We've been wondering how Sega would handle the weird lock-on capabilities of Sonic & Knuckles on the Virtual Console. According to the PEGI ratings board, we'll soon find out: the Genesis Sonic 3 continuation has been rated for Virtual Console release. It showed up on the ESRB months ago, but a new rating suggests forward motion, maybe.
The cynical view of someone who has seen a VC game before dictates that the release will feature only the new levels available on the standalone cartridge, with no way to access the extra content made available by combining the Sonic & Knuckles cartridge with Sonics 2 and 3. But maybe Sega will surprise us!
Game sequels often suffer from a reputation of being weaker than their predecessors, but that hasn't stopped Nintendo whacking a whole pile of them on the PAL Virtual Console this week. The M-rated Splatterhouse 2 leads the charge, bloodied lead pipe in hand, and is joined by Samurai Shodown II, Pitstop II, and Ecco Jr. (okay, so that's not a sequel in the strictest sense of the term, but a spin-off for the kids). Here's what that little lot will cost you:
Ecco Jr. -- Mega Drive -- 800 Wii Points
Splatterhouse 2 -- Mega Drive -- 800 Wii Points
Samurai Shodown II -- Neo Geo -- 900 Wii Points
Pitstop II -- Commodore 64 -- 500 Wii Points *
* As usual, Australia misses out on the Commodore 64 game.
Footage of all four is past the break -- try listening to six minutes of Pitstop II's engine effects without going insane.
Oh, how good it feels to be back. After a brief hiatus (and slight tweak), VC Monday Madness is back and ready for action. Waste no time and get into the video above, then head past the break for even more.
The latest set of ESRB rating updates features two upcoming Virtual Console games, one of which is just kind of awkward. Namco's Splatterhouse 2 is making the journey from Japan, which is great news for people who like hitting things with a 2x4. The other game is also for a Sega console: Sonic the Hedgehog.
Perhaps puzzled by how to identify the Master System version of Sonic the Hedgehog in their rating submission, since the two games are now both Wii games, Sega decided to put it right there in the title: Sonic the Hedgehog on the Master System. It would be hilarious if this ended up being the final title for the game on the Virtual Console, but we doubt that will happen.
After all of the fun to be had at E3, it's time to get back to business as usual. Nintendo knows this, which is why the Virtual Console and WiiWare have both updated this week. So, let's get to the details already!
I know what you're thinking upon seeing Aerobiz Supersonic as the chosen title for Virtually Overlooked. While some of you dapper readers might have played the game and can't wait to read and reminisce, most of you (if you've noticed the byline) are probably hoping for JC's swift return to the column next week.
Before you pass this over in indifference, though, you should keep in mind that not only is this classic being "virtually overlooked" by Nintendo, but by virtually everyone else as well.
Maybe "monstrous" is overdoing it, but after last week's no-show for the Virtual Console, we're back to five games for this Friday's PAL region VC update. Hurrah! These range from forgettable spin-offs (Pac-Attack -- the first SNES title we've seen in over three months, bizarrely) to a Commodore 64 fan favorite (Cybernoid) to SNK's excellent King of the Monsters, which probably hasn't beenbettered in the monsters-breaking-stuff genre since its release.
Super Fantasy Zone -- Mega Drive -- 800 Wii Points
Pac-Attack -- SNES -- 800 Wii Points
Summer Games 2 -- Commodore 64 -- 500 Wii Points
Cybernoid -- Commodore 64 -- 500 Wii Points
King of the Monsters -- Neo Geo -- 900 Wii Points
We have some videos featuring some of the above for you, but you'll have to smash the break down with your giant monster limbs to access them.
With the latest Indiana Jones film thrilling and disappointing audiences in theaters right now. In true Virtually Overlooked style, we have decided to celebrate this release (which was pretty great in the popcorn-movie sense) by ignoring all the Indiana Jones games that have been put out over the years and look at a Japanese-developed game that takes its inspiration from the series.
This current Hanabi Festival is proving a treat for shmup fans. Of the ten games released so far under the Hanabi banner, half have been shooters, including the two released today, Japan-only pair Star Parodier (in which you can use Bomberman or a giant PC Engine as a ship!) and Gley Lancer. They're joined this VC Friday by Digital Champ Battle Boxing.
Oh, and fun fact: the name Gley Lancer was (allegedly) supposed to be "Grey Lancer," but ended up as Gley Lancer due to a pronunciation error (the Japanese language can't tell the difference between the English "r" and "l" sounds). Either that, or we've just been duped into believing a rather racist joke.
Gley Lancer -- Mega Drive -- 900 Wii Points
Star Parodier -- TurboGrafx-16 -- 900 Wii Points
Digital Champ Battle Boxing -- TurboGrafx-16 -- 700 Wii Points
The appeal of the Virtual Console is obvious: nostalgia. The VC is jam-packed with memories from yesteryear, spilling over with wonderful software that defined our childhoods. But it isn't all lollipops and puppy dogs. Nostalgia can also be very misleading, and some of those packets of data you download from Nintendo's service can end up souring childhood memories.
Personally speaking -- and this will probably sound like heresy in some quarters, so brace yourselves -- I was left disappointed by Mega Man 2, a game I adored as an eleven-year-old, but one that now seems slightly dated, with its repeated leaps of faith and enemies that like to spawn directly beneath you. On the other hand, a game such as Super Mario Bros. 3still feels like a breath of fresh air, almost two decades after it was released.
Thinking about this some more, we have three questions for you. One: which Virtual Console games don't hold the same magic for you as they once did? Two: have any titles aged better than you suspected they would? And three: have you ever held off from downloading a certain game, concerned that it may ruin one of those precious childhood memories?
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!
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!]
Groovy! One of the most-requested Virtual Console games is now officially on the way, thanks to Interplay. And it's bringing friends! Earthworm Jim, Shiny's platform/shooting adventure about a worm in a space suit, will be released on the Virtual Console "later this year," joined by its sequel, as well as the Claymation SF2-alike Clayfighter(developed by Visual Concepts) and Boogerman (full title: Boogerman: A Pick and Flick Adventure).
According to Gamasutra, these will be the Genesis versions of the games, which means that Earthworm Jim will include the extra "Intestinal Distress" level that was exclusive to that version.
Hey, Interplay had the rights to Out of this World at some point. Maybe they still do!
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.
You might have noticed a bit of a change to our video coverage of this week's Virtual Console games. You see, no more are we confined to off-screen recording of the Virtual Console releases. That's right, we've upgraded to technology widely available since 2004. We're so modern!
Hit up the new video format above and then head past the break for the rest of our usual goodness.
We've been wondering how Sega would handle the weird lock-on capabilities of Sonic & Knuckles on the Virtual Console. According to the PEGI ratings board, we'll soon find out: the Genesis Sonic 3 continuation has been rated for Virtual Console release. It showed up on the ESRB months ago, but a new rating suggests forward motion, maybe.
I know what you're thinking upon seeing 
Maybe "monstrous" is overdoing it, but after last week's no-show for the Virtual Console, we're back to five games for this Friday's PAL region VC update. Hurrah! These range from forgettable spin-offs (Pac-Attack -- the first SNES title we've seen in over three months, bizarrely) to a Commodore 64 fan favorite (Cybernoid) to SNK's excellent King of the Monsters, which probably 
The appeal of the 
An immensely pleasing sight greeted our bleary eyes when we inspected the PAL Virtual Console this morning -- the revival of last September's 
