Virtual Console: The good, the bad and the ugly

by David Hinkle { Nov 24th 2007 at 1:02PM }

Over the last year, Nintendo has presented us with tons of games over their digital download service, the Virtual Console. We've played many of these games, some of which have been bad and some of which have been pretty good. So, we figured it would be nice to take a look at all of the bad games we played and all of the good ones. On top of that, the staff has decided to submit all of their own personal favorites.

Over the past year, we've played a heck of a lot of Virtual Console games. Just look at those lists past the break and tell us there isn't a ton of titles available on the Virtual Console. And, in looking back, we're glad that the majority of them were good, because it fills us with hope for the next year on Nintendo's Virtual Console.

The good

New Adventure Island (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points)
Streets of Rage (Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)
Donkey Kong Country (Super NES, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64, 1 player, 1,000 Wii Points)
Chew Man Fu (TurboGrafx16, 1 - 2 players, 600 Wii Points)
Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts (SNES, 1 player, 800 Wii Points)
Excitebike (NES,1 player, 500 Wii Points)
Beyond Oasis (Sega Genesis, 1 player, 800 Wii Points)
SPLATTERHOUSE (TurboGraphix16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points)
Star Fox 64 (N64, 1 - 4 players, 1,000 Wii Points)
Dragon's Curse (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points)
Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle (Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)
BRAVOMAN (Turbografx16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points)
Battle Lode Runner (TurboGrafx 16, 1-5 players, 600 Wii Points)
Gradius III (SNES, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)
Castlevania (NES, 1 player, 500 Wii Points)
The Legend of the Mystical Ninja (Super NES, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)
Final Fight (1player, SNES, 800 Wii Points)
Ninja Gaiden (1 player, NES, 500 Wii Points)
Ninja Spirit (1-2 players, Turbografx16, 600 Wii Points)
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (SNES, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)
Blazing Lazers (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points)
Streets of Rage 2 (Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Genesis, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)
Golden Axe II (Genesis, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)
Lode Runner (NES, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points)
World Sports Competition (TurboGrafx-16, 1-5 players, 600 Wii Points)
F-Zero X (N64, 1-4 players, 1000 Wii Points)
Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES, 1 player, 500 Wii Points)
Ecco: The Tides of Time (Sega Genesis, 1 player, 800 Wii Points)
Air "Zonk" (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points)
Mach Rider (NES, 1 player, 500 Wii Points)
Paper Mario (Nintendo 64, 1 player, 1,000 Wii Points)
Balloon Fight (NES, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points)
Devil's Crush (TurboGrafx16, 1-2 players, 600 Wii Points)
Kirby's Dream Course (Super NES, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)
Shining Force (Sega Genesis, 1 player, 800 Wii Points)
Star Soldier (NES, 1 player, 500 Wii Points)
Wave Race 64 (Nintendo 64, 1-2 players, 1,000 Wii Points)
Cratermaze (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points)
Metroid (NES, 1 player, 500 Wii Points)
Shining in the Darkness (Sega Genesis, 1 player, 800 Wii Points)
Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master (Genesis, 1 player, 800 Wii points)
Super Metroid (SNES, 1 player, 800 Wii Points)
Breath of Fire II (SNES, 1 player, 800 Wii Points)
Kirby's Avalanche (Super NES, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)
Golden Axe III (Sega Genesis, 1 - 2 players, 800 Wii Points)
Ghouls 'n Ghosts (Sega Genesis, 1 player, 800 Wii Points)
Super C (NES, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points)
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)
Streets of Rage 3 (Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)
Ninja JaJaMaru-kun (NES, 1 - 2 players, 600 Wii Points)
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (NES, 1 player, 600 Wii Points)
Sin and Punishment (Nintendo 64, 1-2 players, 1,200 Wii Points)
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (NES, 1 player, 500 Wii Points)
Magician Lord (Neo Geo, 1 - 2 players, 900 Wii Points)
Alien Soldier (Sega Genesis, 1 player, 900 Wii Points)
Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES, 1 - 2 players, 500 Wii Points)
Axelay (Super NES, 1 player, 800 Wii Points)
Super Air Zonk (TurboGrafx16 CD-ROM, 1 player, 800 Wii Points)

The bad

The Legend of Kage (NES, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points)
Sonic 3D Blast (Sega Genesis, 1 player, 800 Wii Points)
Wrecking Crew (NES, 1 - 2 players, 500 Wii Points)
Lunar Pool (NES, 1 - 2 players, 500 Wii Points)
NES Play Action Football (NES, 1-4 players, 500 Wii Points)
Neutopia II (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points)
Silent Debuggers (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES, 1 player, 600 Wii Points)
Bio-Hazard Battle (Sega Genesis, 1 - 2 players, 800 Wii Points)
Neutopia (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points)
Elevator Action (NES - 1-2 players - 500 Wii Points)
Sword of Vermilion (Sega Genesis - 1 player - 800 Wii Points)
Sonic Spinball (Sega Genesis - 1-4 players - 800 Wii Points)
Double Dungeons (TurboGrafx16 - 1-2 players - 600 Wii Points)
Romance of the Three Kingdoms IV: Wall of Fire (SNES - 1 - 8 players - 800 Wii Points)
Dynamite Headdy (Sega Genesis, 1 playe, 800 Wii Points)
Galaga 90 (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points)
Galaga (NES, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points)
DRAGON Spirit (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points)
LEGEND OF HERO TONMA (TurboGrafx16, 1-2 players, 600 Wii Points)
Samurai-Ghost (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points)
Wonder Boy in Monster World (Genesis, 1 player, 800 Wii Points)
Shockman (TurboGrafx16, 1-2 players, 600 Wii Points)
Blue's Journey (NeoGeo, 1-2 players, 900 Wii Points)
Ordyne (1 - 2 players, TurboGrafx16, 600 Wii Points)
Adventures of Lolo (NES, 1 player, 500 Wii Points)
Street Fighter II Turbo Edition: Hyper Fighting (SNES, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)
Pac-Man (1-2 players, NES, 500 Wii Points)
NES Open Tournament Golf (NES, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points)
World Sports Competition (TurboGrafx-16, 1-5 players, 600 Wii Points)
Yoshi (NES, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points)
Super Thunder Blade (Sega Genesis, 1 player, 800 Wii Points)
Volleyball (NES, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points)
World Class Baseball (Turbografx16, 1-2 players, 600 Wii Points)
Yoshi's Story (N64, 1 player, 1000 Wii Points)
Power Golf (TurboGrafx16, 1 - 2 players, 600 Wii Points)
Drop Off (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points)

The staff

Eric Caoili

Gunstar Heroes (Sega Genesis, 1 -2 players, 800 Wii Points)
The Legend of the Mystical Ninja (Super NES, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)
Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES, 1 - 2 players, 500 Wii Points)
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (NES, 1 player, 600 Wii Points)
Ninja Spirit (1-2 players, Turbografx16, 600 Wii Points)

Alisha Karabinus

The Legend of Zelda (NES, 1 player, 500 Wii Points)
Castlevania (NES, 1 player, 500 Wii Points)
The Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past (SNES, 1 player, 800 Wii Points)
ActRaiser (1 player, SNES, 800 Wii Points)
F-Zero (SNES, 1 player, 800 Wii Points)

Candace Savino

The Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past (SNES, 1 player, 800 Wii Points)
Sin and Punishment (Nintendo 64, 1-2 players, 1,200 Wii Points)
F-Zero (SNES, 1 player, 800 Wii Points)
Bonk 2: Bonk's Revenge (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points)
Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES, 1 - 2 players, 500 Wii Points)

Chris Greenhough

Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES, 1 - 2 players, 500 Wii Points)
The Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past (SNES, 1 player, 800 Wii Points)
Excitebike (NES,1 player, 500 Wii Points)
Super Metroid (SNES, 1 player, 800 Wii Points)

Lylat Wars (or, otherwise known as Star Fox 64) (N64, 1 - 4 players, 1,000 Wii Points)

Mike Sylvester

Bomberman '93 (TurboGrafx16 - 1 - 5 players, 600 Wii Points)

Super Mario 64 (N64 - 1 player - 1,000 Wii Points)

Gunstar Heroes (Sega Genesis, 1 -2 players, 800 Wii Points)

Star Fox 64 (N64 - 1 - 4 players - 1,000 Wii Points)

Sin and Punishment (Nintendo 64, 1-2 players, 1,200 Wii Points)

JC Fletcher

Devil's Crush (TurboGrafx16, 1-2 players, 600 Wii Points)

Super Metroid (SNES, 1 player, 800 Wii Points)

Alien Soldier (Sega Genesis, 1 player, 900 Wii Points)

Blazing Lazers (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points)

Ninja Spirit (1-2 players, Turbografx16, 600 Wii Points)

David Hinkle

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64, 1 player, 1,000 Wii Points)

ActRaiser (1 player, SNES, 800 Wii Points)

The Legend of the Mystical Ninja (Super NES, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)

Paper Mario (Nintendo 64, 1 player, 1,000 Wii Points)

Sin and Punishment (Nintendo 64, 1-2 players, 1,200 Wii Points)

Tags: anniversary-week, year-one

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Kogen @ Nov 24th 2007 1:19PM

I'm confused as to why Dynamite Headdy is on the bad list - as it isn't bad? It's certainly not at the same quality as Sonic or Mario but it's better than Bonk and such. The site even seems obsessive about Treasure's games.

I thought people generally liked that version of Street Fighter 2, as well.

Dig @ Nov 24th 2007 5:26PM

I'm curious about the Dynamite Headdy position as well. Perhaps it's not one of the more well-known Treasure games, but it is still gold. I object.

Feras @ Nov 24th 2007 1:28PM

Gunstar Heroes!!! yayyyyyy

Andreas @ Nov 24th 2007 1:34PM

Why's Neutopia 2 bad???
Check out this review:

http://www.vc-reviews.com/review/561/neutopia-ii.php

Alexisonfire @ Nov 24th 2007 1:49PM

Magician Lord, Splatterhouse, Ninja JaJaMaru-kun, Golden Axe(all three of them), Mach Rider: Good?

Dynamite Headdy: Bad?

Why the Headdy hating?

And Yoshi's Story is enjoyable. I go back once and a while and beat the game. It just only takes an hour.

Mr Khan @ Nov 24th 2007 1:53PM

I love Magician Lord, even if i can't get past the 5th Boss to save my life

That game's like Diddy Kong Racing, you have to beat it to prove that you can (kinda like the game was a person, and you just want to rub it in its face), even if it can get frustrating as hell (especially the 3rd world, Highway to a Foreign Space, and that damn green monster that falls down to kill you whenever you take too long)

maduin @ Nov 24th 2007 1:49PM

Street Fighter II Turbo on the bad list? That's crazy talk! That game alone created a whole generation of Street Fighter fans, and it's still one of the best in the series.

DaiMac79 @ Nov 25th 2007 6:07PM

I agree...I don't know if this is on the "bad" list because its not Sf2 HD remix, because it is a bit hard to spend 8 bucks on this game when that one looms over the horizon.

I always did prefer regular SF-II on the SNES to the Super-Turbo version myself, couldn't tell you why. I like the arcade version of all the different SF variants (including some of the crazier hacked ones), but the SNES ones were just a bit different. I remember I could own people in SNES SF-II who would literally destroy me in the arcade, when the SNES game first came out.

Either way, some explanation of the bad titles would be interesting, I remember some of the reasons from the original review posts, but I don't remember SFIITH's problems.

Mr Khan @ Nov 24th 2007 1:50PM

I liked Sonic Spinball, it definitely wasn't the highest quality (especially compared to contemporary Sonic Genesis titles), but it nailed the gameplay down just right

Wrecking Crew (addictively brutal) and Yoshi's Story(one of the cutest games, with an awesome high-score orientation to boot) are golden, too...

nintendokilljoy @ Nov 24th 2007 6:28PM

Yoshi's Story, is one of the best games ever made for the 64. Cant wait till perfect dark comes out for VC tho...

Haohmaru @ Nov 24th 2007 1:58PM

Everybody has so much hate for Legend of Kage. I love that game!

raindog @ Nov 24th 2007 6:38PM

Galaga and Galaga 90 "bad"? What are you, 12?

thethirdmoose @ Nov 24th 2007 2:14PM

...where's the ugly???

Malik @ Nov 24th 2007 2:47PM

Don't you have eyes? Sonic 3D Blast is the ugly.

TX2 @ Nov 24th 2007 2:18PM

So Wonder Boy in Monster World is on the bad List, but Alex Kid Dragon Curse and New Adventure island are all good?

Tristan @ Nov 24th 2007 2:33PM

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is my favorite.

Dopple Boppler @ Nov 24th 2007 2:35PM

All the quibbles above me are comparatively nothing, absolutely nothing, to the fact that Bravoman is on the Good list. I remember playing it when I was a kid, so I downloaded it the day it came out, and ugh...that game alone could occupy the entire non-existent Ugly portion of this list. Also, Adventures of Lolo on the Bad list? What?

As for my personal favorite games that I downloaded, it'd be something along the lines of:

Super Mario Bros. 3
Super Metroid
Sin and Punishment
Actraiser
Toejam and Earl: Panic on Funkotron

murray b @ Nov 24th 2007 3:09PM

I am really confused. Why is Galaga on the bad list? I play that game alot. It's what I want out of the Virtual Console, not huge games that take up alot of time, just quick games i can play for a couple of minutes. anyways, I like Galaga, Air Zonk, Punch out, F-zero X, I also have kirby's adventure which I haven't really played and Mario bros. 2 which is just way to hard for me. still waiting for Mario RPG, Super punch out, and maybe more than just 9 N64 games.

Kogen @ Nov 24th 2007 3:51PM

Alexisonfire, the first Golden Axe game is great if you like beat em' ups; which you obviously don't. The second is alright as well. Disimssing entire franchises because you hate the genre is stupid.

I didn't notice stuff like Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle got on the good list, either. That game is absolutely horrible. I assume the list probably just got rushed by someone who didn't play all the games.