This week we get the WiiWare prequel to a DS game with Pirates: The Key Of Dreams and two side-scrolling Genesis shooters, Super Fantasy Zone, and Gley Lancer.
Check out full descriptions after the break!
This week we get a trio of completely unrelated games. Get indigestion with the new WiiWare Major League Eating: The Game, bug out with Donkey Kong 3, or go commando with Ninja Commando.
My pick has to be Donkey Kong 3. I loved this arcade game and it’s a measly 500 points. What do you think of the games this week? And why do some publishers insist on putting “The Game” in their game’s title?
[Full descriptions after the jump.]
Or so says one analyst in speaking to Reuters on Thursday.
“I’ve been covering this company since 1999. I’ve never been so unaware of what their big year-end titles are at this point in the year,” Credit Suisse analyst Jay Defibaugh said.
They sure have everyone guessing these days, don’t they?
As of right now this picture is rumored to be the solution of all our Virtual Console problems. The mythical “Wii hard drive”. As of right now this picture has no real definite source or any solid backing credentials other than it just happened to appear in my E-mail by an anonymous tipster. Could this truly be the answer to our solutions, or is this just another falsity with the sudden approach of E3 2008.
Update: Totally debunked, the actual Japanese text was made by a translation program and makes absolutely no sense. go back to your hard drive-less wii lives, sigh…
If you wanted an enjoyable beat ‘em up with a well composed soundtrack back in 1991, Streets of Rage was the game for you. Back then, the mere possibility of a Sega game ending up on a Nintendo console [without Tengen’s heroics] was almost unfathomable. But, as with everything else life, I’ve learned that anything is possible. While Sega’s console day’s are long gone, the Virtual Console provides the perfect platform to keep the Genesis legends alive.
At the micro level, it would appear as though Nintendo is gimping its Virtual Console releases as of late. From December 2007 onward, the steady stream of three titles a week has slowed to a trickle, to the point where some weeks have seen just one release or, more recently, nothing at all.
Enter Gamasutra and its bar graphs, however, and a new, more optimistic picture begins to take shape—if you like WiiWare, that is.
Protöthea - WiiWare - 1,000 Wii Points
Protöthea is a top-down scrolling shooter game with free movement that puts players in complete control of a last-generation spaceship. The mission is to destroy the asteroid called Maqno 01 and finish with the plans of The Core. [Published by UbiSoft]
Toki Tori - WiiWare - 1,000 Wii Points
In this puzzle/platform game, players use a variety of items such as the Telewarp, InstantRock and Slug Sucker. Clever use and combination of these items are needed to solve all the game’s levels, of which there are more than 70. The game even uses the Wii Message Board in a unique way. [Published by Two Tribes]
Ninja Combat - NEOGEO - 1990 - 900 Wii Points
Take control of the ninjas Joe (one player) and Hayabusa (two players), and enter into battle against a group of evil ninjas called the Kage Ichizoku. Ninja Combat also supports simultaneous play with two players, so you can grab a friend and defeat the Kage Ichizoku together. [Published by D4 Enterprise]
It seems that the Japanese Virtual Console is getting another classic game before we do. Does that mean there is a chance for this to be released here any time soon? What many people don’t know is that Super Mario RPG has a dark history, and it all has to do with Square. Since Nintendo licensed the game to Square to develop, Square actually wrote up the story and owns a majority of the rights. Mostly the characters, story, and music in the game that have nothing to do with the Mario franchise. However, since it is seeing a release on the VC in Japan, it looks like Nintendo and Square might have finally come to a deal. Here’s hoping that we might actually see the title on our shores sometime soon.
[via Japan's Virtual Console]
It’s a holiday and a huge Wii Shop Channel Monday today, May 26th, 2008:
Dr. Mario Online Rx - WiiWare - 1,000 Wii Points
The doctor is in! Mario takes a break from his adventuring ways and once again dons his stethoscope for a new generation of germ-battling mayhem. In addition to the classic mode of using vitamins to exterminate viruses, you’ll find two battle modes and an online multiplayer mode where you can hone your skills against players from around the world. Feel like challenging a friend who doesn’t have Dr. Mario Online Rx? Then the WiiWare-exclusive Friend Battle Demo is just what the doctor ordered. Or maybe you’d like some help taking on those nasty viruses? Try out Virus Buster, where four players can simultaneously move capsules simply by pointing at them with a Wii Remote controller. Any way you look at it, Dr. Mario Online Rx is a prescription for fun that everyone can enjoy. [Published by Nintendo] (more…)
Virtual Console Monday is now Wii Shop Channel Monday (until I think of a better name for it). Here’s the second round of WiiWare releases and a Virtual Console title for your consideration:
Critter Round-Up - WiiWare - 1,000 Wii Points
The critters have escaped, and the barnyard is in chaos! It’s up to you to quickly corral the animals in this puzzle-action challenge. You’ll have to mend fences in a hurry to keep all the critters safe and satisfied. But the fun doesn’t stop with the farmland; more than 50 challenging levels take you to several exotic locations, including the outback, the icy Arctic and more. There’s even a series of minigames for when the critters get you down: Snowball Soccer, Predator Rampage, Chicken Catch and Fence Trap. Up to four players can compete or cooperate as the critters run wild. So roll up those sleeves and grab a friend-those critters won’t catch themselves. [Published by Konami]
Star Soldier R - WiiWare - 800 Wii Points
Star Soldier R is a new kind of shooter where players aim for the best scores within a two- or five-minute time limit. Develop various scoring strategies, and pump out those points within the breakneck time frame. Assembled in record time to counter the advance of a powerful enemy, the mysterious Brain Forces, the “Caesar” starfighter takes off to fight for the very future of mankind. Shoot down countless enemies, upgrade your ship to the max with power-ups hidden throughout the levels and wage an all-out assault against the core of the enemy fortress. Combining the excitement of shoot-’em-ups with in-depth scoring strategies, this state-of-the-art competitive shooter will keep you coming back for more. Upload your best scores with Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, and pit your skills against the world’s best fighter pilots from the comfort of your living room. Hone your skills and show the world who’s boss. [Published by Hudson]
Skykid - NES - 1986 - 500 Wii Points
Red Baron, from the freedom- and peace-loving nation of birds, Bird Land, faces off in the skies with his rival Blue Max in this side-scrolling shooting game. Defeat the many enemies that await you as you complete your mission, using moves like the loop-the-loop to shoot down enemies from behind. Fly low to pick up bombs placed in the stage and drop them on command posts, warships or other designated targets to destroy them. Then land safely at base to proceed to the next mission. Beware of enemy fire, though-it will cause you to crash, unless you’re able to recover by rapidly pressing the buttons. You can even play with a second person and fly simultaneously, sometimes helping each other and other times competing against each other. Prepare yourself and take to the skies, but make sure that the catchy background music (which became an instant classic when this game was originally released) doesn’t distract you from your goal. [Originally published by SunSoft]
Nintendo still leaves us drooling for Dr. Mario, but Star Soldier R looks like a nice shmup. What’s your pick this week?
Due to the launch of WiiWare today, nothing will be released for Virtual Console this week. If I’m not mistaken, this is the first week where absolutely nothing came out for the VC since the Wii launched nearly 19 months ago. So, to make up for it, which game do you think Nintendo should release on the Wii Shop Channel next week?
It’s been over a months since a new N64 game has been released for the Virtual Console and this week we get one.
Pokemon Puzzle League - N64 - 2000 - 1000 Wii Points
Get ready for a new kind of Pokémon battle where the power and speed of your brain are just as important as the strength of your Pokémon. Join Ash, Brock, Misty and many more characters from the Pokémon animated series as they gather in Puzzle Village to compete for the title of Pokémon Puzzle Master. [Originally published by Nintendo]
Renegade - NES - 1988 - 500 Wii Points
Renegade follows the story of a vigilante who fights his way through countless gangs in order to bring peace back to his city. Battle your way through subways, parks, alleyways and parking lots. [Originally published by Taito]
Because it’s always encouraging to see another N64 title for the VC, our pick this week is Pokemon Puzzle League. What’s your pick?
Infendo reader, Platinum has tipped us with a juicy little rumor that holds hope of Earthbound heading to the VC soon. Looking under “Wii” titles on the ESRB site gives you a list of rated and pending titles that includes both the disk format and VC/Wiiware. Search closely and you can spot the one and only Earthbound accompanied with an “E” rating. Could this be what Mother fans have been waiting for? Looks like it to me, though you have to take into consideration the fact that other titles listed have been “pending” for months on end. Maybe an E3 launch? Who knows!
Looks like Nintendo is listening to what VC players are requesting. Now how about some Super Mario RPG? Eh?
Any big Earthbound freaks out there?
Only one new Virtual Console game this week:
Double Dragon - NES - 1988 - 500 Wii Points
Double Dragon begins with Billy Lee’s girlfriend, Marian, being kidnapped by a group called the Black Warriors. They demand to know the secrets of Billy’s martial-arts style in exchange for his girlfriend. However, Billy won’t stand for these underhanded tactics and decides to rescue her himself. Help him fight through city streets, buildings, jungles, temples and various other locations in a quest to find his girl [Originally published by Tradewest]
This game was huge in the arcades back in the late 80’s. Unfortunately, the NES version dropped the best part of the experience: co-operative multi-player. Even the Master System version had co-op. Buy this one only if you’re desperate.
According to the press release from yesterday we learned that Earthworm Jim and a few of the other Classic good Interplay titles that were heading to the Virtual Console. The interesting part of the article was that they were going to release the Sega Genesis versions.
I personally feel that Earthworm Jim on the Super Nintendo was superior in every way to the Genesis versions of the game. So why would they do this and not release the SNES versions. It’s obviously not a matter of cost since they both cost the same on the Virtual Console at 800 points a pop. I mean even if they did release the Super Nintendo version later would you buy the same game twice? Even if it was for the superior version?
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