I Have WII !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Head Mutant]

The virtual console is probably the biggest selling point for me, right now. Caramel remembers playing the old SNES and NES games, and there's a ton more on the Genesis and TG-16 systems I read about but never experienced.

They release about 3-4 new titles every monday for purchase/download. So far, they're being pretty stingy with SNES and N64 releases, but there are quite a few good ones to start with. So far, I've gotten:

* Gunstar Heroes (an acclaimed cult game that's like Contra with a tongue-in cheek)
* Blazing Lazers (awesome shmup)
* Super Mario Brothers (of course)
* Super Mario World (of course)

I'm also debating getting Zelda: Link to the Past and Super Castlevania IV.

The way it works is that once you purchase them, they download onto your machine and you have them for the life of the console. Even if you delete them to make room for others, you can always re-download them in the future (or put in a memory card).

Some of the games -- NES, some Genesis, some TG-16 -- play with the Wii remote turned sideways (classic d-pad). The rest of the games either require the classic controller or the GameCube controller. The classic controller is worth the purchase for this, just because it's wireless (attaches to the wiimote) and the button scheme works better for SNES games than the GC gamepad.

There's a decent site that covers upcoming and released virtual console games:

www.vc-reviews.com/

[ironica728]

Everyone should play Second Opinion/Trauma Center. It's a medical game, you perform surgeries and whatnot. It's le shiz.

[Al]

I thought about checking that out and never did. I have it already for the DS and sort of thought the game would be harding without a surface to interact with. But it works well?

[ironica728]

Yeah, it does. With the left hand, you select tools- bandaging, stitches, scalpel, that kind of thing- and with the right you guide the tool to make your mark. Gets really addicting after a while.

[Al]

'harding?' Arg, I can't spell...

Anywho, I guess I'll have to give TC a rent when I'm done with Scarface.

[sarahbot]

My friend has the Wii, and the other day we were up til 3 switching between Wii Sports and Guitar Hero 2 on her PS2. Oh, I want a Wii so bad. I haven't really gamed since I got my N64, but the Wii's elusive call is oh so haunting...

[TheLuckyOne]

Well, now we have Wii!!! We went to the Target near work last Friday to see if they had any, and the guy said they were getting some in on Sunday. We just weren't in the mood for the half-hour drive Sunday morning, so we figured we missed out, but I stopped by before work today just to check... and there it was. Oh, it was glorious. The guy said that on average they've been getting shipments of about 8 at a time, but the one from Sunday contained 250. He also said that they sold 40 of them on Sunday alone, so I'd certainly like to be a Nintendo stockholder right about now.

Oh man, it's awesome. We bought an extra controller and an old-school controller, and geez, we played tennis so much tonight our arms hurt. Ow. Totally worth it. And as soon as we can figure out our internet code, it's Super Mario time.

I'm loving this thing, and it's only been hooked up for 4 hours.

-D

[Head Mutant]

Sweet. I was playing a little Super Metroid this morning, that was a hoot.

[TheLuckyOne]

So Justin (or anyone else who bought it), how is Wii Play? I was thinking of getting it, just because we've enjoyed Wii Sports so much and we could always use another controller, but I read a review that said the games are pretty repetitive. What are your thoughts? Worth it, or not so much?

-D

[Head Mutant]

Only, only if you need another controller and feel like purchasing a crappy game with it. Play was worth about 15 minutes of mindless entertainment (we only enjoyed the shooter minigame, and that's the same every single time), and isn't nearly as fun or flexible as Sports.

[Al]

I like it a bit more than that, but what Justin said is a pretty good summary nonetheless. Each of the games is really designed to train you in a certain aspect of using the remote, so it really feels like what they were intending to include with the system, then thought better of it at the last minute. The duck hunt game is fun, the tank battle is fun, the laser hockey is fun. Everything else is forgettable. But, honestly, it breaks down to a $40 controller and a $10 game, so I'm okay with it.

If you want some real fun with the remote (and have some other people to embarrass yourself in front of), I recommend Rayman: Raving Rabbids and Warioware: Smooth Moves. They put you in all sorts of compromising positions.