# Worldwide Virtual Console Center



## InfinityDragon (Sep 18, 2007)

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*<big>Closed</big>*
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## InfinityDragon (Sep 18, 2007)

This is a similar thread to one I used to make in the VC boards of Nsider, where I posted the latest info about the upcoming VC releases. Actually, I mostly did it with Japan's VC, and sporadically with the US VC, since someone else took my place. 

Now, I'm going to expand it and keep all three regional vc releases for the month in a single thread so that you can find and comment about them in one place. I hope you like it.

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Back to the announcements today. Two big surprises: 

The first one, FATAL FURY IS OUT IN JAPAN!!! The Neo Geo has been officially introduced today to Japan's VC, so no worldwide introduction. I honestly don't care about the worldwide release as long as NOA releases the first Neo Geo game soon, if possible, next week.

The second one, an irregular update has been scheduled for Japan. This thursday, Super Metroid and Sin and Punishment will be released. It's the first time that Japan gets an irregular update (as far as I know). I don't really know the reason, is there something special in Japan on the 20th?


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## PAPASMALLS (Sep 18, 2007)

Somebody...please....shoot me now.

First...NSider dies

Second... Japan gets Super Metroid and Sin and Punishment outside of their normal release schedule THIS week.

Third...They get Neo Geo today...another release OUTSIDE of their normal schedule...I f'in give up.

(Side note to Infinity; GREAT job with this thread)!


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## DemiseofGanon (Sep 18, 2007)

PAPASMALLS said:
			
		

> Somebody...please....shoot me now.
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> First...NSider dies
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 Don't lose all hope PAPA. We may get some surprises still this month.

Also, Infinity, great job. I really do like to know how much we get screwed every month (or screw over JP/EUA every month).


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## PAPASMALLS (Sep 18, 2007)

DemiseofGanon said:
			
		

> Don't lose all hope PAPA. We may get some surprises still this month.
> 
> Also, Infinity, great job. I really do like to know how much we get screwed every month (or screw over JP/EUA every month).


 I haven't lost all hope...just UBER discouraged and very downtrodden right now. Why....I don't know. I'm going to head off to work now cause it's the only thing I can do to keep my mind off things...this news has really affected me much more than I thought it would...I'll catch you guys later, peace out!


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## InfinityDragon (Sep 18, 2007)

Thanks guys. I always wanted to do this in Nsider but I didn't have editing powers (and I was like one year away from getting them, only had 699 posts and needed like 1600 <_<), so it would have been troublesome. That's why I only posted Japan's VC releases once a week.

But yeah, back to the topic, it seems like we are getting screwed this month. Japan gets the Neo Geo, Europe gets its Hanabi Festival, and what do we get? A closed forum, and... yeah, that's pretty much it. NOA really does hate us.


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## amarriner (Sep 18, 2007)

InfinityDragon said:
			
		

> Thanks guys. I always wanted to do this in Nsider but I didn't have editing powers (and I was like one year away from getting them, only had 699 posts and needed like 1600 <_<), so it would have been troublesome. That's why I only posted Japan's VC releases once a week.
> 
> But yeah, back to the topic, it seems like we are getting screwed this month. Japan gets the Neo Geo, Europe gets its Hanabi Festival, and what do we get? A closed forum, and... yeah, that's pretty much it. NOA really does hate us.


 Haha wow. Man can't help but feel we're getting the shaft!     

I'm looking forward to Neo Geo stuff. I'm hoping to be able to determine the code used for that system, too, so I can scan the server for those games as well.

Here's hoping for a mid-week release for NA!


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## AndyB (Sep 18, 2007)

Thanks for posting Europe's releases. I'm never too sure what's coming out.
I better get some points.


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## InfinityDragon (Sep 18, 2007)

AndyB said:
			
		

> Thanks for posting Europe's releases. I'm never too sure what's coming out.
> I better get some points.


No problem. The only thing is that both the US and Europe VC releases from Nintendo will probably be posted on the same day they're released, since neither NOA nor NOE (as far as I know) post schedules. In the case of Sega, they sometimes make announcements so I might update it for them before the release, and Hudson has its own schedule, so that will be always up to date.


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## Mastersword014 (Sep 18, 2007)

So Japan finally gets Super Metroid ha ha well hopefully we can get some cool ones too


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## WIIREVOLUTION1 (Sep 18, 2007)

Liek Whoe! The 1st Neo-Geo game is out in JP? *checks JP Wii*

EDIT: S!!! THE 1ST NEOGEO GAME IS OUT!!!!

Since I always download the 1st game of a new vc system I will be downloading Fatal Fury....when I find another credit card....darn I lack 700 WiiPoints....*goes hunting*


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## InfinityDragon (Sep 18, 2007)

WIIREVOLUTION1 said:
			
		

> Liek Whoe! The 1st Neo-Geo game is out in JP? *checks JP Wii*
> 
> EDIT: S!!! THE 1ST NEOGEO GAME IS OUT!!!!
> 
> Since I always download the 1st game of a new vc system I will be downloading Fatal Fury....when I find another credit card....darn I lack 700 WiiPoints....*goes hunting*


WiiRevolution1, you have both an American and a Japanese Wii??? Oh, my...


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## WIIREVOLUTION1 (Sep 18, 2007)

InfinityDragon said:
			
		

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 Yes I do     

And I found a Credit Card...its liek the 16th one that I've stolen...(I'M JOKING!)

Downloading FF Now...I would post pics of the channel icon and channel look but I still have no PC to upload the pics *sigh* I can wiimail them tho...


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## amarriner (Sep 18, 2007)

So it's on the server right now? Darn it. Must ... figure ... out ... code ...


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## LadyAnayumi (Sep 18, 2007)

YOSHI STORY!?
I used to love that game when I was younger!
Sadly though, I never knew what I was doing, and never finished the game XD


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## TheGremp (Sep 18, 2007)

wow... Europe *just* got Ninja Gaiden? I've had that game for months!


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## AdroitOne (Sep 18, 2007)

LOL, I have to get use to this.  I almost reported LadyAnayumi because I thought it said Reply.      

Anyway, since Japan is getting suce a special day for VC releases, maybe we will get one for Neo Geo.  Hey SNKP, how about launching the Neo Geo with 10 games over here in the states.  The Japanese get everything else so why not.  God I wish Samurai Shodown or King of Fighters was one of the first, but I'll take anything from the Neo Geo since I love that system to death (heck, in reality, all they need to do is release Last Blade 1 and 2 and then I'm done).


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## WIIREVOLUTION1 (Sep 18, 2007)

I FINALLY found a site that I can upload pics through my ps3.

Anyway heres 2 pics of the Neogeo game (PLease let this work...)

http://i13.tinypic.com/4kjhder,jpg

http://i1.tinypic.com/4l4kz8w,jpg

(Please tell me the pics work!)

Love the yellow for the intro..


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## InfinityDragon (Sep 18, 2007)

AdroitOne said:
			
		

> LOL, I have to get use to this. I almost reported LadyAnayumi because I thought it said Reply.
> 
> Anyway, since Japan is getting suce a special day for VC releases, maybe we will get one for Neo Geo. Hey SNKP, how about launching the Neo Geo with 10 games over here in the states. The Japanese get everything else so why not. God I wish Samurai Shodown or King of Fighters was one of the first, but I'll take anything from the Neo Geo since I love that system to death (heck, in reality, all they need to do is release Last Blade 1 and 2 and then I'm done).


Hey, A1. Good to see that you made it here.

And they'd better not start with 10 games because, to me, that would mean that they would delay the Neo Geo for several months (letting the games accumulate). There's simply no way that they'll release 10 games now.




			
				WIIREVOLUTION1 said:
			
		

> I FINALLY found a site that I can upload pics through my ps3.
> 
> Anyway heres 2 pics of the Neogeo game (PLease let this work...)
> 
> ...


Garou Densetsu, two Fire Emblems, SMB. 2 and another Famicom game... you like torturing us, don't you?


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## WIIREVOLUTION1 (Sep 18, 2007)

InfinityDragon said:
			
		

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## InfinityDragon (Sep 18, 2007)

WIIREVOLUTION1 said:
			
		

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Nah, I was joking with the torture thing. I should have added an emoticon to emphasize that.

About the game size, we're not really worried about size in regards to the first Neo Geo games. They weren't actually that big. But later in the console's life (the Giga Power era), the size of the games was greatly increased.


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## AdroitOne (Sep 19, 2007)

InfinityDragon said:
			
		

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## InfinityDragon (Sep 19, 2007)

AdroitOne said:
			
		

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What I meant is that, for them to release such a high number of games so fast, it would have to be something like what happened in Australia, with the late introduction of the TG16. They released 10+ games when they introduced the console, and then kept a steady 3-5 releases a week, just to catch up. 

I don't know if SNKP would want to release a big number of games that fast, but even if they wanted to, you know that Nintendo is the one that controls the releases, and I'm sure they wouldn't allow it.

Yeah, I know, you're itching to play some Neo Geo, but my guess is that, as soon as the first game is released, there should be a steady stream of releases (I think three a month would be a good number). Hopefully for you, Last Blade won't be left for last.


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## AdroitOne (Sep 19, 2007)

InfinityDragon said:
			
		

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## InfinityDragon (Sep 19, 2007)

AdroitOne said:
			
		

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LOL. I expected nothing less from you . Well, actually I learned about Last Blade from SNK vs. Capcom Card Fighter's Clash, since Kaede and Akari appeared in the game, if my memory serves me right. I finally played a Last Blade game when I got Last Blade 2 for the DC. Unfortunately, I didn't play it much because, at that time, my playtime was already short (maybe a bit less than what it is now).


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## InfinityDragon (Sep 20, 2007)

*Update*: Two new games are now available in Japan:
Super Metroid (SNES)
Tsumi to Batsu (Sin and Punishment) (N64)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website

I added my US VC predictions for next Monday. You can see them at the end of the main post.


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## InfinityDragon (Sep 20, 2007)

*Update*: Continuing with the Hanabi Festival, three new games were released in Europe and Australia today:
Ninja Gaiden (NES)
Ninja Jajamaru-kun (NES)
World Class Baseball (TG16)
Source: Nintendo of Europe's website


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## InfinityDragon (Sep 21, 2007)

*Update*: As usual, several VC games were announced today:

*US*:
Legend of Hero Tonma (TG16) [09/24]
Source: Hudson's US Virtual Console

*Japan*:
Druaga no Tou (Tower of Druaga) (Famicom) [09/25]
Gradius III (Super Famicom) [09/25]
Landstaker (Sega Mega Drive) [09/25]
World Heroes (Neo Geo) [09/25]
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website

*Europe/Australia*:
Legend of Hero Tonma (TG16) [09/28]
Source: Hudson's Europe Virtual Console


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## Tyler (Sep 21, 2007)

InfinityDragon said:
			
		

> *Update*: Two new games are now available in Japan:
> Super Metroid (SNES)
> Tsumi to Batsu (Sin and Punishment) (N64)
> Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
> ...


 They just got Super Metroid. D=

I'm surprised they didn't get it first.


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## InfinityDragon (Sep 21, 2007)

OddCrazyMe said:
			
		

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I guess people on this side of the pond are more crazy about Metroid than the Japanese.


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## Tyler (Sep 21, 2007)

InfinityDragon said:
			
		

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 probably, but that would mean the same for Zelda (before PH anyway)


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## AdroitOne (Sep 21, 2007)

InfinityDragon said:
			
		

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 Actually, the Japanese are more crazy about Super Metroid than us Americans.  Super Metroid sold way more in Japan than it did over here in North America.

So they are getting World Heroes next.  Hmmmm.  We better be getting Neo Geo games next Monday then.  If not, somebody is going to die.  I seriously hope that SNKP USA don't go by the same release schedule as the SNKP Japan.


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## AdroitOne (Sep 21, 2007)

Hmmm, I just watched the trailer of Magician Lord on Gamespot, apparently that's releasing next week as well.


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## amarriner (Sep 21, 2007)

AdroitOne said:
			
		

> Hmmm, I just watched the trailer of Magician Lord on Gamespot, apparently that's releasing next week as well.


 I've heard a few people say that was a good game. It's not a fighter, though, right? Any insight on this one?


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## AdroitOne (Sep 21, 2007)

amarriner said:
			
		

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 To be honest with you man, I never played this game before, lol.  I never even heard of it until I made that site.       

From what I do know about this game, however, it's a side-scroller platforming game where you play as this magician who can change into different forms.  One of the forms I remember seeing is a Ninja.  I've heard plenty of people say that this was an outstanding game for the Neo Geo (I wouldn't doubt it, SNK was great developers, not just for fighters), so I'll definitely pick it up.

One of the things I hear about Neo Geo platformers (Blues Journey definitely) is that they are hard, but short games.  It makes sense since these are arcade games though.


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## InfinityDragon (Sep 21, 2007)

*Update*: What the heck is going on? I just checked NOJ's VC website and now World Heroes is not scheduled for next Tuesday. Could it be that there are now problems with that game's emulation?


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## AdroitOne (Sep 21, 2007)

InfinityDragon said:
			
		

> *Update*: What the heck is going on? I just checked NOJ's VC website and now World Heroes is not scheduled for next Tuesday. Could it be that there are now problems with that game's emulation?


 They toying with you man.  SNKP apparently is saying that both Magician Lord and World Heroes will be coming out next week in that video on gamespot.  Maybe those games will have it's own day like Super Metroid and Sin and Punishment this week.


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## InfinityDragon (Sep 21, 2007)

AdroitOne said:
			
		

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That could be the reason (I didn't know about that GS video). Thanks for the info, A1.


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## InfinityDragon (Sep 24, 2007)

*Update*: As usual, three games are going to be released today (at 12pm EST) on the US VC:
Kirby's Avalanche (SNES)
Streets of Rage 3 (Sega Genesis)
Legend of Hero Tonma (Turbografx-16)
Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
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We finally got our SNES game of the month, the third Kirby game released on the US VC: Kirby's Avalanche. In Sega's case, they did it again, they just released Streets of Rage 3, a game recently seen on the ESRB website, going over three other games that were listed before it. Hudson delivered as promised with the release of Legend of Hero Tonma. And last but not least, no surprises, no Neo Geo games this month.

And as for my predictions, I only got one right this week: Legend of Hero Tonma. Man, that was tough.


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## InfinityDragon (Sep 25, 2007)

*UPDATE*: Three new game releases in Japan:
Druaga no Tou (The Tower of Druaga) (Famicom)
Gradius III (Super Famicom)
Landstaker: Koutei no Zaihou (Landstaker: The Treasures of King Nole) (Sega Mega Drive)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
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Looks like this is the last update for the month in Japan, unless they come up with another irregular release like last week. One thing I'd like to note is that Japan played catch-up this month with some of the consoles: First, with the Super Famicom as they released Super Metroid, which has been available in the US for a month already, and Gradius III, which has been available in the US since April. And second, with the Mega Drive, given that we got Landstaker at the beginning of the month, while they're just getting it today.


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## InfinityDragon (Sep 28, 2007)

*UPDATE*: Three new game releases in Europe/Australia, and two more in Japan (lucky them!):

*Japan*:
Magician Lord (Neo Geo)
World Heroes (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website

*Europe/Australia*:
Gradius III (SNES)
Sin and Punishment (Nintendo 64)
Legend of Hero Tonma (TurboGrafx-16)
Source: Hudson's Europe Virtual Console
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With today's releases, the Hanabi Festival comes to an end, and with a bang: Sin and Punishment is out in Europe!! Also, another irregular release this month for Japan, and not only that, two Neo Geo games *sigh*. Everyone else seems to be getting the good stuff, while we got pretty disappointing releases this week. Maybe October will be different for us... maybe.


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## amarriner (Oct 1, 2007)

Heh wow yeah it definitely seems like the other regions are getting really nice VC releases. Hope some of those are coming our way soon, too!


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## DSCUBER9000 (Oct 1, 2007)

I declare this week the best in Virtual Console history.   
^_^


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## InfinityDragon (Oct 1, 2007)

*UPDATE*: Two new games will be available (at 12pm EDT) in the US VC:
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (NES)
Sin and Punishment: Successor of the Earth (N64)
Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
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The import craze has arrived in the US with the release of Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (original sequel to the beloved Super Mario Bros.) and Sin and Punishment (a masterpiece by Treasure). Although only two games were released, people must be happy that they're finally getting these two classics, one month following their release in Europe and Australia. These two games seem to be available without time limit, unlike what happened in Europe and Australia with SMB.: TLL, which is now unavailable.

Not everything I have to comment is positive though. Not to our surprise, NOA is releasing them with little to no fanfare, with just the usual Monday morning press release, unlike NOE's Hanabi Festival. That tells me that the introduction of new systems, like the Neo Geo and the TurboGrafx-CD, will be done just like regular releases; NOA is certainly dropping the ball here, simply denying to promote the VC. Another thing to notice is that this week's theme is Import week, which could lead us to think that there won't be another one for a while (Europe and Australia had almost a month of imports; we might be getting just a week for now).

Ok, enough with the bad stuff, today is definitely a day to celebrate. A new world of opportunities is opening for the VC with the release of previously Japan-only games. So, let your import gaming urges free and enjoy.


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## Bulerias (Oct 1, 2007)

DSCUBER9000 said:
			
		

> I declare this week the best in Virtual Console history.   
^_^


 I concur.


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## yasuharu (Oct 2, 2007)

Bulerias said:
			
		

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 You'll take that back if Fire Emblem comes out.


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## InfinityDragon (Oct 2, 2007)

*UPDATE*: Three games are now available on Japan's VC:
Esper Dream (Famicom)
Bare Knuckle III (Streets of Rage III) (Sega Mega Drive)
Genpei Toumaden (PC Engine)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
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Not too much to comment today about Japan's releases. I don't know much about Esper Dream, except that it is an Action RPG developed by Konami for the Famicom and that it is probably a Japan-only game. To the people that like Samurai Ghost, it should be interesting for them to know that this game is actually a sequel to Genpei Toumaden, another Japan-only game. The last game released today is one we can download in the US already: Bare Knuckle III, known here as Streets of Rage III.


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## InfinityDragon (Oct 5, 2007)

*UPDATE*: Five new VC games are now available in Europe and Australia, and four games have been announced for next Tuesday in Japan:

*Japan*
Zanac (Famicom)
Alien Soldier (Sega Mega Drive)
Power Golf (PC Engine)
Ryuuko no Ken (Art of Fighting) (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website

*Europe/Australia*
Golden Axe III (Mega Drive)
Landstalker: The Treasures of King Nole (Mega Drive)
Streets of Rage 3 (Mega Drive)
Super Thunder Blade (Mega Drive)
Fatal Fury: King of Fighters (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of Europe's News website
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Mega Drive's Friday is here with four games and a party crasher. Three of the Mega Drive games now available in Europe and Australia are already available here; only Golden Axe III is nowhere to be found. And the crasher is one we've been waiting for a while: FATAL FURY! The Neo Geo is finally introduced in Europe... while we, on this side of the pond, still wait. Maybe next Monday, maybe next Monday...

Alien Soldier, a Treasure game, will be available for download next week in Japan, along with the first game in the Ryuko no Ken series, which we know as Art of Fighting. No games were announced for the PC Engine CD, so my theory of a New Systems week for the US has basically been shot down.


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## Bulerias (Oct 5, 2007)

I have a feeling we won't be getting Neo Geo this Monday... but rather, the Monday after next, along with TurboCD games.


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## InfinityDragon (Oct 6, 2007)

*UPDATE*: According to IGN.com, the Neo Geo is finally coming out in the US VC on Monday, and not only that, there will be not one, not two, but THREE games available! Here are the games:
Art of Fighting (Neo Geo)
Fatal Fury: King of Fighters (Neo Geo)
World Heroes (Neo Geo)
Source: IGN.com
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Let there be joy, the Neo Geo is almost here.


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## Bulerias (Oct 6, 2007)

InfinityDragon said:
			
		

> *UPDATE*: According to IGN.com, the Neo Geo is finally coming out in the US VC on Monday, and not only that, there will be not one, not two, but THREE games available! Here are the games:
> Art of Fighting (Neo Geo)
> Fatal Fury: King of Fighters (Neo Geo)
> World Heroes (Neo Geo)
> ...


 What the heck?  I had to sign an NDA to not reveal that, and they go out and post it?  What gives? :\


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## InfinityDragon (Oct 8, 2007)

*UPDATE*: Three new games to be released today (at 12pm EDT) in the US VC:
Art of Fighting (Neo Geo)
Fatal Fury: King of Fighters (Neo Geo)
World Heroes (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
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Well, it's here, the Neo Geo is finally here, to the delight of all fighting game fans. The first game in the legend of the hungry wolf, Fatal Fury, is also the first fighter developed by SNK. Art of Fighting, was their second fighting franchise, taking place on the same universe as Fatal Fury. World Heroes was the third fighting series released on the Neo Geo, although it always remained an obscure series. 

Although it's true that the sequels got better, you have to start somewhere and from here on, it'll only get better. Whether you decide to throw a Power Wave, a Kouken, a Rekko zan, or all of them,  you'll be in for one heck of a ride.


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## amarriner (Oct 8, 2007)

Awesome, glad they're finally here. I'll bet getting Fatal Fury and I'm looking forward to more games I was never able to play.


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## JJH (Oct 8, 2007)

I've only played one or two NG games before, but I love a variety of games, so keep 'em coming.


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## InfinityDragon (Oct 9, 2007)

*UPDATE*: Four new titles are now available in Japan's VC:
Zanac (Famicom)
Alien Soldier (Sega Mega Drive)
Power Golf (PC Engine)
Ryuuko no Ken (Art of Fighting) (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
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It's Tuesday so it's time for new games in Japan. The noteworthy releases this week are Treasure's Alien Soldier, which might not be very-well known around here given that it was only released through Sega's channel, but it's a Treasure game, so I hope it is released here eventually. The other one is Ryuuko no Ken (Art of Fighting); hey, we got that one first!


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## InfinityDragon (Oct 12, 2007)

*UPDATE*: Two new games released in Europe and Australia:
Probotector II: Return of the Evil Forces (NES)
Super Metroid (SNES)
Source: Nintendo of Europe's News website.
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Only two games this week? I'm pretty sure that neither Europe nor Australia mind at all. They're getting the SNES classic Super Metroid, and not only that, they're also getting Probotector II. If you're wondering what the heck Probotector II is, it's simply Super C... with robots. A great week overall for Europe/Australia.


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## InfinityDragon (Oct 12, 2007)

*UPDATE*: New games announced for next week in all VC regions:

*US*:
Gate of Thunder (TurboGrafx-CD)
Source: Hudson's US VC website

*Japan*:
Famicom Tantei Club: Kieta Koukeisha (Zenkouhen) (Famicom)
Juusou Kihei Valken (Cybernator) (Super Famicom)
Sonic 3D Blast (Sega Mega Drive)
Ys I & II (Ys: Book I & II) (TurboGrafx-CD)
Samurai Spirits (Samurai Shodown) (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website

*Europe/Australia*:
Gate of Thunder (TurboGrafx-CD)
Source: Hudson's Europe VC website
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October 19th marks the worldwide introduction of the TurboGrafx-CD to the VC. The first game for the US, Europe and Australia will be Gate of Thunder, while Japan is only getting a little beauty called Ys I & II. Not only that, Japan already announced next week's games, and fighting fans over there are surely rejoicing about the fact that Samurai Spirits (known here as Samurai Shodown) is coming out on Tuesday. Sonic is also attacking next week with the Mega Drive version of Sonic 3D Blast. Finally, Japan will also get some mecha and mystery love with Valken (known here as Cybernator), and a Japan-only adventure game called Famicom Tantei Club.


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## Bulerias (Oct 12, 2007)

Hmm, Gate Of Thunder... decent game.  I think it warrants a recommended, though it's definitely one of those "space-y" shooters.


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## InfinityDragon (Oct 14, 2007)

*UPDATE*: Well, it looks like Australia didn't get Probotector II like Europe did, and instead got Axelay for the SNES. I apologize for the error.

Source: VC Reviews - Europe Releases.


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## InfinityDragon (Oct 15, 2007)

*UPDATE*: Three new games will be released today for the US VC:
Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos (NES)
Metal Marines (SNES)
Gate of Thunder (TurboGrafx-CD)
Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
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One week after the VC introduction of the Neo Geo, Hudson follows up with the TurboGrafx-CD. The first game available for the virtual console will be Gate of Thunder, which came as a pack-in with the release  of the TurboDuo (a combination of the TurboGrafx-16 and the TurboGrafx-CD) in the US. Nintendo surprises us with the release of Metal Marines, not because it's a great game, but because we weren't expecting it (at least, I wasn't). And last, but not least, the second game of the legendary ninja series is here: Ninja Gaiden II (it took them long enough). Ryu Hayabusa is back with new techniques to kick more demon's butt.


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## InfinityDragon (Oct 16, 2007)

*UPDATE*: Five new VC games have been released in Japan this Tuesday:
Famicom Tantei Club: Kieta Koukeisha (Zenkouhen) (Famicom)
Juusou Kihei Valken (Cybernator) (Super Famicom)
Alien Soldier (Sega Mega Drive)
Ys I & II (Ys: Book I & II) (PC Engine CD)
Samurai Spirits (Samurai Shodown) (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
We see a lot of variety this week in Japan, in both genres and systems. First we start with a graphical adventure on the NES, Famicom Tantei Club (which translates to Famicom Detective Club), a game that never left Japan's shores. Next, we have a run and gun game for the SNES, Juusou Kihei Valken (known here as Cybernator), a game I've really wanted to play from what I read in magazines, but never had the chance to do it. Alien Soldier, another run and gun game from the geniuses at Treasure, which was only available in the US through the Sega Channel. Next is the first VC game for the PC Engine CD, an RPG, and it's not other than Ys I & II; I hope to see this one soon here. Finally, the first of a series of magnificent weapon-based fighters, Samurai Spirits (Samurai Shodown), is out in Japan for its original console, the Neo Geo. All I can say is... iza! jinjou ni, ippon me, shobu!!!


----------



## InfinityDragon (Oct 19, 2007)

*UPDATE*: Three games released today in Europe and Australia:
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (NES)
Gate of Thunder (TurboGrafx-16)
World Heroes (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of Europe's News website.
_________________________________________________
Europe and Australia are getting mostly games that we've already received in the past couple of weeks, with one exception: Castlevania II. Simon Belmont is back in his second (and last) adventure on the NES.


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## InfinityDragon (Oct 19, 2007)

*UPDATE*: Five games announced for Japan, plus one Hudson game for Europe and Australia for next week

*Japan*:
Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari (River City Ransom) (Famicom)
Super Donkey Kong 2: Dixie & Diddy (Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest) (Super Famicom)
Dyna Brothers 2 Special (Sega Mega Drive)
Chou Aniki (PC Engine CD)
Raguy (Blue's Journey) (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website

*Europe/Australia*:
Super Air Zonk (TurboGrafx-16)
Source: Hudson's Europe VC website
_________________________________________________
Another Friday morning, another set of releases for Japan. Again, five games this week for them. The highlight of next week is definitely Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari, known in the Americas as River City Ransom. Japan is also getting Super Donkey Kong 2, five months after we got it; I guess the Donkey Kong Country series are not really that popular over there. Japan is also getting their second PC Engine CD game, and what a choice: Chou Aniki, probably the weirdest shooter ever. Just search for a video and you'll understand what I mean. Both Sega and SNK are finishing up the month with one game a piece: a Japan-only game: Dyna Brothers 2 Special for the former, and a platformer (yes, the Neo Geo has games other than fighters), Raguy, known here as Blue's Journey.

Hudson also dated the next TurboGrafx-CD game: Super Air Zonk is coming next week in Europe and Australia. Hey, what about the Americas? Well, there was no update for us. I don't know if it is a mistake or the game is really not coming next week. Something similar happened with the release of Neutopia: they didn't update their website but the game came out on the following week.


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## Bulerias (Oct 19, 2007)

Oh ho ho ho... Cho Aniki... eh-HEM.

Yeah.  Simon's Quest will come out on Halloween, mark my words... and we are gonna get Super Air Zonk this Monday, which I shall not recommend due to the worse graphics.

Edit - WHAT THE HECK, RIVER CITY RANSOM?!  About TIME this baby came out.


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## SL92 (Oct 19, 2007)

Bulerias said:
			
		

> Edit - WHAT THE HECK, RIVER CITY RANSOM?!  About TIME this baby came out.


 Yes, I'd say. This is a beauty of a game. If only all games were crazy mixes of Beat-em-up and RPG.


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## Bulerias (Oct 19, 2007)

Shadow_] [quote="Bulerias said:
			
		

> Edit - WHAT THE HECK, RIVER CITY RANSOM?! About TIME this baby came out.


Yes, I'd say. This is a beauty of a game. If only all games were crazy mixes of Beat-em-up and RPG. [/quote]
 Daaang, I do hope it comes out on this side of the pond soon... <3


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## Pichubro (Oct 19, 2007)

I'll chuckle if all/most of the games are delayed or just plain mediocre.


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## Bulerias (Oct 19, 2007)

Pichubro said:
			
		

> I'll chuckle if all/most of the games are delayed or just plain mediocre.


 .........................???

How can they be mediocre if we've played them already and know they're good...?


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## InfinityDragon (Oct 22, 2007)

*UPDATE*: Three new games to be released today at 12pm EST in the US:
Lunar Pool (NES)
Ninja Jajamaru-kun (NES)
Golden Axe III (Sega Genesis)
Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
_________________________________________________
This week we get a couple of exclusives: Ninja Jajamaru-kun, a game only released in Japan before, and Golden Axe III, a Sega Channel exclusive in the US. Aside from that, we get Lunar Pool, which was released a while ago in Europe and Australia.


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## InfinityDragon (Oct 23, 2007)

*UPDATE*: Five games released today in Japan:
Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari (River City Ransom) (Famicom)
Super Donkey Kong 2: Dixie & Diddy (Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest) (Super Famicom)
Dyna Brothers 2 Special (Sega Mega Drive)
Chou Aniki (PC Engine CD)
Raguy (Blue's Journey) (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
River City Ransom!!!


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## InfinityDragon (Oct 26, 2007)

*UPDATE*: Three new VC games released in Europe and Australia:
Yoshi's Story (Nintendo 64)
Super Air Zonk (TurboGrafx-CD)
Magician Lord (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of Europe's News website.
_________________________________________________
This week it was Europe/Australia's turn to enjoy exclusive games. They got two games that haven't been released here: Magician Lord for the Neo Geo, and Super Air Zonk for the TurboGrafx-CD (although, we'll probably get the latter next Monday). On top of that, they're closing the month with a Nintendo 64 game, Yoshi's Story. Not a great N64 game, but one that some people over there have been waiting for since it was released in the Americas last month.


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## InfinityDragon (Oct 26, 2007)

*UPDATE*: Three games announced for Japan, plus one Hudson game for the US:

*US*:
Samurai Ghost (TurboGrafx-16)
Source: Hudson's US VC website

*Japan*:
Hanjuku Eiyuu (Famicom)
Yoshi Story (Nintendo 64)
Juusou Kihei Leynos (Target Earth) (Sega Mega Drive)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
We have a couple of surprises this week. Super Air Zonk has been postponed for next month, so we'll only be seeing Samurai Ghost next week in the US. There was also a game postponed for next month in the land of the rising sun, Gradius II, but given that only three games were left for the month, Sega filled the gap with Juusou Kihei Leynos (Target Earth), which is the first game in the Assault Suit series. Earlier this month Juusou Kihei Leynos (Cybernator), the second game in the series, was released for the Super Famicom. 

Japan is also getting Yoshi Story next week (GASP! They got it last!), and Hanjuku Eiyuu, the first Square game available for the VC.


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## InfinityDragon (Oct 29, 2007)

*UPDATE*: Three new games to be released today at 12pm EST in the US:
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (NES)
Samurai Ghost (TurboGrafx-16)
Magician Lord (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
_________________________________________________
It's Halloween week, and Nintendo is releasing three spooky games today. We're finally getting the second entry in the classic Castlevania series, aptly named Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, which was received with mixed feelings because of its differences with the original (it seems like back in the old days, a popular trend was to experiment with the second game of a series, even if the first one was really popular). We'll also be getting Samurai Ghost, sequel to a Japan-only game that was released earlier this month over there: Genpei Toumaden. And the last game is the fourth Neo Geo game this month, Magician Lord. 

Unfortunately, all the predictions that Zombies ate my Neighbors was held back for a Halloween release didn't come through, and so it looks like the fans of that game will have to wait a long time to play it. I think today would have been a great day for Capcom to release the original Ghosts 'n Goblins, which is going to be released next month in Japan, but that didn't happen either.


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## Bulerias (Oct 29, 2007)

No ZAMN?

Fail.  Castlevania II and Magician Lord are decent, though.


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## InfinityDragon (Oct 29, 2007)

Bulerias said:
			
		

> No ZAMN?
> 
> Fail. Castlevania II and Magician Lord are decent, though.


I think that is it. If we didn't get it today, then we're not getting it in the near future. Maybe Halloween 2008?


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## InfinityDragon (Oct 30, 2007)

*UPDATE*: Three new games released in Japan:
Hanjuku Eiyuu (Famicom)
Yoshi Story (Nintendo 64)
Juusou Kihei Leynos (Target Earth) (Sega Mega Drive)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
Sorry for the late update, but I've been really busy today (and I still am), so I'm not going to be post any  information about these games. If you want, you can check a couple of posts below for some info I posted when the games were dated last week.


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## JJRamone2 (Oct 30, 2007)

InfinityDragon said:
			
		

> *UPDATE*: Three new games to be released today at 12pm EST in the US:
> Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (NES)
> Samurai Ghost (TurboGrafx-16)
> Magician Lord (Neo Geo)
> ...


 Fantastic, the worst Castlevania game released on Wii. HURRAH.


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## InfinityDragon (Nov 2, 2007)

*UPDATE*: Four games released in Europe/Australia:
Alien Soldier (Sega Mega Drive)
Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island (Sega Mega Drive)
Samurai Ghost (TurboGrafx-16)
Art of Fighting (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of Europe's News website_________________________________________________
Alien Soldier!!! Another Treasure game that I'm buying when it is released on this side of the pond. Europe and Australia also got Sonic 3D, known here as Sonic 3D Blast, which was also released for the Mega Drive, as I recently learned, and two more games already available here: Samurai Ghost and Art of Fighting.


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## InfinityDragon (Nov 2, 2007)

*UPDATE*: Friday update for Japan, plus Hudson's releases:

*US*:
Power Golf (TurboGrafx-16)
Source: Hudson's US VC website

*Japan*:
Ganbare Goemon! Karakuri Douchuu (Famicom)
Ecco Jr. (Sega Mega Drive)
Chou Eiyuu Densetsu: Dynastic Hero (The Dynastic Hero) (PC Engine CD)
The King of Fighters '94 (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website

*Europe/Australia*:
Power Golf (TurboGrafx-16)
Source: Hudson's Europe VC website
_________________________________________________
There seems to be a lot of confusion with Hudson's releases for next week. Power Golf was officially announced for next Monday in the US, and Super Air Zonk, which was expected to be released last month, is also listed, but for 10/29. So SAZ might be coming out next week, but given that there's no clear confirmation, I'm going to leave it out of the thread for now. Power Golf was also announced for Europe and Australia. This brings TurboGrafx releases for this month to an end (I hope this is a special case, given that this month is the first anniversary of the Wii, and not a common thing now).

And now Japan. They're getting fewer games this month compared to October, but that doesn't mean that this month lacks the quality (I don't really want to know what they have in stock for next month. Probably something around 30 games to celebrate the first year of the Wii over there). Next week, they're getting the first console game in the Ganbare Goemon series (the first game was an arcade game), Ganbare Goemon! Karakuri Douchuu for the Famicom, which was never released over here. They're also getting the last 2D game of the Ecco series, Ecco Jr. for the Mega Drive. 

Chou Eiyuu Densetsu: Dynastic Hero, released here as The Dynastic Hero, is a very interesting case. It's essentially Wonder Boy in Monster World, but with an insect theme. They also added anime cutscenes for the intro and ending. The funny thing is that we already got Wonder Boy in Monster World for the Genesis. I wonder which one is the better version.

Last but not least, Japan is getting one of the most beloved fighting games. The first in the series, KOF '94 is coming out next week. I hope we get this one this month, but for now I guess it's, "anata no kachi da, Nihon".


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## Bulerias (Nov 5, 2007)

Super Mario Bros. 3, baby!    			  I can't wait until the clock strikes 11...


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## InfinityDragon (Nov 5, 2007)

*UPDATE*: Three new games to be released today in the US:
Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES)
Alien Soldier (Sega Genesis)
Power Golf (TurboGrafx-16)
Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
_________________________________________________
Starting what could probably be the month of Mario, Nintendo is releasing Super Mario Bros. 3, a game that is considered by many as the best game ever (or at least, the best Mario ever). This completes the release of the main Mario series for home consoles (I don't count Yoshi's Island as a Mario game). 

The second game released today is Alien Soldier, which saw a release a few days ago in Europe. This Treasure game never made it to the US in regular form, and was only available through the Sega Channel. I don't  know the reason why it was only available like that, given that it's considered a great game.

The last game is Power Golf, which is a.... golf game.... for the TurboGrafx-16... that's pretty much it.


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## Super Daddy-o (Nov 5, 2007)

You holding off on posting our US releases Infinity?  Man I really missed on my predictions for this week!  I didnt see the big gun of SMB3 coming so soon but I guess this could be considered "Mario Month" so it makes since.  I currently have 400 points which sucks because I'd love to get SMB3 today


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## InfinityDragon (Nov 5, 2007)

Bulerias said:
			
		

> Super Mario Bros. 3, baby!  I can't wait until the clock strikes 11...


Hey, Bul, do you think that this week is the best ever, like some people have said? IMO, it's not. I'm actually more excited about Alien Soldier than SMB3. Don't get me wrong, SMB3 is one of the greatest games ever, but it's not like I haven't played it a lot, or recently.


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## Super Daddy-o (Nov 5, 2007)

D'oh you must have been typing while I was!  LOL!  I'm sorry I questioned your effenciency sir!


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## Bulerias (Nov 5, 2007)

InfinityDragon said:
			
		

> Bulerias said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 No, I do not believe that this is the best week ever.  I still believe that distinction goes to the Sin and Punishment week.  However, this is easily one of the best.  Alien Soldier and Mario Bros 3 are both amazing games.


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## InfinityDragon (Nov 5, 2007)

Super Daddy-o said:
			
		

> You holding off on posting our US releases Infinity? Man I really missed on my predictions for this week! I didnt see the big gun of SMB3 coming so soon but I guess this could be considered "Mario Month" so it makes since. I currently have 400 points which sucks because I'd love to get SMB3 today


Most people missed the predictions for this week. I was completely sure that Nintendo would release SMB3 on the 19th, so I didn't want to waste any predictions for this week. But Nintendo screwed that up for me, for a change. 

SonicandTails1 got all of them and has a huge lead. Unless he completely misses a couple of weeks, it's going to be hard to beat him this season.

EDIT: I just saw your other post. Don't worry about it, I took my time.


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## InfinityDragon (Nov 6, 2007)

*UPDATE*: Four VC games released in Japan:
Ganbare Goemon! Karakuri Douchuu (Famicom)
Ecco Jr. (Sega Mega Drive)
Chou Eiyuu Densetsu: Dynastic Hero (The Dynastic Hero) (PC Engine CD)
The King of Fighters '94 (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
Sorry for the late update, but NOJ's VC website wasn't updated until now.


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## InfinityDragon (Nov 9, 2007)

*UPDATE*: Three games released in Europe and Australia:
Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES)
Power Golf (TurboGrafx-16)
Blue's Journey (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of Europe's News website
_________________________________________________
Europe and Australia are just a few days late to the party, and are finally getting Super Mario Bros. 3 today. Aside from that, they're also getting Power Golf and one new Neo Geo game: the platformer Blue's Journey, which hasn't been released here yet (but probably will this month).


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## InfinityDragon (Nov 9, 2007)

*UPDATE*: Five games announced in Japan:
Balloon Fight (Famicom)
Light Crusader (Sega Mega Drive)
Dragon Spirit (PC Engine)
Gradius II: Gofer no Yabou (PC Engine CD)
Baseball Stars 2 (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
Japan will be getting their next Treasure game, Light Crusader, next week. I've heard from some people here that this is the worst Treasure game. I've never played it, but it doesn't look bad from the videos I've seen. It's a departure from Treasure's traditional style, an Action-RPG with an isometric view, a la Landstalker. I'll see how it fairs with the VC reviewers before I try it, just in case.

They're also getting two sequels next week: Gradius II, which was originally announced for last month but had to be postponed, and Baseball Stars 2. But wait, where is Baseball Stars 1? I guess SNK thought that the sequel was so much better compared to the original that they went directly for the sequel.

Closing next week's releases, we have two games we got a looooooooong time ago: Balloon Fight and Dragon Spirit. We got these two games back in July.


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## amarriner (Nov 9, 2007)

I said this on the NSider2 forums, too, but I can't resist reiterating.    			 Baseball Stars 2 is fantastic and I really hope it's released in the States. My brother and I used to play it all the time!


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## InfinityDragon (Nov 12, 2007)

*UPDATE*: Three new games released in the US:
Volleyball (NES)
Axelay (SNES)
Blue's Journey (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
_________________________________________________
Today, we're getting quite a variety of genres. Axelay, which was released only in Australia last month, looks like a very interesting shooter. Blue's Journey is one of the few platformers released for the Neo Geo. And Voleyball is just one of the many first-generation NES sports games.


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## InfinityDragon (Nov 12, 2007)

amarriner said:
			
		

> I said this on the NSider2 forums, too, but I can't resist reiterating.    			 Baseball Stars 2 is fantastic and I really hope it's released in the States. My brother and I used to play it all the time!


Hey, Amarriner, long time no see! What's up? 

As for Baseball Stars 2, I'm pretty sure it'll be released next month here.


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## amarriner (Nov 12, 2007)

InfinityDragon said:
			
		

> Hey, Amarriner, long time no see! What's up?


 Hey Infinity. Well a lot is up, actually, thanks for asking.    			 Life's been *really* busy lately, but all is well otherwise.

Cool about Baseball Stars 2. I've never played the NG version, but loved the game on the NES. Looking forward to it!


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## DemiseofGanon (Nov 12, 2007)

InfinityDragon said:
			
		

> *UPDATE*: Three new games released in the US:
> Volleyball (NES)
> Axelay (SNES)
> Blue's Journey (Neo Geo)
> ...


 Well this seems a little out of place. Volleyball? Why not Double Dribble in honor of basketball starting last week? I had a hunch Blue's Journey was gonna come next for Neo Geo, but I didn't think it would be this week.


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## InfinityDragon (Nov 12, 2007)

amarriner said:
			
		

> InfinityDragon said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Tell me about it, I'm swamped with coursework. I probably won't get much free time until I'm done with the semester (one more month to go). Then I'll have time to play SMG, ZaW and some VC games.




			
				DemiseofGanon said:
			
		

> InfinityDragon said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Well, the way that Nintendo selects sport games is weird. They didn't release a baseball game during the fall classic, even though they own a baseball team (the Mariners), and therefore, should be interested in promoting it somehow.

As for Blue's Journey, I had the hunch that we would get Samurai Shodown today, but I was wrong. I guess I'll have to wait a week or two for it.


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## InfinityDragon (Nov 13, 2007)

*UPDATE*: Five games released in Japan:
Balloon Fight (Famicom)
Light Crusader (Sega Mega Drive)
Dragon Spirit (PC Engine)
Gradius II: Gofer no Yabou (PC Engine CD)
Baseball Stars 2 (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
Another five-game week for Japan... I wonder if we'll get something like that next week, given the importance of the date. Knowing NOA, it probably won't be the case.


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## InfinityDragon (Nov 16, 2007)

*UPDATE*: One game dated for the US VC, five games dated for Japan's VC, plus one more game added to Japan's schedule:

*US*:
Super Air Zonk (TurboGrafx-CD)
Source: Hudson's US VC website

*Japan*: Dated for next week
Makaimura (Ghosts 'n Goblins) (Famicom)
Nuts and Milk (Famicom)
Eternal Champions (Sega Mega Drive)
A Ressha de Ikou 3 (A-Train) (PC Engine CD)
Top Hunter (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website

*Japan*: Newly announced
Langrisser (Sega Mega Drive)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
Japan is getting another five-game week, and not only that, since there were only three games for the last week of November, Sega added one more game to the schedule: Langrisser! 

The first game in the list is one of the hardest games of all-time: Makaimura, which we all know as Ghost 'n Goblins. I hate and love this game so much (ambivalence to the max!); it's excessively frustrating but excessively entertaining at the same time. Nuts and Milk, a puzzle/platform game that might be completely unknown to most people, is the very first Famicom game developed by Hudson, and also the first third-party game developed for a Nintendo console. I had completely forgotten about this game until it was announced for Japan (but I still remember Mappy, for some reason). 

The next game is Eternal Champions, a fighting game that came out around the time that Street Fighter made the genre uber-popular. Unfortunately, it never became popular as other fighters. Japan is also getting a train simulation game: A Ressha de Ikou 3, released here as A-Train and published by Maxis (the creators of Simcity). The last game of the list is Top Hunter, an action/platformer developed by SNK. I've never played it but It looks pretty good from the videos I've seen.

Last but not least, Hudson finally announced Super Air Zonk for next week. It took them long enough.


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## amarriner (Nov 16, 2007)

InfinityDragon said:
			
		

> Japan is also getting a train simulation game: A Ressha de Ikou 3, released here as A-Train and published by Maxis (the creators of Simcity).


 Now *that's* intriguing ... A-Train is certainly not as good as some of the other Maxis stuff, but still decent for its time. Played it a bunch on the PC way back when. I wonder how good the PC-E version is? I'd probably buy it if it was released in the US. Very interesting!

Seems like games of that nature would work well for the wii remote, too. Some wiiware, perhaps?


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## InfinityDragon (Nov 18, 2007)

amarriner said:
			
		

> InfinityDragon said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Not necessarily Wiiware, but it could work. Simcity, Theme Park, etc.


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## InfinityDragon (Nov 19, 2007)

*UPDATE*: Three games released in the US VC:
Wrecking Crew (NES)
Sonic 3D Blast (Sega Genesis)
Super Air Zonk (TurboGrafx-CD)
Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
_________________________________________________
It's the first anniversary of the Wii! And NOA dropped the ball, again. Instead of giving us one of the best weeks ever, or at the very least, a great week, they give us  an average one. Get ready for.... (drumroll, please).... Spin-off  week! First, we get Wrecking Crew, where Mario and Luigi destroy buildings instead of jumping and stomping on enemies. Next, we get Sonic 3D Blast, the very first attempt to do a 3D Sonic, using an isometric view. The overall consensus is that it didn't work; the space was too small for Sonic to do what he does best: breeze through the course at high speed. Last, we get Super Air Zonk, a remake of Air Zonk, with better music, but worse graphics. That's it for today folks, but be sure to check back next week, when we'll continue to wonder what the heck is wrong with NOA.


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## Snoopdogga (Nov 19, 2007)

InfinityDragon said:
			
		

> *UPDATE*: Three games released in the US VC:
> Wrecking Crew (NES)
> Sonic 3D Blast (Sega Genesis)
> Super Air Zonk (TurboGrafx-CD)
> ...


 This week is weird. I was expecting a great week with games such as Mario RPG. Oh well. Next week better be good since my birthday is next Tuesday!


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## InfinityDragon (Nov 20, 2007)

Snoopdogga said:
			
		

> InfinityDragon said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 Yeah, so many games that they could have released, but they went the way of the spin-off.


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## InfinityDragon (Nov 20, 2007)

*UPDATE*: Five games released in Japan today:
Makaimura (Ghosts 'n Goblins) (Famicom)
Nuts and Milk (Famicom)
Eternal Champions (Sega Mega Drive)
A Ressha de Ikou 3 (A-Train) (PC Engine CD)
Top Hunter (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
No surprises this week. Another five-game week for Japan.


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## InfinityDragon (Nov 22, 2007)

*UPDATE*: Four games dated for Japan:
King's Knight (Famicom)
Panel de Pon (Super Famicom)
Langrisser (Sega Mega Drive)
Kawa no Nushi Tsuri Shizenha (PC Engine CD)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
We got an early update from Japan this week (I really don't know why). The remaining four games announced for this month have been dated for next Tuesday. 

First, we have King's Knight, an RPG developed by Square for the Famicom. This is the second Square game that has been released on the VC (in Japan, at least), just one month after the first one (Hanjuku Eiyuu). Next, we have Panel de Pon, the only Super Famicom game released this month in Japan. The game was released here as Tetris Attack, and had many modifications, the main one being the inclusion of characters from the Mario world.

The third game dated is Langrisser, which was just added to the list last week. Langrisser is the first of a series of strategy RPGs developed by CareerSoft. And the last game is Kawa no Nushi Tsuri Shizenha, one of the games on The Legend of the River King series.


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## InfinityDragon (Nov 23, 2007)

*UPDATE*: Two games released in Europe and Australia, plus one game dated for next week:

*Europe/Australia*: Released this week:
Bubble Bobble (NES)
The King of Fighters '94 (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of Europe's News website

*Europe/Australia*: Dated for next week:
The Dynastic Hero (TurboGrafx-CD)
Source: Hudson's Europe VC website
_________________________________________________
The King of Fighters '94, SNK's most popular fighting franchise has hit Europe's and Australia's VC. I'm surprised that it was released before Samurai Shodown, given that the latter was released first in Japan. They're also getting the classic Bubble Bobble, an arcade-style game developed by Taito.

Hudson also sneaked one past me, when they added The Dynastic Hero to the their schedule this week. As a reminder, this game is Wonderboy in Monster World, already available for the Mega Drive (Genesis), with an insect theme.


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## Snoopdogga (Nov 23, 2007)

InfinityDragon said:
			
		

> *UPDATE*: Two games released in Europe and Australia, plus one game dated for next week:
> 
> *Europe/Australia*: Released this week:
> Bubble Bobble (NES)
> ...


 Interesting.....

Bubble Bobble is an interesting release.


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## InfinityDragon (Nov 26, 2007)

*UPDATE*: Three VC games released in the US as usual:
Double Dribble (NES)
Vegas Stakes (SNES)
Ecco Jr. (Sega Genesis)
Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
_________________________________________________
A rather bland week for the US. The only game that is worth anything is Double Dribble, which we most probably got because of the start of the NBA season. We also get Vegas Stakes... no comments on that one, and Ecco Jr., a much easier sequel to Ecco: The Tides of Time, created toward a younger market.


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## InfinityDragon (Nov 28, 2007)

*UPDATE*: Four games released in Japan:
King's Knight (Famicom)
Panel de Pon (Super Famicom)
Langrisser (Sega Mega Drive)
Kawa no Nushi Tsuri Shizenha (PC Engine CD)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
Sorry for the late update, but in my defense, NOJ hasn't even updated their VC website. As far as I know, nothing new was announced from what I posted on Friday, so I'll leave it at that.


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## InfinityDragon (Nov 30, 2007)

*UPDATE*: Two games released in Europe/Australia:
The Dynastic Hero (TurboGrafx-CD)
Baseball Stars 2 (Neo Geo)
Source: The Virtual Console Archive: EU VC Releases
_________________________________________________
Another two-game week for Europe and Australia, for a total of 12 games in a five-week month, ouch. And not only that, one of the games released is a remake of another game already available in the VC, double ouch. Oh well, at least they got Baseball Stars 2 (the second Neo Geo game that hasn't been released in the US).


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## Bulerias (Nov 30, 2007)

InfinityDragon said:
			
		

> *UPDATE*: Two games released in Europe/Australia:
> The Dynastic Hero (TurboGrafx-CD)
> Baseball Stars 2 (Neo Geo)
> Source: The Virtual Console Archive: EU VC Releases
> ...


 Though Baseball Stars 2 is great, if I was a Euro, I'd be uberly disappointed.  Don't they, like, hate baseball?


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## InfinityDragon (Nov 30, 2007)

Bulerias said:
			
		

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I don't think it gets to the point of hating the game, it's just not their thing. If it were soccer, it could be released by itself and the week would still be great for them.


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## Bulerias (Nov 30, 2007)

InfinityDragon said:
			
		

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 Yeah, that's essentially what I meant.  Ah well... sucks for them.  Baseball Stars 2 is the best baseball game on the Neo Geo, and I think one of the best ever made, if we're talking about classic games.


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## InfinityDragon (Nov 30, 2007)

Bulerias said:
			
		

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 Woah, were you reading the thread just when I posted? I just wanted to make a change, and you had already replied.


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## Bulerias (Nov 30, 2007)

InfinityDragon said:
			
		

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 Hah, that was sort of a coincidence. 0_0


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## DSCUBER9000 (Nov 30, 2007)

Man, I cannot wait for Pokemon Snap.    			 I hope Nintendo does these kind of updates to more games.


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## Mino (Nov 30, 2007)

Haha, Pokemon Snap....  One of the first games I completely beat.

Remember how you could bring your controller pak into blockbuster and print stickers of your pictures?


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## InfinityDragon (Nov 30, 2007)

Mino said:
			
		

> Haha, Pokemon Snap.... One of the first games I completely beat.
> 
> Remember how you could bring your controller pak into blockbuster and print stickers of your pictures?


Oh, so it's probably like I thought. I don't think Nintendo modified the game, but instead updated the emulator so that it could handle a virtual controller pak, in order to use the new pic sharing feature. I wouldn't be surprised if the ghost data could now be used with Mario Kart 64 too.


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## Bulerias (Nov 30, 2007)

InfinityDragon said:
			
		

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 I'm glad Ninty finally found a workaround for the controller pak... now, all we need is for the expansion pak to be supported and Majora's Mask and/or Donkey Kong 64 are realistic possibilities...


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## InfinityDragon (Dec 3, 2007)

Bulerias said:
			
		

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According to the people on Nsider2, you actually had to take the cartridge, and not the controller pak. So, that problem hasn't been solved.


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## InfinityDragon (Dec 3, 2007)

*UPDATE*: Three games released in the US:
Zanac (NES)
Eternal Champions (Sega Genesis)
The Dynastic Hero (TurboGrafx-CD)
Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
_________________________________________________
We got a rather bad week. A generic shooter (from the videos I've seen), a fighting game that tried to cash in on Street Fighter's popularity, but wasn't really good, and a remake of a game already on the VC.


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## InfinityDragon (Dec 4, 2007)

*UPDATE*: Four games released in Japan:
Downtown Nekketsu Koushinkyoku: Soreyuke Daiundoukai (Famicom)
Pokemon Snap (Nintendo 64)
Rolling Thunder 2 (Sega Mega Drive)
Gate of Thunder (PC Engine CD)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
Japan got the expected four games today. I saw a couple more videos of Downtown Nekketsu Koushinkyoku: Soreyuke Daiundoukai and I really wish Nintendo would bring it over here as the "kicking the crap out of three other friends while you complete a challenge" looks way too much fun.

Pokemon Snap has already been confirmed to be released here next week by Pokemon.com. Rolling Thunder 2 was rated by the ESRB last month, and Gate of Thunder is already available here.


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## Snoopdogga (Dec 4, 2007)

InfinityDragon said:
			
		

> *UPDATE*: Four games released in Japan:
> Downtown Nekketsu Koushinkyoku: Soreyuke Daiundoukai (Famicom)
> Pokemon Snap (Nintendo 64)
> Rolling Thunder 2 (Sega Mega Drive)
> ...


 Gate of Thunder is for the Tubro Graphx 16 CD not Sega Mega Drive.


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## InfinityDragon (Dec 4, 2007)

Snoopdogga said:
			
		

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 For some reason, I made the mistake when I posted all of the games announced for Japan, and I've been copying/pasting it with the error. Thanks for the info, Snoop.


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## InfinityDragon (Dec 7, 2007)

*UPDATE*: Three new games released in Europe and Australia:
Cybernator (SNES)
Light Crusader (Sega Mega Drive)
Rolling Thunder 2 (Sega Mega Drive)
Source: The Virtual Console Archive: EU VC Releases
_________________________________________________
It's Mega Drive week for Europe and Australia, and like last month, they're getting less Mega Drive games than usual. First is Light Crusader, a Treasure game that deviates from their classic style into an isometric RPG. Second is Rolling Thunder 2, which was just released in Japan this past Tuesday. I'll say it again, it reminds me of Code Name: Viper; let's see if someone has played that game and can tell if I'm crazy or not (this will be the last time I mention it, don't worry ). For some reason, Europe/Australia didn't get Ecco Jr., like I expected.

The last game released today is Cybernator, a game I've wanted to play for a long time but haven't had the chance. I hope it won't take long before it is released here. According to the comments on the VC-Reviews website, it appears that this game was the one that didn't pass Nintendo standards a couple of weeks ago since it's not listed as a new game.


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## InfinityDragon (Dec 7, 2007)

*UPDATE*: Four games dated for Japan:
Super Mario Bros. 3 (Famicom)
Lunar Ball (Famicom)
Columns III: Taiketsu! Columns World (Sega Mega Drive)
Image Fight II (PC Engine CD)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
Japan is finally getting Super Mario Bros. 3, and just like the other regions in the world, they decided not to release the game on the same week as the Wii's first anniversary. They're also getting Lunar Ball... Moving on, Sega is going to release Columns III. I've never played this one, only the original, so the only thing I know is that now you have to battle against another player (be it human or the computer) in all modes; there's no single player mode per se. The final game to be released next week is Image Fight II, a space shooter developed by Irem (the creators of R-Type). The original was released back in August in Japan, and according to wiki, it was the inspiration for Radiant Silvergun, so I'm interested on playing it.


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## InfinityDragon (Dec 10, 2007)

*UPDATE*: Three games will be released in the US today:
Ghosts 'n Goblins (NES)
Pokemon Snap (Nintendo 64)
Baseball Stars 2 (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
_________________________________________________
Ghosts 'n Goblins!!! One of the hardest games ever will be gracing the US VC today. If you're in for a challenge, be sure to download it. With this, all possible Makaimura games are available on the VC (the only one not there is Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins, which was released for the PSP). It's time for me to start downloading them!     

A Nintendo 64 game? It's been a while since we got one (a little more than two months after we got Sin and Punishment) and it's the first, and probably only, Pokemon game that will be released on the VC: Pokemon Snap. Given the premise of the game (taking pictures of pokemon) and the fact that I've never been a fan of the series, I wasn't interested in the game at all. But then a friend of mine lend it to me, and I was shocked: the game was actually good. It's a tad short, but you'll replay it several times trying to take the best pictures.

To close, we have a Neo Geo game. It's not KOF94 nor Samurai Shodown, which we've been expecting for a while now, but Baseball Stars 2, an arcade-style baseball game. I played it a few times on the arcades as a kid, and it's certainly a lot of fun. Special mention to the the great close-up animations which caught your attention quickly in the arcades.

A great week overall!


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## Bulerias (Dec 10, 2007)

Wait, why do you say "only Pokemon game"?  What about Pokemon Stadium?


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## SafariSuz (Dec 10, 2007)

Bulerias said:
			
		

> Wait, why do you say "only Pokemon game"? What about Pokemon Stadium?


|sf>Furthermore, he doesn't think we'll get the Pok


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## InfinityDragon (Dec 10, 2007)

SafariSuz said:
			
		

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## SafariSuz (Dec 12, 2007)

InfinityDragon said:
			
		

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## InfinityDragon (Dec 12, 2007)

SafariSuz said:
			
		

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## InfinityDragon (Dec 12, 2007)

*UPDATE*: One game released in Europe and Australia:
Pokemon Snap (Nintendo 64)
Source: The Virtual Console Archive: EU VC Releases
_________________________________________________
What the heck? Even Europe and Australia get irregular releases?


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## InfinityDragon (Dec 14, 2007)

*UPDATE*: Four games dated for Japan and one game dated for the US, Europe and Australia:

*US*:
Monster Lair (TurboGrafx-CD)
Source: Hudson's US VC website

*Japan*:
Metal Slader Glory (Famicom)
Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers (Super Famicom)
Party Quiz: Mega Q (Sega Mega Drive)
Ai Chou Aniki (PC Engine CD)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website

*Europe/Australia*:
Monster Lair (TurboGrafx-CD)
Source: Hudson's US VC website
_________________________________________________
It's our usual Friday update, announcing the games Japan will be getting next week. First up is Metal Slader Glory, a Japan-only adventure game developed by Hal Laboratory for the Famicom in 1991. The interesting tidbit is that the game was very popular, achieving cult status in Japan, so much in fact that Nintendo decided to do a remake, a Director's cut edition for the Super Famicom in... wait for it... 2000. Yes, 2000. I thought that Rockman and Forte was one of the last games released for the Super Famicom, but that was in 1998, I had no idea that some games made it to the last year of the millennium. This game was the last game released for the Super Famicom, finishing its run of 11 years.

Next up is Super Street Fighter II. The SF game that most people around here have been waiting for because of the inclusion of four new characters: Cammy, Fei Long, Dee Jay and T. Hawk. I, in particular, was disappointed by SSFII since by the time it was announced for the SNES, the much better sequel, Super Street Fighter II Turbo had already been released on the arcades. This version would never make it to the SNES because SSFII was a commercial failure.

The third one is Party Quiz: Mega Q. I can't find much information about this game on the web. It seems to be a board game. The last one for Japan next week is Ai Chou Aniki. Hudson is already putting another Chou Aniki game on the VC? O_O. It looks like they'll be done with the series in no time. 

Last but not least, Hudson announced Monster Lair for next week in the US, Europe and Australia. Another game in the Wonder Boy series with a name change on this side of the pond, this one corresponds to Wonder Boy III. So, to make things clear, the order of the Wonder Boy games available on the VC is the following (I think I got it right):
Monster Lair (TurboGrafx-CD)
Dragon's Curse (TurboGrafx-16)
Wonder Boy in Monster World (Sega Genesis) / The Dynastic Hero (TurboGrafx-CD)
One thing to note is that Monster Lair and Monster World are part of the Monster World series, while Dragon's Curse is not. Therefore, Monster World is the sequel to Monster Lair, while Dragon's Curse is the sequel to Wonder Boy in Monster Land (which is not available on the VC as there is no support for the Sega Master System). Just in case you were wondering, there is also a Wonder Boy in Monster Lair for the Genesis, which was only released in Japan and Europe.


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## InfinityDragon (Dec 17, 2007)

*UPDATE*: Three games released in the US:
Cybernator (SNES)
Alien Storm (Sega Genesis)
Monster Lair (TurboGrafx-CD)
Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
_________________________________________________
This week we're getting Cybernator for the SNES, a game I've been waiting for a while since Japan got it a couple of months ago. I'm buying it as soon as a finish a few VC games during winter break. We're also getting Alien Storm... wait, what??? Are my eyes deceiving me? It is, it's Alien Storm. This game was rated by the ESRB about a year ago, literally, and now is when Sega decides to release it. Now, when are we getting Vectorman, Sega? 

Last, but not least, here comes another game in the Wonder Boy series: Monster Lair. From the videos I've seen, the game is more like a shmup/platformer than a traditional platformer. If you like the Wonder Boy series, it's worth a check.


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## InfinityDragon (Dec 18, 2007)

*UPDATE*: Four games released in Japan:
Metal Slader Glory (Famicom)
Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers (Super Famicom)
Party Quiz: Mega Q (Sega Mega Drive)
Ai Chou Aniki (PC Engine CD)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
Four more games this week for Japan *sigh*. Hopefully, we'll get something good for next week.

On another note, it looks like SNK did take a break on December. There hasn't been any late announcements from them, so it looks like next week will be a three-game week for them.


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## InfinityDragon (Dec 21, 2007)

*UPDATE*: Three games released in Europe and Australia:
Blades of Steel (NES)
Skate or Die (NES)
Monster Lair (TurboGrafx-CD)
Source: The Virtual Console Archive: EU VC Releases
_________________________________________________
Well, Europe and Australia are getting three games this week. We start with Blades of Steel, which I've never had the chance to play, unfortunately. I've heard that it's one of the best, if not the best, hockey game for the NES. Skate or Die is the next one... I know I played this game as a kid, but I don't really remember if it was good or not. I'm guessing it's not since I don't remember anything remarkable about it. The last game we already got this past Monday, Monster Lair.


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## InfinityDragon (Dec 21, 2007)

*UPDATE*: Three games dated for Japan:
Treasure Hunter G (Super Famicom)
Langrisser II (Sega Mega Drive)
Dragon Slayer: Eiyuu Densetsu (PC Engine CD)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
Only three games may have been announced for Christmas in Japan, but I'm pretty sure they don't mind at all. Why? It's RPG extravaganza!!! Yes, three RPGs are going to be released next week in Japan! Why doesn't that happen here? T_T

The first game is Treasure Hunter G, a Japan-only SRPG released for the Super Famicom by Square (developed by Sting). From what I've read, this was the last Square game released on a Nintendo home console. FF: Crystal Chronicles was released after the Square Enix merger.

The second game is Langrisser II. Japan got the first one just a month ago, and they're already getting the sequel. Langrisser II was never released outside of Japan.

The third and last game is Dragon Slayer: Eiyuu Densetsu, a traditional RPG for the PC Engine CD. It's the only game in the Legend of Heroes subseries released outside of Japan in its original form (a remake of one of the games was made for the PSP). For the people who doesn't know, Faxanadu is part of this series (a side-story actually).


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## Bulerias (Dec 21, 2007)

Wait just a second... Langrisser? I've never played any games in the series, but isn't it eerily similar to Fire Emblem?  Wow, great week for Japan.  Europe got a great game, too -- Blades of Steel.


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## InfinityDragon (Dec 21, 2007)

Bulerias said:
			
		

> Wait just a second... Langrisser? I've never played any games in the series, but isn't it eerily similar to Fire Emblem? Wow, great week for Japan. Europe got a great game, too -- Blades of Steel.


Sorry, I haven't played it either. I only know that it is a SRPG, and that Satoshi Urushihara did the character designs.


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## Bulerias (Dec 22, 2007)

InfinityDragon said:
			
		

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 Yeah, I read up on it a while ago, and it's definitely similar to Fire Emblem.  Too bad it's probably not coming to the US.


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## InfinityDragon (Dec 22, 2007)

Bulerias said:
			
		

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 The first one was released here as Warsong, so it has a chance.


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## InfinityDragon (Dec 24, 2007)

*UPDATE*: Three games released in the US:
Blades of Steel (NES)
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble (SNES)
Rolling Thunder 2 (Sega Genesis)
Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
_________________________________________________
Nintendo decided not to go out of their way unlike last year's Christmas and they just released three games today. The first game is Blades of Steel, considered by many as the best hockey game for the NES. Next, we have the third and last game in the Donkey Kong Country series. For some weird reason, the amount of time between the releases of DKC3 and DKC2 was almost thrice the amount between the releases of DKC2 and DKC; it is usually the other way around. Last, we have Rolling Thunder 2, a Genesis port of an arcade game, which (I know I said I wasn't going to mention it again, but I really don't have anything more to say about it) reminds me a lot to Codename: Viper. The original game of the trilogy was also ported from the arcades, but this time to the NES, and the third one was developed specifically for the Genesis.


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## Tyler (Dec 24, 2007)

Yea, next week we'll probably be getting Super Mario RPG. They said it'd be out in 2007. :r


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## InfinityDragon (Dec 24, 2007)

OddCrazyMe said:
			
		

> Yea, next week we'll probably be getting Super Mario RPG. They said it'd be out in 2007. :r


Hehehe, I just left a comment for you on the Gamers' Lounge news, Odd.


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## DSCUBER9000 (Dec 24, 2007)

I had Blades of Steel on my original Nintendo! That game was awesome! It was a great hockey game, and then you could get into fights! I could play that game for hours at a time. I may just buy the game on the Wii again.   
^_^			

Oh, and if SMRPG comes out next week, party at my house!


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## InfinityDragon (Dec 24, 2007)

DSCUBER9000 said:
			
		

> I had Blades of Steel on my original Nintendo! That game was awesome! It was a *great hockey game*, and then you could *get into fights!* I could play that game for hours at a time. I may just buy the game on the Wii again.   
^_^
> 
> Oh, and if SMRPG comes out next week, party at my house!


It seems like every single person I have heard talking about Blades of Steel always mention those two things together.


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## InfinityDragon (Dec 25, 2007)

*UPDATE*: Three games released in Japan and an irregular release for Europe and Australia:

*Japan*:
Treasure Hunter G (Super Famicom)
Langrisser II (Sega Mega Drive)
Dragon Slayer: Eiyuu Densetsu (PC Engine CD)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website

*Europe/Australia*:
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble (SNES)
Source: The Virtual Console Archive: EU VC Releases
_________________________________________________
It's a merry Christmas for Japan with the the release of three -- yes, count them -- RPGs (two SRPGs and one traditional RPG): Treasure Hunter G, Langrisser II and Dragon Slayer. In other news.... What the...? Europe and Australia just got DKC3 as a Christmas surprise... I'm just not going to say anything about.


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## 100 (Dec 28, 2007)

I wish they would add Donkey Kong 64 and Mario Paint on VC.


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## InfinityDragon (Dec 29, 2007)

100 said:
			
		

> I wish they would add Donkey Kong 64 and Mario Paint on VC.


 It might take a while for Donkey Kong 64. It's one of the few N64 games that used the expansion pak, and I don't know if Nintendo has gotten its emulation right. I think there's also a problem with the appearance of JetPac.

As for Mario Paint, I don't know if it will eventually make it to the VC. I heard a lot about the possibility of bringing it to the VC before the Wii was released, but I've heard nothing ever since. The problem might be the difficulty of using the wiimote to draw. It's not the same as using a mouse or a stylus. Now that I think about it, Nintendo should release a Mario Paint DS.


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## Bulerias (Dec 29, 2007)

Actually, I heard a rumor about a Mario Paint DS a while back over at SPONG... who knows if it's true or not...


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## Knightshot (Dec 29, 2007)

Bulerias said:
			
		

> Actually, I heard a rumor about a Mario Paint DS a while back over at SPONG... who knows if it's true or not...


 I heard about that too. I hope its true!!!


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## InfinityDragon (Dec 31, 2007)

Knightshot said:
			
		

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 I didn't know that. That's definitely the best approach. You know what would be great? Using that Mario Paint DS to create textures that could be exported to the Mii Channel.


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## Tyler (Dec 31, 2007)

InfinityDragon said:
			
		

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 It won't happen. The Mii Channel has given us limited tools to test our creativity.


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## InfinityDragon (Dec 31, 2007)

*UPDATE*: Three games released in the US:
Bubble Bobble (NES)
Light Crusader (Sega Genesis)
Top Hunter: Roddy and Cathy (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
_________________________________________________
It's the last update of the year. Three new games have been announced for the US. First, we have Bubble Bobble, a classic platform game developed by Taito in 1986 in the arcades, with a follow-up port on the NES, as well as many other consoles. It's regarded by many as one of the best games ever.

Next, we have Light Crusader, the first (and last) RPG developed by Treasure. They used a western style for this game, unlike their traditional, more anime-like, style. This might be the first Treasure game that I'm not buying, since I'm not impressed by the videos I've seen. It doesn't help that I'm not a fan of western RPGs to begin with.

Last, we finally have a Neo Geo game: Top Hunter. This game features a mixture of beat'em up with platforming, SNK-style. I think I've seen the game at the arcade, but never had the chance to play it. With this, only KOF '94 and Samurai Shodown are left for release in the US (Japan hasn't gotten a Neo Geo game since November, and won't be getting any at least until February).

It is pretty much catch-up time for us this week, since all the games have been released in Europe and Australia already. Nevertheless, it's a much better week than Christmas week, IMO. 

Well, that's it. I hope you have a happy new year. See you next time!


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## InfinityDragon (Dec 31, 2007)

OddCrazyMe said:
			
		

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 I don't think it's to test out creativity. It's just Nintendo being lazy about giving us more stuff to work with.


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## InfinityDragon (Jan 1, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Japan's VC schedule for next month, plus one Hudson game for all other regions, announced:

*US*:
Riot Zone
Source: Hudson's US VC website

*Japan*:
Yie Ar Kung-Fu (Famicom)
Takahashi Meijin no Bouken Jima (Adventure Island) (Famicom)
Devil World (Famicom)
Mappy (Famicom)
Super R-Type (Super Famicom)
1080 Snowboarding (Nintendo 64)
Phantasy Star II: Kaerazaru Toki no Owari ni (Phantasy Star II) (Sega Mega Drive)
Monster World IV (Sega Mega Drive)
Genpei Toumaden: Kannoni (Samurai Ghost) (PC Engine)
CD Denjin: Rockabilly Tengoku (Super Air Zonk: Rockabilly Paradise) (PC Engine CD)
Neo Nectaris (PC Engine CD)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website

*Europe/Australia*:
Riot Zone
Source: Hudson's Europe VC website
_________________________________________________
I'm completely shocked with the minimum number of games in Japan's VC schedule for January. Only 11 games in a 5-week month? WTH!? No Neo Geo games again, and also no MSX games announced either. And Hudson doesn't fall behind with the announcements for the other regions: one game, Hudson? Just one game? And it's not Ys: Book I&II? *sigh*


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## InfinityDragon (Jan 4, 2008)

*UPDATE*: One game released in Europe and Australia:
Harvest Moon (SNES)
Source: The Virtual Console Archive: EU VC Releases
_________________________________________________
Europe and Australia ended the year with just one game, and they're starting the new year with only one game. The very first Harvest Moon, originally released on the SNES, is now available in these two regions. I've never played any of the Harvest Moon games, but I'm pretty sure that a lot of people are glad that it was released on the VC. 

As a side note, no Mega Drive week this month; this is the first time since January 2007 that no Mega Drive games are released in the first week of the month in Europe and Australia. The interesting part is that I was expecting Ecco Jr. to come out, at the very least.


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## InfinityDragon (Jan 7, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two new games to be released in the US:
Star Tropics (NES)
The King of Fighters '94 (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
_________________________________________________
Only two games released in the first Monday of the year (just like last year), but what a difference in quality. First we have Star Tropics, a top-down action adventure game in the style of Zelda. This game has the particularity that it was developed by Japanese designers, but it was only released in the Americas and Europe. The game is also famous for a code that required taking a physical object (a piece of paper) and submerging it in water so that the code would be revealed. Last but not least, the protagonist uses a freaking yo-yo to attack. Aside from Ness (from Earthbound), Goemon (from Legend of the Mystical Ninja) and Combattler V (Choudenji yo-yo! ), I don't know of any other character who uses a yo-yo to attack.

The second game is no other than KOF '94, which everybody got like two months ago  . The first in the long-running fighting series may not be the best, but it's still worth a buy. For the people who doesn't know about this series, it brings together characters from many SNK games, including Fatal Fury, Art of Fighting, Psycho Soldier and Ikari Warriors, for a fighting tournament, with a few originals like Kyo Kusanagi, and Benimaru Nikaido. Instead of the traditional two-round one-on-one fight, it uses a team system. The player selects a team of three fighters, and an order. Each fighter battles until it's defeated, in which case the next fighter takes its place. A team wins when it defeats all three fighters from the opposite team.

The game is noted for lacking two things: a team edit feature, limiting the player to the pre-established teams, and Iori Yagami. Both were added to the series starting with KOF '95. I'm not a particular fan of Iori, but I do like the rivalry between Kyo and Iori.

Great week! Enjoy!


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## InfinityDragon (Jan 8, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two games released in Japan:
Yie Ar Kung-Fu (Famicom)
Genpei Toumaden: Kannoni [Samurai Ghost] (PC Engine)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
First update of the year for Japan... and kind of a disappointing one. They got one of the first fighters ever, Yie Ar Kung-Fu, plus Genpei Toumanden: Kannoni, known here as Samurai Ghost. That's it. I don't even remember when was the last time that they only got two games (aside from irregular releases). 

People usually complain that Japan gets better releases than us, but this first week, everybody else got better games:  Europe and Australia got Harvest Moon, and the US got Star Tropics and KOF '94.


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## Bulerias (Jan 9, 2008)

Eww, I played the Konami fighter on Konami Arcade Classics... pretty bad, but I guess that's alright considering it was one of the first fighters ever. :\


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## InfinityDragon (Jan 11, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two games released in Europe and Australia:
Star Tropics (NES)
Alien Storm (Sega Mega Drive)
Source: The Virtual Console Archive: EU VC Releases
_________________________________________________
Nothing really new for Europe and Australia this week. They got Star Tropics, which we got this past Monday, and Alien Storm, released here halfway through December. 

Something that must be bothering VC gamers in Europe and Australia is that it's the third week in a row that they get less than three games, and honestly, if the US doesn't get three games for next week, it'll start bothering me too. Why? Well, it might mean that Nintendo has decided to slow down with the releases, when it should be the other way around. 

The first sign is the small number of releases scheduled for Japan in January. Only 11 games scheduled for a 5-week month (technically, it's a 4-week month, VC-wise, since New Year's week in Japan is pretty much sacred), which means that it's less than three games a week in average. This might not surprise the other regions, but when Japan regularly gets four games a week or more, it's something to be concerned. The second sign is the reduced number of releases in Europe and Australia for three straight weeks. The third sign is the fact that we only got two games on our first week of January. Hopefully, next week we'll go back to the usual three games a week. Let's hope that I'm just being paranoid.


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## InfinityDragon (Jan 11, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Three games dated for next week in Japan, plus one game for the US, Europe and Australia:

*US*:
Riot Zone (TurboGrafx-CD)
Source: Hudson's US VC website

*Japan*:
Takahashi Meijin no Bouken Jima [Adventure Island] (Famicom)
1080 Snowboarding (Nintendo 64)
Monster World IV (Sega Mega Drive)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website

*Europe/Australia*:
Riot Zone (TurboGrafx-CD)
Source: Hudson's Europe VC website
_________________________________________________
Hudson has dated the only game it announced this month for the US, Europe and Australia. Riot Zone is a beat 'em up in the same style as Final Fight and Streets of Rage. In fact, one of the main characters, Hawk, seems like a mixture between Cody (from Final Fight) and Axel (from Streets of Rage). I've never played Riot Zone so I don't know if it's at the same level of those two games, but for some reason, I doubt it is.

Three games have been dated for Japan (really, we didn't expect anything more or less than that). Lets start with Takahashi Meijin no Bouken Jima, the original long and weird name for the game we know here as Adventure Island. Takahashi Meijin (Master Takahashi) is the name of the protagonist in Adventure Island (localized here as Master Higgins). What's interesting is that Master Takahashi is named after a real person, an executive of Hudson who is famous for his finger speed.

The second game dated is the 11th N64 game for the VC: 1080 Snowboarding. An amazing snowboarding game that I would recommend to anyone when it's released here (which could be really soon, even next week). People who liked Wave Race 64 will definitely like 1080 since it was developed by the same team.

The last game date is Monster World IV. The last game in the Monster World series (a subseries of the Wonder Boy series) was never released outside of Japan, and it's the only game in the series which stars a female character. The gameplay used  is the traditional Wonder Boy style, not the the Monster Lair style (shooter/platformer).


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## Snoopdogga (Jan 11, 2008)

InfinityDragon said:
			
		

> *UPDATE*: Three games dated for next week in Japan, plus one game for the US, Europe and Australia:
> 
> *US*:
> Riot Zone (TurboGrafx-CD)
> ...


 YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1080 Snowboarding is dated for Japan! That means we'll probably get it on the 21st of January but if we are lucky, we'll get it on Monday!


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## InfinityDragon (Jan 14, 2008)

Snoopdogga said:
			
		

> YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 1080 Snowboarding is dated for Japan! That means we'll probably get it on the 21st of January but if we are lucky, we'll get it on Monday!


No such luck this week, but hopefully, it will be here the next.


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## InfinityDragon (Jan 14, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two games to be released in the US:
Pac-Attack (SNES)
Riot Zone (TurboGrafx-CD)
Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
_________________________________________________
Another two-game week *sigh*. Pac-Attack is a puzzle game in the same style as Tetris and the like, and Riot Zone is a beat'em up which is excessively similar to Final Fight and Streets of Rage (to the point where we could call it a ripoff).


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## InfinityDragon (Jan 15, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Three games released in Japan:
Takahashi Meijin no Bouken Jima [Adventure Island] (Famicom)
1080 Snowboarding (Nintendo 64)
Monster World IV (Sega Mega Drive)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
Three games were released in Japan this Tuesday: One we got a long time ago (Adventure Island), one we'll be getting soon (1080 Snowboarding), and one we might not be getting ever (Japan-only, Monster World IV).


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## InfinityDragon (Jan 18, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two games released in Europe and Australia:
1080 Snowboarding (Nintendo 64)
Riot Zone (TurboGrafx-CD)
Source: The Virtual Console Archive: EU VC Releases
_________________________________________________
Well, they got it! 1080 was released today in Europe and Australia, along with Riot Zone. It was another two-game week though, which is not good, but at least they got one good game, like every week this month.


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## InfinityDragon (Jan 18, 2008)

*UPDATE*: One game dated for next week in Japan:
Devil World (Famicom)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
Wait, what? One game? Just one game? They have six games left for the month and they only announce one game for next week? What's Nintendo thinking, honestly? Ok, the sole game announced was Devil World, which was never released in the Americas. What is interesting about this game is that it was designed by gaming god Shigeru Miyamoto, making it one of only two games where he was involved that never saw a release here (the other being Doki Doki Panic in its original form). The reason was the inclusion of religious icons in the game.


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## Snoopdogga (Jan 18, 2008)

InfinityDragon said:
			
		

> *UPDATE*: One game dated for next week in Japan:
> Devil World (Famicom)
> Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
> _________________________________________________
> Wait, what? One game? Just one game? They have six games left for the month and they only announce one game for next week? What's Nintendo thinking, honestly? Ok, the sole game announced was Devil World, which was never released in the Americas. What is interesting about this game is that it was designed by gaming god Shigeru Miyamoto, making it one of only two games where he was involved that never saw a release here (the other being Doki Doki Panic in its original form). The reason was the inclusion of religious icons in the game.


 Does this mean they'll get the remainder of the games on January 29th?


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## InfinityDragon (Jan 19, 2008)

Snoopdogga said:
			
		

> InfinityDragon said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That would be my guess, but it doesn't have to be that way. They could release some of them as irregular releases, or some of them may even be postponed until next month.


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## Snoopdogga (Jan 19, 2008)

InfinityDragon said:
			
		

> Snoopdogga said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 I doubt they'll release all of them in the week.
By the way, what are your opinions on Mondays releases? <_<


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## InfinityDragon (Jan 21, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two games to be released in the US:
Adventures of Lolo 2 (NES)
Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers (SNES)
Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
_________________________________________________
Sequel week! I feel like there hasn't been any theme in Nintendo's releases since the anniversary (and I'm probably right). This week we get two games that in plain sight seem like complete opposites: brains vs. brawl (in reality both games require a lot of thinking). 

On the brains side, we get Adventures of Lolo 2, sequel to the highly-regarded puzzle game Adventures of Lolo. The original Lolo game was based on multiple games from the Eggerland series (it was even considered a compilation in Japan and was never released there), while Lolo 2 was a true original game. Since there was no Adventures of Lolo game in Japan, our Lolo 2 became their Lolo 1 (I'm not making a mistake in the order, Lolo 2 was actually released here before Japan).

On the brawl side, we get Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers, sequel to Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting, which is considered by many as the best SFII game (I like Super Turbo more, but that's me). This game had new characters, revamped graphics, new special moves (we can finally see some obvious differences between Ryu and Ken, with Ryu's Red Hadoken and Ken's Flaming Shoryuken, for example), improved music (QSound), among other things. The speed was reduced though, which wasn't welcomed by the fans.

A great week, in my opinion, especially when compared to the subpar week that was the last one.


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## InfinityDragon (Jan 22, 2008)

*UPDATE*: One game released in Japan:
Devil World (Famicom)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
No surprises for Japan today. Only Devil World was released, as scheduled. Given that there are still five games left for the month, we might see an irregular release later this week.


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## InfinityDragon (Jan 25, 2008)

*UPDATE*: One game released in Europe and Australia:
Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers (SNES)
Source: The Virtual Console Archive: EU VC Releases
_________________________________________________
Another one-game week for Europe and Australia. Although it is Super Street Fighter II, you just can't help but feel sorry for them. The 200th game theory doesn't apply to them, since they only have 185 games (including this one), so it would take a few months to get there by releasing one or two games a week.


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## InfinityDragon (Jan 25, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Four games dated for next week in Japan:
Mappy (Famicom)
Super R-Type (Super Famicom)
Phantasy Star II: Kaerazaru Toki no Owari ni [Phantasy Star II] (Sega Mega Drive)
CD Denjin: Rockabilly Tengoku [Super Air Zonk: Rockabilly Paradise] (PC Engine CD)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
First of all, be aware that Neo Nectaris, which was scheduled to be released this month, has been postponed until February. Japan is getting four games next week (back to the old times... just for this week). First up is Mappy, a Japan-only Famicom game featuring a police mouse that has to retrieve stolen goods from a gang of cats. I played this game quite a bit as a kid; it was a pretty simple game but very fun. I think this game is import material, given its simplicity and the lack of Japanese text.

Next, we have Super R-Type, the only non-canon R-Type game in the series. The game is known for its massive slowdown when many enemies appear on the screen. The third game is Phantasy Star II (wow, it took them more than a year to put a Phantasy Star game on the VC), one of the most popular RPGs series on the Genesis, if not the most popular. The last game dated for next week is just CD Denjin, known here as Super Air Zonk, released in November on this side of the pond.


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## InfinityDragon (Jan 28, 2008)

*UPDATE*: One game released in the US:
1080 Snowboarding (Nintendo 64)
Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
_________________________________________________
Nintendo brings January to a close with one game: 1080 Snowboarding, the best snowboarding game released on the Nintendo 64. This concludes one of the worst months in the life of the VC, quantity-wise (only 7 games released), only bested by Europe/Australia's own January 2007 releases (6 games released), and Australia's January 2006 releases (5 games released; the TurboGrafx-16 wasn't available there yet).


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## InfinityDragon (Feb 1, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Four games released in Japan:
Mappy (Famicom)
Super R-Type (Super Famicom)
Phantasy Star II: Kaerazaru Toki no Owari ni [Phantasy Star II] (Sega Mega Drive)
CD Denjin: Rockabilly Tengoku [Super Air Zonk: Rockabilly Paradise] (PC Engine CD)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
Last set of releases for January in Japan.


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## InfinityDragon (Feb 1, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Japan's February schedule announced, plus two Hudson games for the Americas, Europe and Australia:

*US*:
Psychosis (TurboGrafx-16)
Lords of Thunder (TurboGrafx-CD)
Source: Hudson's US VC website

*Japan*:
Super Contra [Super C] (Famicom)
Tantei Jinguuji Saburou: Shinjuku Chuuou Kouen Satsujin Jiken (Famicom)
Wrecking Crew (Famicom)
Cosmo Gang The Puzzle (Super Famicom)
Do Re Mi Fantasy: Milon no Doki Doki Daibouken (Super Famicom)
Custom Robo V2 (Nintendo 64)
Hokuto no Ken (Sega Master System)
Gleylancer (Sega Mega Drive)
Wrestleball (Sega Mega Drive)
Power Eleven (PC Engine)
Atlas (PC Engine CD)
Dungeon Explorer II (PC Engine CD)
Neo Nectaris (PC Engine CD)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website

*Europe/Australia*:
Psychosis (TurboGrafx-16)
Lords of Thunder (TurboGrafx-CD)
Source: Hudson's Europe VC website
_________________________________________________
The biggest VC news today are the addition of the Sega Master System to the VC lineup. It took you long enough, Sega! Also, no Neo Geo games (again) and no Super Smash Bros. In total, only 13 games were announced for February in Japan (one of them being originally announced for January); more proof that there will be fewer VC releases this year. 

In addition, two games were announced by Hudson for the Americas, Europe and Australia, and none of them are named Y's... *sigh*


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## InfinityDragon (Feb 1, 2008)

*UPDATE*: One game released in Europe and Australia:
Adventures of Lolo 2 (NES)
Source: The Virtual Console Archive: EU VC Releases
_________________________________________________
And the trend continues... only one game released this week in Europe and Australia: Adventures of Lolo 2. A great one, but still only one.


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## InfinityDragon (Feb 1, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two games dated for next week in Japan:
Wrecking Crew (Famicom)
Dungeon Explorer II (PC Engine CD)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
Only two games have been announced for next week in Japan: Wrecking Crew, which we got on the Wii's first anniversary, and Dungeon Explorer II, the sequel to Dungeon Explorer. Even though Japan has enough games to release at least three games a week in February, they decided to release only two next week. It seems like they want to have at least one four-game week each month, like they used to.


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## InfinityDragon (Feb 4, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two VC games to be released in the US today:
Operation Wolf (NES)
Columns III: Revenge of Columns (Sega Genesis)
Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
_________________________________________________
Well, we're getting two games this week: a puzzle game and... a light gun game??? Yes, Operation Wolf was a pretty popular light gun game in the arcades, which was ported to the NES. The NES version offered the option to play with either the Zapper or the NES controller. Given the different technologies involved with the Wiimote and the Zapper, it's unlikely that the game will support the Wiimote as a method of control, so we're probably going to be stuck with the regular NES controller. And you know how much fun it is to play a light gun game with the D-pad... 

The second game we're getting today is Columns III, for the Genesis. Hey, long time no see, Sega Genesis! The last game we got for the Genesis was Light Crusader, all the way back to 2007. So, why are we getting Columns III instead of Columns II? Well, Columns II was never released outside of the arcades, that's why. Columns III is basically an update to the original Columns. Now, up to five people can play in multiplayer mode (that must be insane!!!), a new story mode was also included, along with a couple more features. If you're a fan of Columns, I'm pretty sure you'll like this one.

Well, that's it for this week. Next week we'll be getting the 200th game for the VC (unless there are no games released next Monday); whether we get only one game or more than one remains to be seen.


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## InfinityDragon (Feb 5, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two VC games released in Japan:
Wrecking Crew (Famicom)
Dungeon Explorer II (PC Engine CD)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
Questing and destroying this week in the land of the rising sun.


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## Bulerias (Feb 5, 2008)

Man, it doesn't seem like the two-games-a-week thing is gonna let up any time soon, for any territory...

Maybe this is a more effective business strategy.


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## InfinityDragon (Feb 5, 2008)

Bulerias said:
			
		

> Man, it doesn't seem like the two-games-a-week thing is gonna let up any time soon, for any territory...
> 
> Maybe this is a more effective business strategy.


Well, Japan will most likely be getting one three-game week, and two four-game weeks this month, so it's not that bad for them.

I don't know if it's a more effective business strategy for Nintendo, but it's definitely a more effective way to piss off their fans. The only thing that would be worse than our current situation would be getting no games in a week. Imagine if that happened next week...


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## InfinityDragon (Feb 8, 2008)

*UPDATE*: One game released in Europe and Australia:
Lords of Thunder (Turbografx-CD)
Source: The Virtual Console Archive: EU VC Releases
_________________________________________________
And the streak continues! Three one-game weeks in a row now. Will the releases ever come back to normal? As for the game, I've never played Lords of Thunder, but it looks like a pretty good shooter.


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## InfinityDragon (Feb 8, 2008)

*UPDATE*: One game dated for next week in the US, and two games dated in Japan:

*US*:
Lords of Thunder (Turbografx-CD)
Source: Hudson's US VC website

*Japan*:
Super Contra [Super C] (Famicom)
Cosmo Gang The Puzzle (Super Famicom)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
Europe and Australia just got Lords of Thunder, and we'll be getting it next week. So much for a sole 200th release. Nevertheless, NOA can still release their own game along with Lords of Thunder and call it  the 200th game. I'm thinking about a SNES game to complete the week, maybe Harvest Moon or Kirby's Dreamland 3. 

Japan is getting two games next week... two games? Why on Earth would Nintendo release only two games when they have 11 games left for the month? Anyway, they're getting Super Contra, almost six months after we got it (and people say we don't get anything before them), and Cosmo Gang The Puzzle. If you're wondering what Cosmo Gang The Puzzle is, well, it's just the original game from which Pac-Attack is based.


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## InfinityDragon (Feb 11, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two games to be released in the US today:
Harvest Moon (SNES)
Lords of Thunder (TurboGrafx-CD)
Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
_________________________________________________
It's the 200th release week! It seems like NOA wasn't aware of this fact since it wasn't mentioned on the press release. Anyway, the games for today are not exactly what people were expecting, but still, I think it is a really good week. 

First, we have Harvest Moon. Finally, NOA! I know a lot of people have been waiting for this one since it came out in Europe, so it's great to see it here. I've never been interested in the Harvest Moon series, but I think I might give the first one a chance. The second game for today is Lords of Thunder. I've heard a lot of praise for this TG-CD shooter, so I might buy it later on. I've also heard that it's a spiritual sequel to Gate of Thunder, so if you liked that one, you'll probably like this one too.


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## InfinityDragon (Feb 12, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two VC games released in Japan today:
Super Contra [Super C] (Famicom)
Cosmo Gang The Puzzle (Super Famicom)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
No surprises here, the two games announced last week were the only ones released in Japan today. I wonder how Nintendo is going to distribute the 9 games left for this month. Will it be just four games in one week and five in the other? Will they make one or two irregular releases? Or will they leave one or more games for next month again?


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## Bulerias (Feb 12, 2008)

Super Contra, huh?  Interesting... I was under the impression that they got it earlier.


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## InfinityDragon (Feb 15, 2008)

Bulerias said:
			
		

> Super Contra, huh?  Interesting... I was under the impression that they got it earlier.


 It's usually the case, but sometimes we do get games earlier than them.


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## InfinityDragon (Feb 15, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two games released in Europe and Australia:
Eternal Champions (Sega Mega Drive)
Phantasy Star II (Sega Mega Drive)
Source: The Virtual Console Archive: EU VC Releases
_________________________________________________
Are my eyes deceiving me, is this really Mega Drive week? On top of that, they are getting two games? Finally! The highlight of this week is obviously Phantasy Star II, the first Mega Drive game in the beloved RPG series. I've never had the chance to play the original series, but I know it is considered one of the best. Please NOA, can we get this here soon? We need more RPGs! I can't say that enough. The other game released today was Eternal Champions, which we got a couple of months ago... Meh, I don't really have anything to say about that one.


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## InfinityDragon (Feb 15, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Four games dated for next week in Japan:
Tantei Jinguuji Saburou: Shinjuku Chuuou Kouen Satsujin Jiken (Famicom)
Custom Robo V2 (Nintendo 64)
Wrestleball [Powerball] (Sega Mega Drive)
Atlas (PC Engine CD)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
Japan is getting four games next week; back to the old times to some extent, I guess. The first game in the list is Tantei Jinguuji Saburou: Shinjuku Chuuou Kouen Satsujin Jiken, a graphic adventure for the Famicom. The Tantei Jinguuji Saburo series is a popular detective game series in Japan, and has seen many releases over multiple consoles. None of them have been released here, but fortunately, given the increasing popularity of adventure games on the DS, Aksys games is bringing the series over here as Jake Hunter: Detective Chronicles. I don't know if it will be an updated version of an existing Tantei Jinguuji Saburou game, or a collection of cases from different games; we'll have to wait and see.

Next is the 12th Nintendo 64 game for the VC: Custom Robo V2. It's the second Custom Robo game in the series, released only in Japan. The game seems to be an update to the first game: the graphics, music, and battle system are quite similar, with just a few improvements. You can play in multiplayer mode with three other friends, unlike the first one where you could only do two-player multiplayer. I hope Nintendo plans on bringing this one as an import game, just like Sin and Punishment.

The third game is Wrestleball, known here as Powerball. The game, developed by Namco, is a mixture of football and soccer in a futuristic setting. The last game is Atlas, for the PC Engine. I can't find information about this game. It seems like a simulation game from the video I saw.


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## Snoopdogga (Feb 15, 2008)

InfinityDragon said:
			
		

> *UPDATE*: Four games dated for next week in Japan:
> Tantei Jinguuji Saburou: Shinjuku Chuuou Kouen Satsujin Jiken (Famicom)
> Custom Robo V2 (Nintendo 64)
> Wrestleball [Powerball] (Sega Mega Drive)
> ...


 Custom Robo V2! Hopefully, we'll get it as an import on February 24th.


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## InfinityDragon (Feb 18, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two games to be released in the US today:
Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom (NES)
Phantasy Star II (Sega Genesis)
Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
_________________________________________________
Only two games again this week, but both amazing games nonetheless. First up is Ninja Gaiden III, which marks the end of the adventures of our favorite ninja, Ryu Hayabusa, on the NES. I wonder why Tecmo never continued the Ninja Gaiden series on the SNES (no, the remake trilogy doesn't count). Being their best series by far, you'd think they'd continue making games for it. Unfortunately, they just waited a bit more than a decade to release something new *sigh*. Anyway, I'm happy that one of my favorite videogame series is now completely available on the VC. I highly recommend it to everyone.

The second game is Phantasy Star II, for the Genesis. The Phantasy Star series is considered one of the best, if not the best, RPG series to ever grace a Sega's console. The first game in the series was released for the Sega Master System (not currently available on the VC, but coming soon, given its imminent release this month in Japan), while the next three were released on the Genesis; today's game being the first one. I've never had the chance to play any of the original Phantasy Star games (played a bit of Online), but I'll be sure to play them on the VC.


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## InfinityDragon (Feb 19, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Four VC games released in Japan:
Tantei Jinguuji Saburou: Shinjuku Chuuou Kouen Satsujin Jiken (Famicom)
Custom Robo V2 (Nintendo 64)
Wrestleball [Powerball] (Sega Mega Drive)
Atlas (PC Engine CD)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
Japan got quite a variety of games today: an graphic adventure game for the Famicom (Tantei Jinguuji Saburou: Shinjuku Chuuou Kouen Satsujin Jiken), an action/fighting game for the Nintendo 64 (Custom Robo V2), a sci-fi sports game for the Mega Drive (Wrestleball), and a simulation game for the PC Engine CD (Atlas). Only one week left in Japan's February schedule. Will next week be the first five-game week in ages? 

Next week might see the introduction of the Sega Master System in Japan. Hopefully, we'll get it next month.


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## InfinityDragon (Feb 22, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two games released in Europe/Australia:
Adventure Island (NES)
Street Gangs [River City Ransom] (NES)
Source: The Virtual Console Archive: EU VC Releases
_________________________________________________
It looks like Europe and Australia are finally moving away from the dreaded one-game weeks, and what a way to do it. River City Ransom!!! Now, it's one step closer to the Americas. Even though I've never had the chance to play it, I've wanted to play it for a long, long time. I'll be downloading this one as soon as it hits the VC (please, let it be soon!). The other game released today was long overdue (it was released here about six months ago), Adventure Island.


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## InfinityDragon (Feb 22, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Four games dated for next week in Japan, plus one Hudson game dated for the US, Europe and Australia:

*US*:
Psychosis (TurboGrafx-16)
Source: Hudson's US VC website

*Japan*:
Hokuto no Ken (Sega Master System)
Gleylancer (Sega Mega Drive)
Power Eleven (PC Engine)
Neo Nectaris (PC Engine CD)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website

*Europe/Australia*:
Psychosis (TurboGrafx-16)
Source: Hudson's Europe VC website
_________________________________________________
The last game listed in Hudson's schedule for February has been dated for next week in the US, Europe and Australia: Psychosis. A shooter (yep, another one) for the TurboGrafx-16. This will be the first TG16 game in months; the last one we got was Power Golf, back in November.

Japan is getting their first Sega Master System game for the VC: Hokuto no Ken. The game doesn't look particularly good from the videos I saw. I think Sega could have picked a better game for the introduction of the console on the VC; something like Alex Kidd or Shinobi would have been more interesting. Japan is also getting Gleylancer, a Japan-only shooter for the Mega Drive, Power Eleven, a soccer game by Hudson, and Neo Nectaris, the sequel to Military Madness, which had been postponed from last month.

Something interesting about Japan's releases for next week is that there are no games for any Nintendo consoles. I don't think this has ever happened before (at least when four games have been released). There's still one SNES game left in the schedule (Do Re Mi Fantasy), but it looks like it'll be postponed until next month (or may be put on the VC as an irregular release).


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## InfinityDragon (Feb 25, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two games to be released in the Americas:
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (Nintendo 64)
Psychosis (TurboGrafx-16)
Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
_________________________________________________
Holy.... I seriously wasn't expecting Kirby 64, especially with the recent addition of Kirby's Dreamland 3 to the ESRB listings. This is the fourth Kirby game to hit the VC, but only the second platformer (along with Kirby's Adventure). Just like every other Nintendo franchise, Kirby made the jump to 3D with his first, and only, Nintendo 64 game, but unlike Mario and Zelda, he kept his traditional 2D gameplay. With the release of Kirby 64, we can pretty much forget about Kirby 3 for a while; maybe April at least.

The second game for today was announced last Friday, and it's Psychosis for the TurboGrafx-16. It was developed by Naxat Soft., who also developed Alien's Crush and Devil's Crush for the console. It's a shooter... that's pretty much all I know. We got only shooters this month from Hudson, and although I've only heard good things about Lords of Thunder, I wish Hudson would give us some variety. They don't have to look too far for it (Ys!!!).


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## Snoopdogga (Feb 25, 2008)

InfinityDragon said:
			
		

> *UPDATE*: Two games to be released in the Americas:
> Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (Nintendo 64)
> Psychosis (TurboGrafx-16)
> Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
> ...


 I prefer Kirby 64 over Kirby's Dreamland 3 simply because it's a N64 game.     
Anyways, Kirby 64 was quite a shock. Hopefully, our next N64 game won't be come out of nowhere.


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## InfinityDragon (Feb 26, 2008)

Snoopdogga said:
			
		

> InfinityDragon said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Oh, come on, Snoop. Since when is a game better than another game, just because of the console where it was released? The quality of the game is determined on its own. You can make a crappy game on a powerful system, just like you can make a masterpiece on a so-so system. That sounds like the classic "judging the book by its cover" applied to games.

By the way, I actually like surprises. The games we currently know that might be coming for the Nintendo 64 are not that interesting to me (with the exception of Custom Robo). But I would love it if Nintendo surprises us with Mischief Makers, for example.


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## InfinityDragon (Feb 26, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Five games released in Japan:
Do Re Mi Fantasy: Milon no Doki Doki Daibouken (Super Famicom)
Hokuto no Ken (Sega Master System)
Gleylancer (Sega Mega Drive)
Power Eleven (PC Engine)
Neo Nectaris (PC Engine CD)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
Yeah, you read that right, that's FIVE games this week for Japan. It looks like Nintendo changed its mind about that third-party week I mentioned last Friday, and decided to add Do Re Mi Fantasy: Milon no Doki Doki Daibouken for the Super Famicom to this week's releases. If you recognized Milon in the game's subtitle, then you might be thinking that the game is related to Milon's Secret Castle, and you'd be right: Do Re Mi Fantasy is the sequel to Milon's Secret Castle. The game was never released outside of Japan, but given that it was rated by the OFLC a couple of months ago, it looks like it'll be making the jump sooner or later.

A quick overview of today's releases: Hokuto no Ken marks the introduction of a new game system to Japan's VC: the Sega Master System. Gleylancer is a space shooter released only in Japan. Power Eleven is a soccer game from Hudson's sports series (Power Sports, Power League, Power Golf); I'm guessing Power Tennis will be the next one. And finally, Neo Nectaris is the sequel to Nectaris (Military Madness over here).


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## Snoopdogga (Feb 26, 2008)

InfinityDragon said:
			
		

> Snoopdogga said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 I love all N64 games.
Kirby 64 is no masterpiece but I still like it.
Kirby's Dreamland 3 is a masterpiece but I don't enjoy playing it as much.


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## Bulerias (Feb 26, 2008)

That's not going to help you if you're planning on becoming a professional reviewer, Snoop.

Platform bias = huge no-no


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## Snoopdogga (Feb 26, 2008)

Bulerias said:
			
		

> That's not going to help you if you're planning on becoming a professional reviewer, Snoop.
> 
> Platform bias = huge no-no


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## InfinityDragon (Feb 29, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two games released in Europe and Australia:
Super Turrican (SNES)
Psychosis (TurboGrafx-16)
Source: The Virtual Console Archive: EU VC Releases
_________________________________________________
Well, finally Super Turrican has been released on the VC, at least in Europe and Australia. We've known about its seemingly impending release since June, thanks to Nintendo Power and the ESRB, but I don't know what took Nintendo so long to release it. Maybe it's the fact that Factor 5 (the creators of the game) is back in good terms with Nintendo that prompted the release of the game. Anyway, I've never played Super Turrican but it looks like a pretty good action/platformer.

The second game is Psychosis, which we got a few days ago. A shooter.... that's it.


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## Snoopdogga (Feb 29, 2008)

It's a pretty decent week for Europe.
By the way, Japan isn't getting Kirby 64 in March!     
However, they may get 2 N64 games in April.


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## InfinityDragon (Mar 3, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Ten games announced for Japan:
Metroid (Famicom)
Star Luster (Famicom)
City Connection (Famicom)
Joy Mecha Fight (Famicom)
Nekketsu Kouha Kunio-kun [Renegade] (Famicom)
Super Gussun Oyoyo (Super Famicom)
Fantasy Zone (Sega Master System)
Psycho Chaser (PC Engine)
Mr. Heli no Daibouken (PC Engine)
Bomberman Panic Bomber (PC Engine CD)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
As soon as I opened NOJ's VC website, I thought March would be the month of change. Five Famicom games! This could only mean that Nintendo would start releasing more VC games, like old times... Boy, was I wrong. Scrolling down the page, I noticed the limited number of games for the other consoles, with special mention to the Master System (one game... one game again!? Is this how this console will be supported???), the Mega Drive (no games??? holy... Sega, what are you doing?), and the Neo Geo Games (NO GAMES AGAIN?? <_<) *sigh*. On top of that, the MSX has been given a new estimated month of release.... May 2008. What the heck? That's almost a year since it was first listed.

For the people that were expecting Brawl-related VC games, I'm sorry to inform you that it's probably not going to happen. No Earthbound, no Star Fox, no Kirby. Japan is getting Metroid next week though (hey, more than half a year later!) and Star Luster, a Japan-only space simulation game (a la X-Wing or Tie Fighter) for the Famicom.

As a side note, Hudson announced nothing for next month in the Americas, Europe and Australia. I don't know if they're undecided on to what to release (hint: Ys!), or if they're simply going to take a break from the VC. Honestly, this is quite a disappointing way to start the month.


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## InfinityDragon (Mar 3, 2008)

*UPDATE*: One game released in the US:
Super Turrican (SNES)
Source: Wii Shop Channel
_________________________________________________
Well, I thought that the one-game weeks were a thing of the past, but I was wrong. I don't see any particular reason of releasing just one game, with several of them being already available on other regions, or listed on the ESRB. Fortunately, this week's game is not a crappy one, as far as I know. With Super Turrican, Factor 5 becomes the second western developer supporting the VC (the first being Rare). The game has been listed on the ESRB (along with its sequel, Super Turrican 2) since June 2007, more than 8 months. I've never played it, but I've heard good things about it, so it's on my to buy list.


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## InfinityDragon (Mar 4, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two games released in Japan:
Metroid (Famicom)
Star Luster (Famicom)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
No surprises today. Metroid finally graces Japan with its presence, along with Star Luster (a Namco game), both games for the Famicom. It seems like this will be the new pattern, two games a week at the beginning of the month, increasing the number as we reach the end.


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## InfinityDragon (Mar 7, 2008)

*UPDATE*: One game released in Europe and Australia:
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (Nintendo 64)
Source: The Virtual Console Archive: EU VC Releases
_________________________________________________
Europe and Australia are getting Kirby 64, just a bit more than a week after we got it. I just hope we play catch up with them next week. They have a few gems that I've been waiting for.


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## InfinityDragon (Mar 7, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Four games dated for next week in Japan:
City Connection (Famicom)
Joy Mecha Fight (Famicom)
Fantasy Zone (Sega Master System)
Psycho Chaser (PC Engine)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
And there goes my theory that Japan would be getting an incremental number of releases each week. Next week, they get two more Famicom games. The first one is City Connection, a fairly simple game were you have to drive over all the roads on a level to go to the next, while avoiding the police cars. The second one is a fighting game, Joy Mecha Fight, released only in Japan. The interesting part is that it's a Nintendo game. Aside from the Super Smash series, I don't think there is any other fighting game developed by them.

The third game for next week is Fantasy Zone for the Sega Master System. A shmup, true, but unlike traditional shmups, the screen doesn't automatically scroll to one side, and instead, it moves wherever the character moves. You have to destroy several bases in each level, after that, the boss appears. Beating it will get you to the next level.

The last game for the week is Psycho Chaser, created by Naxat Soft, the same people that developed Psychosis (what's with them and the word psycho?). It looks like a vertical shooter, but I can't find much info or any videos about it that don't contain spoilers.


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## krazybrawler104 (Mar 8, 2008)

Man when are they gonna release super mario RPG for super nintendo?  I have my points ready... BUT nothing yet.


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## InfinityDragon (Mar 10, 2008)

krazybrawler104 said:
			
		

> Man when are they gonna release super mario RPG for super nintendo? I have my points ready... BUT nothing yet.


Honestly, I wouldn't save those points for SMRPG. Square's support for the VC has been... well, there hasn't been any support for the US VC (they did release three games at the end of last year in Japan), so it might take a long, long time for SMRPG to come out. There are more than 200 games on the VC right now, I'm pretty sure you can find something interesting among them.


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## InfinityDragon (Mar 10, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two games to be released today in the US:
Do Re Mi Fantasy: Milon no Doki Doki Daibouken (SNES)
Puyo Puyo Tsuu (Sega Genesis)
Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
_________________________________________________
Import week! It's been a looooong time since the last themed week for the US VC, I don't even remember what it was. Anyway, we got two 16-bit games this week. The first one is Do Re Mi Fantasy, the sequel to Milon's Secret Castle. The game looks like a big improvement over Secret Castle: better graphics, better sound, better controls. It was released last month in Japan, so I wasn't expecting for it to come out so soon over here.

The second game for today is Puyo Puyo Tsuu. Although we already have a couple Puyo Puyo-based games (Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine and Kirby's Avalanche), I've read that Puyo Puyo Tsuu has several new features, like Garbage Countering and Chain Limits, that make the game even better than the original. Fans of the genre will definitely be happy to download this version of the puzzle classic.


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## InfinityDragon (Mar 11, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Four games released this week in Japan:
City Connection (Famicom)
Joy Mecha Fight (Famicom)
Fantasy Zone (Sega Master System)
Psycho Chaser (PC Engine)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
No surprises today for Japan. By the way, I think my theory of incremental releases in Japan might not be wrong. Why is that? Well, I recently read that the first wave of Wiiware games (nine games) will be available on March 25 in Japan, which happens to be a Monday. So, I think Japan might be getting all four VC games left for the month next week, leaving March 25 entirely for Wiiware.


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## InfinityDragon (Mar 14, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two games released in Europe and Australia:
Operation Wolf (NES)
Super R-Type (SNES)
Source: The Virtual Console Archive: EU VC Releases
_________________________________________________
This week is not particularly interesting for Europe and Australia. We already know of Operation Wolf, a crippled port of a great arcade game, even more so on the VC thanks to the lack of light gun support. The second game is Super R-Type, the only non-canon R-Type game. It is known for its massive slowdowns, which can be fatal on a shmup. The lack of checkpoints increases its difficulty even more. We might be seeing Super R-Type in the next couple of weeks over here since it was recently rated by the ESRB. This is the last R-Type will be seeing on the VC, since every other game in the series was released either only on the arcades or on next generation consoles.


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## InfinityDragon (Mar 14, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Four games dated for next week in Japan:
Nekketsu Kouha Kunio-kun [Renegade] (Famicom)
Super Gussun Oyoyo (Super Famicom)
Mr. Heli no Daibouken (PC Engine)
Bomberman Panic Bomber (PC Engine CD)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
Nintendo didn't let me down with my predictions; it's indeed saving March 25 for the Wiiware launch. And so, Japan will be getting the remaining four games on its VC schedule next week. First, we have Nekketsu Kouha Kunio-kun, known here as Renegade. It's the first game in the Kunio-kun series, of which River City Ransom is part of. This beat'em up was developed by Technos, the same people that gave us Double Dragon a few years later, and it shares a similar style.

The next three games were released only in Japan. For the Super Famicom, we have Super Gussun Oyoyo. The mechanics of this game are a mixture between Lemmings and Tetris. You use falling blocks to build a way so that the characters can get to the exit of the level. For the PC Engine, we have Mr. Heli no Daibouken, another shooter developed by Irem. Unlike traditional shmups, this one doesn't automatically scroll, so you can freely destroy all of the elements on the screen, finding money and stores to buy upgrades. And for the PC Engine CD, we have Bomberman Panic Bomber, a puzzle game in the same style as Puyo Puyo, but with Bomberman characters.


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## InfinityDragon (Mar 17, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two games released today in the US:
Spelunker (NES)
Super R-Type (SNES)
Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
_________________________________________________
Another SNES game?? That would make it three straight weeks with a SNES game! Woah, that hasn't happened since almost a year. Hopefully this won't mean that we won't be getting any SNES next month; instead, I hope this means that Nintendo is starting to release more SNES every month.

This week's SNES game is Super R-Type, which Europe and Australia got last Friday. The game is based on both R-Type and R-Type II, the latter never made it to the home consoles. With this release, the "SNES Trilogy" of R-Type is complete. The second game is Spelunker for the NES. The game puts you at the entrance of a cave where lies a big treasure. Your objective is to explore the cave, avoiding all kinds of hazards in order to find the treasure. Spelunker was published by Borderbund, who also published Prince of Persia, Lode Runner, among other games.


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## InfinityDragon (Mar 18, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Four games released today in Japan:
Nekketsu Kouha Kunio-kun [Renegade] (Famicom)
Super Gussun Oyoyo (Super Famicom)
Mr. Heli no Daibouken (PC Engine)
Bomberman Panic Bomber (PC Engine CD)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
No surprises today in Japan. With these four games, the VC schedule is done for this month in Japan. Next week, they won't be getting any VC games, and instead, they will get nine Wiiware games with the launch of the service.


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## InfinityDragon (Mar 20, 2008)

*UPDATE*: One game released in Europe and Australia:
Mega Turrican (Sega Mega Drive)
Source: The Virtual Console Archive: EU VC Releases
_________________________________________________
Wait a minute... didn't Europe and Australia just get a Turrican game? Yeah, as a matter of fact, only three weeks ago, they got Super Turrican. Not only that, they're getting just one game again. Well, if you're a fan of Super Turrican, I'm pretty sure you'll like Mega Turrican. If you don't like the Turrican series... well, better luck next week.

Oh, I almost forgot: Mega Drive week!!! Well, it's just one game but still.


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## InfinityDragon (Mar 24, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two games to be released today in the US:
King's Knight (NES)
Powerball (Sega Genesis)
Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
_________________________________________________
Today we're getting Square's first American VC game ever, which also happens to be their first release ever in the Americas. Unfortunately, the game is not in the genre that Square is popular for; instead, it's a shooter, ... yes, another shooter. This one, in particular, is an on-foot vertical shooter. People may not be excited about Square's first game on the VC, but at least it's a start; hopefully, we'll get to see some RPG goodness later this year. 

The second game for today is Powerball. Like I mentioned last month when it was released in Japan, the game is a mixture of football and soccer in a futuristic setting. There's really nothing else that's remarkable about the game.


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## Snoopdogga (Mar 24, 2008)

InfinityDragon said:
			
		

> *UPDATE*: Two games to be released today in the US:
> King's Knight (NES)
> Powerball (Sega Genesis)
> Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
> ...


 What an excellent week. <_<


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## InfinityDragon (Mar 28, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Three games released in Europe and Australia, including two for a new system:
Cruis'n USA (Nintendo 64)
International Karate (Commodore 64)
Uridium (Commodore 64)
Source: The Virtual Console Archive: EU VC Releases
_________________________________________________
It's "64 week", and not entirely for the reasons that you think. Europe and Australia have gotten a "new console" to play with on the VC: the Commodore 64. I say "new console" because it was actually a home computer, which was released before I was even born (well, actually just a few months before, but still), making it the oldest system on the service. 

The introduction of the C64 comes with two games: International Karate and Uridium. The first one is a basic fighter, which I've heard is possibly the most popular game in the system. The second one is a space shooter with no auto-scrolling; just like Fantasy Zone, the screen moves where you move. I haven't played any C64 games (unless some of them were released on PC), so I don't know about their quality, but from what I've read online, these two games were good picks for the introduction of the system on the VC.

The last game Europe and Australia got was Cruis'n USA for the Nintendo 64. It was the first game in the series, with the last one being the horrible Cruis'n for the Wii (which arguably looks worse than the original N64 game, which wasn't pretty in the first place). I played it quite a bit back in the day and it was fun for a while, but that was it. It was developed by Midway, making it the first western third-party N64 game available on the VC.


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## InfinityDragon (Mar 31, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two games released today in the Americas:
Cruis'n USA (Nintendo 64)
Wonder Boy (Sega Master System)
Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
_________________________________________________
Although Japan got Wiiware and Europe and Australia got the Commodore 64 last week, I was expecting nothing from NOA, but fortunately, they have surprised me with the introduction of the Sega Master System, the direct competitor to the NES. All I have to say is, it's about time. Now, we'll be able to enjoy the beginnings of many popular Sega series like Phantasy Star, Shinobi, Alex Kidd, among others. 

As a matter of fact, today we'll be enjoying the beginning of a series that is well known to VC gamers: Wonder Boy. The first game in the series (and fifth Wonder Boy game to appear on the VC), is very similar to Adventure Island. As a matter of fact, the game is pretty much the same, but with different presentation. But don't go calling Wonder Boy a clone of Adventure Island because it turns out that it is the other way around: Adventure Island is the clone. So if you already have Adventure Island, you'll probably want to skip Wonder Boy.

The second game for today is Cruis'n USA, which Europe and Australia got just last Friday. This racing game developed by Midway, marks the first western third-party N64 game released on the VC. The game is nothing great really, but at least we know that some western developers are on board for the VC.


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## InfinityDragon (Apr 1, 2008)

*UPDATE*: 17 VC games announced for next month in Japan:
Gekikame Ninja Den [Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles] (Famicom)
Sky Kid (Famicom)
Volguard II (Famicom)
Bokosuka Wars (Famicom)
Famicom Tantei Club: Ushiro ni Tatsu Shoujo (Super Famicom)
Heracles no Eikou IV (Super Famicom)
Hoshi no Kirby 64 [Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards] (Nintendo 64)
Super Wonder Boy [Wonder Boy] (Sega Master System)
Musha Aleste [M.U.S.H.A.] (Sega Mega Drive)
Toki no Keishousha: Phantasy Star III [Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom] (Sega Mega Drive)
Phelios (Sega Mega Drive)
Valkyrie no Densetsu (PC Engine)
Digital Champ Battle Boxing (PC Engine)
Crest of Wolf [Riot Zone] (PC Engine CD)
Akumajou Dracula X: Chi no Rondo [Castlevania: Rondo of Blood] (PC Engine CD)
Monster Lair (PC Engine CD)
Metal Slug (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
You thought you had a theory about the VC releases? Sorry, but Nintendo (at least NOJ) is here to make you look like a fool. When everybody was thinking that the VC would hit its lowest number this month, thanks to the introduction of Wiiware in Japan, NOJ comes over the top and announces 17 VC games: yes, SEVENTEEN, DIECISIETE, SHI QI, JUU NANA!!! Not only that, there's one game for each console avaiable in Japan, including the come back of the Neo Geo with the release of Metal Slug, and probably the most anticipated Japan-only PC Engine CD game ever (drumroll please): Akumajou Dracula X: Chi no Rondo, known here as Castlevania: Rondo of Blood. 

So, what are the bad news? Well, if you're the pessimistic/realistic type, you're definitely mad that Japan is getting such a high number of games when we're doing so bad (even if it is a five-week month for them). If you are the optimistic kind, you're probably hoping that some of the goodness that Japan is getting this month is spilling to this side of the world, and hopefully it will. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like we had a good start. Why? Well, if you remember, today is usually the time when Hudson announces its games for next month, and there was nothing, again. So, when Japan is enjoying games like Ys, and the anticipated release of Rondo of Blood, we are here left with nothing, at least nothing announced.

Please NOA, don't screw this up for us. Japan is getting a great month with games like Kirby 64, Phantasy Star III, Heracles no Eikou, Metal Slug, and Rondo of Blood, don't disappoint us.


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## InfinityDragon (Apr 1, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Five games released in Japan:
Gekikame Ninja Den [Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles] (Famicom)
Sky Kid (Famicom)
Musha Aleste [M.U.S.H.A.] (Sega Mega Drive)
Valkyrie no Densetsu (PC Engine)
Crest of Wolf [Riot Zone] (PC Engine CD)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
Japan got a little bit of everything today. The first game is TMNT for the Famicom, a game we got almost a year ago. The release of this game definitely gives hope to the people waiting for the much better TMNT sequels. The second game is Sky Kid, a horizontal shooter developed by Namco. I know, Namco, you are one of the few companies continuously supporting the VC, but I think you should release a few more non-shooter games.

The third game is Musha Aleste, which is part of the Aleste series developed by Compile. I know this is going to sound contradictory, but I'm actually interested on this shooter. The Aleste series is a fairly popular one, and I've always wanted to play it. By the way, the first game in the series, aptly named Aleste, was announced as one of the first releases for the MSX, so it should be appearing on Japan's VC next month.

The fourth game is Valkyrie no Densetsu for the PC Engine, sequel to Valkyrie no Bouken, a Famicom game released about a year ago on Japan's VC. These Japan-only games are action games in the same style as Zelda. Unlike the first game, Valkyrie no Densetsu was first released in the arcades and later ported to the PC Engine (with many omissions given the hardware limitations). The last, and certainly least, game for next week is Crest of Wolf, a mediocre beat'em up that we got a couple of months ago as Riot Zone.


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## sonic&amp;tails1 (Apr 1, 2008)

well i really want Valkyrie no Densetsu but
i assume that it isn't translated so we may never see it
since they aren't translating the game's.

it wasn't a big problem for DoReMi because it wasn't text heavy but
hopefully if they give us games with heavy text they will translate them.


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## TwilightKing (Apr 2, 2008)

InfinityDragon, I haven't ever posted here, but I'd just like to thank you for continuing to post these, I read every update, it's just I usually don't post after, so I thought I'd let you know that it's appreciated.


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## InfinityDragon (Apr 4, 2008)

sonic&tails1 said:
			
		

> well i really want Valkyrie no Densetsu but
> i assume that it isn't translated so we may never see it
> since they aren't translating the game's.
> 
> ...


Hey, SaT, good to see you here. Well, Valkyrie no Densetsu seems to have a bit of text, but since it was an arcade game, I think it didn't have that much. By the way, the original, Valkyrie no Bouken, has basically no in-game text (and the ending is in English), so they can bring it here without any problems.


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## InfinityDragon (Apr 4, 2008)

TwilightKing said:
			
		

> InfinityDragon, I haven't ever posted here, but I'd just like to thank you for continuing to post these, I read every update, it's just I usually don't post after, so I thought I'd let you know that it's appreciated.


Thanks for the kind words, Twilight. It seems like the number of views has decreased a bit every month, so its good to hear from people from time to time.


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## InfinityDragon (Apr 4, 2008)

*UPDATE*: One game released in Europe and Australia:
Yoshi's Cookie (NES)
Source: The Virtual Console Archive: EU VC Releases
_________________________________________________
Another one game week for Europe and Australia, and it is the lesser version of Yoshi's Cookie (the game was released on both the NES and SNES). The gap between US releases and EU/AUS keeps widening, and for no apparent reason.


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## InfinityDragon (Apr 4, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Three games announced for next week in Japan:
Volguard II (Famicom)
Bokosuka Wars (Famicom)
Super Wonder Boy [Wonder Boy] (Sega Master System))
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
8-bit week for Japan. For some reason, Nintendo decided to release all Famicom games in just two weeks (there were four of them), and well, the only Master System game for the month. The first game for next week is Volguard II, sequel to Volguard for the MSX (and other systems). The game is a shooter, true, but it has the nice feature that you can get multiple ships and combine them (a la Getter Robo). From what I've read, the sequel is not as good as the original.

The second game is Bokosuka Wars. I watched a couple of videos and it looks bad, really bad. The characters animation is basically made of two frames, and there are no in-between animations when moving from space to space (you just jump from one to another). It's supposed to be an SRPG, but I didn't see it. You don't have any saying on the battles, they are automatically determined by your stats, which can be increased by rescuing your allies, who have been captured or transformed into trees and rocks. I hope this game never makes the jump to this side of the pacific.

The last game is Super Wonder Boy, for the Master System. So is this an enhanced version or sequel to Wonder Boy, which we got last week? Well, not really, it is just the name given to the first Wonder Boy in Japan. On a side note, just to comment on the naming of this series, there is a Game Gear version, but it's not called either of these names, it's called Revenge of Drancon *sigh*. It seems like they keep coming up with names for every single release of the same game.


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## InfinityDragon (Apr 7, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two games to be released today in the US:
Bases Loaded (NES)
Yoshi's Cookie (NES)
Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
_________________________________________________
A little bit late, but NOA remembered that they own a baseball team and decided to give us Bases Loaded, possibly one of the best baseball games released on the NES. The second game for today is just Yoshi's Cookie, which was released in Europe and Australia last week.


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## InfinityDragon (Apr 8, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Three games released in Japan:
Volguard II (Famicom)
Bokosuka Wars (Famicom)
Super Wonder Boy [Wonder Boy] (Sega Master System)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
No surprises this week in the land of the rising sun. They got that horrible thing called Bokosuka Wars, plus another shooter, Volguard II, and the platformer Super Wonder Boy.


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## InfinityDragon (Apr 11, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Four games released in Europe and Australia:
Fantasy Zone (Sega Master System)
Wonder Boy (Sega Master System)
California Games (Commodore 64)
Impossible Mission (Commodore 64)
Source: The Virtual Console Archive: EU VC Releases
_________________________________________________
Another 2+ game week for Europe and Australia? Will they always get more games than usual when C64 games are released? I wish something like that would happen over here, since it's been like eight months since the last time we got four games. Anyway, Europe and Australia get a new system, the Sega Master System, which we got last week, with two games: Fantasy Zone, and Wonder Boy. I've mentioned a bit of both games when they were released in Japan and here, so I won't bother you with the same stuff. 

The other two games are Commodore 64 games: the first one is California Games. I've never played the C64 version, but from what I've seen, it's pretty much the same as the PC version. I had a lot of fun playing that game back in the 80's, on my 286 PC and my monochrome monitor (yeah, I didn't have one of those fancy VGA monitors, not even CGA). I'm pretty sure the game doesn't hold up though. The second game is Impossible Mission, which was the first game we heard about when the Commodore 64 was announced for the VC. I've never played it but I've heard that it's one of the best games on the C64.


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## InfinityDragon (Apr 11, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Three games announced for next week in Japan:
Hoshi no Kirby 64 [Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards] (Nintendo 64)
Digital Champ Battle Boxing (PC Engine)
Monster Lair (PC Engine CD)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
Well, look at this, Japan is getting two games we got a while ago: Kirby 64 and Monster Lair. I think this is the first time it has happened (aside from launch day). The third game is Digital Champ Battle Boxing, developed by naxat soft (hey, they actually made a game that didn't have the word "psycho" somewhere in the title). The game looks like a simple boxing game played from a first person perspective. From the videos I saw, it doesn't seem to be that interesting.


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## InfinityDragon (Apr 11, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Well, I made a big mistake in the Australian updates for two of the last three weeks. It turns out that the Commodore 64 came out only in Europe, not in both Europe and Australia like I had mentioned. That explains why the number of games released had increased, since releasing just two C64 games in a week would have implied no games for Australia (of course, they could have released only one C64 game a week). This means that Australia had one of the worst VC releases, quantity-wise, last month, getting only five games (Europe got seven).

Once again, I apologize for the mistake.


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## Bulerias (Apr 11, 2008)

InfinityDragon said:
			
		

> *UPDATE*: Well, I made a big mistake in the Australian updates for two of the last three weeks. It turns out that the Commodore 64 came out only in Europe, not in both Europe and Australia like I had mentioned. That explains why the number of games released had increased, since releasing just two C64 games in a week would have implied no games for Australia (of course, they could have released only one C64 game a week). This means that Australia had one of the worst VC releases, quantity-wise, last month, getting only five games (Europe got seven).
> 
> Once again, I apologize for the mistake.


 Holy crap, 5 games in a month?  That's... horrible. 0_0


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## InfinityDragon (Apr 14, 2008)

Bulerias said:
			
		

> InfinityDragon said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


To make it worse, it has happened at least twice for them (the other time being January 2007). I'm pretty sure people here would riot if that happened.


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## InfinityDragon (Apr 14, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two games to be released today in the Americas:
Fantasy Zone (Sega Master System)
Mega Turrican (Sega Genesis)
Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
_________________________________________________
It's Sega week! Nintendo decided to take a rest this week and allow Sega to provide both games for today: Fantasy Zone and Mega Turrican. Both games were released in Europe and Australia within the last month. Now there's only one SMS game released in Japan that hasn't made it here, Hokuto no Ken, or it's western counterpart, Black Belt. Could that be the next SMS game for the VC? Personally, I hope we get some Shinobi or Alex Kidd first.


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## Snoopdogga (Apr 14, 2008)

InfinityDragon said:
			
		

> *UPDATE*: Two games to be released today in the Americas:
> Fantasy Zone (Sega Master System)
> Mega Turrican (Sega Genesis)
> Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
> ...


 Isn't this the first SEGA Week NA has had this year?


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## InfinityDragon (Apr 15, 2008)

Snoopdogga said:
			
		

> InfinityDragon said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 I think it's the first one we've had since a week after launch.


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## InfinityDragon (Apr 15, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Three games released in Japan:
Hoshi no Kirby 64 [Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards] (Nintendo 64)
Digital Champ Battle Boxing (PC Engine)
Monster Lair (PC Engine CD)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
No surprises this week in Japan. They get one more N64 game, Hoshi no Kirby 64, known here as Kirby 64, and two Turbografx games. Some interesting (and useless) info: the amount of time between this N64 release and the previous one (Custom Robo V2) has been the longest Japan has had to endure (8 weeks); they also had to wait the same amount of time between the Super Mario 64 and Mario Kart 64 releases. Also, ever since we got our last Turbografx game, Japan has gotten 9, and they still have one left for the month (Rondo of Blood). What's going on Hudson?


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## InfinityDragon (Apr 17, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Three games confirmed for the Americas:
River City Ransom (NES)
Double Dragon (NES)
Renegade (NES)
Source: IGN.com
_________________________________________________
The guys at IGN have gotten some great news from Aksys confirming the release of three classic beat'em ups on the American VC in the next few weeks. Starting with RIver City Ransom next week (it's about time!!!!), followed by Double Dragon and ending with Renegade. While Japan got River City Ransom last year and Renegade last month, and Europe and Australia got RCR back in February, Double Dragon hasn't been released on any of the regions yet. So, we might be getting it before any of the other regions, unless Europe gets it this week or the next.


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## Snoopdogga (Apr 17, 2008)

InfinityDragon said:
			
		

> *UPDATE*: Three games confirmed for the Americas:
> River City Ransom (NES)
> Double Dragon (NES)
> Renegade (NES)
> ...


 River City Ransom was released in Europe and Austrailia on February 22nd, 2008.


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## InfinityDragon (Apr 17, 2008)

Snoopdogga said:
			
		

> InfinityDragon said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 Oh, well, my mistake. Thanks for the correction.


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## InfinityDragon (Apr 17, 2008)

*UPDATE*: One game released in Europe and Australia:
Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom (Sega Genesis)
Source: The Virtual Console Archive: EU VC Releases
_________________________________________________
Wow, just two months after Europe and Australia got Phantasy Star II, they get the sequel.... Phantasy Star III. I've never played any of the Phantasy Star games (I'm waiting for the first one to come out to start buying them), but from what I've read, the third one in the series is considered to be the weakest. Nevertheless, it's always good to get RPGs, because we are definitely lacking on that department.


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## Bulerias (Apr 17, 2008)

Woo, River City Ransom... can't wait. <3


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## InfinityDragon (Apr 18, 2008)

Bulerias said:
			
		

> Woo, River City Ransom... can't wait. <3


It took them way too long to release it here, and now they're giving us a whole bunch of beat'em ups in succession. Fortunately, I like the genre so it's all good for me.


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## InfinityDragon (Apr 18, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Four games announced for next week in Japan:
Heracles no Eikou IV (Super Famicom)
Phelios (Sega Mega Drive)
Akumajou Dracula X: Chi no Rondo [Castlevania: Rondo of Blood] (PC Engine CD)
Metal Slug (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
Woah, a four-game week for Japan's VC? I wasn't expecting this at all, specially when a Wiiware game, Minna de Puzzloop, was also announced for next Tuesday. Now that only two VC games are left, I wouldn't be surprised if Japan gets two or three Wiiware games for the last week of the month.

Anyway, magnificent week for Japan. The highlight of next week is for sure Rondo of Blood for the PC Engine CD, which I thought they would save for the last week of the month. Just in case you didn't know, the X in Dracula X is because this is the tenth game in the series, although a good number of the previous nine games were remakes of the first game. The game was never released here (until the release of Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles for the PSP, which included the original as a bonus), and instead we got a remake, called Castlevania: Dracula X for the SNES, which is considered to be inferior to the original.

The second game for next week is a popular one, but only in Japan because it was never released over here: Heracles no Eikou. This is the second game in the series released on the Super Famicom, and the last overall. Japan got the first one for the Super Famicom about a year ago, but they haven't gotten any of the Famicom games on the VC just yet. The game is an RPG, heavily based in Greek mythology (a tad obvious given the name, although now that I think about it, most people are familiar with the name Hercules, which is how the Romans called Heracles).

The third game is also based in Greek mythology, Phelios for the Mega Drive. It's a shooter (yeah, another one) developed by Namco. You control Apollo, who rides Pegasus in order to save Artemis from the clutches of Typhon (a Titan). And last but not least, Japan is finally getting their next Neo Geo game in a looooooooooong time (since November 2007), and it's Metal Slug. I don't think I need to explain what this game is about, since the series is fairly popular in America.


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## InfinityDragon (Apr 21, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two games to be released in the US:
River City Ransom (NES)
Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom (Sega Genesis)
Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
_________________________________________________
Well, just as announced by IGN last week, we are finally getting River City Ransom today. The second game for today came out last week in Europe and Australia, Phantasy Star III. One thing I hadn't noticed is that PSIII still hasn't come out in Japan (it is scheduled for this month though), so we're getting it first, at least by a week.


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## InfinityDragon (Apr 22, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Four VC games released in Japan:
Heracles no Eikou IV (Super Famicom)
Phelios (Sega Mega Drive)
Akumajou Dracula X: Chi no Rondo [Castlevania: Rondo of Blood] (PC Engine CD)
Metal Slug (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
Once again, amazing week for Japan. Just the release of Rondo of Blood, and the comeback of the Neo Geo with Metal Slug (after a five-month hiatus), are enough to make this week great, but on top of that we have Heracles no Eikou IV, which I've read was a really good RPG, and Phelios, well, another shooter, which makes it even better.


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## InfinityDragon (Apr 25, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Three games released in Europe and one game released in Australia:

*Europe*:
Double Dragon (NES)
The Last Ninja (Commodore 64)
World Games (Commodore 64)
Source: The Virtual Console Archive: EU VC Releases

*Australia*:
Double Dragon (NES)
Source: The Virtual Console Archive: EU VC Releases
_________________________________________________
Both Europe and Australia are getting Double Dragon, one of the most popular beat'em ups of all times. Although the NES version lacked co-op mode, and the graphics were definitely inferior when compared to the arcade version, the game was still really fun. It also added an experience system that wasn't implemented in the original game, where you obtain new moves as you defeat enemies. As IGN reported last week, we will be getting this game next week.

In addition to Double Dragon, Europe is also getting a (now common) pair of Commodore 64 games: The Last Ninja, an isometric action game with some exploring included, and World Games, basically a series of sports events from around the world (developed by Epyx, the same people that created California Games). Australia is once again left out in the cold, getting just one game this week, for a total of five games in April, hitting the lowest number of VC releases for a second straight month.


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## InfinityDragon (Apr 25, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two games announced for next week in Japan:
Famicom Tantei Club Part II: Ushiro ni Tatsu Shoujo (Super Famicom)
Toki no Keishousha: Phantasy Star III [Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom] (Sega Mega Drive)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
Well, this is weird, NOJ left two VC games for next week, but didn't schedule any Wiiware games, so Japan is only getting two games for the final week of the month. The first game for next week in Japan is Phantasy Star III. Yes, we got that game this week, and Europe and Australia last week. And you people keep saying that we never get any games before them. It happens, once in a blue moon but it happens.

The second game is Famicom Tantei Club Part II: Ushiro ni Tatsu Shoujo, a Japan-only graphic adventure game, sequel to Famicom Tantei Club: Kieta Koukeisha. The game was originally released as a Famicom game, so this is a remake. Given the high amount of text in the game, it's highly unlikely for it to be released here, but given the popularity of Phoenix Wright games, it might come in the form of a remake for the DS, just like the Tantei Jinguuji Saburou series did (Jake Hunter: Detective Chronicles over here). 

By the way. Japan is getting its games on Wednesday instead of the usual Tuesday because Tuesday is a holiday, Emperor Hirohito's Birthday.


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## InfinityDragon (Apr 26, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Ten VC games released in South Korea:
Antarctic Adventure (Famicom)
Donkey Kong (Famicom)
Kirby's Adventure (Famicom)
Super Mario Bros. (Famicom)
Contra III: The Alien Wars (Super Famicom)
Cybernator (Super Famicom)
Gradius III (Super Famicom)
Super Mario World (Super Famicom)
Super Metroid (Super Famicom)
Mario Kart 64 (Nintendo 64)
Source: Nintendo of Korea VC website
_________________________________________________
Nintendo is launching the Wii in South Korea today, and that means a new region for the WVCC. South Korea is getting ten VC games at launch, all of them on Nintendo consoles, all of them already released here, except one: Antarctic Adventure. The game was never released here for some reason. It is already available in Japan since last year, so it might come here as an import. 

With four Famicom games, five Super Famicom games and one Nintendo 64 game, it's a pretty good starting lineup for South Korea.


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## InfinityDragon (Apr 28, 2008)

*UPDATE*: One game to be released today in the Americas:
Double Dragon (NES)
Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
_________________________________________________
Ugh, another one-game week for us. Fortunately, it is the classic beat'em up, Double Dragon. Not the best version of the game (mainly because of no co-op mode), but still a great game. I hope NOA doesn't plan on just giving us Renegade next week, especially since in two weeks, Wiiware will be hitting this shores, so we'll probably get at most one VC game that week.


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## yasuharu (Apr 30, 2008)

Still posting away here, huh InfinityDragon?

Hmm...  I really hate one game weeks.


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## InfinityDragon (Apr 30, 2008)

yasuharu said:
			
		

> Still posting away here, huh InfinityDragon?
> 
> Hmm...  I really hate one game weeks.


 Yeah, there are some people here that check the thread, although the number might have dropped a bit. I'll re-analyze the situation in a couple of months.


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## InfinityDragon (Apr 30, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two games released in Japan:
Famicom Tantei Club Part II: Ushiro ni Tatsu Shoujo (Super Famicom)
Toki no Keishousha: Phantasy Star III [Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom] (Sega Mega Drive)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
Well, here's the last set of releases for Japan in April. Two games: Famicom Tantai Club Part II, a Japan-only adventure game, and Phantasy Star III, an RPG. I still don't understand why Nintendo released four VC games last week, plus one Wiiware game, and the left only two for this week.


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## InfinityDragon (May 2, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Three games released in Europe and Australia:
Columns III: Revenge of Columns (Sega Mega Drive)
Final Soldier (TurboGrafx-16)
Gradius II: Gofer no Yabou (TurboGrafx-CD)
Source: The Virtual Console Archive: EU VC Releases
_________________________________________________
Well, lucky Europe and Australia just got, not one, not two, but three import games as part of the hanabi festival. Though it may not be as amazing as the last hanabi festival, when they got Sin and Punishment and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (although for a limited time), it's still pretty good. The first game is Gradius II: Gofer no Yabou. For some reason, the sequel to the classic shooter never made it to these shores until its release as part of a collection for the PSP. Although there are a couple of versions of the game, Nintendo picked the best of the bunch, the Turbografx-CD version. 

The second game is Final Soldier, one of the few games in the Star Soldier series that hadn't been released here. It was originally released between Super Star Soldier and Soldier Blade. The last game for today was released a while ago over here: Columns III. I didn't know that the game hadn't been released in Europe and Australia.

I think it's a pretty good week, if you're a fan of shooters. The best thing is the fact that Hudson is finally releasing games for the VC again. It had been almost three months since the last game we got anything for the Turbografx. I didn't help that Japan continued to receive PCE games as usual.


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## InfinityDragon (May 2, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Four games announced for next week in Japan:
Axelay (Super Famicom)
Super Fantasy Zone (Sega Mega Drive)
Star Parodier (PC Engine CD)
Burning Fight (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
It's shooter week for Japan! Well, almost, 3 out 4 of the games that Japan is getting next week are shooters, plus one beat'em up. We start with Axelay, which we got like six months ago. I'm quite surprised that it took them so long to release this great shooter in Japan. Next is Super Fantasy Zone, a game that was released in both Japan and Europe, but was never released in the Americas. From what I've read, it is the last game in the series.

The next one is Star Parodier. Following the steps of Konami with its series Parodius, Hudson decided to make a parody game of its own shooter series, Star Soldier. Given its Japanese origin, you can expect a lot of cuteness and weirdness packed in one game. You can even choose Bomberman or the PC Engine as your "ship" in the game! The last game for the week is a Neo Geo game, Burning Fight. Like I mentioned before, this is the non-shooter game of the week. It's a beat'em up, fairly similar to Final Fight... maybe too similar. I guess SNK wanted a piece of the pie after the Final Fight craze started in the arcades.


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## InfinityDragon (May 5, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two games to be released in the Americas:
Renegade (NES)
Pokemon Puzzle League (Nintendo 64)
Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
_________________________________________________
Surprise, surprise. It's the first time in a while that we don't get a game released in Europe in the previous week. And it just happens to be when Hudson starts releasing TurboGrafx games again *sigh*. Fortunately,  it's not all bad. We're getting Renegade, the first game in the Kunio-kun series (from which River City Ransom is part of), and Pokemon Puzzle League, a N64 puzzle game based on the popular Panel de Pon. 

A quick reminder: next week will be the launch of Wiiware in the Americas, so there's a chance we might not be getting any VC games. Japan didn't get any when Wiiware launched, but it's good to know that Japan has had a few weeks with no VC games, something that has never happened here. So, we're just going to have to wait and see what NOA decides to do.


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## InfinityDragon (May 7, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Four games released in Japan:
Axelay (Super Famicom)
Super Fantasy Zone (Sega Mega Drive)
Star Parodier (PC Engine CD)
Burning Fight (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
Arriving just a little bit late this week (thanks to the Golden Week), we have the four games announced for Japan last Friday. Three shooters (Axelay, Super Fantasy Zone, Star Parodier) and a beat'em up (Burning Fight). On top of that, they also got a Wiiware game, Block Breaker Deluxe. Five games.... and we're barely getting two each week...


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## Snoopdogga (May 7, 2008)

InfinityDragon said:
			
		

> *UPDATE*: Four games released in Japan:
> Axelay (Super Famicom)
> Super Fantasy Zone (Sega Mega Drive)
> Star Parodier (PC Engine CD)
> ...


 Wow. They're just receiving Axelay. :wacko:


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## InfinityDragon (May 9, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Four games released in Europe and Australia:
Puyo Puyo Tsuu [Puyo Puyo 2] (Sega Mega Drive)
Break In (TurboGrafx-16)
Chou Aniki (TurboGrafx-CD)
Metal Slug (Neo Geo)
Source: The Virtual Console Archive: EU VC Releases
_________________________________________________
It's the second week of the Hanabi Festival, and it already seems like Europe and Australia will kick our butts this month in the number of releases. Four games again for them. The first game is an import that made it here a little while ago: Puyo Puyo Tsuu. The next game is Break In, a pool game for the TG16. I don't have much to say about this one.

The third one.... oh, boy, this one will certainly raise a lot of eyebrows: Cho Aniki. I honestly never thought this one would ever make it out of Japan. Just watch a video, you'll see what I mean. The last one is the first Neo Geo game in months, Metal Slug. But wait, where is my Samurai Shodown, SNK? Did you forget that you are missing this game from the first round of VC games???


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## InfinityDragon (May 9, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Three VC games announced for next week in Japan:
Bubble Bobble (NES)
Alex Kidd no Miracle World [Alex Kidd in Miracle World] (Sega Master System)
Martial Champion (PC Engine CD)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
Japan is only getting three games next week, even though there are a lot of games left on its schedule. Also, no sign of the MSX just yet; I just hope they don't delay it again. 

First, we have good old classic Bubble Bobble. Yes, another game Japan has just gotten, but that we got ages ago. The second game is the very first Alex Kidd game, Alex Kidd in Miracle World, and arguably the best game in the series. We'll probably see this one here this month or the next, at the latest. And the last game is Martial Champion, the first fighting game we've gotten in a while. It was developed by Konami during the popularity explosion of fighting games of the early 90's.


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## InfinityDragon (May 9, 2008)

Snoopdogga said:
			
		

> InfinityDragon said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 And now the just got Bubble Bobble.


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## InfinityDragon (May 13, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Three VC games released in Japan:
Bubble Bobble (NES)
Alex Kidd no Miracle World [Alex Kidd in Miracle World] (Sega Master System)
Martial Champion (PC Engine CD)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
Sorry, I don't have much time for the update, so just check the preview; you'll find more information there.


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## InfinityDragon (May 16, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Three games released in Europe and Australia:
Gley Lancer (Sega Mega Drive)
Digital Champ Battle Boxing (TurboGrafx-16)
Star Parodier (TurboGrafx-CD)
Source: The Virtual Console Archive: EU VC Releases
_________________________________________________
And the recent third-party dominance of the VC in Europe and Australia continues. The third (and probably last) week of the Hanabi Festival is here with three import games. All of them were released in the past three months in Japan: Gley Lancer was released back in February, Digital Champ Battle Boxing was released last month, and Star Parodier just came out last week. There's no sign of Rondo of Blood, but who knows, maybe they'll leave it for last as a surprise.

Even though it's likely that Europe and Australia are not getting any VC games next week since the Wiiware service is launching on the 20th, they have already crushed the Americas with the number of releases. They already have ten games in three weeks, while we only have two, and it's unlikely that we'll get four or more games in the next few weeks.


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## InfinityDragon (May 16, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Four VC games announced for next week in Japan:
Front Mission Series: Gun Hazard (Super Famicom)
Gynoug [Wings of Wor] (Sega Mega Drive)
Break In (PC Engine)
Garou Densetsu 2: Aratanaru Tatakai [Fatal Fury 2] (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
The lone wolf is back! SNK is releasing the second game in the Fatal Fury series in Japan, which introduces many improvements over the first game, with more characters (Mai Shiranui!! ^_^), better controls (now we have the more SNK-traditional four button configuration), better gameplay (desperation moves!); basically, better everything, making it more of a competition to SFII. My only complaint is that SNK is taking too long to release these games. They have to speed it up; I don't want to wait until 2011 or 2012 to play Mark of the Wolves.

Next is a game published by Square (gasp!), and not only that, it's from the Front Mission series. Gun Hazard is a spinoff though: it's not an SRPG like traditional Front Mission games. Instead, it's an action game, and it's very, very similar to Cybernator. This is because a good part of the team that developed Cybernator worked on this game. As a side note, it was the last Front Mission game to appear on the Super Famicom.

The third game for next week is Gynoug, known here as Wings of Wor. It's a shooter for the Mega Drive, and... I don't know what else to add. Oh, the designs were made by the same person that made the designs for Chou Aniki... that's all I've got. The last game is Break In, which saw a release in Europe and Australia about a week ago. It's a pool game! Emmmm, that's it.


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## InfinityDragon (May 19, 2008)

*UPDATE*: One game to be released in the Americas:
Sky Kid (NES)
Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
_________________________________________________
NOA continues to impress us with the "large" number of VC releases each week. This week's game is Sky Kid, a shooter developed by Namco. In the game, you control the (Red?) Baron in its mission to bomb fortresses or ships, while avoiding the never-ending waves of enemies.


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## Resurgence83 (May 20, 2008)

I only got TWO VC games:

Kirby's Adventure (NES)
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (N64)


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## InfinityDragon (May 21, 2008)

Top Kirby said:
			
		

> I only got TWO VC games:
> 
> Kirby's Adventure (NES)
> Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (N64)


Kirby's Adventure was the first Kirby game I played, and it was great. I haven't played Kirby 64 just yet, but it's on my to buy list.


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## InfinityDragon (May 21, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Three games announced for South Korea:
Super Mario Bros. 3 (Famicom)
Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari [River City Ransom] (Famicom)
Donkey Kong Country (Super Famicom)
Source: Nintendo of Korea VC website
_________________________________________________
Three more classics have been announced for next week in South Korea. We know these games very well, so I don't think I need to add anything new.

I wonder if South Korea's regular releases will be once a month. It's too early to tell now, so we'll have to wait and see.


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## Resurgence83 (May 21, 2008)

I want Kirby Superstar on the VC soon.  ;-;


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## InfinityDragon (May 23, 2008)

Top Kirby said:
			
		

> I want Kirby Superstar on the VC soon.  ;-;


 Well, the next one seems to be Kirby 3, which was rated by the ESRB a couple of months ago.


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## InfinityDragon (May 23, 2008)

*UPDATE*: One VC game released in Europe:
Paradroid (Commodore 64)
Source: The Virtual Console Archive: EU VC Releases
_________________________________________________
NOE did it! They released a VC game on Wiiware launch week, something that neither NOJ nor NOA dared to do. The game is Paradroid for the Commodore 64. In the game, you control a special droid that can hack into other droids and take over them. The point is to take over stronger droids and use this power to destroy more powerful droids, until you've destroyed them all. Like most C64 games, I've never played it, but from what I've read, it's a great game. Unfortunately, the video I saw gave me a headache because of the music.


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## InfinityDragon (May 23, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Three games announced for next week in Japan:
Ganbare Goemon 2: Kiteretsu Shougun Magginesu (Super Famicom)
Fire Pro Wrestling: 2nd Bout (PC Engine)
Ninja Combat (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
No MSX games announced... There is still a chance that they might appear next week, but honestly, I think the launch will be postponed again. Anyway, three games for next week in Japan. 

The first game is none other the than second SFC adventure of our friend Goemon, Ganbare Goemon 2: Kiteretsu Shougun Magginesu. Unfortunately for us, this game never left Nippon's shores. It plays fairly similar to Legend of the Mystical Ninja game. You can select from three characters, Goemon, Ebisumaru, and Sasuke, each of them with their own characteristics. The first two were the main characters in the first game (I don't remember the names they were given here, sorry), and the third one was a ninja enemy in the first game. An overworld map was added, a la Super Mario World, among other things. Just like the first game, you can play a lot of minigames in towns, including a level of the game Xexex. I don't know why the game never made it here; it seems as enjoyable as the first one.

The second game is another Japan-only game, Fire Pro Wrestling: 2nd Bout. The first game in this wrestling series was released about a year ago in Japan's VC. The last game is Ninja Combat for the Neo Geo (hey, another ninja game. If it weren't for the wrestling game, it would have been Ninja week). This beat'em up looks fairly entertaining. I'm pretty sure that I played it as a kid, but I can't seem to remember much about it.


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## InfinityDragon (May 26, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two VC games to be released today:
City Connection (NES)
Metal Slug (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
_________________________________________________
I can't believe my eyes: we're getting two games today???? I guess NOA didn't want to establish a new record for the lowest number of VC games in a month. The first game is City Connection, which saw a release in Japan a couple of months ago. I'm absolutely astonished by the high number of NES games released in the last two months; seven games already. 

The second game is the first Neo Geo game in almost five months: Metal Slug. All I can say is, it's about time!!!!! Now, where is my Samurai Shodown, SNK?


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## InfinityDragon (May 26, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Three games released in South Korea:
Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari [River City Ransom] (Famicom)
Super Mario Bros. 3 (Famicom)
Donkey Kong Country (Super Famicom)
Source: Nintendo of Korea VC website
_________________________________________________
South Korea just got their next set of VC games: a couple of classics from Nintendo, SMB3 and DKC, plus one from Technos, River City Ransom.


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## Tyler (May 26, 2008)

InfinityDragon said:
			
		

> *UPDATE*: Two VC games to be released today:
> City Connection (NES)
> Metal Slug (Neo Geo)
> Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
> ...


 Dude, that's not bad considering we also got 2 wii ware games.

4 games in one week is pretty damn sweet.


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## InfinityDragon (May 27, 2008)

OddCrazyMe said:
			
		

> InfinityDragon said:
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> ...


Well, true, it's nice to get four games in a week, but you have to consider the fact that we only got five VC games this month, while Europe got more than twice as many (and they still have one week left), and I think we got approximately the same number of Wiiware game. So, quantity-wise, it should have been better for our VC.


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## InfinityDragon (May 27, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Four games released in Japan:
Ganbare Goemon 2: Kiteretsu Shougun Magginesu (Super Famicom)
Fire Pro Wrestling: 2nd Bout (PC Engine)
Ninja Combat (Neo Geo)
Aleste (MSX)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
Well, I just had to say last week that I thought that the MSX would be postponed, so that Nintendo would release it this month. By the way, I honestly don't think that we'll be seeing Bionic Commando next month.     

So, finally, after a year since it was announced, the MSX is added to Japan's VC. The first game they're getting is Aleste, a shooter developed by Compile (who also developed Zanac). Eggy, which was the other MSX announced for the month did get postponed, with no new release date set as of today.

Although Japan is getting a new system, the highlight of the week is for the Super Famicom: Ganbare Goemon 2. I still don't know why it wasn't released here, as it looks as fun as the first one was. Fire Pro Wrestling: 2nd Bout is part of a long-running wrestling series, but most of its games haven't been released outside of Japan. And last, Ninja Combat is an early beat'em up for the Neo Geo (released before Burning Fight).


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## InfinityDragon (Jun 2, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Three games released in Europe and Australia:
Pokemon Puzzle League (Nintendo 64)
Burning Fight (Neo Geo)
Samurai Shodown (Neo Geo)
Source: The Virtual Console Archive: EU VC Releases
_________________________________________________
The last set of releases for the month is here and NOE has avoided a third-party sweep by releasing Pokemon Puzzle League for the Nintendo 64. What we haven't gotten though are the two Neo Geo games also released today in Europe and Australia. The first one is Burning Fight, a beat'em up which Japan got earlier this month, and the second one is none other than Samurai Shodown, a game that Japan got more than six months ago (in the first set of Neo Geo releases) and that for some reason had been avoiding a release on this side of the world.

A great week to close an amazing VC month for Europe and Australia.


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## InfinityDragon (Jun 2, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Japan's VC schedule has been released:
Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa (Famicom)
Transformer: Convoy no Nazo (Famicom)
Nekketsu Koukou Dodgeball-bu [Super Dodge Ball] (Famicom)
Yoshi no Cookie [Yoshi's Cookie] (Famicom)
Super Mario RPG (Super Famicom)
Ashura (Sega Master System)
Phantasy Star: Sennenki no Owari ni [Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium] (Sega Mega Drive)
Power Tennis (PC Engine)
Paranoia [Psychosis] (PC Engine)
Blazing Lazers (PC Engine)
Wings of Thunder [Lords of Thunder] (PC Engine CD)
Kings of the Monsters (Neo Geo)
Ninja Commando (Neo Geo)
Ryuuko no Ken 2 [Art of Fighting 2] (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
14 games have been announced for next month in Japan, but I'm pretty sure that most people don't care about this; most people are only paying attention to the sole Super Famicom game that was announced. That's right, after all the speculation, after all the theories, Nintendo has finally announced that Super Mario RPG is coming to the VC. 

Japan will also be getting more RPG love with the release of the last Phantasy Star game in the series (wow, it only took them six months to release all the Mega Drive games); now, they just need to get the first one on the VC so that we can have the whole series on the VC.

The number of PC Engine games that Hudson continues to put on Japan's VC makes me wonder why we haven't gotten a single game since February. Europe just got six games in May, as part of the Hanabi Festival, so I'm fully expecting to get a bunch of TG games in the next couple of months. Hudson didn't update their website though, but given the way that they handled the Hanabi Festival, this is not an indication that we won't see any TG games next month.

As a side note, Eggy, the MSX that was supposed to come out along with Aleste in May, has been postponed with no release date defined.


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## InfinityDragon (Jun 2, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Four games announced for next week in Japan:
Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa (Famicom)
Ashura (Sega Master System)
Power Tennis (PC Engine)
Kings of the Monsters (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
Japan is getting four games to start its VC month. The first game is Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa, a weird Konami game that was expected to be released here, but Howard Lincoln decided not to because the game wasn't good enough for us (according to him). Given the fact that the game was recently rated by the ESRB, we will finally see its release here after all this years.

The second game is Ashura, for the Master System. The game looks really similar to Ikari Warriors. The third game for next week is Power Tennis, part of the Hudson's Power sports series. And the last game  is Kings of the Monsters, a fighting game were you control monsters that could have come out of tokusatsu movies (think Godzilla).


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## InfinityDragon (Jun 2, 2008)

*UPDATE*: One VC game released today:
Ninja Combat (Neo Geo)
Source: The Virtual Console Archive: US VC Releases
_________________________________________________
Well, NOA was lazy this week and didn't bother to put a press release today on their website, so we had to go to VC Reviews to see what we were going to get. Unfortunately, the trend of getting one VC game a week continues with the sole release of Ninja Combat, a beat'em up for the Neo Geo, which was just released in Japan about a week ago. Why did NOA skip Samurai Shodown (again) and Burning Fight? I have no idea. I hope this doesn't mean that they're going to skip them altogether.


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## InfinityDragon (Jun 3, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Four games released in Japan:
Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa (Famicom)
Ashura (Sega Master System)
Power Tennis (PC Engine)
King of the Monsters (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
Japan got the four games announced last Friday. They got a little bit of everything today: a platformer (Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa), a shooter (Ashura), a tennis game (Power Tennis) and a fighter (King of the Monsters).

Something I hadn't noticed before is that Ashura was actually released over here as Rambo First Blood: Part II. The game is pretty much the same, with a different title screen and a different sprite for the main character.


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## Kyle (Jun 3, 2008)

InfinityDragon said:
			
		

> *UPDATE*: Japan's VC schedule has been released:
> Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa (Famicom)
> Transformer: Convoy no Nazo (Famicom)
> Nekketsu Koukou Dodgeball-bu [Super Dodge Ball] (Famicom)
> ...


Super Mario RPG?
Wow.. my friend will go nuts..
Still, I want EarthBound MORE.


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## InfinityDragon (Jun 6, 2008)

Kyle said:
			
		

> Super Mario RPG?
> Wow.. my friend will go nuts..
> Still, I want EarthBound MORE.


Well, there hasn't been any NA confirmation for either EB or SMRPG, but there is a good chance they will make it here.


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## InfinityDragon (Jun 6, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Three games announced for next week in Japan, two games released in South Korea, and zero games released in Europe and Australia:

*Japan*:
Transformer: Convoy no Nazo (Famicom)
Yoshi no Cookie [Yoshi's Cookie] (Famicom)
Wings of Thunder [Lords of Thunder] (PC Engine CD)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website

*South Korea*:
Bubble Bobble (Famicom)
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (Super Famicom)
Source: Nintendo of Korea VC website
_________________________________________________
Catch up time for Japan next week, getting two out of three games that we've already gotten. The two games we already enjoy are Yoshi's Cookie, which was released in April here, and Wings of Thunder (known here as Lords of Thunder), one of the last TurboGrafx games released here back in February. The third game for Japan is one I don't really want to see released here: Transformers: Convoy no Nazo. It simply looks awful.

South Korea got two classics today: Bubble Bobble and Zelda: A Link to the Past. I'm guessing they will be getting another set of games later in the month given how early they got these this month.

And last for today, Nintendo screwed up Europe and Australia by not giving them any VC games this week, for no reason at all. They got only one Wiiware game: Actionloop Twist.


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## Bulerias (Jun 6, 2008)

I don't mean to rain on the parade, but the chances of Earthbound hitting the Virtual Console are tragically low...


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## Snoopdogga (Jun 7, 2008)

Bulerias said:
			
		

> I don't mean to rain on the parade, but the chances of Earthbound hitting the Virtual Console are tragically low...


It got ESRB rated.


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## Kyle (Jun 7, 2008)

Bulerias said:
			
		

> I don't mean to rain on the parade, but the chances of Earthbound hitting the Virtual Console are tragically low...


Way to be negative.
I know it isn't a hit, but a cult classic and if Nintendo (NOA) respects its fans, they'd release it.


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## Bulerias (Jun 7, 2008)

Snoopdogga said:
			
		

> Bulerias said:
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Dude, I know.  But it's not getting released.

Yep, you heard it here first.  Earthbound is not hitting the Virtual Console unless a miracle happens.  I can't reveal how I know this, but... just trust me on this one.


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## Kyle (Jun 7, 2008)

Bulerias said:
			
		

> Snoopdogga said:
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Why can't you?
Theres been fan support recently for VC launch, but you already know Im geussing. -coughstarmen.netcough-


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## Bulerias (Jun 7, 2008)

Kyle said:
			
		

> Bulerias said:
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Because I'd pretty much be breaking NDA, that's why.  It's not coming anytime soon, if ever.  There are certain legal hoops involved.


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## Kyle (Jun 7, 2008)

:huh: Hoops.. Im not entirely sure by the hoops your thinking of. Goldeneye 007 has a Nintendo/Microsoft thing because of Rare but.. ok.
Don't want Bul in trouble. :s


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## InfinityDragon (Jun 8, 2008)

Bulerias said:
			
		

> Kyle said:
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So you got confirmation from your rep, Bul? Well that sucks for the people that were hoping the game would be released soon. Heck, I feel sorry for all of us that now have to endure all of the whining (Note to Kyle: I'm not talking about you, Kyle, just in case, but of fans on other forums that are really annoying when talking about this topic).

I think giving the game to the ESRB to get a rating and not planning to release the game in the near future is a low blow by NOA. It almost feels like they're making fun of their fans.


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## Bulerias (Jun 8, 2008)

It wasn't my rep, no... but it was from someone who works with the Virtual Console and knows the process for putting games up.  Basically, he said there were some legal troubles involved with EB, and the only reason it was rated was to 'get that over with' in case they clear up the legal stuff.


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## DSCUBER9000 (Jun 8, 2008)

They are able to get all of the Mother-themed stuff in every single Super Smash Bros. game, but they can't put it up on the Virtual Console?

... isn't EarthBound a first-party game? I don't see the legal hoops.

Edit: Would it because of all of the hidden references in the game? *Examples*


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## InfinityDragon (Jun 9, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two games released today in the Americas:
Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa (NES)
Dig Dug (NES)
Source: The Virtual Console Archive: US VC Releases
_________________________________________________
It's import week for the Americas. Two Famicom games are making their way to this side of the pond: Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa and Dig Dug. The first game was released in Japan a week ago. The second one, well that's a surprise in a couple of ways. First of all, I didn't know that the game had never been released here (just like I learned like a year ago that Mappy was never released here either). More surprising though is the fact that we're getting Dig Dug before Japan does.

It's good to be back to two games a week, but the system variety is not there. Aside from a couple of Neo Geo games, we have gotten mostly NES games as of late. There has been absolutely zero love for the SNES, SMS, Genesis and Turbografx (I don't mention the N64 because getting a one game every 2-3 months is nothing new). Honestly Nintendo, what's going on?


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## InfinityDragon (Jun 10, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Three games released in Japan:
Transformer: Convoy no Nazo (Famicom)
Yoshi no Cookie [Yoshi's Cookie] (Famicom)
Wings of Thunder [Lords of Thunder] (PC Engine CD)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
No surprises this week for Japan. Three games for today: a platform game (Transformers), a puzzle game (Yoshi's Cookie) and a shooter (Lords of Thunder).


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## Tyler (Jun 10, 2008)

We've been getting a lot of filler NES games because Nintendo is concentrating on WiiWare.


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## InfinityDragon (Jun 13, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Five games released in Europe and three released in Australia:

*Europe*:
Alex Kidd in Miracle World (Sega Master System)
Fatal Fury 2 (Neo Geo)
Ninja Combat (Neo Geo)
Last Ninja 2: Back with a Vengeance (Commodore 64)
Nebulus (Commodore 64)
Source: The Virtual Console Archive: EU VC Releases

*Australia*:
Alex Kidd in Miracle World (Sega Master System)
Fatal Fury 2 (Neo Geo)
Ninja Combat (Neo Geo)
Source: The Virtual Console Archive: EU VC Releases
_________________________________________________
Making up for the lack of games last week, Europe is getting five games this week, while Australia gets three (the same as Europe minus the Commodore 64 games). Like most of May, all the games released today are third-party.

We start with Sega's first mascot, Alex Kidd, in its very first game, Alex Kidd in Miracle World for the Master System. This game is arguably the best in the series. The second game is a Neo Geo game,  the second in the long-running series Fatal Fury. This game greatly improved the original, making it more suited to compete with SFII. It also introduced my beloved Mai Shiranui . The third game is another Neo Geo game, released recently in Japan and the Americas, Ninja Combat. These are the releases that both Europe and Australia got.

In addition, Europe also got a couple of C64 games. They got Last Ninja 2: Back with a Vengeance, sequel to Last Ninja which was released a while ago in Europe. They also get Nebulus, which looks fairly interesting. The tower levels remind me of a level in Dynamite Headdy where you had to scale to the top of the tower.


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## InfinityDragon (Jun 13, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Three VC games announced for next week in Japan:
Nekketsu Koukou Dodgeball-bu [Super Dodge Ball] (Famicom)
Blazing Lazers (PC Engine)
Ryuuko no Ken 2 [Art of Fighting 2] (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
Three more games for Japan next week, leaving three more for the final week of the month. The first game is part of the Kunio-kun series, but unlike its most popular games, it's not a beat'em up;  instead, it's a sports game. Given that these guys like to brawl, it's not a surprise that they picked a game were they could still inflict pain on others. That is how we get Nekketsu Koukou Dodgeball-bu, known here as Super Dodge Ball (another NES game that gets the "Super" label and makes us think that it's actually a SNES game when it's not). I've never played it, but the game looks great.

The second game is Blazing Lazers, a shooter we received a looooong time ago. And last but not least, is Ryuuko no Ken 2, known here as Art of Fighting 2. Like Fatal Fury 2, Art of Fighting 2 was a great improvement over the original, starting with the fact that you weren't limited to play with Ryo and Robert. 

A really nice VC week for Japan.


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## InfinityDragon (Jun 16, 2008)

*UPDATE*: One VC game to be released today in the Americas:
Samurai Shodown (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
_________________________________________________
There's only one thing I can say about this week, and that is: IZA! JINJOU NI, IPPON ME, SHOBU!!!


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## InfinityDragon (Jun 18, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Three VC games released in Japan:
Nekketsu Koukou Dodgeball-bu [Super Dodge Ball] (Famicom)
Blazing Lazers (PC Engine)
Ryuuko no Ken 2 [Art of Fighting 2] (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
No surprises this week for Japan. A "sports" game (Super Dodge Ball), a shooter (Blazing Lazers) and a fighter (Art of Fighting 2).


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## InfinityDragon (Jun 22, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Four games announced for next week in Japan, two games announced for South Korea, and zero games released in Europe and Australia:

*Japan*:
Super Mario RPG (Super Famicom)
Phantasy Star: Sennenki no Owari ni [Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium] (Sega Mega Drive)
Paranoia [Psychosis] (PC Engine)
Ninja Commando (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website

*South Korea*:
F-Zero (Super Famicom)
Star Fox 64 (Nintendo 64)
Source: Nintendo of Korea VC website
_________________________________________________
The last week of VC releases for Japan is packed with RPG goodness. Super Mario RPG, the clamored RPG developed by Square that many fans thought would never make it to the VC has been announced for next Tuesday in Japan. Along with it, the last chapter of the Phantasy Star saga, Sennenki no Owari ni, is going to be released for the pleasure of Sega fans. 

Completing the pack are Ninja Commando, an overhead shooter that reminds me a little bit of Ikari Warriors (just a little, Ashura is more similar to Ikari Warriors than Ninja Commando is), and Paranoia, a shooter released here as Psychosis, which happens to be the last TG16 game that we got.

South Korea is also getting some games next week. They are getting the original F-Zero and Star Fox 64. This is the second consecutive time that South Korea is getting games on a Tuesday. Maybe that will become the regular release day.

Bringing this update to a close, we have Europe and Australia left with no games for the second time in three weeks. Although last week, it seemed like they would be back with the regular releases, we were surprised to find that Nintendo left them hanging again. We still don't know the reason for these zero-game weeks. 

As a side note, I apologize for the late updates. I've been really busy this past week, so I haven't had time to make the updates at the usual time.


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## InfinityDragon (Jun 23, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two VC games to be released today in the US:
Alex Kidd in Miracle World (Sega Master System)
Burning Fight (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
_________________________________________________
It's catch up time for us this week. We're getting the first Alex Kidd game for the Master System and Burning Fight for the Neo Geo; both games were released in Japan last month. Alex Kidd is the first Master System game we get since April (Nintendo had completely forgotten about you, Sega). Burning Fight is the third Neo Geo game we get this month.


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## InfinityDragon (Jun 24, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Four games released in Japan:
Super Mario RPG (Super Famicom)
Phantasy Star: Sennenki no Owari ni [Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium] (Sega Mega Drive)
Paranoia [Psychosis] (PC Engine)
Ninja Commando (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
As announced last week, Japan is getting four games this week, including one of the most requested RPG games: Super Mario RPG. Also released today is Phantasy Star IV, concluding the popular saga (although we're still missing the first game in the series). On the Neo Geo side, we have Ninja Commando, and on the PC Engine side, we have Paranoia (Psychosis here). Obviously a great week for Japan, closing the first half of the year with a bang.


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## InfinityDragon (Jul 5, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Five games released in Europe and three released in Australia:

*Europe*:
Pac-Attack (SNES)
Super Fantasy Zone (Sega Mega Drive)
King of the Monsters (Neo Geo)
Cybernoid: The Fighting Machine (Commodore 64)
Summer Games II (Commodore 64)
Source: The Virtual Console Archive: EU VC Releases

*Australia*:
Pac-Attack (SNES)
Super Fantasy Zone (Sega Mega Drive)
King of the Monsters (Neo Geo)
Source: The Virtual Console Archive: EU VC Releases
_________________________________________________
Another big week for Europe (and a regular one for Australia, thanks to the lack of Commodore 64 support there). The first game they're getting is Pac-Attack for the SNES, which we got a long time ago (February, if I recall correctly). This puzzle game is an adaptation of Cosmo Gang the Puzzle, released only in Japan. The second game is Super Fantasy Zone for the Mega Drive, the last game in the series which was originally released only in Japan and Europe but not over here. The third game is King of the Monsters for the Neo Geo, which Japan got about a month ago.

The other two games are for the C64, and released only in Europe. Cybernoid: The Fighting Machine is an interesting shooter that garnered a lot of praise back in the day (it was also released on the NES). Summer Games II is another Epyx sports game for the C64.  By the way.... when did we get the first one?

As a side note, with this set of releases, Europe catches up with the Americas with the number of VC games released.


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## InfinityDragon (Jul 5, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Hudson's July schedule for the US and July schedule for Japan:

*US*:
Break In (TurboGrafx-16)
Chase H.Q. (TurboGrafx-16)
Star Parodier (TurboGrafx-CD)
Source: Hudson's US VC website[/url]

*Japan*:
Dig Dug (Famicom)
Chack'n Pop (Famicom)
Donkey Kong 3 (Famicom)
Fire Emblem: Torakia 776 (Super Famicom)
Space Harrier (Sega Master System)
Splatterhouse Part 2 [Splatterhouse 2] (Sega Mega Drive)
Shining Force II: Koe no Fuuin [Shining Force II: Ancient Sealing] (Sega Mega Drive)
Kiki Kaikai (PC Engine)
Darius Plus (PC Engine)
Seirei Senshi Spriggan (PC Engine CD)
Blood Gear (PC Engine CD)
Shin Samurai Spirits [Samurai Shodown 2] (Neo Geo)
Big Tournament Golf [Neo Turf Masters] (Neo Geo)
Relics (MSX)
Eggy (MSX)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
It's alive! Hudson is alive! After five months getting absolutely nothing from them, they're coming back to the VC with three games. Star Parodier and Chase H.Q., in particular, are a great way to start over, but I can't say the same thing about Break in. Anyway, that doesn't matter, the TurboGrafx is back on the VC.

NOJ also released it's schedule for next month and it contains a few heavy hitters, including the last Super Famicom Fire Emblem game, subtitled Torakia 776, Shining Force II for the Mega Drive (finally!), Shin Samurai Spirits for the Neo Geo (known here as Samurai Shodown II), among others. The only console missing next month in Japan will be the Nintendo 64.


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## InfinityDragon (Jul 5, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Three games announced for next week in Japan:
Dig Dug (Famicom)
Splatterhouse Part 2 [Splatterhouse 2] (Sega Mega Drive)
Seirei Senshi Spriggan (PC Engine CD)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
First set of releases in Japan for the month of July. We start off with Dig Dug, which we got at the beginning of the month. The second game for next week is Splatterhouse 2, which was released on the Mega Drive and not on the PC Engine, as the original. The game follows the same style as the first game, so if you like that one, you'll most likely like the sequel. The third game is Seirei Senshi Spriggan, a Japan-only horizontal shooter developed by naxat soft (hey, the game doesn't have the word "psycho" in it).


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## InfinityDragon (Jul 5, 2008)

*UPDATE*: One game released in the US:
Fatal Fury 2 (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
_________________________________________________
The final week of June brings the fourth Neo Geo game of the month, and it's none other than Fatal Fury 2. I've already told you that this game is much better than the original, so I won't repeat myself. Given the large number of Neo Geo releases this month, I'm not expecting more than one Neo Geo game for next month, if any.


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## InfinityDragon (Jul 5, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Three games released in Japan:
Dig Dug (Famicom)
Splatterhouse Part 2 [Splatterhouse 2] (Sega Mega Drive)
Seirei Senshi Spriggan (PC Engine CD)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
No surprises this week in Japan. An arcade game (Dig Dug), an action game (Splatterhouse 2) and a shooter (Seirei Senshi Spriggan).


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## InfinityDragon (Jul 5, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Three games announced for next week, one new game added to July's schedule in Japan, and zero games released in Europe and Australia:

*Japan (Next week)*:
Chack'n Pop (Famicom)
Kiki Kaikai (PC Engine)
Big Tournament Golf [Neo Turf Masters] (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website

*Japan (July)*:
Rockman [Megaman] (Famicom)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
Japan doesn't take a break and continues releasing a good number of releases each week, even with the introduction of Wiiware a couple of months ago. Three games have been announced for next week. The first one is Chack'n Pop, developed by Taito. Some of the enemies in Chack'n Pop make an appearance in the later released and more popular Bubble Bobble. The second game for next week is Kiki Kaikai, a shooter released only in Japan (at least officially). The game is heavily based in Japanese mythology. Although this game was never released here, its sequel did with the name Pocky and Rocky. The last game for next week is Big Tournament Golf, known here as Neo Turf Masters. I don't know if it is just me, but it never crossed my mind that the game was a golf game after I read the western title.

In addition to announcing next week's VC games, NOJ also added Rockman, our beloved Megaman, to the schedule for this month. It's highly likely to promote the release of Megaman 9 for Wiiware, stated for release in September. Last but not least, in what has already become a trend, Europe and Australia got no VC games today, only Wiiware games. Expect them to get 4-5 VC games next week.


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## InfinityDragon (Jul 10, 2008)

*UPDATE*: One game released in the Americas:
King of the Monsters (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
_________________________________________________
NOA continues to give us Neo Geo games in one-game weeks; this time is the turn of King of the Monsters, recently released in Europe. Although I'm glad that we're getting Neo Geo games again, I'm not glad with the variety, or should I say, lack of. NOA just doesn't seem to get it. Gamers want games from different genres, different consoles, different eras. NOA seems to be the only one that has been blinded by Wiiware, putting most of its effort on WW, and paying almost no attention to the VC.


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## InfinityDragon (Jul 10, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Three games released in Japan:
Chack'n Pop (Famicom)
Kiki Kaikai (PC Engine)
Big Tournament Golf [Neo Turf Masters] (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
No surprises on Tuesday for Japan. An arcade game (Chack'n Pop), a shooter (Kiki Kaikai) and a golf game (Big Tournament Golf) were released.


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## InfinityDragon (Jul 10, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two VC games announced for next week in South Korea:
Super Mario USA [Super Mario Bros. 2] (Famicom)
Galaga (Famicom)
Source: Nintendo of Korea VC website
_________________________________________________
Two games announced for next week in South Korea. Super Mario USA is what we know here as Super Mario Bros. 2. Galaga is, well, just Galaga.


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## InfinityDragon (Jul 10, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two VC games released in Europe and Australia:
Art of Fighting 2 (Neo Geo)
Ninja Commando (Neo Geo)
Source: The Virtual Console Archive: EU VC Releases
_________________________________________________
Europe and Australia are only getting two games this week, even though they are getting VC games every other week. Both games are for the Neo Geo, Art of Fighting 2 and Ninja Commando, and they happen to be the last two Neo Geo games that Japan got.


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## InfinityDragon (Jul 28, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Three games announced for next week in Japan:
Fire Emblem: Torakia 776 (Super Famicom)
Shining Force II: Koe no Fuuin [Shining Force II: Ancient Sealing] (Sega Mega Drive)
Darius Plus (TurboGrafx-16)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
Man, I wish we could get weeks like this. Japan is getting not one but two SRPGs. The first one is Fire Emblem: Toraika 776, the third and last FE game for the Super Famicom (fifth overall), released in 1999. The second one is Shining Force II: Koe no Fuuin, released back in 1993. In addition, Japan is also getting a space shooter, Darius Plus, the first in the series to be made available on the VC.


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## InfinityDragon (Jul 28, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two VC games released today for the US:
Donkey Kong 3 (NES)
Ninja Commando (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
_________________________________________________
Woah, an NES game? The last one we got was more than a month ago. I think this was the longest drought of NES games ever since the start of the service. Anyway, we got Donkey Kong 3, the last Donkey Kong game for the NES, just before Japan (NOJ announced it to be released this month over there). We also got Ninja Commando, which everybody else got recently.


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## InfinityDragon (Jul 28, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Three games released in Japan and two games released in South Korea:

*Japan*:
Fire Emblem: Torakia 776 (Super Famicom)
Shining Force II: Koe no Fuuin [Shining Force II: Ancient Sealing] (Sega Mega Drive)
Darius Plus (TurboGrafx-16)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website

*South Korea*:
Super Mario USA [Super Mario Bros. 2] (Famicom)
Galaga (Famicom)
Source: Nintendo of Korea VC website
_________________________________________________
SRPG madness this week in Japan with the release of Fire Emblem: Torakia 776 for the Super Famicom and Shining Force II for the Mega Drive. On top of that, Japan also got Darius Plus, a space shooter. 

In South Korea, two games were released: Super Mario USA, which is the name given, in Japan, to the version of Super Mario Bros. 2 that we got, and classic arcade game Galaga, for the NES.


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## InfinityDragon (Jul 28, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two games announced for the US, three games announced for Japan, and no VC games released in Europe and Australia:

*US*:
Break In (TurboGrafx-16)
Star Parodier (Turbografx-CD)
Source: Hudson's US VC website

*Japan*:
Donkey Kong 3 (NES)
Space Harrier (Sega Master System)
Shin Samurai Spirits: Haohmaru Jigokuhen [Samurai Shodown 2] (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
FINALLY! It took almost five months to see a new TurboGrafx game in the Americas. Why do you make us suffer, NOA? Next week in particular will be an import week, lead by the release of Star Parodier, a parody space shooter that I'm really eager to play, along with the so-so pool game Break In.

Japan also announced the set of VC games they'll be getting next week. The highlight for next week, at least for me, is Shin Samurai Spirits, known here as Samurai Shodown II. Along with it, they're getting the very first Space Harrier, released on the Master System (and not as pretty as the arcade version), and Donkey Kong 3, which we got a couple of days ago.

Europe and Austalia, in what has become usual, didn't get any VC games this week. Expect some next week.


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## InfinityDragon (Jul 28, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two games released in the US:
Gley Lancer (Sega Genesis)
Super Fantasy Zone (Sega Genesis)
Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
_________________________________________________
In a weird turn of events, NOA decided to release two Genesis games (imports, by the way) instead of the two TurboGrafx game that were announced by Hudson last week. What made Nintendo postpone the comeback of the TurboGrafx to the VC, I don't know, and I'm kind of disappointed by this decision. Fortunately, they decided to give us Gley Lancer and Super Fantasy Zone, two Genesis games of which we hadn't gotten any since April.


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## InfinityDragon (Jul 28, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Three games released in Japan:
Donkey Kong 3 (Famicom)
Space Harrier (Sega Master System)
Shin Samurai Spirits: Haohmaru Jigokuhen [Samurai Shodown 2] (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
No surprises here. As usual, Japan got three VC games this week: Two action games (Donkey Kong 3 and Space Harrier), and an amazing fighter (Samurai Shodown II).


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## InfinityDragon (Jul 28, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Three games released in Europe and two games released in Australia:

*Europe*:
City Connection (NES)
Neo Turf Masters (Neo Geo)
International Karate + (Commodore 64)
Source: The Virtual Console Archive: EU VC Releases

*Australia*:
City Connection (NES)
Neo Turf Masters (Neo Geo)
Source: The Virtual Console Archive: EU VC Releases
_________________________________________________
VC week for Europe and Australia. Europe got three games while Australia got only two (thanks to the lack of C64 support). The first game was City Connection for the NES, which was released here back in May. The second game is Neo Turf Masters for the Neo Geo, which we haven't gotten just yet (probably in the next couple of weeks). Finally, we have International Karate + for the Commodore 64, the sequel to the game that introduced the console to the VC.


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## InfinityDragon (Jul 28, 2008)

*UPDATE*: One game announced for next week in the Americas, two Hudson games postponed till next month, plus one new Hudson game for next month:

*US (Next Week)*:
Taito Chase H.Q. (TurboGrafx-16)
Source: Hudson's US VC website

*US (Next Month)*:
Break In (TurboGrafx-16)
Star Parodier (TurboGrafx-CD)
Ys Book I & II (TurboGrafx-CD)
Source: Hudson's US VC website
_________________________________________________
The big announcement today for us is that, finally, we're getting Ys Book I & II next month. It took Hudson almost a year to release these RPGs, and we don't know why they made us suffer this much. They knew we wanted the games, but I guess they didn't want our money until now.

The two games that were supposed to be released this past Monday (Break In and Star Parodier) have been postponed until next month. Nevertheless, we still got some TurboGrafx love, with the announcement of Taito Chase H.Q. for next week in the Americas.


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## InfinityDragon (Jul 28, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Four games announced for next week in Japan:
Rockman [Megaman] (Famicom)
Street Fighter II Dash Plus: Champion Edition [Street Fighter II': Special Champion Edition] (Sega Mega Drive)
Blood Gear (PC Engine CD)
Eggy (MSX)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
This set of releases brings the month to a close for Japan. Four games have been announced for next month, one of them wasn't even announced until this week. We start off with Rockman for the Famicom, the first adventure of our beloved Blue Bomber. Capcom decided to hype the release of Rockman 9 on Wiiware by releasing the first two games of the series (Rockman 2 is coming out next month in Japan).

Next we have the recent addition to the schedule, and a weird selection by Capcom, Street Fighter II Dash Plus: Champion Edition, known here as Street Fighter II': Special Champion Edition, for the Mega Drive. What's weird about it is that this game is extremely similar to Street Fighter II Turbo for the SNES (it just has a couple of additions since the game was released a couple of months after SFIIT), so it seems like an unnecessary thing to release this one on the VC. Of course, now that I think about it, we are talking about Capcom here, so it might not be that weird after all.

The third game is Blood Gear for the PC Engine CD. I've never played this one but it looks like an interesting game. From the video I saw, it looks like an action game similar to Cybernator. 

And the last game is Eggy for the MSX. Announced more than a year ago as one of two games to be part of the VC introduction of the MSX, it ended up having to wait a couple more months after Aleste was released.


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## InfinityDragon (Jul 28, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Japan's August schedule has been released:
TwinBee (Famicom)
Nazo no Murasamejou (Famicom)
Rockman 2: Dr. Wily no Nazo [Megaman 2] (Famicom)
Gakkou de Atta Kowai Hanashi (Super Famicom)
Sonic The Hedgehog (Sega Master System)
Lord Monarch: Tokoton Sentou Densetsu (Sega Mega Drive)
Taito Chase H.Q. (PC Engine)
Dragon Saber (PC Engine)
Parasol Stars (PC Engine)
Eikan wa Kimi ni: Koukou Yakyuu Zenkoku Taikai (PC Engine CD)
Relics (MSX)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
Not that many games announced for August in Japan, only 11, but it's highly likely that it will still be more than what we'll be getting. The highlight of the month is by far Rockman 2, arguably the best Megaman game in the series. 

Japan is also getting a few interesting games like the original TwinBee, Nazo no Murasamejou, Sonic The Hedgehog for the Master System (although named the same as the Genesis version, it is a different game), Dragon Saber, Parasol Stars, among others.


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## InfinityDragon (Jul 28, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two games released in the US:
Taito Chase H.Q. (TurboGrafx-16)
Art of Fighting 2 (Neo Geo)
Source: The Virtual Console Archive: US VC Releases
_________________________________________________
This week, NOA didn't screw up Hudson's announcement and actually released Taito Chase H.Q. for the TG16. In the game, you drive a Porsche and go on high-speed pursuits after criminals.

Accompanying Chase H.Q. is Art of Fighting 2, recently released in Europe and Australia at the beginning of the month.


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## InfinityDragon (Aug 2, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Four games released in Japan and one in South Korea:

*Japan*:
Rockman [Megaman] (Famicom)
Street Fighter II Dash Plus: Champion Edition [Street Fighter II': Special Champion Edition] (Sega Mega Drive)
Blood Gear (PC Engine CD)
Eggy (MSX)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website

*South Korea*:
Xevious (Famicom)
Source: Nintendo of Korea VC website
_________________________________________________
Last week of the month. Japan gets four games: an action/platformer (Rockman), a fighter (SFIIDP:SCE), another action/platformer (Blood Gear) and one more action game (Eggy), while South Korea gets just one: Xevious, a shooter.


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## InfinityDragon (Aug 2, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two games announced for the Americas, and five games announced for Japan:

*US*:
Ys Book I & II (TurboGrafx-CD)
Samurai Shodown II (Neo Geo)
Sources: Hudson's US VC website, The Virtual Console Archive: US VC Releases

*Japan*:
TwinBee (Famicom)
Gakkou de Atta Kowai Hanashi (Super Famicom)
Sonic The Hedgehog (Sega Master System)
Dragon Saber (PC Engine)
Eikan wa Kimi ni: Koukou Yakyuu Zenkoku Taikai (PC Engine CD)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
We have big announcements today for the VC. In what is arguably one of the best VC weeks in the Americas this year, Hudson is releasing Ys Book I & II (originally for the TurboGrafx-CD), and SNK is bringing Samurai Shodown II (for the Neo Geo). Two absolutely amazing games to start the month of August for us. I hope this is a prelude for things to come on the VC, since the interest has been waning here in the last few months.

Japan didn't want to fall behind, and they'll be getting five games next week. I don't know why they are getting so many games, specially when they only announced 11 games for the month. I guess they'll only be getting two games a week for the rest of August. 

The first game is a classic shooter from Konami, TwinBee for the Famicom. The game was never released outside of Japan until it was included on a Konami collection for the Nintendo DS, where it was renamed RainbowBell, for some reason. The second game is another Japan-only game, a survival horror visual novel for the Super Famicom, Gakkou de Atta Kowai Hanashi. The game has the particularity that it uses real-life photos of Japanese actors.

The third game for next week is Sonic The Hedgehog. Wait a minute, that was one of the launch games of the VC. Well, that's true, the Mega Drive version was released on the VC two years ago, but this is the Master System version. At the time Sega introduced the Mega Drive, they tended to make Master System versions of their Mega Drive games, so that the Master System users wouldn't feel left out. But many times, these games weren't just watered-down ports of their Mega Drive versions, but completely different games. This is one of those cases.

The fourth game Japan is getting is Dragon Saber, the sequel to the great shooter Dragon Spirit, which was released last year on the VC. The game follows the same style as its predecessor, with the added feature of two-player co-op mode. The last game is Eikan wa Kimi ni: Koukou Yakyuu Zenkoku Taikai, a baseball game for the PC Engine CD. I can't find any information about this game, so I might be mistaken, but the game seems like a management game, more than a traditional baseball game.


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## InfinityDragon (Aug 5, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two games released in the Americas:
Sonic The Hedgehog (Sega Master System)
Splatterhouse 2 (Sega Genesis)
Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
_________________________________________________
And a megaton... there was not. For the second time in a month, NOA decided to burn third-party companies participating on the VC service by neglecting to release the games they had announced the previous week. This time it wasn't only Hudson (Ys Book I and II), it was also SNK (Samurai Shodown II), and Capcom (Megaman). What had been considered one of the best VC weeks this year became the biggest disappointment of the year. I wonder what those companies have to say about this situation.

And so, NOA decided to make this week Sega week, releasing Sonic The Hedgehog for the Master System, and Splatterhouse 2 for the Sega Genesis.


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## InfinityDragon (Aug 5, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Five games released in Japan:
TwinBee (Famicom)
Gakkou de Atta Kowai Hanashi (Super Famicom)
Sonic The Hedgehog (Sega Master System)
Dragon Saber (PC Engine)
Eikan wa Kimi ni: Koukou Yakyuu Zenkoku Taikai (PC Engine CD)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
Five games for Japan. When was the last time that happened here? Or should I say, when was the only time that happened here? Well, all the way back to Christmas '06. 

TwinBee is a likely candidate for an import, Sonic we already got yesterday, Dragon Saber will be released over here eventually, and the other two will probably never make it.


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## InfinityDragon (Aug 5, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two games announced for next week in South Korea:
Yoshi (Famicom)
Super R-Type (Super Famicom)
Source: Nintendo of Korea VC website
_________________________________________________
It seems like the releases in South Korea have stabilized to every other Tuesday, so we'll go with that for now. Next week, they are getting Yoshi, which we got about a year ago, and Super R-Type, which happens to be the last SNES that we got on the VC, back in March (wow, five months already).


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## InfinityDragon (Aug 22, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Four games released in Europe and three in Australia:

*Europe*:
Ecco Jr. (Sega Mega Drive)
Splatterhouse 2 (Sega Mega Drive)
Samurai Shodown II (Neo Geo)
Pitstop II (Commodore 64)
Source: The Virtual Console Archive: EU VC Releases

*Australia*:
Ecco Jr. (Sega Mega Drive)
Splatterhouse 2 (Sega Mega Drive)
Samurai Shodown II (Neo Geo)
Source: The Virtual Console Archive: EU VC Releases
_________________________________________________
And so, one of the most anticipated fighting games, Samurai Shodown II, which was supposed to be released here at the beginning of the month, has been released in Europe and Australia first. I'm pretty sure a lot of people over here are thinking (and shouting) the least pleasent things toward NOA, and they are very well deserved after the debacle.

Aside from Samurai Shodown II, Europe and Australia are getting some third-party love this week. We have Ecco Jr., the last Ecco game for the Mega Drive, and not really the best way to close this chapter of the series. The game was released here at the end of last year. The second game is Splatterhouse 2, released here a couple of weeks ago. The third game is Pitstop II for the Commodore 64, therefore only released in Europe's VC. A pole position racing game developed by Epyx, which seems to have developed a lot of games for the C64.


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## InfinityDragon (Aug 22, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two games announced for next week in the US, and three games announced for the other week in Japan:

*US*:
Break In (TurboGrafx-16)
Star Parodier (TurboGrafx-CD)
Source: Hudson's US VC website

*Japan*:
Nazo no Murasamejou (Famicom)
Lord Monarch: Tokoton Sentou Densetsu (Sega Mega Drive)
Parasol Stars (PC Engine)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
Hudson has announced, once again, Break In and Star Parodier for next week. Hopefully, they will get their games released this time. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, NOJ has announced three games, not for this Monday, but the next one. The first game is Nazo no Murasamejou, an obscure action game developed for the Famicom by Nintendo, which never made it out of Nippon shores. The game takes place in the Edo period, and the style is similar to the original Zelda, but without the puzzles. It looks like a good candidate for an import.

The second game is Lord Monarch, which is the seventh game in the strategy series Dragon Slayer. The game was ported to several consoles, but the version Japan is getting is the Mega Drive one. This game was also never released outside of Japan. The third and last game is Parasol Stars, which is part of the Bubble Bobble series (the third game). The game was never released in the arcades, and the original version was this one, the PC Engine one.


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## InfinityDragon (Aug 22, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two games released today in the Americas:
Break In (TurboGrafx-16)
Star Parodier (TurboGrafx-CD)
Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
_________________________________________________
Hey, NOA didn't play any weird games this week and actually released the games Hudson announced. I'm really interested in Star Parodier, a weird, very Japanese, parody of the Star Soldier series. In the game you can control the Paro-Ceaser from the Star Soldier series, a giant Bomberman, or a PC Engine itself; yes, you read that right, a PC Engine that shoots CDs! The second game, Break In, well, I was hoping it would never be released here, but you can't win them all.


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## InfinityDragon (Aug 22, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two games released in South Korea:
Yoshi (Famicom)
Super R-Type (Super Famicom)
Source: Nintendo of Korea VC website
_________________________________________________
As usual, two games were released in South Korea. This week it was the turn of Yoshi, a puzzle game for the Famicom, which was released more than a year ago here, and Super R-Type, the last SNES game we ever saw here (you know, NOA, we would like to get another SNES this year, if it's not too much trouble).


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## InfinityDragon (Aug 22, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two games released in the Americas:
Megaman (NES)
Neo Turf Masters (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
_________________________________________________
IT'S MEGAMAN! Finally, two weeks after the debacle, the Blue Bomber's first adventure is arriving here. Why was it that NOA couldn't release the game at the beginning of the month, who knows, but at least we didn't have to wait too long for it (and I mean after the debacle, because we did have to wait more than a year after Europe and Australia got it). The second game we're getting today is Neo Turf Masters, leaving Samurai Shodown II as the last Neo Geo game that was released in Japan's VC but not here.


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## InfinityDragon (Aug 22, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Three games released in Japan:
Nazo no Murasamejou (Famicom)
Lord Monarch: Tokoton Sentou Densetsu (Sega Mega Drive)
Parasol Stars (PC Engine)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
No surprises this week in Japan, with the release of Nazo no Murasamejou, that obscure Famicom game I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, Lord Monarch, the seventh game in the Dragon Slayer series, and Parasol Stars, the third game in the Bubble Bobble series. One thing to note is that the protagonist of Nazo no Murasamejou, Takamaru, appears in Nintendo's Wii game, Captain Rainbow, as a supporting character.


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## InfinityDragon (Aug 22, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two games announced for next week in South Korea:
NES Open Tournament Golf (Famicom)
Pac-Man (Famicom)
Source: Nintendo of Korea VC website
_________________________________________________
Two more games announced for South Korea, and they are NES Open Tournament Golf (a game released in a time when sports games that had Mario in it didn't have to be called Mario Something), and arcade classic Pac-Man.


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## InfinityDragon (Aug 22, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two games released in Europe and Australia:
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (Re-Release) (NES)
Super Mario RPG (SNES)
Source: The Virtual Console Archive: EU VC Releases
_________________________________________________
Holy crap! The start of the third Hanabi Festival brings Super Mario RPG to Europe and Australia, after 12 years of waiting! Not only that, they are also getting Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels again, after the game had been offered for a limited time last year, in the first Hanabi Festival. I think this week could be called NOE's Redemption Week, now that they're getting two games that should have been released a long time ago (or at least stayed available) and didn't. NOE continues to play their hands right, while NOA just keeps messing them.


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## InfinityDragon (Aug 22, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Four games announced for the Hanabi Festival in Europe and Australia:
Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa (NES)
Dig Dug (NES)
Spelunker (NES)
Do Re Mi Fantasy: Milon no Doki Doki Daibouken (SNES)
Source: The Virtual Console Archive: EU VC Releases
_________________________________________________
Four more games have been announced for the third Hanabi Festival. A nice selection, although all of them have been released here, so there are no surprises.


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## InfinityDragon (Aug 26, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two games to be released today in the Americas:
Ys Book I & II (TurboGrafx-CD)
Samurai Shodown II (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
_________________________________________________
And so, the other two games of the debacle make their appearance. Almost a year after it was announced along with the TurboGrafx-CD, Ys is finally released. Although it was one of the most wanted games for the console, Hudson still took a year "thinking" (like Nintendo with Earthbound) if it was right to release the game.

The other game for today is the amazing Samurai Shodown II. It didn't take us a long time to get this one, unlike the first game, which took about eight months. Now, we're up to date with the Neo Geo releases in Japan, and will probable wait a few months before getting a new Neo Geo game. If they keep the same schedule, I think we'll see the next batch in December.


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## InfinityDragon (Aug 26, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two games released in Japan and two games in South Korea:

*Japan*:
Rockman 2: Dr. Wily no Nazo [Megaman 2] (Famicom)
Taito Chase H.Q. (PC Engine)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website

*South Korea*:
NES Open Tournament Golf (Famicom)
Pac-Man (Famicom)
Source: Nintendo of Korea VC website
_________________________________________________
As we get the first adventure of the Blue Bomber, Japan gets what is arguably the best game in the series: Rockman 2. Along with it, they are getting Taito Chase H.Q., which we got not so long ago.

South Korea is also getting some games today, some golfing with NES Open Tournament Golf, and some.... ghost-eating with Pac-Man.


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## InfinityDragon (Sep 1, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two games released in Europe and Australia:
Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa (NES)
Dig Dug (NES)
Source: The Virtual Console Archive: EU VC Releases
_________________________________________________
The Hanabi Festival continues with the release of Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa and Dig Dug. What's particular about this week is that they also got Wiiware games (technically, this week they were supposed to get wiiware games only). Both games we already got a while ago, so no surprises for us.


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## InfinityDragon (Sep 1, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Japan's September schedule has been released, plus two games announced by Hudson for the Americas:

*US*:
Final Soldier (TurboGrafx-16)
Chou Aniki (TurboGrafx-CD)
Source: Hudson's US VC website

*Japan*:
Tantei Jinguuji Saburou: Yokohamakou Renzoku Satsujin Jiken (Famicom)
Wagyan Land (Famicom)
Seiken Densetsu 2 [Secret of Mana] (Super Famicom)
Space Invaders: The Original Game (Super Famicom)
Mario Golf 64 (Nintendo 64)
Sorcerian (Sega Mega Drive)
Forgotten Worlds (Sega Mega Drive)
Hokuto no Ken: Shin Seikimatsu Kyuuseishu Densetsu (Sega Mega Drive)
The Ninja Warriors (PC Engine)
Nekketsu Koukou Dodgeball-bu: PC Bangai-hen (PC Engine)
Final Blaster (PC Engine)
Mizubaku Daibouken Adventure (PC Engine)
Relics (MSX)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
Surprise, Surprise!! Seiken Densetsu, known here as Secret of Mana, is making an appearance in Japan next month! Along with it, they're getting a new N64 game, Mario Golf 64, another game in the Dragon Slayer series, Sorcerian, the very first CPS game, Forgotten Worlds, and many other games. The game count for next month is a tad low, given that it is a 5-week month, but it doesn't matter, the selection is quite good.

And on the other side of the world, the Americas are finally getting the TurboGrafx-CD game they've been waiting for.... or not. Chou Aniki has been announced for September, along with Final Soldier, so it is two import games from Hudson for next month.


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## InfinityDragon (Sep 1, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two games announced for next week in Europe and Australia[/b]:
Taito Chase H.Q. (TurboGrafx-16)
Ys Book I & II (TurboGrafx-CD)
Source: Hudson's EU VC website
_________________________________________________
Europe and Australia got the better part of the deal from the games of the debacle. They are getting Ys Book I & II next week, just a week after we got it, and they also got Samurai Shodown II a week before we did, and Megaman, well, a year befor


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## InfinityDragon (Sep 1, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two games released in the Americas:
Clu Clu Land (NES)
Super Mario RPG (SNES)
Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
_________________________________________________
Today marks the 250th release on the VC, and also the comeback of the SNES to the VC, almost six months after the last release. Not only that, today, a lot of whining will stop since NOA decided to finally release Super Mario RPG! Not only that, they also released Clu Clu Land! A great week to start September, I hope the quality continues throughout the whole month.


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## InfinityDragon (Sep 2, 2008)

*UPDATE*: One game released in Japan:
Tantei Jinguuji Saburou: Yokohamakou Renzoku Satsujin Jiken (Famicom)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
Only one game released in Japan this week, and it Tantei Jinguuji Saburou: Yokohamakou Renzoku Satsujin Jiken, sequel to Tantei Jinguuji Saburou: Shinjuku Chuuou Kouen Satsujin Jiken, released back in February. This series, started in 1987, is the longest standing and best-selling graphic adventure series in Japan. The first three games from the mobile phone version were brought here as part of the Jake Hunter Chronicles game for the DS.


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## The Chameleon (Sep 2, 2008)

Super Mario RPG was one of the most wanted titles for the VC.
I hope people are happy now that it's here

My most wanted title is Casltevania Rondo of Blood.


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## InfinityDragon (Sep 15, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Four games released in Europe and Australia:
Spelunker (NES)
Do Re Mi Fantasy: Milon no Doki Doki Daibouken (SNES)
Taito Chase H.Q. (TurboGrafx-16)
Ys Book I & II (TurboGrafx-CD)
Source: The Virtual Console Archive: EU VC Releases
_________________________________________________
The highlights of the week are obviously Do Re Mi Fantasy and Ys Book I & II. Spelunker and Taito Chase H.Q. make a nice addition to an already amazing set of releases. With this, the third Hanabi Festival has come to a close, and as usual, it rocked. I hope the fourth one comes real soon, although I don't think we'll be seeing it until next year (maybe December at the soonest).


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## InfinityDragon (Sep 15, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two games announced for next week in the Americas, and three games for Japan:

*US*:
Final Soldier (TurboGrafx-16)
Chou Aniki (TurboGrafx-CD)
Source: Hudson's US VC website

*Japan*:
Seiken Densetsu 2 [Secret of Mana] (Super Famicom)
Hokuto no Ken: Shin Seikimatsu Kyuuseishu Densetsu (Sega Mega Drive)
Final Blaster (PC Engine)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
Well, that's a surprise. Square games usually appear by the end of the month, but this time, they're not making gamers wait (at least Japanese gamers); Seiken Densetsu 2 is coming out next week!

Along with it, they get two more games, the first one being Hokuto no Ken: Shin Seikimatsu Kyuuseishu Densetsu for the Mega Drive, sequel to Hokuto no Ken, released as the first Master System VC game earlier this year. Just like the previous game, the new Hokuto no Ken game made it to this side of the pond without its license, and was therefore renamed Last Battle.

The second game is Final Blaster, a shooter for the PC Engine. The game doesn't look that special from the videos I saw. One thing that caught my attention though is that there is an attack where the ship blazed into a flaming bird, which reminded me of Gatchaman (yeah, yeah, random stuff, I know )

On the Americas side, Hudson is doing its import week with the release of Chou Aniki, which I'm pretty sure will top the charts next week , and Final Soldier, the only game in the Star Soldier series that had never made it out of Japan. With this, there is only one game in the series left to be released on the VC, Star Soldier: Vanishing Earth for the N64.


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## InfinityDragon (Sep 15, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two VC games released in the Americas today:
Final Soldier (TurboGrafx-16)
Chou Aniki (TurboGrafx-CD)
Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
_________________________________________________
It's import shooter week! Hudson delivers its two promised games, Final Soldier and Chou Aniki, today. Final soldier is the third game in the Star Soldier series. It was released on the VC more than a year ago in Japan and four months ago in Europe and Australia. Chou Aniki is a controversial shooter given its homoerotic content. Nevertheless, the game is considered a great shooter and has had many sequels (each more controversial than the previous one).


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## InfinityDragon (Sep 15, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Three games released in Japan today:
Seiken Densetsu 2 [Secret of Mana] (Super Famicom)
Hokuto no Ken: Shin Seikimatsu Kyuuseishu Densetsu (Sega Mega Drive)
Final Blaster (PC Engine)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
And so, the legend of the holy sword 2 (that is, Seiken Densetsu 2) is out in Japan. Some people said that this would never happen, that Square had forgotten about this classic, but here it is. Now, when will it be released here? I hope we don't have to wait too long.

Japan also got Hokuto no Ken: Shin Seikimatsu Kyuuseishu Densetsu. The game follows the same style as the original, but of course, it has better graphics, better sound, and basically, better everything. The game is pretty bloody like the source.

They also got Final Blaster this week. If you guessed it was a space shooter, you're wrong! Nah, it is a space shooter. I didn't see anything really special about it, except from that Gatchaman thing I mentioned last week. And that's it for this week in Japan.


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## InfinityDragon (Sep 15, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two games announced for next week in South Korea:
Hudson's Adventure Island [Adventure Island]
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
Source: Nintendo of Korea VC website
_________________________________________________
Two more games have been announced for South Korea. They're getting Kirby 64, which is their third N64 game and first one in almost three months, along with Adventure Island.


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## InfinityDragon (Sep 15, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Three games announced for next week in Japan:
Space Invaders: The Original Game (Super Famicom)
Sorcerian (Sega Mega Drive)
Mizubaku Daibouken Adventure (PC Engine)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
Japan is getting three games next week. We start with Space Invaders: The Original Game. This version of the classic game only adds some bonuses like color (not really much, just painting the elements on the screen with a particular color, no textures or anything), and a 2-player mode. We then have Sorcerian for the Mega Drive, the fifth game in the Dragon Slayer series developed by Nihon Falcom (last month they got Lord Monarch, which is the seventh game in the series). I don't know why they're releasing them out of order, but I guess they do it like that since there is no storyline continuity between the games. The last game is Mizubake Daibouken Adventure, an action/platformer developed by Taito, where our main character uses water bombs to attack.


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## InfinityDragon (Sep 15, 2008)

*UPDATE*: One game released in the Americas today:
Megaman 2 (NES)
Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
_________________________________________________
Only one game released today (that hadn't happened since July), but it doesn't matter, it's one of the best: Megaman 2! One month after the release of the original, and just before the release of Megaman 9, we get the opportunity to play this classic on the VC. So go, download it, get that Metal Blade and kick butt!!!


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## InfinityDragon (Sep 19, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Three games released in Japan and two more in South Korea:

*Japan*:
Space Invaders: The Original Game (Super Famicom)
Sorcerian (Sega Mega Drive)
Mizubaku Daibouken Adventure (PC Engine)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website

*South Korea*:
Adventure Island (Famicom)
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (Nintendo 64)
Source: Nintendo of Korea VC website
_________________________________________________
One more three-game week in Japan, and the now usual two-game week in South Korea. We start off with Japan and the release of Space Invaders: The Original Game, for the Super Famicom. I honestly expected something with the gameplay of the original, but with better graphics, up to par with what the Super Famicom can deliver. Unfortunately, the game looks the same as the original, with the added bonus of background graphics, but using the same classic flat models. 

The second game for Japan is Sorcerian, which I had mentioned last week is part of the Dragon Slayer series. Only some of the games in this Action/RPG series have made it to this side of the pond, including Legacy of the Wizard, Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes and Faxanadu (a spin-off of Xanadu). The last game for Japan this week is Mizubake Daibouken Adventure. Something funny is the fact that Daibouken means Great Adventure in Japanese, so the title is redundant. I'm pretty sure this game never left Japan in its original form, but I can't find the information to corroborate this.

While Japan is getting a couple of not-so-well-known games, South Korea is getting two that we know a lot about: Adventure Island and Kirby 64. It's interesting to see that this is the third N64 game released in South Korea, and they haven't gotten Super Mario 64 yet. You'd think that one would be one of the first VC games to be released.


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## InfinityDragon (Sep 19, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Three games released in Europe and one game in Australia:
Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega Master System)
Boulder Dash (Commodore 64)
Jumpman (Commodore 64)
Source: The Virtual Console Archive: EU VC Releases
_________________________________________________
This week is Europe's turn to reach the 250th VC release (and surpass it), and NOE has selected a special game to celebrate this milestone.... actually no, I don't really know which of the games released NOE is considering as the 250th. They picked three third-party games for this week: the first one is Sonic the Hedgehog for the Sega Master System, which we got last month, and two C64 games, Boulder Dash and Jumpman. Releasing two C64 games out of the three also means that Australia is only getting one game today (its 237th). 

We already know what's the deal with Sonic for the Master System, so I'm going to skip it. In Boulder Bash, you have to dig through caves, collecting jewels, and avoiding being crushed by falling rocks. The game looks really familiar; I'm pretty sure I have played another PC game based on the same premise. In Jumpman, you have to defuse a bunch of bombs spread all over the place. The player has to jump from platform to platform to reach the bombs, while avoiding bullets and other enemies.


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## InfinityDragon (Sep 19, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Three VC games announced for next week in Japan:
Wagyan Land (NES)
Forgotten Worlds (Sega Mega Drive)
The Ninja Warriors (PC Engine)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
Japan is getting three more games next week, although they are getting them on Wednesday since Tuesday is a national holiday (Shuubun no hi, Autumnal Equinox Day). The first game is for the NES, Wagyan Land, a platformer developed by Namco. The main character is a dinosaur, and it attacks by roaring; the funny thing is that when it roars, an onomatopoeia comes out flying from its mouth, and that's the actually attack. Depending on the power level, the onomatopoeia changes, starting from "wa" and going all the way to "GYA" (those are most likely the Japanese sounds used, although it is weird that they used roman letters instead of katakana to represent them).

The second game is Forgotten Worlds, a shooter for the Mega Drive. This was the first game developed for the CPS, Capcom's arcade system. From what I've read, this version cuts two of the games levels, so I think it would have been better to see the PC Engine CD version instead. 

The last game is Ninja Warriors for the PC Engine, a beat'em up developed by Taito. After watching a video, I thought that the SNES version looked so much better, so I wondered why Nintendo had chosen to release this one. It turns out that the SNES version, although named the same as this version in the Americas, is actually a sequel to that game (the SNES game was called Ninja Warriors Again in Japan). So I guess we could see a release for the sequel in the future.


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## Kyle (Sep 21, 2008)

I was glad to hear Super Mario RPG was finally released, so I got a card and bought it last Sunday. I also decided to make it a RPG double download and decided to get Paper Mario as well.


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## InfinityDragon (Sep 22, 2008)

Ky!e said:
			
		

> I was glad to hear Super Mario RPG was finally released, so I got a card and bought it last Sunday. I also decided to make it a RPG double download and decided to get Paper Mario as well.


Nice. But you should also give other RPGs a chance, like Ys I & II and Breath of Fire.


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## InfinityDragon (Sep 22, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two VC games released in the Americas:
Super Dodgeball (NES)
Vectorman (Sega Genesis)
Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
_________________________________________________
Holy....! Vectorman? Are my eyes deceiving me? Vectorman has been released here? A game that has gone through a lot of controversy, not because of its content, but because of its VC release, has finally been released. Rated by the ESRB about a year and half ago, mentioned to be released shortly after in a Sega press release, which was later taken down from its website, released in Europe and Australia but then ignored here, wow, many people thought this game would never be released here, but it did. 

Along with this surprise, we also got Super Dodgeball, the second game in the Kunio-kun series, and first spin-off game. Although the game has Super in the game, it's actually an NES game. The game was released fairly recently in Japan, back in June.


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## InfinityDragon (Sep 29, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two games announced for next week in South Korea:
Urban Champion (Famicom)
Panel de Pon (Super Famicom)
Source: Nintendo of Korea VC website
_________________________________________________
South Korea is getting two more games next week, and one of them hasn't even been released here: Panel de Pon. We actually never got to play the original Panel de Pon, but the adaptation, Tetris Attack, back in the SNES days. This is the second game that South Korea has gotten on the VC that we haven't, the other being Antartic Adventure. Accompanying Panel de Pon is Urban Champion.... ugh, let's just leave it at that.


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## InfinityDragon (Sep 29, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Three VC games released in Japan:
Wagyan Land (NES)
Forgotten Worlds (Sega Mega Drive)
The Ninja Warriors (PC Engine)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
Three games for Japan today: a platformer (Wagyan Land), a shooter (Forgotten Worlds), and a beat'em up (The Ninja Warriors).


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## InfinityDragon (Sep 29, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two games announced for next week in Japan:
Mario Golf 64 (Nintendo 64)
Nekketsu Koukou Dodgeball-bu: PC Bangai-hen (PC Engine)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
Finally, Mario Golf 64 has been announced for next week in Japan. It's quite surprising that they have only gotten three N64 games so far this year, and the last one was released back in April. We have even received more N64 games this year than Japan; I bet you never thought that would happen. Along with it, Nintendo is releasing Nekketsu Koukou Dodgeball-bu: PC Bangai-hen, which is a PC Engine version of Super Dodgeball. It is based on the arcade version, but it has some aspects from the Famicom version, in addition to a quest mode.


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## InfinityDragon (Sep 29, 2008)

*UPDATE*: One VC game released in the Americas:
Super Turrican 2 (SNES)
Source: Nintendo of America Media Site
_________________________________________________
Bringing the month to a close in the Americas, NOA releases Super Turrican 2, obviously the sequel to the game released back in March. From what I read, this game is even more action-packed than the original, making extensive use of Mode 7 for visual delight. This is the last 16-bit Turrican game in the series. There are still a few games to be released: Turrican and Turrican 2, which were released on the C64, so we won't see those in a while, at least here. There is also an NES game also called Turrican, which was roughly based on the first two.


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## Kyle (Sep 29, 2008)

InfinityDragon said:
			
		

> Ky!e said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


But I'm a huge Mario RPG fan. Superstar Saga was the first to get me hooked then Paper Mario: TTYD followed. Those are just excellent games.


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## InfinityDragon (Sep 30, 2008)

Ky!e said:
			
		

> InfinityDragon said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I don't have anything against those games. I also think they are great, but remember that there's more to games, especially RPG games, than Mario games.


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## InfinityDragon (Sep 30, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Two games released in Japan and two more in South Korea:

*Japan*:
Mario Golf 64 (Nintendo 64)
Nekketsu Koukou Dodgeball-bu: PC Bangai-hen (PC Engine)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website

*South Korea*:
Urban Champion (Famicom)
Panel de Pon (Super Famicom)
Source: Nintendo of Korea VC website
_________________________________________________
Last day of September, and with it, the last two set of releases for the month. It's sports week in Japan. NOJ is releasing Mario Golf 64, known here as plain Mario Golf since the very first Mario Golf game (Mario Open Golf, to be exact) was released here as NES Open Tournament Golf. I've never been a fan of the sport, but golf videogames are usually quite entertaining, especially this kind (more arcade than simulation). 

The second game is Nekketsu Koukou Dodgeball-bu: PC Bangai-hen, the PC Engine version of Super Dodgeball, released two years after the Famicom version. It is based on the arcade version, but it has some features from the Famicom version, plus a quest mode.

South Korea is also getting two games today, the classic puzzle game Panel de Pon, which saw a release here as Tetris Attack (but not yet on the VC), and the classic... bah, who am I kidding, it's just Urban Champion.


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## InfinityDragon (Sep 30, 2008)

*UPDATE*: Japan's October Schedule has been released, plus Hudson games for the Americas:

*US*:
Digital Champ Battle Boxing (TurboGrafx-16)
Gradius II: Gofer no Yabou (TurboGrafx-CD)
Source: Hudson's US VC website

*Japan*:
Kanshakudama nage Kantarou no Toukaidou Gojuusan tsugi (Famicom)
Dracula II: Noroi no Fuuin [Castlevania II: Simon's Quest] (Famicom)
Nekketsu Koukou Dodgeball-bu Soccer Hen [Nintendo World Cup] (Famicom)
Super Donkey Kong 3 [Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble] (Super Famicom)
Enduro Racer (Sega Master System)
New Zealand Story (PC Engine)
Super Darius (PC Engine SuperGrafx)
Dai Makaimura [Ghouls 'n Ghosts] (PC Engine SuperGrafx)
Metal Slug 2 (Neo Geo)
Source: Nintendo of Japan VC website
_________________________________________________
It's that time of the month, when Nintendo and Hudson give us a preview of what to expect next month on the VC. In the Americas, we'll be getting two imports: Digital Champ Battle Boxing, a so-so boxing game released in Japan back in April, and in Europe and Australia, in May, as part of the 3rd Hanabi Festival. The second game is much more interesting, Gradius II: Gofer no Yabou, sequel to the classic shooter but now on the TGCD, released in Japan last year, and Europe and Australia, also in the 3rd Hanabi Festival. With this, the last Gradius game will be available in the Americas next month (only considering the consoles available on the VC), unless Nintendo decides to import the Famicom version of the game. 

Japan schedule for next month is quite skinny, only nine games (ten if we count Relics, which has been postponed for several months already), for a four-week month. The biggest surprise is the introduction of the ill-fated PC Engine SuperGrafx, which was originally planned to compete with the Super Famicom and Mega Drive, and ended up being just a barely improved PC Engine. Two games have been announced for the console (out of a total of seven games that the console got, two of them hybrid games that could be played on regular PC Engines): Dai Makaimura (Ghouls 'n Ghosts) and Super Darius. 

From the video I saw, Dai Makaimura doesn't look much different from the Mega Drive version. I don't know what is the point to release similar versions of the same games (aside from making more money), instead of focusing on other series that have yet to appear on the VC. Super Darius looks like a nice shooter. Since it was one of the hybrid games, it should have improved graphics on the VC version, since it will be played with a SuperGrafx emulator.

There are also a couple more surprises, like the release of Dracula II (Castlevania II over here), and Super Donkey Kong 3 (Donkey Kong Country 3 here), two games that were released last year in the Americas.


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## InfinityDragon (Sep 30, 2008)

Well, this is it. After a little bit more than a year, I've decided to end the WVCC at TBT, so the next month preview will be the last update. 

Thanks to everybody that checked the thread every week; yeah the two of you.  
Keep playing, VC gamers! I'll see you around.


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