VC Monday Madness: Secret of Mana and Street Fighter II Champion Edition
by David Hinkle 
{ Oct 13th 2008 at 8:07PM }
What a week for the Virtual Console, eh? We've got some classic 2D rumblin' and one of the greatest games ever made. Can you guess how I feel about Secret of Mana yet? Well, if you're looking for a clue, hit up the video above, then cruise past the break for more on this week's Virtual Console releases.
Street Fighter II: Special Champion Edition (Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, 800 Points)
Wii Fanboy says: do not download
This version of Street Fighter II fails mostly because it has the worst sound ever. I'm sorry to harp so much on it for that, but come on. The sound is so bad, it makes me want to jam rusty nails into my ears as far as they'll go. I'd suggest picking up Super Street Fighter II for the SNES. It's the same price, has all of the same characters (plus more!) and won't make your ears bleed.
What can I say about Secret of Mana? It's one of the greatest games ever made and one of the most memorable experiences of my life. If you've never experienced it, take a weekend off and dive right in. You won't regret it.
Each week, we here at Wii Fanboy like to check out the latest Virtual Console releases in our VC Monday Madness feature, in the hopes that you can make the most sound decision possible regarding purchasing retro titles from the Wii Shop Channel. If you're looking for more retro goodness, check out Virtually Overlooked, which talks about games that should be on the Virtual Console.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Garu @ Oct 13th 2008 8:16PM
Hey! I'm famous!
Thanks David! I'm going to download the SNES version you recommended!
Kefka @ Oct 14th 2008 2:11AM
Wow, Secret of Mana? That one came out of left field...
a definite buy for me!
Hardy @ Oct 13th 2008 10:00PM
Mana blew me away at the time because of the multiplayer aspect of it. There was just no other game like it at the time.
THEN it's also got the great story, gameplay and music.
This week rocked for the WiiStore. World of Goo, Art Style and This? There goes my money. :P
Thunderbird @ Oct 13th 2008 10:20PM
I don't know which is better, but now Secret of Mana is defiantly cheaper. But not by much if you have a PS1.
PGrock @ Oct 13th 2008 10:25PM
I would download Secret of Mana but I have no moneys!
:(
leonus11 @ Oct 14th 2008 1:23AM
yes secret of mana!! thank god it was released for VC early!! i'm gonna get me some Wii points and i'm downloading this tomorrow!! secret of mana is DEFINITELY an EPIC WIN!! =D
manaman @ Oct 13th 2008 11:23PM
Hey there,
I feel it should be pointed out that "Secret of Mana" and "Secret of Evermore" are not in any way related other than the developer was the same and the ring menu system from the former was cut and pasted into the later. Otherwise, there is no comparison.
Also, "Secret of Mana" trumps "Chrono Trigger." ;)
Peace,
manaman
David Hinkle @ Oct 14th 2008 12:04AM
Yeah, definitely, but I kind of consider them the "Secret" series. Just a quirk of mine, I guess.
And, dude, come on. Everyone knows Trigger wins over Mana.
GatorSax2010 @ Oct 14th 2008 12:10AM
Sorry, but I see your screenname and the first thing I think is "Doot-doo-dee-doo-doot!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wMHcpMmV9g
Smoke @ Oct 14th 2008 8:13AM
Actually, they're technically speaking not even from the same developer. SoE was developed by a team from Square USA rather than the main Squaresoft office in Japan(And never got a Japanese release)
Kogen @ Oct 13th 2008 11:31PM
I have this game and the sound is not nearly as bad as he says...
However, the game is crap. Just ignore this old release of SF2 and get a newer version. They are widely available.
And for a useful fact: this game emulates the arcade's music properly. The SNES versions do not.
nintendo1889 @ Oct 14th 2008 10:16AM
This was totally unexpected, I mean Secret of Mana! Holy crap, this game brings back a lot of good memories! The last time I had this game (legit copy, not in ROM form) was when I rented it from Blockbuster Video back in 2000! And as far as SFII for the Genesis goes (music wise) it is pretty darn close to the arcade port, but the raspy sound effects make my ears bleed.
thegetupkid @ Oct 14th 2008 1:43PM
Neither Chrono Trigger or Secret of Mana are the best RPGs ever.
That award EASILY goes to Final Fantasy 6 (III on the SNES). Tons of unique characters, memorable story line, amazing music... in my opinion, the best game ever made.
I've never understood how anyone can compare Trigger or any game in the Mana series to FFIII.
TheOverlord#2 @ Oct 14th 2008 3:40PM
So first SMRPG comes out...
Then SoM comes out...
IS EARTHBOUND NEXT?!
:P
Steven @ Oct 14th 2008 4:03PM
I was so glad to hear Dave say that he prefers Evermore.
Matisfaction @ Oct 15th 2008 6:49PM
The Megadrive (Genesis) version of streetfighter was a lot closer to the arcade game playability wise (It almost had all the moves and combos of the original to, where as the SNES had a couple of things left out). Then again only a hardcore fan would notice so the SNES version would be the best option for most people.
Overall the PC Engine version was probably the best port of Streetfighter II CE, shame it's not available on VC.