Wii Virtual Console Reviews

Blazing Lasers is a spin off of the popular Star Soldier series and is one of the best non CD Turbo Graphx 16 shoot 'm ups (shmups).

This game has 7 action packed levels that are as intense as they are fun as you will encounter literally hundreds of waves of enemies in each level that will test your focus & reflexes.

This game also has an interesting power-up system that allows you to increase the strength of your current power-ups by collecting power-up orbs (those pinkish purple orbs that dont have letters or numbers) over and over again or swap to a new power by collecting...

Bomberman 93' is a blast to play with friends and family and has a good solo mode as well!

Gameplay

Bomberman 93' is an action game that features both a solo mode and a 5 player battle mode I'll go over the objective and gameplay of each mode

Solo Adventure

In this mode the object is to destroy all enemies in each level and find the exit to advance.
Some enemies however can fly over your bombs,take several hits to defeat,or can even phase through walls to escape your bombs explosion!


The solo adventure mode features 8 worlds with...

King Drool is back and has his sight set on exacting his revenge on the prehistoric hero Bonk who has ruined his evil plans time and time again!

Gameplay
This game is a typical Mario Style platformer that has over 16 unique levels that are impressive in their design as well as some strange power-ups that make Bonk shrink, grow and even get a huge head which allows you to breathe fire as well as allowing you to defeat enemies you normally can't.

Graphics and Sound
The graphics in this game are decent for a game of its time, but not really impressive by today's...

Story

Ryu is a young boy who lost his mother when he was very young but he and his sister lived a happy life with thier grandpa until one day,when the world was mysteriously altered beyond recognition by a mysterious force,now many years later a grown Ryu must use his special powers to save the world!

The story in BoF II is decent,and was one of the first video games to have a religious tone to its storyline.
You'll meet many new party members during the game and each one has thier own unique abilities such as crossing ravines or hunting!


Gameplay

A hundred years ago, the lord of the vampires, Dracula, was sealed by Christopher Belmont to his century of slumber and now a century has passed and he has risen up and seeks revenge from him by kidnapping the wife of of Christopher's offspring Simon Belmont, and now he must embark on a very lonely and dangerous journey to vanish Dracula once and for all.

Story
While the brief synopsis of the game's story sounds very interesting at first, it's pretty much that you will get from this game, but I guess it's not that surprising since this is an NES game, it's pretty much the gameplay...

Travel through the fabric of space and time to save the world from a terrible and unavoidable fate in this classic rpg and find out why this masterpiece is considered by many the best rpg of all time!

Gameplay

The story in this game is both unique and epic as you will travel through time to stop a wizard who wants to alter time so he can destroy humanity,along the way you'll join forces with...

More Fun Than A Barrel of Monkeys!



The evil K. Rool and his kremlin army have stolen all of the bananas in the jungle. It's up to Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong to get them back!

Gameplay
This is an extremely fun platforming game that has over 30 unique levels as well as an interesting buddy system where you can freely switch between the two Kongs to help you progress through each level! Donkey Kong can ground pound which can reveal...

The Kongs of The Jungle Return!



The Kongs are back for their 3rd adventure!! This time both Donkey Kong & Diddy Kong have been been Kongnapped and it's up to Dixie Kong and Baby Kong to save the two heroic apes!

This game is the 3rd and final game in the original DKC trilogy and is also the hardest game in the trilogy. The game has a ton of levels and many of them are extremely unique e.g. a level in which you race through the level avoiding a giant saw...

Dr Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine is a localised North American version of the popular Japanese puzzle game Puyo Puyo that features characters from the Sonic The Hedgehog Series!



Gameplay

The gameplay in MBM is a fairly simple match 3 or more puzzle game with a tetris like feel to it as you drop colored jelly beans down and try to match them up with other same colored to clear your ever diminishing space on your side and drop petrified jelly beans on your opponent's side blocking...

This game is known as Final Fantasy IV in Japan but was only the second Final Fantasy game released outside of Japan before the real Final Fantasy II (NES) was released on Final Fantasy Origins for the PS ONE. The Virtual Console release is also the first chance European gamers got at playing this epic RPG.

This game was one of the very first games released that has over 30+ hours of gameplay. Final Fantasy II is also one of the first RPGs to introduce sidequests, which are now pretty much found in every RPG released.

The story in this game was really epic in the early 90s...

Fight hordes of evil zombies,demons,ghosts and other foul creatures in this extremely difficult arcade game!


Gameplay

This game is so hard it'll likely drive you mad,as you'll face so many monsters at points that you'll just keep dying over and over again,but as strange as it might seem this game is actually pretty fun despite it's difficulty and will drive you to try to beat your old high scores!

This game is fairly long as well,so don't expect to have the skill or patience to beat the first time you play it.



Graphics and Sound

Lords of Thunder is an extraordinary (shmup) game that is a blast to play!

Gameplay
The gameplay in this sidescrolling (shmup) is quite unusual as I will explain in this section. This game is one of the most difficult (shmups) I have ever played as there are hoards of enemies the likes of which I've never seen before. Luckily however, players have enough health to survive a few hits plus can buy extra health, bombs and weapon upgrades among other stuff at the shop before the level starts! Your weapon depends on what armor you choose to use for the level you select. It also can...

Mariokart 64 was the second game released in the popular Mariokart series and adds many new gameplay elements not seen in Super Mario Kart on the (SNES) such as time trial mode.

This game has 12 courses across 4 cups that are all very unique and there are unique hazards to avoid in some of them such as a train in Kalimari Desert or chain chomps in Rainbow Road as well as 4 levels of difficulty 50cc,100cc,150cc and mirror. This game also introduced many new items to obtain such as the fake item box & the infamous blue shell.

CPU AI in the game is some of the worst you'll ever...

The first Megaman game was the game that started it all but Megaman II improved the gameplay greatly over the first title!

Megaman II has many action packed levels and is much longer and more difficult then the original Megaman. Sometimes it will take many tries before you make it past a certain section of a level. It also has much better graphics as it's far less pixelated and much more colorful then the original. The music is catchy and fits the levels well.

The most important part of any game is how fun a game is after you beat it. I'm glad to say it's fun enough that...

Very few spinoff series ever live up to thier originals,but not only does Megaman X live up to the original Megaman games,it's actually superior to them in nearly every aspect!

Story


The year is 20XX and the last creation of dr. light,Megaman X has been awakened!
However the scientist who found X tries to recreate dr. light's work with terrible results,as the robots he created have gone out of control and threaten the survival of humanity itself,only one robot can stop these mavericks and save the human race,Megaman X!


Gameplay

This game...

Metal Slug is a sidescrolling action game that has plenty of tank blasting and destroy everything in your path goodness to keep you entertained for hours.

Gameplay
This game has over 5 levels of intense action in which you try to score big points by destroying all of the enemies while at the same time saving as many POWs as you can without dying to really rake in the points! You can also enter tanks to increase your firepower and dominate your enemies.

Graphics & Sound
The graphics are breath-taking for a game of it's time and is very detailed. Not to mention it...

Samus Aran is a space drifter that has left the federation,and must rid the galaxy of an evil alien threat!


Gameplay

This game is an awesome action/adventure game with blisteringly difficult platforming.
The enemies and bosses are both creative and difficult,and require different strategies to defeat them.
Metroid is a fairly long nes game as it will likely take 5-6 hours to completely beat the game.


Graphics

The graphics in Metroid are impressive and have not aged well at the same time,as I'll explain in this section.
Metroid...

In the peaceful land of Neutopia, an evil demon named Dirth sends an army of demons to ravage the land in one night, and captures Princess Aurora from out of the land's Sacred Shrine and holds her captive in the Climactic Castle and also steals the eight medallions from the Shrine as well, that where the ones who helped the people to live in prosperity and happiness, which he now controls for evil purposes as he scatters them around Neutopia's world being locked inside crypts. And now it is up to a...

A year has passed since Jazeta saved Princess Lily and the world of Neutopia from the evil demon Dirth, and everyone was living in peace until monsters appeared once again as more labyrinths have suddenly appeared. When there was a rumor that the evil demon Dirth has reappeared again, Jazeta went to investigate, but he hasn't returned since then. But now it is up to Jazeta's son to find his father and possibly save the world from an unknown evil threat.

Story
I will say that the story in...

In New Adventure Island you play the role of Master Higgins as you fight your way through over 30 action packed platforming levels. You collect fruit to maintain your stamina and weapons such as tomahawks, spears, boomerangs and even fireballs, to fight off enemies. You do this to save the children of the island as well as your girlfriend!

This game is actually pretty hard since you will die if you don't collect fruit quickly enough not to mention the tricky platforming sections in some levels

Graphics & Sound
The visuals in this game are pretty good and the animations...

The Power of Lodis!



Few strategy rpg's are held in such legendary regards as Ogre Battle 64, and you'll soon find out why in this detailed review!



Story.

In Ogre Battle 64 you take the role of a young new recruit of the Palatinius army, and son of a notorious knight Magnus Gallant who wants to get stronger to protect those he cares about, but soon finds...

Bowser has invaded the Star Haven, stole the Star Rod and has imprisoned the seven Star Spirits who guarded the Star rod ! and now Bowser's fortress becomes attached to Princess Peach's castle and lifts it up to the sky ! sadly, the Star Rod makes Bowser invincible, so it's up to mario to save the seven Star Spirits in order to lend them their power to thwart Bowser once and for all !

Story
Even though the story isn't anything original, the whole story has quite a cheery and charming tone behind it ! it also has some humor as well, while it's not going to make you die-laughing,...

Few 16 bit era RPGs have a story so epic and a villain so incredibly wicked that you will actually be on the edge of your seat during much of the 50 plus hours of gameplay!
Final Fantasy III is one such game!



Gameplay and Story

The story of Final Fantasy III is about a conflict between the Empire a military power using an ancient technology known as magitek to conquer the world, and a group known as The Returners a group of freedom fighters who want to protect the people from the malicious...

The Pink Creampuff's First Adventure On A Home Console!



Kirby's Adventure was one of the first platforming games that was easy enough for anyone to complete. Despite the absolutely cute nature of this game it's fun and addictive that will keep you coming back time and time again.

This game has seven large unique worlds with many levels each. There are a few minigames as...

Try to go for the high score in this game based on greek mythology as you play as the greek hero Rygar and save the world from mythical beasts!

Rygar is a sidescrolling action game that has an absolutely incredible level of dificulty. Not just because of the massive amounts of enemies but also due to the strict time limit.

The graphics in this game have not aged well at all despite the fact that the graphics are very detailed for a game of it's time. The animations are clunky and the pixelation is worse than what is seen in most older NES games. The sound is also fairly bad...

The Power of Mana!



Story And Gameplay:

In this fantastic SNES classic you take the role of a young boy who accidentally pulls the magical Sword of Mana from a stone unleashing evil across the land and...

Mankind was on a vast population increase and had some serious food shortages because of that and in an attempt to solve the problem, the scientists created a new species to use for food, and place the herd in northern Japan, but in time, the creatures mutate, referred to as "ruffians", and attack the people of Japan. An international peacekeeping organization called the "Armed Volunteers" tries to stop the creatures but they also oppress the Japanese... now a group called the "Savior Group", led by a mysterious woman named Achi, rises up to defend Japan against the Ruffians and Armed Volunteers.

Defeat Dr. Eggman once and for all in the final chapter of Sonics' epic Sega Genesis series.

Gameplay
The gameplay is almost unchanged from Sonic 3 but this game does have a lock-on feature that allows you to gain access to bonus features on Sonic 2/Sonic 3 such as playing as Knuckles (Sonic 2/Sonic 3) or combining the games into one massive adventure (Sonic 3). This game is also quite large as it dwarfs Sonic 3 with 7 Zones and 3 levels in each zone as well as a different ending depending on your character choice.

Graphics
The graphics in this game are highly...

Sonic The Hedgehog is back along with his new friend tails in this second installment of the series and must once again stop dr. eggman "aka dr. robotnik" from trying to conquer the world using his robot army!



Gameplay

STH2 adds alot to the original formula such as new items,and much faster platforming action and the wii vc version's emulation of this game is nearly perfect as there is nearly no slowdown while going at fast speeds,or any audio issues at all!
This game is actually...

Sonic The Hedgehog is back for a 3rd time and is ready to stop Dr. Eggman and his death egg scheme once and for all!

As is the case with most Sonic games,you play as Sonic going through several acts in many zones destroying badnicks and defeating the boss at the end of each zone. You should also collect as many rings as you can so you don't die if you run into an enemy or land on spikes. Players can collect the 7 chaos emeralds to dominate the opposition as Super Sonic!

There are 5 varied zones and about 15 acts in this game making it a bit shorter than Sonic The Hedgehog...

Andross has declared war on the whole Lylat System ! and it's up to the Star Fox team, consisting of members Fox Mcloud, Peppy Hare, Falco Lombardi and Slippy Toad, to stop him !

Story
Believe it or not, the story in this game is really good ! ok fine, the game actually focuses more on the gameplay, but sometimes the story mixes with the gameplay in some sections of the game and, to be honest, it does an amazing job while doing so ! however, you will not get the "true" story in a first playthrough, since you must do certain things in the game in order for the game to tell you the...

Princess Peach has been kidnapped by Bowser and hidden in one of the many paintings brought to life by the power stars in Bowsers' possession. It's up to Mario to gather the power stars hidden in each of the paintings and face off against the koopa king to save the day!

Super Mario 64 was not only Marios' first 3D adventure but also one of the very first 3D games released for a home console! The game has more than 16 worlds and over 100 challenges as well as secret challenges hidden throughout the castle. Each world is completely unique and has multiple missions to accomplish such as...

SMB 2 for the NES is a great game that is quite different from the other NES Mario platformers!

Gameplay
In this game you play as either Mario, Luigi, Toadstool or Princess Peach, each having different strengths and weaknesses. The gameplay differs from the traditional Mario platformers as you defeat enemies by tossing vegetables or even other enemies at them! This game has 7 different worlds with 4 levels each.

Graphics and Sound
The levels and enemies are colorful and much more detailed then those seen in the first SMB game.

The sounds in SMB 2 are pretty...

Any fan of the 3D Super Mario franchise will agree that Super Mario Galaxy and it's sequel are the best 3D Mario games since Super Mario 64 (N64). But when it comes to his 2D adventures the title that sticks out is Super Mario Bros. 3.

It's story is simple, Bowser kidnaps Peach & Mario saves her just like most other Mario games. This is the first game in the series to introduce the minigames seen in most of the games in the series. It also introduced the famous mid-world fortresses and air fortress levels seen in some of the future games in the series e.g. New Super Mario Bros. Wii....

Race for the gold against the Cpu's or your friends in this classic arcade style racing game!

Gameplay

Choose between 8 different mario characters and race across 20 tracks in 4 cups!
The tracks in this game are quite detailed and varied for an snes racing game and thier designs are clever and challenging!
Pick up many unique power ups such as oil slick,green shells,and the powerful homing red shells to get the edge against your opponents!
Multiplayer mode is where you'll enjoy this game the most as you,and up to 3 friends can race against each other,and let's...

The Super Bros. Return!



Gameplay:

The gameplay in Super Mario World is very polished and Nintendo added many new gameplay elements to the formula in Mario's first SNES game! This was the first Mario platformer to feature the now famous character Yoshi who can eat enemies or use koopa shells and Hammer bros. hammer by grabbing them with his tongue and spitting them at enemies!

The Shelled heroes must fight many enemies and foot soldiers to save April, Master Splinter and even Manhatten itself!

Gameplay
The game has a combination of sidescrolling, platforming and adventure segments and is hard......WAY TOO HARD! This game is fun for about the first level, but after that it's difficulty ramps up to mind-blowing levels and becomes so frustrating and maddening that it becomes very difficult to enjoy.

Graphics & Sound
The graphics in this game are passible not good but it works. The sound is also pretty bad as the music and sound effects are...

The Dynastic Hero is essentially the same game as Wonder Boy in Monster World, except it has CD quality sound and graphics!

Gameplay
The gameplay in this title has a very unique combination of Sidescrolling platforming and action rpg elements that blend together nicely! The game is fairly long as it should take gamers more than 10 hours to beat!

Graphics and Music
The graphics are very vibrant and colorful,and the character and enemy models are detailed and varied! The music is catchy and cute but is not one of the games strengths.


Bottom line:...

The Legend of Zelda is not only the first game in the legendary series but is also one of the first Adventure/RPGs released outside of Japan and to this day sets the standard of what a great adventure game should be.

The story might not seem epic in todays' time but was unheard of in the mid-80s. This game not only has a massive world filled with dungeons and secrets but also has a good deal of enemies on screen which at a given time at points and amazingly seldom causes any major slowdowns.

The sound and music are also top notch and fit the game nicely. But what would a...

The Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask is a direct sequel to Ocarina of Time and plays virtually the same,however it has a dark story and much less linear gameplay!


Gameplay

Majora's Mask is set in a alternate reality from hyrule called termina where link must stop a young boy from destroying termina,but there's a catch you only have 3 days to do it!

Luckily for link he has his trusty ocarina of time with him,so time isn't much of an issue,however progress in dungeons and puzzles/sidequests reset when you travel back in time,so finish a dungeon when you start it...

An evil wizard is making young maidens vanish and the princess of Hyrule is in danger of facing the same fate. A young hero named Link must rise to face this evil wizard or Hyrule will fall to the darkness!

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to The Past was one of the most expansive adventure games of its time as it easily takes 15-20 hours to complete and has two massive worlds that are interwoven together. This game plays similarly to the original title, but has new elements such as magic as well as the ability to switch between a light world and a dark world (after obtaining a certain item).

You were the only forest spirit in a village protected by a guardian tree who didn't have a fairy partner. That is until one fateful morning when a fairy partner was sent to you so you could save the forest from a dreadful fate!

Story and Gameplay
The story is pretty good and actually seems quite similar to Twilight Princess. Though the game can be beat in under 30 hours, it will likely take over 50 hours to get everything out of the game!

The gameplay itself is quite simple press one button to attack, a second to defend and the equipment you have can be mapped to 4...