New on Virtual Console: Super Mario Bros 3, Alien Soldier and Power Golf

It looks like Charles "Mario" Martinet was right on the money: today's Virtual Console selection on the Wii does in fact bring us the legendary Super Mario Bros. 3, along with two other games that suffer from not being Super Mario Bros. 3:

• Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES, 1-2 players, 500 Wii points): Even though every classic Mario release makes the chance of seeing Super Mario All-Stars even more slim, we're still glad to see this classic example of superb platforming make its Virtual Console debut. Given the comparisons reviewers are drawing between this and Super Mario Galaxy, Nintendo's timing is self-explanatory. Still, those who like their platformers portable might want to instead invest in Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 for the Game Boy Advance, which features the upgraded graphics seen in the All-Stars version of the game.
  

• Alien Soldier (Sega Genesis, 1 player, 900 Wii points): This Treasure-developed side-scrolling action game is overpriced for a Genesis title, but that probably has to do with its status as an "import" title, having never made it to the States. With 25 levels and 31 bosses, the game definitely emphasizes difficult boss battles over the horizontal foreplay of getting there (which is markedly easier by comparison).

• Power Golf (TurboGrafx16, 1-3 players, 600 Wii points): Well, it's a golf game, with players teeing off on 18 different holes over three difficulty levels, choosing their clubs carefully to overcome factors like wind strength and the curve of the slope. Actually, it sounds an awful lot like Wii Sports golfing, except that it lacks the fun of swinging the Wii remote, and caps off at 3 players. Still, if that's your thing...