose change right now on the Wii U eShop. That's good. The download in Europe is apparently continuing the trend seen on Wii and is running at 50 Hz. That's most definitely bad. For those of you outside of Europe and unaware, back in the old days — prior to the GameCube era —...
Wednesday23rd Jan 2013
News Nintendo Reveals Plans For Wii U Virtual Console
Games being coded from the ground up, will be playable on GamePad
The rumours were true - today, Nintendo confirmed its plans for the Wii U Virtual Console during the Wii U Direct presentation. Following a spring system update, the Virtual Console service will launch on the Wii U. NES and SNES games will be
Rumour Today's Nintendo Direct To Focus On Wii U Virtual Console
GameCube games also coming?
One of the biggest questions regarding Nintendo's online strategy for the Wii U revolves around Virtual Console releases, and how they're going to be made available on the new platform. Today's Nintendo Direct - which is focused on Wii U software and developments - could well be related to a Virtual Console announcement...
Wednesday9th Jan 2013
Nintendo Download 10th January 2013 (Europe)
A fractured soul, kung fu, blasting ninja masters and a Zombi demo
It's that time again, Europe, with Nintendo confirming details for this week's download update on its online platforms. 3DS, DSi and Wii are all catered for with a mixture of long awaited releases and some unexpected arrivals, while all is quiet — apart from a demo — on the Wii U...
Tuesday8th Jan 2013
News Virtual Console Games Will Eventually Be Playable On Wii U GamePad Alone
Nintendo still working towards getting the Virtual Console set up on Wii U
The Wii U eShop has been hailed by a number of small developers as an exciting new platform on which to publish games; however, since the system's launch the eShop hasn’t seen a significant growth due to few new titles emerging. Many people have also been wondering what is...
Review Shock Troopers 2nd Squad (Wii Virtual Console / Neo Geo)
Trigger happy
Much like the original Shock Troopers game, 2nd Squad is very much inspired by the early days of arcade gaming, when overhead run-and-gun titles like Capcom's Commando were in vogue. While the game has a very Metal Slug feel to it, the multi-directional scrolling and 360 degree movement and firing make for quite an intense and engaging...
Monday7th Jan 2013
Review World Heroes 2 (Wii Virtual Console / Neo Geo)
Global gathering
ADK’s World Heroes series is one of the Neo Geo’s lesser-known fighting dynasties, and is usually pushed to one side when people get all nostalgic about the likes of King of Fighters, Art of Fighting, Samurai Shodown and Fatal Fury. This is probably because the franchise never really took itself all that seriously; the cast was...
Thursday3rd Jan 2013
News SNES Classic SimCity Removed From Wii Virtual Console
Nintendo bowing to pressure from EA?
According to a post on NeoGAF, the Super Nintendo version of SimCity is no longer available on the North American Virtual Console. No official line has been given for the removal, but we would imagine it has something to do with EA owning the SimCity license now. This isn't the first time that software has been...
Thursday27th Dec 2012
Nintendo Download 27th December 2012 (North America)
Fluidity, tough old-school challenges, wizards and the impossible
It's here, the post-festive Nintendo Download bonanza. Whether it's an actual bonanza is up to you, but there's a broad variety of new and old titles, with everything but the Wii U getting new content. That's right, North America, no shiny high-def pinball in the update today, but...
Thursday20th Dec 2012
News EarthBound Creator Confirms Something Is In The Pipeline
Looks set to be a re-release
The EarthBound series, known as Mother in Japan, has only ever had one game released in North America way back in 1995 when EarthBound (Mother 2) emerged on the Super Nintendo. The game has a large cult following in North America and is incredibly popular in Japan. Creator of the series, Shigesato Itoi, has confirmed...
Monday17th Dec 2012
Review Real Bout Fatal Fury (Wii Virtual Console / Neo Geo)
In the beginning...
After several releases in the Fatal Fury franchise, SNK decided to create a sub-series with the release of Real Bout Fatal Fury. The game didn't deviate too far from the experience that fans had come to expect, but there was a certain intensity and flair that needed to be explored and perhaps that was the reasoning behind the...
Thursday13th Dec 2012
Nintendo Download 13th December 2012 (North America)
Crimson RPG questing, ninja action, world music and more
It's time for another Nintendo Download update, and this one brings with it quite a few titles on all platforms. There are some retail goodies, the conclusion of the Guild01 trilogy, a long awaited 3DS Virtual Console release and more. Let's get on with it, shall we? 3DS download software:...
