Gradius III, Battle Lode Runner, Wonder Boy fight it out on the Virtual Console

Today's Virtual Console releases bestow upon our Wii systems a little Lode Runner action, more sci-fi space shooting, and a colorful side-scrolling action RPG. And because video games are indistinguishable from real life, soon you'll be overwhelmed with powerful urges to steal gold, pilot a spacecraft, and go on a quest to rescue a princess and fight a gigantic mushroom named Myeonid.

The following games will hit the Wii Virtual Console at 9 a.m. PST, which is noon EST and 4 a.m. on the South Pole.

• Gradius III (SNES, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)

• Wonder Boy in Monster World (Genesis, 1 player, 800 Wii Points)

• Battle Lode Runner (TurboGrafx 16, 1-5 players, 600 Wii Points)