Nintendo Wii Fanboy

As you've probably surmised from the hypnotic image already changing your life, more Cho Aniki is now available on the Japanese Virtual Console. Ai Cho Aniki is when the series really took off, when original, non-awesome protagonists Idaten and Benten took off and allowed the muscular Adon and Samson to take center stage.

Significantly less mantastic are this week's other games: Metal Slader Glory, a text adventure from HAL, Party Quiz Mega Q, which is ... you know, a quiz game, and another Street Fighter II game. Guess which of those three we'll get first? Hint: it's the one you've already had two chances to buy on the VC.

• Metal Slader Glory (Famicom, 1 player, 600 Wii Points)
• Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers (Super Famicom, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)
• Party Quiz Mega Q (Mega Drive, 1-5 players, 600 Wii Points)
• Ai Cho Aniki (PC Engine Super CD-ROM, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)

Nintendo of Japan just completely outclassed the meager offerings we got on the VC yesterday, even if we did get an import game. It was not a fair fight. Most significantly, our favorite NES game the best NES game is available for download in Japan today.

As we read the title, we tried to temper our excitement, afraid that we'd make an assumption out of the Downtown Nekketsu part and miss that it was actually Downtown Nekketsu Koshinkyoku: Soreyuke Daiundokai (otherwise known as the predecessor to Crash 'n the Boys Street Challenge, otherwise known as not a big deal). But we saw that the word Monogatari was in fact there, and we desperately searched for someone to high-five. It's River City Ransom! On the Virtual Console! It's only a matter of time until we're throwing garbage cans at Generic Dudes in the U.S.

Just as we were starting to catch our breath and regain feeling in our extremities, we read down the list and found Cho Aniki! Dare we even dream of such a wealth of awesome on our on VC? Probably not, but we're kind of happy just being reminded that it exists.

Japan gets wall-to-wall awesome this month on the Virtual Console. In total, twenty games are scheduled for release, including some really good ones. The first PC Engine CD games are on the list, including Ys I & II and the extraordinarily manly shooter Cho Aniki. Three Neo Geo games make their appearance, as well-- including Samurai Shodown. The classic Treasure game Alien Soldier will be available for download.

But by far the best news for October is a little Famicom game by the name of Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari, known in the U.S. as River City Ransom. Simply put, this is one of the best games ever made, and our lives are improved just by thinking about it. River City Ransom could be available on our own Virtual Console soon; what a lovely thought. What a beautiful world!

Nintendo's site lists the publisher as Arc System Works; it would appear that, since ASW is also publishing the DS Super Dodge Ball game, they now own the Kunio license.

[Via Game|Life; image from I Am 8-Bit artist Plamo]