Now this is an old one. How many of you can remember this classic ad, utilizing the "SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY!" voiceover guy? Did you know that the karts found in Mario Kart have two speeds? Fast and WAY TOO FAST! Ah, classic commercials, it doesn't get much better than that.
Each week, our Friday Video segment takes a look at the gaming landscape online and brings forth an interesting video that (hopefully) gets the dialog started. Past entries have included a look at Mario on the PS2 (what?) and some of Nintendo's other marketing attempts.
As part of GamesRadar's Mega Man retrospective, created to celebrate the announcement of Mega Man 9, the site obtained a gigantic archive of Mega Man artwork from Capcom. From Mega Man through Mega Man 8, every Robot Monster is portrayed, as are most of the weapons Mega Man obtains from them. Through these artworks, you can follow the Blue Bomber's evolution from pudgy, stumpy robo-boy to jarringly muscular, stumpy robo-boy to, uh, less pudgy. You can also see how much the Robot Masters have changed over the years, from Fire Man to Heat Man to Napalm Man to Flame Man.
MESSAGE FROM DR. LIGHT! These would be totally excellent as wallpapers. Get equipped with adequate hard drive space!
We've featured Lego-constructed Wiis before, but let's be honest -- making a big block out of smaller blocks isn't impressing anyone. This brick-built Super Famicom/SNES (PAL) from Lego Guy, however has a few curves to it, and even accompanying controllers and a cartridge!
As you'll see past the post break, he has also fashioned himself a miniature Robotic Operating Buddy. On the topic of Legos, if you haven't checked it out yet, make sure to watch the Slide-Action Lego Crossbow Pistol video we've also embedded!
Do you crave awesome, quite rare SNES games? Do you wish you could buy said games without feeling guilty about coughing up the kind of money that would go a long way on the Virtual Console? Then we have a solution, dear reader -- head over to one of the two auctions we've linked below and bid away on whichever takes your fancy.
The first lot consists of Square duo Chrono Trigger and Secret of Mana auction (current price: $68), while the second consists of Super Mario RPG and Super Mario All-Stars (currently at $57). Even though they lack boxes, all four are quality games, and will serve a worthy cause -- every cent spent will go to Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana-West, a non-profit provider of training, career services, and education for people with disadvantages, including homelessness, lack of education, and physical, mental and emotional disabilities.
Go on, do it! It'll make you feel all fuzzy inside, and may even assuage the guilt of the thousands you wasted on Stadium Events. But probably not.
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.
In case you were wondering what all the fuss is about, the first footage of Super Mario RPG on the Virtual Console has surfaced. It's a rather speedy video showing bits and pieces of the acclaimed RPG, and it should be just enough to get fans excited and newcomers intrigued.
Japanese gamers are already enjoying the classic title once again, but it might be a while before it becomes available in North America. It should come out eventually -- it's been rated for Australia, and the original SNES game was never even released there in the first place!
Hey, you know what game should be on the Virtual Console? Rock 'N Roll Racing! This blogger can't tell you the amount of time he spent on that game. It's one of the most under-appreciated gems on the SNES. Now, through this eBay auction, a little piece of the game's history is up for grabs. The pictured art covers all of the characters in the game, done by game artist G C Almond.
With Rock 'N Roll Racing on the brain, we're wondering why the game hasn't been released to the Virtual Console yet. Actually, why hasn't it been a spotlight of Virtually Overlooked? We've got too many questions that need answering!
Collectors with deep pockets, take note: Nintendo of Canada is selling a great deal of sealed Nintendo titles. No, they're not broke, it's all in the name of charity! That makes us all warm and fuzzy inside.
The total goodies available are:
70 NES games over 4 lots
169 SNES games over 13 lots
182 GameBoy games over 7 lots
There isn't much time for you to get in on this, either. All of the auctions close on June 5th, so if you're interested, get to pouncing.
There's a certain feeling of envy emanating from non-Japanese Wii owners right about now, because the big release on Japan's Virtual Console calendar in June is not to be sneezed at. Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars is known to some intellectually superior gamers as one of the greatest SNES games ever made, and a catalyst for the entire range of righteous Mario titles we enjoy today -- Super Paper Mario, Mario & Luigi, and many others.
Kudos, Japan. While we may be disappointed, it gives us a bright shiny ray of hope that maybe, just maybe, we'll be rocking out with this classic sometime in the future. However, Nintendo are tacking on an extra 100 Wii Points to the price tag, making the download a still-reasonable nine bucks. There's an extra dollar that will be lost forever, never to be spent on that bus fare to Grandma's house.
Check in after the break for the full list of Japan's June Virtual Console releases.
With Wii Fit (and, thus, the Balance Board) hitting stores recently, we figured a nostalgic stroll down memory lane would be nice. So, what we've done is compiled a list of all the peripherals that helped pave the way for the Balance Board, Nintendo's latest peripheral. So, let's not waste any time and get down to business. To start your journey, just click on the red text in the bottom right-hand corner there.
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?
Inspired by the profile of the insane EarthBound fan community Starmen.net, we thought we would ask our audience directly: Are you an EarthBound fan? If so, how did you come by your fandom? Did you get the SNES game at launch? Maybe you discovered the game later? Or did the constant Mother series evangelism on the Internet (including the work of Starmen) turn your eye toward the series?
Of course, there's also the (very likely) possibility that Ness's appearance in the Super Smash Bros. series ignited your fandom. That works too, as does love for Dragon Quest's gameplay.
We hope you have a fresh pair of underwear on, because you're about to suffer a heart attack: Earthbound has been rated by the ESRB for Wii. That pain in your chest? That's your heart exploding. Welcome the sensation. It's a sign of victory!
Now that the game has been rated by the ESRB, it's likely to show up on the Virtual Console sometime in the immediate future. We'll settle for no less than this Monday, but in all probability, we won't be that lucky. Stay tuned to Wii Fanboy in the coming weeks for an announcement on when you can spend your money on this Virtual Console game.
It's the little things in life. Like the simple design that focuses on the color scheme of the SNES above, as well as simple no-bull design of the unit overall. What we're not sure of is how using that d-pad is. This thing looks kind of thick, you know.
But, we have to say we dig the thing. We can see ourselves enjoying a game or two of some of our old favorites on this.
Thanks to its largely flat surface, the NES doubles up as an ideal canvas for those wishing to spruce up their consoles with a custom paint job. Of course, you also need artistic ability, which is where we fail hideously, and eBay user hellokitty11111111111 (yes) excels.
Well, "excels" most of the time, anyway. The quality of these mods does vary a little -- we're not big fans of the Kid Icarus design -- but we do absolutely love the Earthbound, Super Mario Bros. 3, and (highly topical) River City Ransom examples. Are they worth (up to) $149.99, though? At a stretch, we'd be tempted. There's more past the break, complete with auction links.
Each week, our Friday Video segment takes a look at the gaming landscape online and brings forth an interesting video that (hopefully) gets the dialog started. Past entries have included a look at Mario on the PS2 (what?) and some of Nintendo's other marketing attempts. 
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 
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