VC-ism: July 2007 Archives

This week has seen parts of the UK battered with lots of rain and flooding; both flash and prolonged. Many are stranded without running water (ironic but true) and power, or houses in rest centres. So, what's our recommendation to pass the time?

Go to stay with some friends or relatives who have a Wii, and turn your Virtual Console on, because it's fight night, baby! Street Fighter II Turbo is back again, so let the hadokens roll!

Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting was originally released for the SNES way back in 1993, boasting faster game play than SF II as well as new & upgraded moves. It arguably has some of the most lovely music ever to be heard on the SNES, as well.

800 Wii Points is well worth this classic beat em up, in our view. But if fighting ain't your thing? Bring on the sci fi chick, in Metroid!

1987 saw Metroid blast onto the NES, assuming the role of Samus Aran, a space bounty hunter. You must save the universe from the spread of Metroids, using Samus' trademark Morph Ball ability. 500 Wii Points later, and Mother Brain can be toast - thanks to you!

What a month it's been! In the last 30 days we've seen a rush of stars coming out all over again on the Virtual Console, including Nintendo old skools such as Mario, Kirby and Megaman, along with their unlikely ally of the recent era; Sonic. Others such as Ecco have also shown a fin or two, making it a great time to put up some Wii points and break out the classic pads. Unless your control sticks are going yellow, like some of ours are. In which case, Ebay time!

Paper Mario (N64 2001) blends Mario's platform exploits with a quest and interesting characters. On a mission to free the Star Spirits from Bowser, Mario finds himself as thin as a piece of paper, making the link between 2D and 3D like never before. Paper Mario is out now for 1000 Wii Points.

In Mega Man (1989 NES), players must assume the role of Mega Man and fight their way through six stages, defeating bosses as they go in a desperate effort to save the city from evil Dr Wily and his robot army! Players must defeat enemies by shooting at them and navigate complex obstacles using their agility and speed. Once they have defeated bosses in all the stages players must defeat the final bosses, utilising the power-ups earned through previous victories! Megaman is out now for 500 Wii Points.

Kirby’s Dream Course (1995 SNES) appeared a week later. Gone are the peaceful greens that golf fans normally know; in their place are devious obstacles, traps and enemies. Kirby assumes the role of the ball, soaring through the air and rolling across the courses. Players must use our pink hero and his special powers to smash enemies out of the way around 64 colourful courses before sinking himself to complete each hole. Kirby’s Dream Course is available now for 800 Wii Points.

Finally, Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992 Mega Drive/Genesis) charges onto Virtual Console. Join our speedy blue friend on an adventure to locate all the missing Chaos Emeralds before Dr.Eggman (AKA Dr.Robotnik) and thwart his evil plan to create a Death Egg warship. Featuring the first appearance of Sonic’s trusty sidekick Tails, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is out now for 800 Wii Points.