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: 1992
Developer: Konami
Console: SNES
Players: 1-2
Save: battery
Virtual Console Likelihood: 3 / 5
Konami has this really fun character that's fairly popular in Japan, but has not seen western shores enough so far. His name is Goemon, but in the North American release of Mystical Ninja, they renamed him Kid Ying. He's a thief, albeit a noble one, and he lives in a version of ancient Japan where all the myths and legends about monsters, cats, and raccoons are true. This makes for some whirlwind adventures with his lazy cohort Dr. Yang, or in Japan, Ebisumaru. These guys travel all over Japan saving the day one plate of sushi at a time. As with most anime characters, they eat a lot because they are men. And like most anime characters, they have odd-coloured hair, mostly blue.
The game is a Zelda-like RPG that can be played with a friend as Yang. Walking around areas using various weapons like bamboo sticks, yo-yos, and their own ninja/judo skills. Each area is generally made up of two stages. In the first stage, players wander around the town or other area, going into houses, talking to people, and playing really fun mini-games. You can buy items and learn new abilities in these areas if you know where to look. After exploring, find the door or walkway to the next stage, which is a side-scrolling 'action-platformer' (there's that term again...) stage. In two-player co-op, you can use a piggyback ability. The character carrying the other player controls movement and jumping, while the character riding the other player can concentrate on attacking. It's especially useful if one player sucks at jumping long gaps and needs to get across one. After this stage is the area boss, and after that the dynamic duo can continue on their quest to, ahem... save the princess! A wonderfully unique plot indeed.
Released: 1998
Developer: Nintendo
Console: N64
Players: 1
Save: battery
VCL: 3/5
Now, this is just a personal guilty pleasure. With the Wii controller, this game would be a... snap. Sorry for that one. Anyway, this game lets you on-rails-FPS your way through Pokemon Island, taking pictures of Pokemon in interesting poses. Professor Oak, the lovable guy that he is, grades your photos and awards you points for them, which can be used to unlock new areas of the island. Throwing things at Pokemon like food and explosives (that's right, explosives), or playing music, causes them and the world around them to react in unique and interesting ways.
Now, if you're not a fan of Pokemon, or just not a fan of taking pictures of them, well then I suggest you give this one a pass. For the rest of us, Pokemon Snap is a great game while it lasts. After you get a snapshot of all the Pokemon in the game (around 60 or so), there's not much left to do except compete for a high score. Even that, though is enough to last a while. The Pokemon can get into some funny situations, and even after the game is complete, it's fun to jump back in every few weeks to visit the island. For those reasons, I hope the game shows up on Virtual Console.
#18 (Third Party) - The Legend of the Mystical Ninja
Released: 1992
Developer: Konami
Console: SNES
Players: 1-2
Save: battery
Virtual Console Likelihood: 3 / 5
Konami has this really fun character that's fairly popular in Japan, but has not seen western shores enough so far. His name is Goemon, but in the North American release of Mystical Ninja, they renamed him Kid Ying. He's a thief, albeit a noble one, and he lives in a version of ancient Japan where all the myths and legends about monsters, cats, and raccoons are true. This makes for some whirlwind adventures with his lazy cohort Dr. Yang, or in Japan, Ebisumaru. These guys travel all over Japan saving the day one plate of sushi at a time. As with most anime characters, they eat a lot because they are men. And like most anime characters, they have odd-coloured hair, mostly blue.
The game is a Zelda-like RPG that can be played with a friend as Yang. Walking around areas using various weapons like bamboo sticks, yo-yos, and their own ninja/judo skills. Each area is generally made up of two stages. In the first stage, players wander around the town or other area, going into houses, talking to people, and playing really fun mini-games. You can buy items and learn new abilities in these areas if you know where to look. After exploring, find the door or walkway to the next stage, which is a side-scrolling 'action-platformer' (there's that term again...) stage. In two-player co-op, you can use a piggyback ability. The character carrying the other player controls movement and jumping, while the character riding the other player can concentrate on attacking. It's especially useful if one player sucks at jumping long gaps and needs to get across one. After this stage is the area boss, and after that the dynamic duo can continue on their quest to, ahem... save the princess! A wonderfully unique plot indeed.
#18 (Nintendo) - Pokemon Snap
Released: 1998
Developer: Nintendo
Console: N64
Players: 1
Save: battery
VCL: 3/5
Now, this is just a personal guilty pleasure. With the Wii controller, this game would be a... snap. Sorry for that one. Anyway, this game lets you on-rails-FPS your way through Pokemon Island, taking pictures of Pokemon in interesting poses. Professor Oak, the lovable guy that he is, grades your photos and awards you points for them, which can be used to unlock new areas of the island. Throwing things at Pokemon like food and explosives (that's right, explosives), or playing music, causes them and the world around them to react in unique and interesting ways.
Now, if you're not a fan of Pokemon, or just not a fan of taking pictures of them, well then I suggest you give this one a pass. For the rest of us, Pokemon Snap is a great game while it lasts. After you get a snapshot of all the Pokemon in the game (around 60 or so), there's not much left to do except compete for a high score. Even that, though is enough to last a while. The Pokemon can get into some funny situations, and even after the game is complete, it's fun to jump back in every few weeks to visit the island. For those reasons, I hope the game shows up on Virtual Console.