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: March 1999
Developer: Paradigm / EA
Console: N64
Players: 1-4
Save: N64 Controller Pak
Virtual Console Likelihood: 1 / 5
Beetle Adventure Racing was an N64 exclusive from EA, in which all the cars are Volkswagen New Beetles, which had just been released onto the consumer auto market the year before. The game is fast, fun, and yes — even furious. Although it only had six tracks, these tracks were huge, taking advantage of the N64's graphical capabilities like few other games could. Draw distances especially were impressive for the time. But it's not the graphics that make this game great, it's really the feel of the cars themselves. Obviously, they don't handle like real Beetles, as the game was originally intended to be a Need For Speed title. Realism is thrown out in favour of fun tracks including UFOs, ice caverns, dinosaurs, ghosts, and all sorts of crazy terrain. This game obviously felt and played more like an entry in Midway's Cruisin' series or San Francisco Rush, but the soundtrack and multiplayer, as well as the Beetles themselves, gave this gem a great personality all its own.
A great feature of the game was the shortcuts in each track. Many different paths to the finish were available, and even using the best ones it still takes five to seven minutes to complete the tracks. The first track, Coventry Cove, feels like a nice drive through beautiful English countryside, including a tour of Stonehenge and a castle. The unpredictable Mount Mayhem throws ski jumps and alien spaceships into the mix. After all that the poor Beetle drivers are bombarded with a volcano, a pyramid, burning buildings, and a gold mine in subsequent levels. It gets chaotic in both single and multiplayer, and doesn't let up until every last inch of the tracks have been explored. Some secrets even involve stopping and waiting at certain structures, or driving backwards through the track!
I'm really hoping I get another chance to have a go at this game, and hopefully EA joins up with Nintendo to put games like these onto Virtual Console. If they feel really nice, some online multiplayer and Wii-mote support would be great too! Pretty please, EA?
Released: 1993
Developer: Nintendo
Console: SNES
Players: 1-2
Save: Battery Save (One File)
VCL: 4 / 5
When I heard about the Wii remote, one game came to mind. A game I owned for the SNES, and which was the first game as far as I can recall that changed Princess Toadstool to Princess Peach in North America. That game is Yoshi's Safari.
The premiere title released by Nintendo that required the Super Scope (the Super Nintendo light gun peripheral) to play, Yoshi's Safari is an on-rails shooter in which you take the role of Mario in a first-person perspective. You, as Mario, ride Yoshi through 12 levels of shooting Goombas, Koopas, and Spinies in a quest to save Princess Peach and Prince Plum from Bowser, and return the stolen magic gems to Jewelery Land. Throughout the game, where you aim is very important, because not only can enemies hit you if they get too close, but branching paths can open if you hit doors, and most amusingly, if you hit the back of Yoshi's head you'll lose health and Yoshi gives you a ticked off look.
This was the last game until Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga to include the Koopa Kids, Bowser's seven children. In this game, they're all piloting giant mech combat suits, which makes it even more fun to fire at them with a bazooka. Bosses also include giant versions of enemies like Magikoopa, Big Boo, and Hammer Bros. each with their own attacks and weak points. The Super Scope included a rapid fire mode, allowing you to hold the fire button until your rapid fire meter depletes. Fire Flowers extend your rapid fire meter, and Mushrooms extend your health. These and other pickups can be recieved from Question Mark boxes and enemies.
While the game is primarily one player, a SNES controller can be plugged in as well, allowing a second person to control Yoshi. This allows Yoshi to strafe left and right to avoid enemies, and the second player also controls jumping. In single player, jumping can be performed with the Super Scope, but you can't strafe. Platforming actually is fairly important throughout the levels, as there are many ground obsticles to leap over using well-timed jump pads. These controls would be perfect for the Wii remote, so I'm hoping if Nintendo puts it up on Virtual Console, the first player can use a Wii-mote and perhaps the second player can be using a nunchuck.
#29 (Third Party) - Beetle Adventure Racing
Developer: Paradigm / EA
Console: N64
Players: 1-4
Save: N64 Controller Pak
Virtual Console Likelihood: 1 / 5
Beetle Adventure Racing was an N64 exclusive from EA, in which all the cars are Volkswagen New Beetles, which had just been released onto the consumer auto market the year before. The game is fast, fun, and yes — even furious. Although it only had six tracks, these tracks were huge, taking advantage of the N64's graphical capabilities like few other games could. Draw distances especially were impressive for the time. But it's not the graphics that make this game great, it's really the feel of the cars themselves. Obviously, they don't handle like real Beetles, as the game was originally intended to be a Need For Speed title. Realism is thrown out in favour of fun tracks including UFOs, ice caverns, dinosaurs, ghosts, and all sorts of crazy terrain. This game obviously felt and played more like an entry in Midway's Cruisin' series or San Francisco Rush, but the soundtrack and multiplayer, as well as the Beetles themselves, gave this gem a great personality all its own.
A great feature of the game was the shortcuts in each track. Many different paths to the finish were available, and even using the best ones it still takes five to seven minutes to complete the tracks. The first track, Coventry Cove, feels like a nice drive through beautiful English countryside, including a tour of Stonehenge and a castle. The unpredictable Mount Mayhem throws ski jumps and alien spaceships into the mix. After all that the poor Beetle drivers are bombarded with a volcano, a pyramid, burning buildings, and a gold mine in subsequent levels. It gets chaotic in both single and multiplayer, and doesn't let up until every last inch of the tracks have been explored. Some secrets even involve stopping and waiting at certain structures, or driving backwards through the track!
I'm really hoping I get another chance to have a go at this game, and hopefully EA joins up with Nintendo to put games like these onto Virtual Console. If they feel really nice, some online multiplayer and Wii-mote support would be great too! Pretty please, EA?
#29 (Nintendo) - Yoshi's Safari
Developer: Nintendo
Console: SNES
Players: 1-2
Save: Battery Save (One File)
VCL: 4 / 5
When I heard about the Wii remote, one game came to mind. A game I owned for the SNES, and which was the first game as far as I can recall that changed Princess Toadstool to Princess Peach in North America. That game is Yoshi's Safari.
The premiere title released by Nintendo that required the Super Scope (the Super Nintendo light gun peripheral) to play, Yoshi's Safari is an on-rails shooter in which you take the role of Mario in a first-person perspective. You, as Mario, ride Yoshi through 12 levels of shooting Goombas, Koopas, and Spinies in a quest to save Princess Peach and Prince Plum from Bowser, and return the stolen magic gems to Jewelery Land. Throughout the game, where you aim is very important, because not only can enemies hit you if they get too close, but branching paths can open if you hit doors, and most amusingly, if you hit the back of Yoshi's head you'll lose health and Yoshi gives you a ticked off look.
This was the last game until Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga to include the Koopa Kids, Bowser's seven children. In this game, they're all piloting giant mech combat suits, which makes it even more fun to fire at them with a bazooka. Bosses also include giant versions of enemies like Magikoopa, Big Boo, and Hammer Bros. each with their own attacks and weak points. The Super Scope included a rapid fire mode, allowing you to hold the fire button until your rapid fire meter depletes. Fire Flowers extend your rapid fire meter, and Mushrooms extend your health. These and other pickups can be recieved from Question Mark boxes and enemies.
While the game is primarily one player, a SNES controller can be plugged in as well, allowing a second person to control Yoshi. This allows Yoshi to strafe left and right to avoid enemies, and the second player also controls jumping. In single player, jumping can be performed with the Super Scope, but you can't strafe. Platforming actually is fairly important throughout the levels, as there are many ground obsticles to leap over using well-timed jump pads. These controls would be perfect for the Wii remote, so I'm hoping if Nintendo puts it up on Virtual Console, the first player can use a Wii-mote and perhaps the second player can be using a nunchuck.