Game Stooge

Today’s Virtual Console Titles: April 23

• Scribbled on April 23rd, 2007 by Devin Grimes
• Filed in Nintendo Wii, Virtual Console

It’s Virtual Console Monday! But, don’t get too excited, because this week Nintendo’s hitting us with a pretty weak downloadable lineup. The list is as follows:

• Gradius III (SNES) - 800 Wii Points
• Wonder Boy in Monster World (Genesis) - 800 Wii Points
• Battle Lode Runner (TurboGrafx 16) - 600 Wii Points

The Gradius series has always been somewhat of a hit with a pretty niche fanbase, and Gradius III may very well be the best in the series. Once again donning the role of pilot Vic Viper, this SNES port of the arcade game was significantly dumbed down in difficulty for the American audience, adding unlimited continues. If the name sounds familiar, that’s because it should. Several ports of the game have been released on consoles, the PS2 in 2000, and more recently the PSP last year.

Not exactly high caliber games rounding out the list this week that’ll rekindle any of your childhood memories, but I guess there’s always next week to look forward to…

More info in the official press release after the break.

Wii-kly Update: Three New Classic Games Announced for Wii Shop Channel

Admit it. Somewhere deep inside, you’ve always wanted to go for the gold, take down Monster World, and have people call you Vic Viper. How cool would that be? Well, pay a visit to the popular Wii(TM) video game system’s Wii Shop Channel, and all those fantasies can now come true.

Three new classic games go live at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Nintendo adds new games to the channel every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points(TM) to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are:

Gradius(R)III (SNES(R), 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points): Return as the pilot of the Vic Viper starfighter to battle the onslaughts of the Bacterion Empire. Blast through 10 action-packed levels in space, destroying everything in your path. Customize and power up your ship with weapons and upgrades including speed-ups, missiles, lasers, options, and shields.

Wonder Boy(TM) in Monster World (Genesis, 1 player, 800 Wii Points): Monster World was a peaceful, happy place until one dark day when an army of BioMeka monsters invaded. As a young man named Shion, you’ve vowed to defeat the hostile foes and make the land peaceful again. You’ll attack enemies with swords and spears and guard against incoming projectiles with shields and armor. As you travel through the many different regions of Monster World, you’ll talk to the townspeople, collect money to buy items, and gather a large variety of weapons and magic. The further you venture, the more powerful your weapons and equipment, including suits of armor and boots, will become.

Battle Lode Runner(R) (TurboGrafx 16, 1-5 players, 600 Wii Points): This upgraded edition to the famous Lode Runner series includes a 5-player versus mode. Gold funds have been stolen from the Time Machine Research Center, and the group responsible used a time machine to escape and hide the gold throughout time. The center sends an elite team of “Runners” to go and retrieve the gold.

In addition to the familiar Puzzle mode, the game features Battle mode, where up to 5 players can compete, and Edit mode, where you can create your own original stages. You can enjoy Battle mode in a number of different ways. Be the last one standing to win in Survival. Grab items from enemies and escape to win in Escape. With 4 players, you can separate into two teams to do battle in Tag Match.

(Thanks Kotaku)