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Zig and Mike's Top 10 Virtual Console Games
Date: 2008-08-10
Author: Darthziggy and Mike Zeller
Now that Nintendo's WiiWare service has launched and games are starting to come out on a regular basis, some of the games that came out for the Virtual Console are being ignored for these newfangled titles with their remote waggling features and online play. Oh the foolishness of youth! Who needs stuff like that when you've got old-skool, classic punishment to be dished out - and for less cash?! Our own Darthziggy and Mike Z. have done extensive research into the retro gaming world (aka the stuff they played growing up), and have come up with ten games apiece that are definitely worth your Wii points.
- 10 -
Zig: Bonk's Adventure, TurboGrafx 16. Okay, get past the fact that this is a TG game, which automatically leads some people to think that it sucks. While that assumption might hold true for cheerleaders and vacuum cleaners, the TurboGrafx 16 did have some shining moments, and NEC's poster boy Bonk actually starred in some solid platformers back in the day, giving old Mario and Sonic runs for their coins and rings. While the game may not have held up as well as others by today's standards, it's still a fun romp through prehistoric times, with some flashy visuals and quirky characters to spice up the action. If you've never played, it's definitely a worthy addition to your library.
Mike: Kirby's Adventure, NES.
If you're in the mood for some more whimsical platforming fun (or controlling a piece of pink bubble gum) you could do a lot worse than Nintendo's own Kirby's Adventure. Released near the end of the NES's lifespan, Kirby's Adventure is one of the meatiest games for the system, with 42(!) levels packed full of enemies and secrets. Showcasing a handful of technological tricks heretofore unseen on Nintendo's 8-bit console and featuring Kirby's classic enemy-power-stealing gameplay, Kirby's Adventure is an NES classic.
- 9 -
Zig: Super Metroid, SNES.
Expanding on the groundbreaking exploration gameplay of the original, while updating the graphics and adding some weaponry - like the grappling arm - that would stick around for later installments, Samus's SNES mission is a testament to 16-bit alien hunting. Plus, it allowed you to save without a password, meaning kids everywhere could finally start using their marble notebooks for homework instead of codes. Hopefully this Super Metroid -inspired paradigm shift in American education will some day lead to a President who can properly pronounce "nuclear".
Mike: River City Ransom, NES.
If you like exploring wide-open worlds, but are too shy to actually go outside, you might want to give River City Ransom for the NES a try. While it might seem like a simple Final Fight clone except with little, blocky combatants, RCR has an extraordinarily deep fighting system, RPG-like stat development, and a large (for the NES) world to wander around in. With its playful sense of humor and awesome two-player action, River City Ransom, much like a fine wine, has only grown better with age.
- 8 -
Zig: Ice Hockey, NES.
Long before motion capture, celebrity endorsements, and league-exclusivity arguments, sports games were about what really mattered: beating the crap out of those commie bastards! Take to the ice as team USA, Canada, or one of those crazy European nations, and set up your team with state-of-the-art customization including (and unfortunately limited to) choosing between skinny, average, or fat skaters to make up your four-man squad. The action is intense, the fights are crazy, and the goalies drive the Zambonis! Look online for the frictionless-puck code for even more fun.
Mike: Shining Force, Sega Genesis.
Since Ice Hockey is arguably the best sports game on the Virtual Console, rather than trying to match Ziggy's number 8 choice with a lesser sports title, I'm going to suggest an RPG instead. Although not as robust a game as its descendants, the original Shining Force still boasts a lengthy campaign and an engaging story peppered with entertaining characters. And despite the relative simplicity of its battle system, SF is still chock full of complex strategic combat that will easily satiate anyone in the mood for some fantasy warfare. (It will also easily put just about any FPS fan into a coma, so boys of trigger - beware!)
- 7 -
Zig: Blazing Lazers, TurboGrafx 16.
We've all played top-down shooters, from NEO-GEO arcade classics to 1941 on the old NES, but Blazing Lazers just seemed to get everything about the genre right on the money. The graphics are bright and bold, enhanced by explosions that take up half the screen. Cool power-ups, huge bosses, and lightning-quick action make Blazing Lazers one top-down shooter that every gamer should try.
Mike: Gunstar Heroes, Sega Genesis.
Since the TurboGrafx-16 and the Genesis were the shoot 'em up kings of their days, the Virtual Console has no shortage of games where you move to the right and blast things with lasers. One of the best is Gunstar Heroes, created by fan-favorite developer Treasure, and featuring all of their trademarks from massive bosses to a deceptively complex weapon combination system. Every stage is crammed with chaotic, cartoony gunplay that's as challenging as it is amusing. If you like Gunstar but would prefer it with a nut-crushing difficulty, you might want to try out Alien Soldier, also created by Treasure.
- 6 -
Zig: Super Mario 64, Nintendo 64.
The portly plumber's first foray into the 3-dimensional gaming realm is still talked about as one of the finest games ever made. With its expansive Mushroom Kingdom that held levels of every style imaginable, there was nothing that players couldn't explore. The act of repeating each level several times to get more stars may not be as novel now as it was back then, but the gameplay still manages to hold up. Older fans will love the trip down memory lane, and new gamers who were only introduced to Mario through SM Galaxy will be able to understand how 3-D platforming got its start, giving them a lot more clout in angry spam-wars on exploding message boards.
Mike: Paper Mario, Nintendo 64.
If you can't get enough Mario with Super Mario 64, Paper Mario is definitely the place to turn. The spiritual successor to Super Mario RPG, Paper Mario features the same timing-based combat, but also incorporates a number of new twists built around the idea that the characters are all 2-D sprites. Paper-thin is back in, and with all the lighthearted fun associated with Mario's platforming adventures (but with a more developed narrative due to the RPG angle) Paper Mario gives gamers the best of both worlds.
- 5 -
Zig: Castlevania, NES.
With all of the recent iterations of Konami's signature vamp-killing franchise, it's sometimes hard to remember where it all started. The first Castlevania had you playing as Simon Belmont, and ONLY Simon Belmont, as you took your whip - and balls of steel - into Dracula's palace for a dance with the devil. Sure there are some frustrating missed jumps here and there (okay, almost everywhere!), but getting through this one definitely takes some skill, and you get to experience the beginnings of one of the most influential series in gaming history.
Mike: ActRaiser, SNES.
I could have easily suggested Super Castlevania IV here, but I think ActRaiser is even more deserving. Half the game is made up of challenging platforming stages reminiscent of Konami's vampire slaying series, while the other half involves a SimCity-like rebuilding of the towns destroyed by the monsters you killed in the platforming sections. Although fairly short, just like a good PB&J sandwich ActRaiser is more than the sum of its parts and still provides a unique gaming experience to this day.
- 4 -
Zig: StarFox 64, Nintendo 64.
Remember those god-awful Mode-7 graphics from the original StarFox on the SNES? Yeah, me neither. That's because when SF64 came out, it so completely blew away its predecessor with updated graphics, better weaponry, more choices for which planets to defend in what order, and squadmates who actually talked! ("Dub dub dabba" to you too, Falco!) Plus, with the more recent SF: Assault for the GameCube and SF: Command for the DS being absolute flops, you might want to cleanse your memory with some old-fashioned 64-bit dogfights. Or, technically, "foxfights". Oh I kill myself.
Mike: Sin and Punishment, Nintendo 64 (import).
Like rail shooters but prefer controlling grimy, anorexic teenagers instead of anthropomorphic forest creatures piloting spaceships? Well, try Sin and Punishment, the other 3-D shooter for the N64! Treasure's take on a genre primarily dominated by Starfox and Panzer Dragoon provides a mix of the sweeping set piece battles one expects from rail shooters and the over-the-top craziness that Treasure is, well, treasured for. The control setup is a little awkward, but it's worth getting used to for the chance to experience this masterpiece.
- 3 -
Zig: Super Mario Bros. 3, NES.
The pinnacle of 8-bit platforming, SMB3 has inspired so many of the games that came after it. It also acted as a pseudo-swan song for the old NES. (Does anyone remember any really big games that came out after SMB3 and before Super Mario World?) Plus, the game was introduced to the world in The Wizard, which is an underappreciated classic of American cinema. I love the Power Glove.
Mike: Streets of Rage 2, Sega Genesis.
Yeah, Super Mario Bros. 3 is pretty much the best platformer of all time, so my #3 spot is going to a beat 'em up. The highpoint of the series, Streets of Rage 2 is one of the all time best in the genre, and in many ways manages to outdo Final Fight, the game the series it set out to imitate. With four markedly different heroes, a host of large, well-animated enemies, and an excellent score, Streets of Rage 2 is exactly what gamers are in the mood for when they have a hankering for some good bad guy bashing.
- 2 -
Zig: The Legend of Zelda, NES.
The original and still the best, Zelda is the game that spawned one of the longest-running series in gaming. It is truly a classic in every sense, with tough puzzles, challenging bosses, and some of the most recognizable music ever to bleep and bloop its way out of the NES. Plus, if you get stuck, there are so many damn walkthroughs for this game already that you have no excuse for not finishing it. And then you get to try the second quest! While this Virtual Console version won't give you the opportunity to fall asleep clutching your priceless golden cartridge, it will provide a dust-proof game loading process that the poor old NES could hardly ever muster.
Mike: The Legend of Zelda: A Link To the Past, SNES.
Folks will debate endlessly over which Legend of Zelda game is best, but for my money it doesn't get any better than A Link to the Past. Returning the series to its top-down roots after the somewhat mixed reception of Zelda II, A Link to the Past has everything that made the first game great, but much, much more of it. With two massive worlds to explore and a ridiculous number of secrets, A Link to the Past set the style the rest of the series would follow, and stands among the best of an already fantastic group of games.
- 1 -
Zig: Mario Kart 64, Nintendo 64.
While it breaks my heart to put something other than Zelda in this top spot, I had to keep in mind which system we're talking about here - the Wii. On a system made for squeaky clean group fun (the Topless Wii Girls notwithstanding), the crowning party- and dorm-room-game of the '90s is a must-have. Grab a couple of Classic or GameCube controllers and let the mayhem begin. Cheaper than the newest installment and without any pointless plastic appendages, Mario Kart 64 is definitely $10 well spent.
Mike: Excitebike, NES.
While I definitely would recommend playing any Mario Kart game first, Excitebike actually makes a very nice complimenting title because it shares that series' pick-up-and-play style. Extremely simplistic both graphically and gameplay wise, Excitebike is very approachable and practically demands to be played with a group of people each swapping the controller back and forth trying to get the best times on the various tracks. Yes, that's how we used to define "multiplayer" back in the good old days. With a save feature now enabled for the level editor, this is arguably the definitive version of Excitebike.
- Darthziggy, Mike Zeller
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(4 Comments, click to add yours)
On Mon, Aug 11, 2008, 12:53 PM Max said:
On Mon, Aug 11, 2008, 02:21 PM Leon said:
On Mon, Aug 11, 2008, 05:39 PM Darthziggy said:
On Thu, Mar 5, 2009, 09:50 PM John said:
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