Virtual Console adds Sonic 2, Golden Axe 2 and Lode Runner 1

This Virtual Console Monday highlights not only gaming's underlying obsession with golden objects, but our disgusting habit of putting painful puns in paragraphs where they don't belong. Indeed, golden weapons, golden rings and golden nuggets have combined to provide one Au-some selection of retro titles:

• Lode Runner (NES, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points): The Runner being some sort of crazed kleptomaniac with a shovel, as best we can tell. Grab the gold, avoid the robots and scream in agony as you plummet into your own hole. Again.

• Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Genesis, 1-2 players, 800 Wii points): A true platforming classic, Sonic 2 takes the 'hog to space and back. Note: Playing this game may cause the Chemical Plant Zone theme to become permanently lodged in your brain.

• Golden Axe II (Genesis, 1-2 players, 800 Wii points): With names like Ax-Battler, Tyris-Flare and Gilius Thunderhead, is there any question as to why your band of heroes would need to defeat someone called Dark Guld? We think not.