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Best of 2008: 10 games you should have downloaded
Even without consulting the weekly popularity charts found on the Nintendo Channel, it's pretty simple to know whether a Virtual Console game was successful in 2008. Success on the VC was reserved for Nintendo franchises and the very biggest names in third-party releases, like Sonic, Mega Man, and Pac-Man. One delightful exception to the super-famous franchise rule: Super Dodge Ball has been in the Top 20 since release. People are clearly buying what they already love rather than exploring.WiiWare, as well, is dominated by the same titles since release: World of Goo, Tetris Party, and (yes,) My Aquarium have been at the top of the charts since release. Other games that have had long stretches of success include, uh, Target Toss Pro: Bags, Pong Toss, Sudoku Challenge, and -- oh, good -- Mega Man 9. Some less popular games take a trip up and then back down the chart upon release. But some didn't even really do that, despite being totally worthwhile. Join us as we browse through five Virtual Console games and five WiiWare games that you guys passed over for more Mario games and The Incredible Maze. To simplify things, we considered North American sales and releases only. If you're from outside North America, go ahead and assume people missed good games in your region too. NEXT >> #ninbutton { border-style: solid; border-color: #000; border-width: 2px; background-color: #BBB; color: #000; text-decoration: none; width: 100px; text-align: center; padding: 2px 2px 2px 2px; margin: 2px 2px 2px 2px; } .buttontext { color: #000; text-decoration: none; font: bold 14pt Helvetica; } #ninbutton:hover { text-decoration: none; color: #BBB; background-color: #000; }
VC Monday Madness: Break In and Star Parodier
With the Wii bursting at the seams with content this week, we've got two new Virtual Console games, imports, to check out. Up on the block is Break In and Star Parodier, both for the Turbografx16 (Star Parodier is a CD-ROM title, though). Hit up the video above to check out some footage and commentary, then head past the break for a little more.
Virtual Console breaks in Star Soldier spoof
Break it to Make it! Did you hear? This week's Virtual Console update includes a video game adaptation of 80s dance flick, Breakin'. Finally we can live out our closet fantasies of break dancing in the shoes of Kelly, Ozone and -- personal fave -- Turbo. Oh, wait, that's not what the game is about? Monday mornings are so cruel. Break In (TurboGrafx16, 1-4 players, 700 Wii Points): No, there's no fancy footwork here. Instead, Nintendo offers up this decidedly break dance-free game of pool. So, yeah, it's pool. Star Parodier (TurboGrafx16 CD-ROM, 1 player, 900 Wii Points): Well, at least this is something to get excited over. A parody of Hudson shooter Star Soldier, here you'll be able to fly about and shoot down colorful bad guys as Star Soldier's Paro Ceaser, iconic pyro Bomberman, or a giant flying PC Engine that shoots cards and discs at enemies. That almost makes up for this morning's dissapointment.
Hudson bravely dates two VC games
Last week, Hudson put a date of August 4 on their Virtual Console site's Ys Book I & II entry. And ... we know how that worked out. It's back in the "to be released" area, dated for sometime this month. Despite the troubles, they've gone ahead and put dates on two more Virtual Console games.If Nintendo feels like going along with it, we can maybe expect Star Parodier and Break In this Monday. Break In may be a pool game, but we've been looking forward to the previously import-only, goofy Star Soldier cute-em-up for a while. Hudson used to be accurate with their release dates, so it's not ... impossible that these games will actually show up Monday.
VC Friday: More Hanabi Festival shooting goodness
This current Hanabi Festival is proving a treat for shmup fans. Of the ten games released so far under the Hanabi banner, half have been shooters, including the two released today, Japan-only pair Star Parodier (in which you can use Bomberman or a giant PC Engine as a ship!) and Gley Lancer. They're joined this VC Friday by Digital Champ Battle Boxing. Oh, and fun fact: the name Gley Lancer was (allegedly) supposed to be "Grey Lancer," but ended up as Gley Lancer due to a pronunciation error (the Japanese language can't tell the difference between the English "r" and "l" sounds). Either that, or we've just been duped into believing a rather racist joke. Gley Lancer -- Mega Drive -- 900 Wii Points Star Parodier -- TurboGrafx-16 -- 900 Wii Points Digital Champ Battle Boxing -- TurboGrafx-16 -- 700 Wii Points As usual, footage of all games follows the break!
VC Tuesday: Bullet Heaven
The Virtual Console is home to a lot of scrolling shooters. It seems like every week, at least one of the releases in every region is a shmup. This week, three of the four games coming out in Japan are shooters. But after years of seeing the once-prominent genre fall into obscurity, we really don't mind having a download service full of the things. For that matter, the same goes for side-scrolling brawlers, one of which is the other Japanese release this week. The VC is a great system for that genre, Renegade notwithstanding. Axelay (Super Famicom, 1 player, 800 Wii Points) Super Fantasy Zone (Mega Drive, 1 player, 600 Wii Points) Star Parodier (PC Engine, 1 player, 800 Wii Points) Burning Fight (Neo Geo, 1-2 players, 900 Wii Points)
May's VC games for Japan: May include MSX games
Nintendo has released the planned May lineup of Virtual Console games for Japan, and while it doesn't include any megatons (like last month most certainly did), there are at least a lot of games on the list. The first two MSX games, Eggy and Aleste, are supposed to make their fashionably late appearance, but we find it a lot easier to believe that they'll be bumped for some Wonder Boy ports.Other interesting games, which may actually be released, include: Front Mission Series: Gun Hazard, a shooter similar to Cybernator (in fact director Toshiro Tsuchida worked on both games) and based on the Front Mission series of strategy games; Star Parodier, the "silly" Star Soldier game; and Martial Champion, a CD-based Street Fighter clone from Konami. Hit the break for the full list!
Australia wins at Virtual Console
Four more import games have now been rated by the OFLC, implying a Virtual Console release in that region and probably others. Those four games, all for the Turbografx-16, are: Gradius II GOFER no Yabou, Digital Champion Battle Boxing (which is just coming to Japan this month), Star Parodier, and ... Cho Aniki. This first game in the outrageous series starred the relatively normal Idaten and Benten (seen here), with future stars Adon and Samson as beefy support characters.Under most conditions, we'd be freaking out about Star Parodier, which is a Parodius-like "funny" version of the Star Soldier games. But Cho Aniki! Outside of Japan! It's like a beautiful dream. We're buying Wii Points right now.[Via Aussie-Nintendo]
