VCTuesday
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VC Tuesday: Shooting cars and Shootanto
It's an extremely low-key week on the Japanese Virtual Console, with only two obscure-ish 8-bit titles available for download. Ninja-kun, the precursor to Ninja Jajamaru-kun, is kind of unique, in that it's a vertically-oriented action platformer. But a vertically-oriented action platformer without the complex level designs of something like Kid Icarus or Metroid just means a lot of jumping straight up. We think it's super-cute, though, and we'd enjoy the opportunity to buy it. S.C.I.(Special Criminal Investigation) is the sequel to Chase H.Q. What's so special about the criminal investigation this time? You can shoot at your fleeing suspects. Ninja-kun: Majou no Bouken (Famicom, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points) S.C.I. (PC Engine, 1 player, 600 Wii Points) We can't help but be envious of Japanese Wii owners who are now able to download the single WiiWare title this week: Shootanto looks hilariously ill-conceived and poorly made, and is probably great fun to play and laugh at. Shootanto (1-2 players, 600 Wii Points)
VC Tuesday: Space Invaders Get Overturned
Nintendo of Japan has started off December the right way: with a bunch of video games. Between Virtual Console and WiiWare, an astounding six new (or new to Wii) games are available in Japan today. Of course, one of those games is Atlantis no Nazo, which was so bad, it was almost released as a sequel to Super Pitfall. The other, Space Invaders: Fukkatsu no Hi (Day of Resurrection) contains the original Invaders along with a "Plus" mode that adds new graphics and powerups. It's also 200 points cheaper than the other version of original Space Invaders. Atlantis no Nazo (Famicom, 1 player, 500 Wii Points) Space Invaders: Fukkatsu no Hi (PC Engine, 1 player, 600 Wii Points) The WiiWare game you're most likely to care about is Overturn, the Balance Board-compatible, online robot fighting game. We like Yomikikase Asobi Wii, the interactive Momotarou storybook, but it's got pretty tough competition from online robot fighting. Overturn (1-2 players, 800 Wii Points) Pit Crew Panic! (1-4 players, 500 Wii Points) Hamaru Billiards (1-2 players, 500 Wii Points) Yomikikase Asobi Wii (1-4 players, 1,000 Wii Points) %Gallery-35205%
Life Force, Nobunaga, more on Japanese VC in December
The Virtual Console offerings for Japan in December are fairly lean once again. It's fairly depressing to see Nintendo of Japan adopting Nintendo of America's stance toward the Virtual Console (that stance being "there probably don't need to be many games on it.") At least the ones coming out are reasonably interesting! Well, except for another Wonder Boy. We're definitely excited about Konami's Salamander on the Famicom, because it means we may see the American version, Life Force, soon! One of the other Famicom releases, Atlantis no Nazo, is featured in the latest Famicom Dojo video.Other interesting additions include Nobunaga's Ambition on the Super Famicom (what a coincidence!) and a Taito platformer called Jigoku Meguri whose title translates to Tour of Hell. The full list is after the break!
VC Tuesday: Pop-up Ping-pong
The Virtual Console releases are pretty slim this week in Japan, but still just unlikely enough to show up outside of Japan to make them super interesting. First, Smash Ping Pong, a Nintendo-published Famicom Disk System version of the arcade Konami's Ping Pong. There's something hilarious about playing retro sports games, with their archaic button controls, on the Wii. Maybe it's just us.The other game is one of the many entries in Falcom's Dragon Slayer series, Legend of Xanadu. It's a "ram into enemies" action-RPG like Ys -- and a side-scrolling RPG like Ys III. Smash Ping Pong (Famicom Disk System, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points) Kaze no Densetsu Xanadu (PC Engine CD-ROM, 1 player, 800 Wii Points) WiiWare in Japan, like in the US, has a sudoku game, though it is a different one. @Simple Series Vol. 2 THE Number Place Neo is part of the super-budget WiiWare version of D3's famous Simple series. Milestone, developers of shooters like Karous and Chaos Field, contribute a poker-based falling-block puzzle game. But the most exciting release is no doubt Kurohige Kiki Ippatsu Wii, Takara Tomy's adaptation of the Pop-up Pirate toy that Chris raved about. @Simple Series Vol. 2 THE Number Place Neo (1 player, 500 Wii Points) Kurohige Kiki Ippatsu Wii (1-4 players, 500 Wii Points) Pokers Wii (1-2 players, 500 Wii Points) %Gallery-37658%
VC Tuesday: Pre-blast processing
The Japanese Virtual Console releases this week are all relatively obscure. The most recognizable name in the lineup is Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and even that is the Master System version. These Master System Sonic games, by the way, aren't just ports of the Genesis games. They're basically original Sonic games from back when it was possible for those to be good!The other games are a very early (the arcade version predates Super Mario Bros.) sidescrolling platformer-RPG and an upgraded Qix game. Dragon Buster (Famicom, 1 player, 500 Wii Points) Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Master System, 1 player, 500 Wii Points) Volfied (PC Engine, 1 player, 600 Wii Points) Just one WiiWare release, and it's Hudson's online pool game. Hopefully it isn't terrible, because Wi-Fi pool with four players sounds like an awesome deal for five bucks. Cue Sports Wi-Fi Taisen Billiards (1-4 players, 500 Wii Points)
VC Tuesday: Whack an Ogre
The biggest news for Japan's downloadable Wii games this week is the debut of an excellent Square Enix series on the Virtual Console. While it's awesome that the VC will be graced with the first Ogre Battle game from genius creator and Queen fanboy Yasumi Matsuno, it's basically confirmation that Square Enix doesn't care about the series -- like ActRaiser and King's Knight. And Mana. This is no surprise, really, since Matsuno all but disappeared during the development of Final Fantasy XII and isn't at Square Enix to work on more Ogre Battle. The other VC game, Cadash, is a pretty good side-scrolling action RPG type thing from Taito. It's a fantasy game that's got a ninja in it! Densetsu no Ogre Battle (Super Famicom, 1 player, 800 Wii Points) Cadash (PC Engine, 1-2 players, 600 Wii Points) On WiiWare: a Boom Blox-esque puzzler, and the cutest Whack-a-Mole game ever. Bakutan (1 player, 500 Wii Points) Tataite! Mogupon (1-4 players, 500 Wii Points)
VC Tuesday: Capcom rocks
Capcom traditionally lends lots of support to every system, no matter how well or poorly they are doing. Games like Marvel vs. Capcom, Mars Matrix, and Power Stone helped make the Dreamcast worth owning, for example. So it's no surprise that the Wii, which is actually very popular and enables companies to easily lend support in the form of direct ports of old games, is the recipient of some of Capcom's favor. It's an especially good week in Japan for Capcom fans, with both Rockman 3 and Mercs, the sequel to the classic Commando.We're very curious about this CD version of Nekketsu Koukou Dodgeball-bu. It looks pretty much like a PC Engine version of Nintendo World Cup, but ... maybe it's got good music? Rockman 3 (Famicom, 1 player, 500 Wii Points) Senjou no Okami II (Mega Drive, 1-2 players, 600 Wii Points) Nekketsu Koukou Dodgeball-bu CD Soccer Hen (PC Engine CD-ROM, 1-4 players, 800 Wii Points) This week's WiiWare releases include a board game sort of like Pente and a WiiWare version of a Japan-developed entry in Gameloft's mobile Nights simulation series: Tokyo City Nights (1 player, 1,000 Wii Points) Saikyou Ginsei Gomoku Narabe (1-2 players, 500 Wii Points)
VC Tuesday: Simon says 'Buy my game for 500 Wii Points'
It's a week of twos on the Virtual Console in Japan. SNK Playmore's Metal Slug 2, which Metal Slug fans generally like, and Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, which is fairly polarizing. Some Castlevanians enjoy its RPG elements and day-to-night cycle, while some hate its plodding gameplay and completely inscrutable puzzles. Everyone's right! We suspect that the release of Simon's Quest is timed to coincide with the latest DS Castlevania game, Order of Ecclesia, which came out last week. Or it's timed to coincide roughly with the one-year anniversary of the North American release of Simon's Quest!Sadly missing from this week's releases is the SuperGrafx Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts, which has failed to make its announced October release. Unless Nintendo surprises everyone on Halloween!Virtual Console releases: Dracula II: Noroi no Fuuin (Famicom, 1 player, 500 Wii Points) Metal Slug 2 (Neo Geo, 1-2 players, 900 Wii Points) Just one WiiWare game, but it's ... well, okay, it's a cheapo Breakout clone. @Simple Series Vol. 1: THE Block Kuzushi Neo (1-2 players, 500 Wii Points)
VC Tuesday: The Race to Endure Donkey Kong Country 3
Nintendo of Japan has slowed down the rush of Virtual Console and WiiWare releases this week, but the releases are still quite high-quality. Even the least interesting game is probably considered pretty good: Donkey Kong Country 3: Okay Guys I Think We Can Stop Releasing Donkey Kong Country Games Now, People Get The Idea. We're more excited, personally, about Enduro Racer, an isometric racing game in which you race your motorcycle against dune buggies across ancient ruins.Just one WiiWare game is out this week, but it's probably worthy of attention: Okiraku Air Hockey is like Arc System Works' Family Table Tennis, but for air hockey. Which means it's a fun and cheap Wii version of air hockey, which happens to be one of the world's most wonderful things.Virtual Console releases: Super Donkey Kong 3 (Super Famicom, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points) Enduro Racer (Master System, 1 player, 500 Wii Points) WiiWare releases Okiraku Air Hockey (1-4 players, 500 Wii Points)
VC Tuesday: Party time! Excellent!
How can the Wii have been in stores for two years without a Tetris game? At least Hudson is compensating for the lack of the staple video game with one that is both awesome-looking and cheap. It's being joined on WiiWare by a cheapo darts game and Brain Challenge -- which was actually pretty good on the DS. On the Virtual Console, a super old sidescroller from Sunsoft that looks like a slowed-down, more awkward Legend of Kage, and a totally cute Taito classic!Virtual Console releases: Kanshakudama Nage Kantarou no Toukaidou Gojuusan Tsugi (Famicom, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points) The New Zealand Story (PC Engine, 1 player, 600 Wii Points) WiiWare releases: Darts Wii (1-4 players, 500 Wii Points) Brain Challenge (1-4 players, 1,000 Wii Points) Tetris Party (1-6 players, 1,200 Wii Points) %Gallery-18122%
VC Tuesday: Kunio and Koinu
Okay, so there are more WiiWare games in Japan this week than Virtual Console games, but the WiiWare games are boring. How boring? The most interesting games on the list are both puzzle games, and one of those is only noteworthy because it's super cute awwwww puppies.But the Virtual Console games are better. Sure, one of them is a shooter, an imperfect port of an arcade game, but the other is a Kunio game and a one-time NES pack-in! Virtual Console releases: Nekketsu Koukou Dodgeball Bu: Soccer Hen (Famicom, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points) Super Darius (PC Engine, 1 player, 800 Wii Points) WiiWare releases: Minna de Asobou: Koinu de Kururin (1-4 players, 500 Wii Points) Saikyou Ginsei Mahjong (1 player, 500 Wii Points) Kappa-kun to Asobou: Kappa-kun no O-tanoshimikai (1 player, 600 Wii Points) Katachi no Game Maruboushi Kaku (1-3 players, 800 Wii Points)
VC Tuesday: More like VC Wednesday
No VC or WiiWare games are being released in Japan today, probably because of the Shuubun no Hi holiday. They'll be out tomorrow instead. But since the releases have all been scheduled, we'll go ahead and lay them out now.Three games get the "Super Dodge Ball treatment" -- our unofficial term for the phenomenon of a game being completely ignored because it isn't Mega Man 9, regardless of quality. For games like the adorable Wagyan Land, a platformer about a little monster who attacks by yelling "wa," "gya," and "da," and Capcom's Forgotten Worlds, this is a shame. For the PC Engine port of The Ninjawarriors, not so much. Wagyan Land (Famicom, 1 player, 500 Wii Points) Forgotten Worlds (Mega Drive, 1-2 players, 600 Wii Points) The Ninjawarriors (PC Engine, 1 player, 600 Wii Points) As for WiiWare, well ... it's two days after the American release, but after ten years, two more days is hardly any wait for Rockman 9.
VC Tuesday: Storage space invaders
This week, Japanese gamers can spend 800 Wii Points to make their Wii pretend to be a Super Famicom pretending to be a circa-1978, 8080-based arcade board. How meta! Despite the outrageous antiquity of Space Invaders, it remains fun to play, and that infernal soundtrack climbs into the brain like those disgusting worm things from Star Trek II, but in kind of a good way. In any case, The Original Game is more of a remake than a port, with a new 2-player mode accompanying a faithful recreation.Also on the VC: Falcom's side-scrolling ARPG Sorcerian and Taito's adorable Bobble-like platformer Liquid Kids. Space Invaders: The Original Game (Super Famicom, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points) Sorcerian (Mega Drive, 1 player, 700 Wii Points) Mizubaku Adventure (PC Engine, 1 player, 600 Wii Points) On WiiWare, an educational storybook game for kids about a kind of Japanese mythological creature. That eats children. Kappa-kun to Asobou: Kappa-kun to Mori no Nakamatachi (1 player, 600 Wii Points)
VC Tuesday: Mana the Hour
Two legends are out on Japan's Virtual Console today, at least according to their titles (Densetsu translates as legend): the first is definitely legendary by game standards, is one of the best SNES games, and, now that it's out in Japan, may become the target of American and European VC dreams: Seiken Densetsu 2 (Legend of the Holy Sword 2), also known as Secret of Mana, Square's beloved three-player action-RPG. The second "legend" is, uh, a Fist of the North Star brawler, the sequel to the game we know as Black Belt, and a game which similarly had its license stripped out for American release. There's also a PC Engine shmup from Namco, but you're not paying attention to this paragraph because the one above it mentions Secret of Mana. Really, anything could go here and nobody would notice. You know what I miss? Popples. Not enough toys collapse. Seiken Densetsu 2 (Secret of Mana) (Super Famicom, 1-3 players, 800 Wii Points) Hokuto no Ken: Shin Seikimatsu Kyuuseishu Densetsu (Last Battle) (Mega Drive, 1 player, 700 Wii Points) Final Blaster (PC Engine, 1 player, 600 Wii Points)
VC Tuesday: WiiWare dominates retro gaming
This week on Japan's Virtual Console: Workjam's Tantei Jinguuji Saburo: Yokohama Minato Renzoku Satsujin Jiken (Detective Saburo Jinguuji: The Case of the Yokohama Harbor Serial Murder), the second game in what we now call the Jake Hunter series. And nothing else. Even the US got two Virtual Console games this week -- two first-party Virtual Console games, at that. Tantei Jinguuji Saburo: Yokohama Minato Renzoku Satsujin Jiken (Famicom, 1 player, 500 Wii Points) Luckily, WiiWare stepped in to make sure we don't get all smug about our downloadable games. Along with, well, Midnight Bowling and Saikyo Ginsei Reversi, Konami's Gradius Rebirth, which is either a remake of Gradius or a new game, is out. Either way, right now cores are being shot, and not by us. This is terrible. Saikyo Ginsei Reversi (1-2 players, 500 Wii Points) Hamaru Bowling (1-4 players, 1,000 Wii Points) Gradius Rebirth (1 player, 1,000 Wii Points)
VC Tuesday: The Mystery of Dr. Wily
The Mega Man love-in continues on the Japanese Virtual Console, with perhaps the most beloved entry in the extraordinarily prolific franchise -- the one that spawned "Okkusenman." The only other game on the Virtual Console today: Chase H.Q., Taito's police pursuit racer. Rockman 2 (Famicom, 1 player, 500 Wii Points) Chase H.Q. (PC Engine, 1 player, 600 Wii Points) The relatively light VC release schedule (for Japan) is ameliorated by the fact that one of the games is Mega Man 2. It's also bolstered rather significantly by the WiiWare releases, which include both Alien Crush Returns and Space Invaders Get Even!, two games that oh man we are seriously dying for. Alien Crush Returns (1 player [up to 4 online], 800 Wii Points) Space Invaders Get Even! (1 player, 500 Wii Points)
VC Tuesday: Let's try this again
So, the games that were going to come out last week? They're coming out this week. Last week? Nothing. Either Nintendo changed the date on their VC website, or we just made a mistake, but we can assure you now that the following games are, uh, supposed to come out today. These are still noteworthy releases. We find a top-down samurai action game from Nintendo fairly special, at least. The surprise release of Super Mario Bros. The Lost Levels gives us a bit of hope for a US release of this (geographical) rarity. As for the Bubble Bobble sequel, our feelings are and will remain as follows: yay! Nazo no Murasame-jou (Famicom Disc System, 1 player, 500 Wii Points) Lord Monarch (Mega Drive, 1 player, 700 Wii Points) Parasol Stars (PC Engine, 1-2 players, 600 Wii Points)
VC Tuesday: The Mysterious Nintendo Game
Today's Japanese VC lineup isn't as vast as last week's, but it's loaded with excellence nonetheless. The highlight of today's releases is doubtless Nazo no Murasame-jou, a Japan-exclusive game from Nintendo's famed EAD division, which appeared on the Famicom Disc System in 1986. It's like Zelda if Zelda had been set in Japan. And it was an action game. So maybe a better description is "like Dragon Power, but not as terrible."The other standout: Parasol Stars, the PC Engine sequel to Rainbow Islands, itself the sequel to Bubble Bobble. Instead of bubbles or rainbows, you have a taco parasol that can be used to catch droplets and fling them at enemies.Lord Monarch is a strategy game, part of Nihon Falcom's Dragon Slayer series, in which medieval kingdoms battle to destroy all of the other side's camps. It was remade on the PC as Lord Monarch Online and released for free. It even seems to be in English! Nazo no Murasame-jou (Famicom Disc System, 1 player, 500 Wii Points) Lord Monarch (Mega Drive, 1 player, 700 Wii Points) Parasol Stars (PC Engine, 1-2 players, 600 Wii Points)
VC Tuesday: Too Many Games Tuesday
We aren't sure if Nintendo of Japan operates like Nintendo of America, but if their website can actually be trusted to predict the VC and WiiWare releases for a given week, this week's crop of games is embarrassingly huge. Five Virtual Console games, only two of which are shooters (and one of which, Twinbee, is genuinely worth five hundred points, even if it is a not-so-great port of an arcade game), and three WiiWare games. Of course, one of the WiiWare games is the second Go game on the service, but it's Nintendo's version, and is thus pretty nice, with online play and instruction and such.The less familiar VC games include Gakkou de Atta Kowai Hanashi, a horror visual novel about a school; Eikan no Kimi ni, a baseball management simulation from A-Train developers Artdink; and Dragon Saber, the sequel to Dragon Spirit.Virtual Console: Twinbee (Famicom, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points) Gakkou de Atta Kowai Hanashi (Super Famicom, 1 player, 800 Wii Points) Sonic the Hedgehog (Master System, 1 player, 500 Wii Points) Eikan no Kimi Ni: Koukou Yakyuu Zenkoku Taikai (PC Engine, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points) Dragon Saber (PC Engine, 1-2 players, 600 Wii Points) WiiWare: Tsuushin Taikyoku: Igo Dojo 2700-mon (1-2 players, 1,000 Wii Points) Silver Star Chess (1-2 players, 500 Wii Points) Wild West Guns (1-2 players, 1,000 Wii Points)
VC Tuesday: Rock!
The Japanese release of Rockman (also known as Mega Man) on the Virtual Console is great for two reasons. First, obviously, is the fact that Rockman is a great game, if a bit ... super hard (even harder than most other Rockman games, and even with only six Robot Masters).Second is that it marks the passage of time nicely: one Mega Man game on the way to 9. First this, then 2, then 9!We don't know the first thing about Blood Gear, but it also looks pretty cool! Also, we can't even believe it, but EGGY came out! Rockman (Famicom, 1 player, 500 Wii Points) Street Fighter II' Plus Champion Edition (Mega Drive, 1-2 players, 600 Wii Points) Blood Gear (PC Engine, 1 player, 800 Wii Points) EGGY (MSX, 1 player, 700 Wii Points)
