Today’s Virtual Console Titles: April 30
- Scribbled on April 30th, 2007 by Devin Grimes
- Filed in Nintendo Wii, Virtual Console
The start of a new week means the typical Monday back to work blues, but it also means the opportunity to relive many of your favorite childhood classics with the latest Virtual Console re-releases on the Nintendo Wii. Here’s today’s selections:
- Castlevania (NES) - 500 Wii Points
- The Legend of the Mystical Ninja (Super NES) - 800 Wii Points
- Shockman (TubroGrafx16) - 600 Wii Points
While you may not have any glorious memories of the latter two games, it’s hard to imagine a life in the gaming world without Castlevania. The 1987 NES release is what started it all, introducing us to the now infamous Belmont family, and of course the constantly recurring Count Dracula. One of the early forms of an “open world” game, whip in hand, you’re dropped into Dracula’s lair, and given free reign to explore the castle, ultimately seeking to end the curse of the Evil Count.
WII-KLY UPDATE: THREE NEW CLASSIC GAMES ANNOUNCED FOR WII SHOP CHANNEL
April 30, 2007
Vampires and ninjas and Shockmen, oh my! This week the Wii Shop Channel takes a trip into the world of ghoulish creatures, mystical curses and professorial abductions. See if you can remember which of these games sparked the whip-carrying craze of the late-’80s! For the best retro gaming around, it’s time to pay a visit to the red-hot Wii video game system’s Wii Shop Channel.
The 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 to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are:
Castlevania (NES, 1 player, 500 Wii Points): Step into the shadows of the deadliest dwelling on Earth. You’ve arrived at Castlevania, and you’re here on business: to destroy the curse of the Evil Count, once and for all. Make your way through six monstrous floors filled with bats, ghosts, zombies and every kind of ghoulish creature you can imagine. Use the legendary whip Vampire Killer and a host of deadly weapons to battle your way to Dracula’s chamber and the ultimate duel of good vs. evil.
The Legend of the Mystical Ninja (Super NES, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points): In The Legend of The Mystical Ninja, take control of Kid Ying and Dr. Yang in an action adventure through feudal Japan. A curse has stricken the village of Horo-Horo, and its beloved princess has vanished. Together Kid Ying, a daring young mystical ninja, and Dr. Yang, master of the invincible spirit transformation, must overcome 10 levels of the Dragonbeast to save Princess Yuki. Each stage contains intense 3-D and 2-D zones where the duo must perform dozens of attack moves and solve magical problems and puzzles before advancing. Battle humorous enemies like the Carp Meister, who stuns victims with poisonous fighting fish, Tanaka-U-Out, a knockout artist who wallops opponents with a bone-crushing hammer, and the Sumo Tag Team, kings of the unbeatable belly-buster crunch. Collect coins to buy new equipment and to receive clues, spend some time playing minigames in the arcade or try your luck and increase your fortune at the Quiz House and Horse Races.
Shockman (TurboGrafx16, 1-2 players, 600 Wii Points): It’s been two years since Arnold and Sonya were made into Shockmen. A message from the professor to return to their bodies has them head to his laboratory, but they are ambushed by a mysterious enemy along the way. After narrowly defeating the enemy, they catch a TV news flash announcing the Ryo Empire invasion. They find that the professor has been abducted and set out to rescue him. Shockman is a side-view action shooter that has eight stages, including Action Stages, where you jump and use special techniques, and side-scrolling Shooting Stages. This game expands on the well-paced story from the previous version and contains cooperative elements like shared life and a powerful Team Shockbeam that can be used during two-player simultaneous play.
April 30th, 2007 at 10:09 pm
Castlevania is really stealing the show from a game that I think 9/10 people would enjoy much more: Legend of the Mystical Ninja.
That game was so much fun, had a great story, unique gameplay, countless hilarious moments, and even excellent music. And that’s disregarding the absolute joy it is to play two player in this game.
Way too many people are going to buy Castlevania simply because they’ve all heard of it or played in the past. Within 20 minutes they’ll realize what many people do about these Virtual Console games: it’s simply not nearly as fun as it was “back in the day.”
Castlevania is one of those games that is frustratingly annoying now with how rigid the gameplay is. I remember wanting to break everything I could see when trying to time my jumping and whipping to hit those stupid flying Medusa heads. Don’t get me wrong, I have very fond memories of playing Castlevania, but they pale in comparison to Mystical Ninja.
Mystical Ninja is a game that will stand up well despite how old it is. Young and old gamers alike will really enjoy it. It’s just a shame that many will choose Castlevania over it simply for name recognition.