We're counting down to the Wii's launch with a daily look at what retro games we'd like to see on the Virtual Console. Each also features a Virtual Console Likelihood rating. A rating of 5 means the game has officially been announced for the service. Click here for an archive of previous days, or keep on reading below!
Released: 1988
Developer: Sunsoft
Console: NES
Players: 1
Save: none
Virtual Console Likelihood: 2 / 5
Blaster Master is one of those classics that will always be remembered on the NES, and I'll also remember it for the rhyming title! It's one part Mega Man, one part Metroid, and a bit of Zelda in there too. You control a tank named Sophia that can shoot lasers in the sidescrolling areas. Let me explain that one. You're Jason Frudnick, a boy who loves his frog. I know, I know, I'm supposed to be explaining the tank named Sophia, but bear with me. See, Jason has a pet frog whom he lost in a cave. The frog ran into the cave after being exposed to radiation. It's in this cave that Jason finds SOPHIA, the "Subatomic Omni-directional Probative Hyper-responsive Indomitable Abdicator". Beating bosses in the cave allows Jason to use their weapons as upgrades to the tank, and backtracking to previous levels to gain new abilities.
You can also have Jason leave the tank to explore on foot. Some areas can only be accessed like this, although Jason is obviously weaker outside Sophia. In these areas, exploration is done with an overhead perspective, and Jason can use his gun and grenades to defend himself. Jason's gun is also upgradable with the right hidden pickups. It's a pretty hard game, but well worth every minute of sleep missed. I haven't heard much about Sunsoft's games coming to Virtual Console, but more seem to be revealed every day, so it can't hurt to give this one a recommendation, and hope for the best.
Released: 2000
Developer: HAL/Nintendo
Console: N64
Players: 1 (Up to four players can play the minigames)
Save: battery
VCL: 4/5
While many Kirby games from the SNES are already coming to Virtual Console, not much has been said about Kirby 64. If you haven't played any Kirby games, they work like a normal platformer, except that Kirby can fly indefinitely at will by sucking air into himself, and Kirby can inhale enemies to steal their powers. If you've played Smash Brothers, you know the drill. It's definitely my favorite Kirby game of all, because of the ability to suck up multiple enemies at once, combining them for up to 34 possible powers. Everyone's got their favorite - mine's the double-bladed light saber, because Darth Kirby is badass. The worlds are pretty, and while it's a 2D sidescroller by nature, it uses the power of the N64 to fill each world with 3D obstacles to overcome.
The plot is pretty good as far as Kirby plots go. A magical crystal on the planet Ripple Star is the target of an evil plot by Dark Matter, an old foe of Kirby's. Dark Matter and his controller 0 (yes thats a zero) come to the planet to steal the crystal, but find that as they approached, the fairies on the planet sent one of their own, a fairy named Ribbon, away with the crystal to protect it. Dark Matter sends pieces of himself to grab Ribbon, and in the process, the crystal is shattered into 100 pieces and scattered across the galaxy. Two of these pieces, as well as Ribbon, land on the planet Pop Star, and on Kirby in particular. Kirby and Ribbon meet and decide to... (suspense!) ...collect the crystal shards and stop the forces of evil! Over 20 fairly long stages and multiplayer minigames keep this game from getting old, in addition to the artificial lengthening of the game if you try to collect all the shards, try out all the powers, and collect all the bonus cards.
#17 (Third Party) - Blaster Master
Released: 1988
Developer: Sunsoft
Console: NES
Players: 1
Save: none
Virtual Console Likelihood: 2 / 5
Blaster Master is one of those classics that will always be remembered on the NES, and I'll also remember it for the rhyming title! It's one part Mega Man, one part Metroid, and a bit of Zelda in there too. You control a tank named Sophia that can shoot lasers in the sidescrolling areas. Let me explain that one. You're Jason Frudnick, a boy who loves his frog. I know, I know, I'm supposed to be explaining the tank named Sophia, but bear with me. See, Jason has a pet frog whom he lost in a cave. The frog ran into the cave after being exposed to radiation. It's in this cave that Jason finds SOPHIA, the "Subatomic Omni-directional Probative Hyper-responsive Indomitable Abdicator". Beating bosses in the cave allows Jason to use their weapons as upgrades to the tank, and backtracking to previous levels to gain new abilities.
You can also have Jason leave the tank to explore on foot. Some areas can only be accessed like this, although Jason is obviously weaker outside Sophia. In these areas, exploration is done with an overhead perspective, and Jason can use his gun and grenades to defend himself. Jason's gun is also upgradable with the right hidden pickups. It's a pretty hard game, but well worth every minute of sleep missed. I haven't heard much about Sunsoft's games coming to Virtual Console, but more seem to be revealed every day, so it can't hurt to give this one a recommendation, and hope for the best.
#17 (Nintendo) - Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
Released: 2000
Developer: HAL/Nintendo
Console: N64
Players: 1 (Up to four players can play the minigames)
Save: battery
VCL: 4/5
While many Kirby games from the SNES are already coming to Virtual Console, not much has been said about Kirby 64. If you haven't played any Kirby games, they work like a normal platformer, except that Kirby can fly indefinitely at will by sucking air into himself, and Kirby can inhale enemies to steal their powers. If you've played Smash Brothers, you know the drill. It's definitely my favorite Kirby game of all, because of the ability to suck up multiple enemies at once, combining them for up to 34 possible powers. Everyone's got their favorite - mine's the double-bladed light saber, because Darth Kirby is badass. The worlds are pretty, and while it's a 2D sidescroller by nature, it uses the power of the N64 to fill each world with 3D obstacles to overcome.
The plot is pretty good as far as Kirby plots go. A magical crystal on the planet Ripple Star is the target of an evil plot by Dark Matter, an old foe of Kirby's. Dark Matter and his controller 0 (yes thats a zero) come to the planet to steal the crystal, but find that as they approached, the fairies on the planet sent one of their own, a fairy named Ribbon, away with the crystal to protect it. Dark Matter sends pieces of himself to grab Ribbon, and in the process, the crystal is shattered into 100 pieces and scattered across the galaxy. Two of these pieces, as well as Ribbon, land on the planet Pop Star, and on Kirby in particular. Kirby and Ribbon meet and decide to... (suspense!) ...collect the crystal shards and stop the forces of evil! Over 20 fairly long stages and multiplayer minigames keep this game from getting old, in addition to the artificial lengthening of the game if you try to collect all the shards, try out all the powers, and collect all the bonus cards.