virtualconsole
Latest
VC Friday: Wolves in dreamland
We can't ever get enough of Kirby around here. He's just so cute and puffy. So obviously, when we think Kirby, we think golf. Because, uh ... balls are round. Yep. And what goes well with golf? Commandos. Right. We don't get this week's pair of releases either, but hey ... maybe opposites really do attract. Bloody Wolf -- TurboGrafx -- 600 Wii points Kirby's Dream Course -- SNES -- 800 Wii points
Hori's Fighting Stick Wii joystick to head stateside
Sure hope you didn't spend too much in a bidding war over that homegrown Wii joystick back in December, as it looks like accessory maker extraordinaire Hori is planning to unveil something mighty similar real soon. According to Play-Asia, the firm's Fighting Stick Wii controller will be hitting the Japanese market in August, giving virtual console gamers a swank alternative to the Wii Classic Controller. Additionally, IGN has supposedly confirmed that an American release "is planned," and while a US pricetag has yet to emerge, those overseas can get their order in now for $52.90.[Via IGN]
VC Tuesday: Hey, an RPG!
This week's Japanese Virtual Console update brings something very rare to the Wii: a role-playing game. And by Capcom's Breath of Fire II is a pretty good one. Also available are a fossilized Konami classic, the sequel to one of the weirdest game concepts ever to become a mainstream hit, and a bizarre first-person space adventure of some kind-- we can't tell if Silent Debuggers is an action game or a graphical text adventure. Anyone out there play the US release on the Turbografx-16? Pooyan (Famicom, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points) Breath of Fire 2 (Super Famicom, 1 player, 800 Wii Points) Ecco the Dolphin 2 (Mega Drive, 1 player, 600 Wii Points) Silent Debuggers (PC Engine, 1 player, 600 Wii Points) Also listed as a June release, but with no specified date, is Paper Mario. Since there are no more Tuesdays in June, this one looks like it's getting delayed.
VC Monday Madness video wrap-up 6/25/07
Can you hear that? It's the sound of precious dollars dying, as they're exchanged for so many digital goods that come from the Virtual Console. This week brings a new N64 game, as well as a new SNES and TG16 game. Hit up the video above and see the action, or check the text and images past the break, Or, do both! So many choices ...
VC Monday Madness: F Zero X and Street Fighter
Fans of the Virtual Console are finally getting F Zero X, a game we know many of you have voiced your want of throughout many posts here on Wii Fanboy. Of course, it will cost you, but for such a fan favorite, we're sure you're eager to pay. The other games available are: F-Zero X (N64, 1-4 players, 1000 Wii Points) Street Fighter II Turbo Edition: Hyper Fighting (SNES, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points) China Warrior (TurboGrafx-16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points) Be sure to stop back here later for our VC Monday Madness video wrap-up.
Super Turrican 1 and 2 VC bound
Upon checking out the ESRB site, one might find the entries for Super Turrican and Super Turrican 2 under the Wii section to be a bit alarming. And you should be, as the game was added to the site only recently. Obviously, this causes us to believe the game will be headed to the Wii's Virtual Console service, leaving us clueless as to when it will arrive.Do we have any Super Turrican fans in the house?[Via Go Nintendo]
VC Friday: Mega warrior?
MESSAGE FROM DR. LIGHT.MEGA MAN DOWNLOAD COMPLETED! GET YOUR WEAPONS READY!Need we say more? Today on the European VC: Mega Man -- NES -- 500 Wii points China Warrior -- TurboGrafx -- 600 Wii points
VC Monday Madness video wrap-up 6/18/07
It's been another week where Nintendo honors their promise and gives us more Virtual Console games to play. Even though we may not find the offerings to be that great, we know some of you are inclined to disagree. Well, there's no better place to do it than here in this post! So, head past the break for some more info and let the comments fly!
VC Monday Madness: A day that celebrates sports
This is probably one of the worst weeks for the Virtual Console we've seen yet. Unless you're a sports junkie, there won't be much here for your to enjoy (except the usual TG16 shoot-em-up, which has become the norm and might not actually be something you can enjoy). Sad, we know, but such is the world. It is a cruel and harsh place, which rarely forgives and often takes from you when you least expect it. NES Open Tournament Golf (NES, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points) World Sports Competition (TurboGrafx-16, 1-5 players, 600 Wii Points) Bloody Wolf (TurboGrafx-16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points) Be sure to stop back later for our video coverage of these games in action. You never know, our video might just help you with your fence-sitting.
Virtual Console Monday celebrates gentlemanly sport
In belated celebration of Father's Day, today's Virtual Console releases uphold the spirit of proper and dignified competition amongst gentlemen of all ages. At 9AM PST, don your finest collared shirt to partake in a classy game of golf, flex your muscles in preparation for a grueling bout at the Olympics and then laugh maniacally as you mow down enemy soldiers in man's oldest sport, senseless killing. Hey, we didn't pick 'em. NES Open Tournament Golf (NES, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points): Enjoy a long and relaxing walk with Mario, stopping occasionally to batter an innocent white ball with a large club. Tournament and Match Modes sound enjoyable enough, though you'll probably want to put on a hat for Stroke Mode. World Sports Competition (TurboGrafx-16, 1-5 players, 600 Wii Points): Comprised of 18 events, the Olympics competition sees the world's most skilled photographers competing to capture the first image of a legendary creature, the Olym! Bloody Wolf (TurboGrafx-16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points): In this top-down shooter, it's up to you to rescue the president and otherwise blow up the sort of people who make jokes like the one in the paragraph above.
Wii Warm Up: Too many shooters?
The Virtual Console has made shooting games widely available for the first time in years. We like shooters, despite being categorically awful at them, so we're happy about this. But has the genre been disproportionately represented on the VC? There are so many, versus very few fighting games, and no role-playing games. Are you guys buying shooters? Are you happy with the selection? Are you all zap zap zap and pew pew pew at the bad spaceships?
F-Zero X is Euro Virtual Console's 100th game
The N64's ludicrously kinetic racer, F-Zero X (or F0X, if you want to be trite) today marks the 100th release on Nintendo's European Virtual Console service. Pro-G reports that the game arrives on the PAL Wii at a cost of 1000 Wii Points and is joined by side-scrolling TurboGrafx platformer, J.J. & Jeff, for 600 Wii Points.America's Virtual Console received its 100th title last week in the form of Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, highlighting Nintendo's steady release of retro titles since the Wii launched in November 2006. The quantity of titles is certainly not an issue, but the lack of enhancements and the occasional, questionable release makes passing judgment on quality and pricing more difficult, especially when we so easily get ourselves wrapped in the warm blanket of nostalgia. We expect things to get interesting once the Wii Shop joins Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network in providing original games.
Wii Warm Up: Your choices for the VC
All this week, we've been talking about what we want to see on the Virtual Console, and we're not done yet. But it seemed like a good time to stop and ask your opinion. What games do you think deserve a VC release, and why? Go ahead and throw out a few titles. Don't be shy. We (probably) won't make fun of you; after all, we've been baring our favorites, for good and for ill. So join us and let us know what you're willing to drop five or ten bucks on.
Wii Warm Up: Best of the best
This should be a pretty easy one -- of everything released so far on the Virtual Console, what's been your favorite? What have you not minded spending money on? We've been talking about the VC all week, so of course this question just begs to be answered ... and we expect a hot debate. So let's get it on!We fully expect to hear a lot about various Zelda titles and maybe a few Castlevanias (we better hear some Castlevania) and perhaps an F-Zero or two, but surely someone will make JC proud and name Ninja Spirit or something.
Wii Warm Up: Not everything old is new again ....
Every now and then, a game comes out for the Virtual Console that you remember loving back when it was new. At the time, you were convinced it was the best game ever. As soon as it was released for the VC, you raced to the Wii, credit card clutched in one sweaty, excited hand. But as soon as you got past the title screen, something happened. It was no longer as awesome as you remembered. In fact, the game sucked.Has this happened to you?
Rumor: New Bonk game headed to the Wii
A listing from the computer system at Hollywood Video hints at the possibility of a new Bonk game coming to the Wii at a budget price of $14.99. The release is most likely a port of a previous Bonk game (or a collection of them). However, the Virtual Console has already enjoyed two Bonk releases (with a third, Bonk 3: Bonk's Big Adventure, confirmed for the future), so maybe Hudson saw the demand for the big-headed caveman and whipped up something special for Wii owners? Then again, it could be a belated Y2K computer prank, in which case we'll be in the cellar eating canned food for the rest of the week. Just in case.[Via Nintendo Wii Fanboy]
A problem we will soon share
8Bit Joystick has a very real problem on their hands, one we suspect will be affecting us in a week or two. See, their Wii is full from all the VIrtual Console games they purchased. Since we like to cover Virtual Console games as well, we can understand where they're coming from. The solution, as you may already know, involves a lot of copying to the SD card slot and deleting the games from the Wii's included 512mb of space, freeing up those Channel slots.Have any of you filled up, or come close to filling up, your Wii with Virtual Console games?
VC Monday Madness video wrap-up 6/11/07
It feels good to come back from our break, revitalized and energized, to bring you the coverage you desire. We picture a giant smile on your collective faces, glad that we took the time to make this video and provide you with the coverage we do. Of course, the reality probably is that you could care less and are laughing at how ridiculous I sound. Not to mention how bad I am at Lode Runner.
Virtually Overlooked Week: Dave's picks
Virtually Overlooked has taken over Wii Fanboy! All this week, members of the staff will be outlining their personal picks for future Virtual Console releases.I was always a Nintendo fanboy growing up. I had all the Nintendo consoles (I even owned a Virtual Boy once) and only arrived on the Sega scene as it neared its conclusion. But when I did, I arrived in style, as my dad gifted us kids with a Sega Genesis, Sega CD and 32X add-ons, one Christmas during my teen years. There were a lot of great Sega games I was able to play thanks to that, including Star Wars Arcade on the 32X (let the laughing commence!). But, I still managed to primarily play on Nintendo consoles. It wasn't soon after that the N64 emerged on the scene and I found myself actually playing wrestling games. You remember those games, developed by AKI and Yuke's? WCW vs. NWO World Tour was probably the game I played most on the N64 (aside from Goldeneye, of course), but I couldn't bring myself to include it into my list. What did I include in my list?Well, let's find out!
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.
