Disappointed with the lack of quality games for the Wii? You can still take comfort in the system’s virtual console feature, which allows gamers to download choice titles from bygone eras of gaming for between $5 and $10. And just because the list of VC games is populated with Marios, Zeldas and Sonics doesn’t mean there aren’t a healthy number of good, challenging titles that are a little off the beaten path. Here’s a rundown of some games that’ll give you the best bang for your buck.
Enter the Wii Vault
Disappointed with the lack of quality games for the Wii? You can still take comfort in the system’s virtual console feature, which allows gamers to download choice titles from bygone eras of gaming for between $5 and $10. And just because the list of VC games is populated with Marios, Zeldas and Sonics doesn’t mean there aren’t a healthy number of good, challenging titles that are a little off the beaten path. Here’s a rundown of some games that’ll give you the best bang for your buck.
Super MetroidSystem: Super NintendoCost: $8Remember Metroid? It was pretty original back in the day, offering a nonlinear-style adventure that was about as common as … well, it just wasn’t all that common with good games. Guess what? It still isn’t, but Super Metroid‘s improved sense of scale, long quests, refined game play and superb 16-bit graphics make this Samus adventure one for the books.
Contra III: The Alien WarsSystem: Super NintendoCost: $8If you like your games hard, Konami has you covered with Contra III. The first game in the series to be developed for Super Nintendo, Contra III takes the tried-and-true series formula (blasting aliens with big-ass guns) and makes it tougher. The Konami code, so cherished in the original, doesn’t work here either, so you’re on your own. Be prepared to lose a lot of lives.
Adventures of LoloSystem: Nintendo (NES)Cost: $5Developed by HAL Labs (of Smash Bros. and Kirby fame), Lolo is taxing in a different way. Instead of being a straight-up platformer, Lolo, a cute lil’ blue thing, is forced to go through room after puzzle-filled room in order to reach his kidnapped girlfriend. Since he’s more or less powerless, the reliance on ingenuity and using the environment is key, and some of the puzzles are really tough. Simple, but by no means easy, Lolo is quality gaming.
Shinobi IIISystem: Sega GenesisCost: $8The Shinobi series of side-scrolling action platformers has always been difficult, and the third installment, originally released for the Sega Genesis, doesn’t buck this trend. The game play, namely beating baddies with an ass-kicking ninja, is still solid, and shook things up a little by letting Joe Musashi ride a horse and (heh) a surfboard. The game’s large, colorful 16-bit sprites still hold up well after all these years, and the bosses are just as wicked and bizarre as ever.
Pokemon SnapSystem: Nintendo 64Cost: $10Aww, look at all the cute widdle cuddly Pokemon! What’s that? How did Pokemon Snap, a game whose premise involves taking pictures of Nintendo’s adorable little critters, make it into this list of hardcore games? With really addictive photography-based game play. The goal is to take pictures of the original 150 Pokemon (or so) for points. Playing more results in items to throw to distract or entice these pocket monsters, making for better pictures. I don’t care if the game’s kiddie-stigma bothers you–it’s addictive and really fun.
Sin & PunishmentSystem: Nintendo 64Cost: $12With things like talking cats and military personnel bathing in the blood of Japanese schoolgirls, S & P seems like a game Suda 51 (Killer 7, No More Heroes) might’ve made back in 2000. Much in the same vein, this shooter twitch-fest was developed by Treasure, famous for making really tough games and/or Japanese games with way, way too much going on at once to really comprehend. Don’t miss this one.
Harvest MoonSystem: Super NintendoCost: $8Most gamers think epic, world-saving quests when they think about RPGs. That being said, Harvest Moon is decidedly quainter. By which I mean it’s a farming RPG. Yes, you read that right. Feed the cows and chickens, tend the crops, talk to townsfolk, even find a girl in town to woo. Only the Japanese could come up with something so mundane and make it so freakin’ awesome. It takes dedication, but goddamn if it isn’t a blast.
Gradius IIISystem: Super NintendoCost: $8Ah, the side-scrolling shooter. Konami’s other hardcore series (apart from Contra), Gradius has always done this exceptionally well, and Gradius III is probably the best old-school title in the series. The screen-filling bosses and sort-of customizable Vic Viper are still awesome, and the graphics hold up well for their age. If you want a good, tough space-shooter, this is about as good as it gets for Super Nintendo.
