Nintendo Wii Fanboy

Treasure president Masato Maegawa spoke with 1UP before TGS started up, confirming that the company is indeed working on a title for the WIi. Coming from the developer's "action" team, he gave nothing else in the way of details about the secret project. Considering this same internal team was responsible for Gunstar Heroes, we can't say we're worried.

The internet has made it easy to find cheats for games, but we miss the tips pages from game magazines, when the discovery of a new code could inspire you to go back to an old game. These codes aren't exactly new, but oldness is the essence of the Virtual Console! We're bringing back the classic codes every week on The VC Advantage.

Battle Lode Runner (TG16)
Level Skip: The best way to deal with a level that's too hard is, of course, to move on to a harder level! For that matter, why bother playing the game at all? Just skip ahead to the good part: the part where you exit the level and feel triumphant. If there's anything that puzzle games are about, it's instant gratification with no work whatsoever. Pause, then hit Select 24 times, then exit the level. Finding a code on the Internet is just as much of a puzzle as the actual game, right? Right?

Like many codes, timing is important for this level skip. You must make sure that someone enters the room immediately after you enter this code, so they can see you successfully complete the level.

Gunstar Heroes (GEN)
Hidden Move: Perform a half-circle motion on the controller (back to down to forward) and then hit B to do a slide move. This may alter your normal Gunstar Heroes strategy somewhat, as the precision required to input this move disrupts the normal "hit all the buttons on the controller as fast as you can before hyperventilating" method of playing such frenetic action games.

Dynamite Headdy (GEN)
Hard Mode: Unlockable hard modes are the anti-cheat. You enter codes to discover them, but, naturally, they don't make the games any easier. Of course, poor Headdy's life is already one tortuous hardship after another. How would you feel if you were constantly under attack, your only defense to rip off your own head and lob it at your attackers? You wouldn't feel anything, actually, but Headdy does, and that's his sad lot in life. So, in a way, this Hard Mode is merciful to Headdy, as it grants him a restful death after only one hit. As the player, you may feel different emotions toward Headdy's repeated demise, but how could you understand? Your head's securely attached and non-modular. To access the Hard Mode, press Start at the title screen, then press C, A, left, right, B. Press and hold start through the opening scene.

[Codes via GameFAQs]

Seeing games like Streets of Rage and Gunstar Heroes released on the Virtual Console has been a dream come true for Genesis enthusiasts, but there's something inauthentic about playing these titles with controllers forged by Sega's former adversary. It's like getting back together with an old lover, only to find that there's something missing.

You never close your eyes anymore when I kiss your lips.
And there's no tenderness like before in your fingertips.
You're trying hard not to show it. But baby, baby I know it...

Daniel Hearn refused to let his relationship with the Mega Drive slip away, hacking an old three-button pad to work with the Nintendo Wii wirelessly. Using similar NES/SNES controller mods as inspiration, he pieced this together with PIC microcontrollers, an iPod mini replacement battery, and other electronic junk.

The detailed guide and wiring instructions that Daniel posted are far beyond our limited abilites, but if you don't mind applying a bit of Weird Science to win your love back, this definitely looks worth trying!