We were already totally pumped about getting Cho Aniki on the European and Aussie Virtual Consoles, but our faces lit up when we saw what else was lying in store for us this morning. Metal Slug is the first Neo Geo game to appear on the download service since December 14th, but what a comeback!
From a value-for-money perspective, we'd still recommend picking up Metal Slug Anthology (especially now that it's so cheap), but it's great to see SNK's classic series represented on the VC (and this version even has Classic Controller support). Puyo Puyo 2 and TurboGrafx billiards title Break In complete this week's line-up.
Cho Aniki -- TurboGrafx-16 -- 900 Wii Points
Metal Slug -- Neo Geo -- 900 Wii Points
Break In -- TurboGrafx-16 -- 700 Wii Points
Puyo Puyo 2 -- Mega Drive -- 900 Wii Points
Hop in your Slug and blast your way past the break to see all four in action!
According to an apparently reliable, but unnamed, source, Vooks reports that Super Smash Bros. Brawl will be released in Australia on June 26. That's just one day before Europe's release (and still several months after both the U.S. and Japan, of course) but what a difference a day makes.
For that one glorious day, Australian Wii owners will be able to feel the pride of not being the last to receive a game. And it's such a big game! Of course, Aussie Wii fans got a taste of not-lastness with Mario Kart Wii, but timeliness is addictive.
Congratulations, Australia. That is, if it's real. If this turns out not to be true or if Nintendo delays Brawlagain, we can only say sorry, Australia.
An immensely pleasing sight greeted our bleary eyes when we inspected the PAL Virtual Console this morning -- the revival of last September's Hanabi Festival! What does that mean? Simple: for the next few weeks, the VC will feature games that were previously unreleased in Europe or Australia, which we suppose justifies the slightly higher price tags.
Best of all, we're promised that this will continue for the next few weeks. Wonder what else we'll get? Here are this week's trio:
Columns III: Revenge of Columns -- Mega Drive -- 900 Wii Points
Final Soldier -- TurboGrafx-16 -- 700 Wii Points
Gradius II Gofer no Yabou -- TurboGrafx-16 -- 900 Wii Points
As usual, make the jump for footage of all three.
[Update: There's much excitement here, as further inspection of Nintendo's press release reveals that Speedos-clad TurboGrafx-16 shooter Cho Aniki will be one of the future Hanabi Festival releases!]
A trio of games this week on the PAL Virtual Console (all of which would be dead to us if "Ninja Dragon Games" actually existed), including one we totally want, one that will probably be undeservedly overlooked in favor of the one we totally want and, um, World Games (Commodore 64), which we're entirely unfamiliar with.
The former, obviously, is Double Dragon (NES), and although we plan to download Technos' landmark game with a quickness, we feel a bit bad for The Last Ninja (Commodore 64), which deserves some attention, if only for its amazing soundtrack. Check videos of all three out after the blue words, and marvel at how barrel jumping looks ... oddly compelling.
Up on the chopping block this Friday is the red-headed step-child of early Phantasy Star games, Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom. Considered the weak link by fans, we suppose that directly following Phantasy Star II didn't help its case.
Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom -- Mega Drive -- 800 Wii Points
Don't forget to hop in the patented Wii Fanboy time machine and hurtle past the break for footage from the game.
"Nintendo, with this week's four Virtual Console releases you are really spoiling us!"
We feel extra special this week, because kindly old Uncle Nintendo has lavished the PAL Virtual Console (or at least the European Virtual Console) with four new titles, including another two Commodore 64 additions (both of which are cracking), and the first Master System games to reach Australia. Unusually, all four are worth a look, but Impossible Mission has a special room all of its own in this blogger's heart. As usual, there's footage of all titles past the break.
California Games -- Commodore 64 -- 500 Wii Points*
Four more import games have now been rated by the OFLC, implying a Virtual Console release in that region and probably others. Those four games, all for the Turbografx-16, are: Gradius II GOFER no Yabou, Digital Champion Battle Boxing (which is just coming to Japan this month), Star Parodier, and ... Cho Aniki. This first game in the outrageous series starred the relatively normal Idaten and Benten (seen here), with future stars Adon and Samson as beefy support characters.
Under most conditions, we'd be freaking out about Star Parodier, which is a Parodius-like "funny" version of the Star Soldier games. But Cho Aniki! Outside of Japan! It's like a beautiful dream. We're buying Wii Points right now.
Usually, we'll spend an entire morning grumbling and tutting when we only receive one new game for the PAL Virtual Console. Not this week, however, because the appearance of Yoshi's Cookie has given us a good enough reason to post one of our favorite NES-era commercials, complete with zombie children, desperate for braaaainssssss sugary biscuits.
Hide your cookies! Hide ALL your cookies! (And then head past the break for gameplay footage).
It was weird enough when Milon's DokiDoki Adventureshowed up on the OFLC ratings search site, and weirder still when it came out on the U.S. Virtual Console before Australia's (it has yet to be released there).
Now another fairly unknown Japanese game has been rated for release, indicating a worldwide release in the near future: Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa (Bio Miracle Baby Upa) a Famicom Disk System platformer from Konami starring a baby who can inflate enemies with his magic rattle. It's best known for being rejected by Nintendo's bowtie-wearing Howard Phillips, who hates babies.
Gleylancer also appears to be traversing the globe; recently seen on Germany's ratings site, the shooter has appeared on the OFLC site as well.
Ladies and gents, let's make some noise for the latest addition to the PAL European (sorry, Aussies) Virtual Console, the Commodore 64. Woo!
Yep, after what feels like an eternity, the fondly remembered platform has made its Virtual Console debut with two of the strongest titles from its vast library: International Karate and Uridium. Both are comfortably worth the entrance fee of 500 Wii points, and begin to look like an even more obscene bargain when you consider this week's other addition: Midway's totally mediocre Cruis'n USA. Hit the break for videos of all three.
International Karate -- Commodore 64 -- 500 Wii points
So asks the front of Super R-Type's box. Of course, you won't get the box when you purchase Super R-Type on the Virtual Console (you are purchasing Super R-Type ... right?), but we couldn't resist revisiting such a deliciously bad pun. You just don't get that kind of cringeworthy wordplay on today's boxart!
The NES version of Operation Wolf also makes an appearance today, and if you ask us it's one of the very few Virtual Console games that would actually benefit from added Wiimote functionality.
Super R-Type -- SNES -- 800 Wii points
Operation Wolf -- NES -- 500 Wii points
Don't forget there's footage to get all misty-eyed about after the break!
Australians only have fifty-eight days (approximately five hamburgers, two milkshakes, eight orders of fries, and seven chocolate bars) before getting glute guilted into buying Wii Fit. Nintendo announced today that the fitness title, which is meant to imbue healthy lifestyles, will be coming to Australia on May 8th. That's just in time for you Aussies to give it to your mums for Mother's Day, but then again, a present like that has the potential to make any woman cry.
You'd also have to really love your mom to spend $149.95 AUD ($139 USD) on her, assuming that she already owns a Wii. Even the thought of spending that on yourself is daunting for a nongame, although the pricing isn't completely unexpected -- after all, the UK and European prices equate to about the same.
Does that make it okay, though? We suspect the answer to that is a resounding "no."
Surprise! Australia is going to have to wait for a game! Nintendo just announced that Aussies will be getting Mario Kart Wii on April 24th, around two weeks after Japan (April 10th) and Europe (April 11th).
Still, two weeks is nothing to get too uptight about. A fortnight isn't a Radiant Dawn-esque delay, and the U.S. is still waiting on confirmation. Mind you, it also equates to around 37,000 laps on Delfino Square, so good luck catching us European folk up online!
Just the one game on today's update, though that doesn't mean your Wii points will have it easy. Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards has become the twelfth Nintendo 64 game on the European and Aussie Virtual Consoles, and as such comes in at 1000 Wii points. It's not the lengthiest of titles, but it's still a worthy purchase.
We're so glad Sega Master System support came to the Virtual Console, because now Australian Wii owners are going to have a chance to play ... another Wonder Boy game! Even better -- it's another duplicate game, too! According to a new listing on the OFLC ratings page, the first Sega Master System game to appear on the Virtual Console in Australia will be the original Wonder Boy.
If you like Hudson's Adventure Island, chances are quite good you'll like Wonder Boy -- because Adventure Island is the exact same game with a different character. It's great that Master System games are coming out in regions other than Japan, but do we really need another conduit for duplicateWonder Boy games? Really, we like the idea of releasing all kinds of variants and permutations, but let's get more original games out first.
An immensely pleasing sight greeted our bleary eyes when we inspected the PAL Virtual Console this morning -- the revival of last September's 
