VC Tuesday: Be thankful VC downloads don't include boxart

You know how boxart is always better in Japan than in the US? You're looking at the counterexample. The Japanese Sonic 3 cover is arguably the worst thing to happen to the series right up until the creation of Shadow. Apparently Sega was doing their best to kill their flagship series in Japan, by throwing some Cross Colours-tinted doodles and tiled "THE MOST FAMOUS HEDGEHOG IN THE WORLD" signs on a white background and throwing it out like it's acceptable. The US box, in comparison, is spectacularly beautiful.

Pretty good game, though. Other games on the list include a forgotten launch-era NES sports game and Ordyne, the adorable Namco horizontal shooter that we totally already have! This week's Japanese Virtual Console releases are:

• Volleyball (Famicom, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points)

• Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (Mega Drive, 1 player, 600 Wii Points)

• Ordyne (PC Engine, 1-2 players, 600 Wii Points)