Zelda: Oracle of Ages, Oracle of Seasons to hit 3DS eShop in Japan [update: Western release confirmed!] originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 21 Feb 2013 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Bruiser and Scratch (Steel Penny Games, Inc., 1 player, 1,000 Wii Points): Bruiser and Scratch is a game about a dog and a cat who solve mysteries together. In addition to its irrefutably ridiculous premise (a dog and a cat working together?), B&S also features the above image, which is literally a screenshot from the game.
• Hockey Allstar Shootout (Big Blue Bubble Inc., 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points): You can't trust two-thirds of this game's title: This isn't actually a hockey game -- just a collection of player vs. goalie encounters -- and there are no allstars. So, with the WiiWare press release apparently penned by an unreliable narrarator, we're left with more questions than answers. Are there actual shootouts? Is it really 500 points? There's really no way to tell at this point.

• Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (Sega Master System, 1 player, 500 Wii Points): Yeah, we know, we could have sworn this was already on Virtual Console too. [Update: Oh, that's right: It totally was. Update 2: Yes, we know they're different games. We just wanted everyone to know they're not hallucinating.]
  

Wii Post: Bruiser and Scratch, Sonic, Hockey Allstar Shootout originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 08 Dec 2008 09:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Earthworm Jim swings onto Virtual Console originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 27 Oct 2008 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This week marks the release of the highly anticipated Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia. Poised to be more than the usual Metroidvania-romp, Ecclesia's glyph system coupled with great diversity in environments and level layout (we're apparently not stuck inside the castle anymore) has all of us whip-enthusiasts drooling with anticipation. To be honest, Konami could slap the word "Castlevania" on a box of assorted animal feces and we'd still pre-order. Here's the part where I'm supposed take a cheap shot at Castlevania Judgment, but admit it: no matter how many times we all spit on the brawler, we never seem to stop checking out movies or screenshots. Castlevania has us whipped; pardon the hideous pun.

Assuming I haven't lost all credibility after the Mega Man list, here's another stab at ranking the best of a legendary franchise. Unlike most other Top 5's, this list is not necessarily Nintendo-specific. Take a gander, and try to pretend that you don't know what number one is.

The Top 5 is a weekly feature that provides us with a forum to share our opinions on various aspects of the video game culture, and provides you with a forum to tell us how wrong we are. To further voice your opinions, submit a vote in the Wii Fanboy Poll, and take part in the daily discussions of Wii Warm Up.

Top 5: Castlevania Games originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 20 Oct 2008 14:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Super Dodge Ball (NES, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points): Without adding too much innuendo, the gameplay is pretty self-explanatory. You dodge balls.
• Vectorman (Sega Genesis, 1 player, 800 Wii Points): While he never became as popular as Mega Man, this robot fought without a torso, and best of all, could shoot upwards.
  

Vectorman dodges balls on Virtual Console today originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 22 Sep 2008 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Mega Man 2 (NES, 1 player, 500 Wii Points): Capcom's diminutive Blue Bomber returns alongside an assortment of vehicles and weapons in order to battle the likes of an anthropomorphic Zippo lighter, no doubt in an effort to get back into shape for his upcoming ninth attempt at putting Dr. Wily in his place.

Mega Man 2 jumps onto Virtual Console platform originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 15 Sep 2008 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Samurai Shodown 2 (Neo Geo, 1-2 players, 900 Wii Points): SNK's 1994 follow up to Samurai Shodown finally slices and dices its way onto the Virtual Console this week, bringing back most of the original's weapon-wielding cast, as well as several newcomers vying for the opportunity to skewer anything that moves with a pointy blade and sharp Engrish wit.
• Ys Book I & II (TurboGrafx 16 CD-ROM, 1 player, 800 Wii Points): Nihon Falcom's enhanced remakes of the first two titles in the Ys saga finally levels up for the US Virtual Console. Offering roguelike-style combat and music we still find ourselves humming at the dinner table, this is a download not to be missed by role-playing fans with eyes for the classics.
  

Virtual Console adds classic role-playing, tardy fighter originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 25 Aug 2008 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Mega Man (NES, 1 player, 500 Wii Points): With the Blue Bomber set to don pixelated pajamas next month, his freshman adventure marks this week's most noteworthy addition to the Wii's window into the past. Assuming you haven't bought the original Mega Man in one of Capcom's many other compilations, Guts Man and company are waiting ever so patiently for you to drop by.
• Neo Turf Masters (Neo Geo, 1-2 players, 900 Wii Points): This is 133 megs of hot golf action right here, straight from 1996 to your living room. You don't have even to admit to your friends that you like video game golf. We'll keep your dirty little secret.

Mega Man bombs Virtual Console, golf too originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Musicians have Vienna. Catholics have the Vatican. And gamers have Japan. While many significant contributions to the world of gaming have come from outside the Land of the Rising Sun, Japan is the unassailable fountainhead of modern video gaming. It's the birth and workplace of gaming giants such as Hideo Kojima, Shinji Mikami, Yuji Naka, and probably others. To say that Japan is a place that hardcore gamers need to check out is an understatement at best.

Recently, I took a week to visit my brother who teaches English at a Japanese university near Nagoya. Hundreds of thousands of words could be used to describe the wonderful food, the beautiful temples, and the unique culture of the country. But being a life-long gamer, I paid special attention to the distinct connection between the country and the gaming scene we all know and love. For the Top 5, I usually come up with a topic, then list the top five items for that topic in order. For this edition, it was truly difficult to narrow it down to only five. With that in mind, here's my best attempt at listing the Top 5 gaming elements of my time in Japan.

The Top 5 is a weekly feature that provides us with a forum to share our opinions on various aspects of the video game culture, and provides you with a forum to tell us how wrong we are. To further voice your opinions, check out What Are You Playing?, submit a vote in the Wii Fanboy Poll, and take part in the daily discussions of Wii Warm Up.

Top 5: Gaming in Japan originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Break In (TurboGrafx16, 1-4 players, 700 Wii Points): No, there's no fancy footwork here. Instead, Nintendo offers up this decidedly break dance-free game of pool. So, yeah, it's pool.
• Star Parodier (TurboGrafx16 CD-ROM, 1 player, 900 Wii Points): Well, at least this is something to get excited over. A parody of Hudson shooter Star Soldier, here you'll be able to fly about and shoot down colorful bad guys as Star Soldier's Paro Ceaser, iconic pyro Bomberman, or a giant flying PC Engine that shoots cards and discs at enemies. That almost makes up for this morning's dissapointment.

Virtual Console breaks in Star Soldier spoof originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 11 Aug 2008 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega Master System, 500 Wii Points): While Sega's 16-bit original has been available for download for a long while, Sonic's 8-bit port changes things up with a handful of new stages, gameplay differences, and cruddier graphics.
• Splatterhouse 2 (Sega Genesis, 800 Wii Points): There's many ways that we could spend our time waiting to slip on the Terror Mask and bash demons' brains out in Namco Bandai's Splatterhouse redux, but really, what better way is there than to play through the arcade original's 16-bit sequel? The only right answer here is none.

Virtual Console update adds speed and gore, lacks swords originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 04 Aug 2008 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Samurai Shodown II slices into Virtual Console next week originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 01 Aug 2008 10:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Art of Fighting 2 (NeoGeo, 1-2 players, 900 Wii Points): The second in SNK's Art of Fighting triple threat sees chronic bad guy Geese Howard, years before antagonizing those Fatal Fury chaps, printing up fliers for a 'King of Fighters' tourney of his own.
• Chase H.Q. (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points): In Taito's arcade racer, your car is your fist as you do your best Miami Vice impression behind the wheel of a Porsche 928 and run the criminal element out of town -- and into the highway barrier.

Virtual Console gets bad in Chase HQ, Art of Fighting 2 originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 28 Jul 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Super Fantasy Zone (Genesis, 1 player, 900 Wii Points): The lesser-known follow up to Sega's Master System original, this shooter will have you scrolling sideways as you shoot down bad guys and collect cold coins in ultra-colorful fashion.
• Gley Lancer (Genesis, 1 player, 900 Wii Points): It's the year 2025, the Earth is at odds with an alien race, and the hope for humanity rests on the shoulders of a 16-year old girl named Lucia. Just be home before midnight, young lady.

Gley Lancer, Super Fantasy Zone shoot up Virtual Console originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Space race: Nintendo working on Wii storage 'solution' originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 18 Jun 2008 05:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Samurai Shodown (Neo Geo, 1-2 players, 900 Wii Points): Once all the rage in arcade parlors when first released in 1993, this first in the still-ongoing fighting game series lets players duke it out using 12 different weapon (and sometimes animal)-wielding fighters. While a bit archaic by today's standards, the game still beats the pants off many contemporary fighters. Plus where else can you see a kabuki performer throw down against a green hunchback doing his best Freddy Krueger impression?

Virtual Console gets cut in a Samurai Shodown originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 16 Jun 2008 09:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Double Dragon punches its way onto Virtual Console originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 28 Apr 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Every other week, Mike Sylvester brings you REVOLUTIONARY, a look at the wide world of Wii possibilities.

If you're smitten with the Virtual Console, one thing we're sure you aren't in love with is having to swap games between an SD card and your Wii's internal memory, or even worse -- deleting games to be re-downloaded later. WiiWare is on its way and it's hard to imagine My Life as a King demeaning itself to share its estate with less noble games. And certainly not with it bringing microtransactions to the royal ball. And wouldn't it be dandy if some of our multiplatform ports had somewhere to store that downloadable content that everyone is raving about on other consoles?

We want need more storage, and some of you have gathered to plead with Nintendo to sell a Wii Hard Drive. It appears that your cries just fall on deaf ears because they seem hardly driven to provide one. In this edition of Revolutionary, we'll examine why Wii can't have a hard drive.

Continue reading Revolutionary: Wii can has hard drive?

Revolutionary: Wii can has hard drive? originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 23 Apr 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Earthworm Jim, Clayfighter coming to Virtual Console originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 21 Apr 2008 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• River City Ransom (NES,1-2 players, 500 Wii Points): Save your girlfriend from such heinous foes as "The Generic Dudes" and "The Frat Guys." This beat-em-up was obviously ahead of its time in poignant social commentary and butt-kicking awesomeness.
• Phantasy Star III Generations of Doom (Sega Genesis, 1 player, 800 Wii Points): Having already given us Phantasy Star II, Sega decided to move forward and continue the series, while still forgetting to back up and bring the original Phantasy Star to Virtual Console. It's pretty much exactly like River City Ransom in that way that it's nothing like RCR.

Continue reading Phantasy Star III pays a River City Ransom on Virtual Console

Phantasy Star III pays a River City Ransom on Virtual Console originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 21 Apr 2008 08:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Mega Turrican (Genesis, 1 player, 800 Wii Points): Leap into an assault suit with one Bren McGuire, a man tasked with foiling the nefarious "Machine." Kick-ass side-scrolling shooter, or layered commentary on industrial action? Either way, it has a terrific soundtrack.
  
• Fantasy Zone (Master System, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points): Pilot the Opa-Opa spaceship and lay siege to a remarkably gaudy environment, taking care to upgrade your ship and destroy any sinister blocks of wood.

Mega Turrican enters Fantasy Zone on Virtual Console originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 14 Apr 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Yoshi's Cookie (NES, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points): Help Mario align matching types of baked goods in this puzzle game with a cruel reward -- successful maneuvers make the cookies disappear!
• Bases Loaded (NES, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points): Swing away with "one of the most popular baseball games on the NES." So, yeah. It's baseball. Do you really need an elucidating paragraph on that? (Oh, alright.)

Bases Loaded with Yoshi's Cookie on Virtual Console originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 07 Apr 2008 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Cruis'n USA (Nintendo 64, 1-2 players, 1000 Wii Points): Hop into your virtually indestructible vehicle and commence your cruise through the N64's best approximation of the USA. We're not sure how you manage to survive the nightmarish elevator music nor the sudden, neck-snapping stop at the finish line, but at least you can look forward to a digitized woman waggling a trophy in your face.
  
• Wonder Boy (Master System, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points): You, Tom-Tom. Girlfriend, Tanya. Must save Tanya. Fling hammers. Murder snails. Ride skateboard. Wonder why girlfriend has such modern name.

Wonder Boy, Cruis'n USA speed onto Virtual Console originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 31 Mar 2008 11:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Wonder Boy, Fantasy Zone coming to North American VC originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 25 Mar 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• King's Knight (NES, 1 player, 500 Wii points): A crazed hybrid between vertical-scrolling shooter and RPG, this game was one of the first examples of destructible environments -- you can pretty much destroy everything in your path. You know the drill: choose your character, level up, kill a dragon, save the princess.
  
• Powerball (Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, 800 Wii points): This bastard child of rugby and football born eons into the future, Powerball has you smack the snot out of the opposing team as you vie for the chance to run the powerball into your neon-lit goal for points.

King's Knight and Powerball roll onto Virtual Console originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 24 Mar 2008 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Super Turrican (Super NES, 1 player 800 Wii Shop Points) - Developed by Factor 5 (of Rogue Squadron fame), the 1993 side-scrolling, run-and-gun sequel to 1990's Turrican has a decidedly old-school, Contra vibe to it. Those who want to get a feel for the gameplay without shelling out the Wii Shop Points should check out Hurrican, a more-than-satisfactory freeware clone.
  

Virtual Console Monday: Super Turrican stands alone originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 03 Mar 2008 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Master System games arrive on Japanese Virtual Console originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 26 Feb 2008 11:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Nintendo sells 10M Virtual Console games, still emphasizes retail channel originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 06 Feb 2008 09:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Calculating the Virtual Console's savings rate originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 31 Jan 2008 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• 1080° Snowboarding (N64, 1-2 Players, 1000 Wii Points): Though the game's title once tricked us into thinking we'd be racing down the lava-covered slopes of an active volcano, we thaw the errors of our ways once we picked up on the persistent presence of ice and a constant need to perform tricks. It's been one of our favorites ever since, even though things went downhill since 2003's Gamecube sequel.

1080 degrees now boarding Virtual Console originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 28 Jan 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Star Tropics (NES, 1 player, 500 Wii Points): Recoil in horror as you learn... that your... dear uncle... Dr. Jones... has been kidnapped! Obey flabby, shirtless men, embark on an epic island quest and question whether being constantly labeled as an "ace pitcher" is some sort of sexual advance! Also, murder a large snake by shoving a yo-yo down its throat!
  
• The King of Fighters '94 (NEOGEO, 1-2 players, 900 Wii Points): KOF up the money and SNK's Super Bogard Bros. is yours. The first edition in a long line of three-on-three team pummeling games, this may be worth some fisticuffs if you've not been swayed by the 89 sequels since.

Star Tropics, King of Fighters '94 arrive on Virtual Console originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 07 Jan 2008 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Blades of Steel, Donkey Kong Country 3 and Rolling Thunder 2 land on Virtual Console originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 24 Dec 2007 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Cybernator (SNES, 1 player, 800 Wii Points): As near as we can tell, Cybernator is a 2D giant robot game, except the robot is dude-sized, which kind of defeats the purpose. Also: In Japan, this game is known as Assault Suits Valken, which is a much, much better title.

• Monster Lair (TurboGrafx16 CD-ROM, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points): Monster Lair is the third game in the Wonder Boy series, even though you likely won't find that written anywhere when you go to buy it. You may remember that we got The Dynastic Hero a couple of weeks ago, which is the fifth game in that same series. (We knew all this off the top of our heads, by the way. Don't even act like we checked Wikipedia.)

• Alien Storm (Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points): There are some things you grow less afraid of as you grow older, and then there are things you can only truly fear when you're an adult. The monsters in Alien Storm are just such creatures. Click that link, see if we're kidding. Those creatures are awful. They're like big hulking piles of face meat and scream lumps. Also: This is a game.

Cybernator, Alien Storm, Monster Lair coming to Virtual Console today originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 17 Dec 2007 09:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Wii getting gifting feature today originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 10 Dec 2007 09:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Virtual Console graced by Pokemon Snap, Ghosts'n Goblins, Baseball Stars 2 originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 10 Dec 2007 08:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Virtually give a Virtual Console gift with video originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 07 Dec 2007 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Pokémon Snap gets Wii functionality on Virtual Console originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 30 Nov 2007 11:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Nintendo estimates $33 million earned from Virtual Console originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 28 Nov 2007 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Overline gives Wii owners "The Shaft" originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 14 Nov 2007 13:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Number of weekly VC games to increase? originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 09 Nov 2007 09:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.