Treasure’s Alien Soldier is an absolute classic. It was also, for some reason, never released in its original form (ie on the Genesis) in the US. Until now! More »
The header for this week’s Virtual Console press release from Nintendo is, “WII-KLY UPDATE: GREATEST GAME EVER ANNOUNCED FOR WII SHOP CHANNEL”, and for once I am in total agreement. Super Mario Bros. 3 (500 Points) has finally made it to the Wii Virtual Console. SMB3 has the distinction of being the second video game I bought with my own money, the first being Sunsoft’s Blaster Master. Up until then I had been relying on my parents and relatives for my gaming fix, and from that point on every job I’ve had has been weighed by how many games I could buy while still paying rent and electricity. Super Mario Bros. 3 remains the sweet spot for the series, with no Mario title before it or since being as complete an experience. I do feel kind of bad for Alien Soldier for the Genesis (600 points) and Power Golf for the TurboGrafx16 (600 points) for having to share this week with a legendary game, but I suppose they’re both that much better just by association. More »
The ESRB has updated its ratings database with a few new potential Virtual Console candidates for the Nintendo Wii, with Treasure’s Alien Soldier leading the list. The Sega Genesis (okay, Mega Drive) side-scrolling shooter was never released in North America, but did get a release in Europe, meaning stateside Treasure fans with a bent for bird-men in space suits should be furiously wiping palm sweat on their jeans upon the ultimate release. While I already have Alien Soldier in my possession, it’s nice you will soon play it, too.
Another Sega Genesis release, Shining Force II has also passed the ratings board, giving strategy RPG fans another shiny dose of 16-bit fun. Finally, Taito’s Bubble Bobble has snagged itself an E rating, much to the delight of Bub and Bob fans. This is where I’d normally urge caution in that these games could be weeks or months away from a VC release, but I’d rather see raw, unbridled enthusiasm. More »
