Princess Tomato In The Salad Kingdom

Original Platform: NES (1991)

Virtual Console Platform: Wii (500pts)

There were a lot of text adventures released for the Famicom, but NES owners in North America received probably the oddest one of the bunch. Hudson localized Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom, a charming adventure where you play as a cucumber knight accompanied by his persimmon assistant to save the aforementioned princess from an evil pumpkin. It’s a rare game for the English audience and definitely should be grabbed in case the worst happens.

Faxanadu

Original Platform: NES (1989)

Virtual Console Platform: Wii (500pts)

Originally developed by Nihon Falcom, the developers of the Ys series, Faxanadu is a 2D action RPG that was a spinoff of the “Dragon Slayer” series in Japan. It’s a fairer version of Zelda II with a good translation for the most part (ask anyone who played it about “golds”) and is an enjoyable romp that isn’t likely to get released anywhere else.

Life Force

Original Platform: NES (1988 North America, 1989 Europe)

Virtual Console Platform: Wii (500pts), Wii U and 3DS ($4.99ea)

Another NES classic is Life Force, a spinoff of Gradius that’s actually better than the original source material. The NES version contains the best levels from the original arcade release in Japan and its rerelease – also called Life Force – and puts you at the controls of the Vic Viper as you navigate horizontally and vertically oriented stages.

Lords of Thunder

Original Platform: Turbo-Graphx CD (1993)

Virtual Console Platform: Wii (800pts)

More than just a classic gag on Radio Free Nintendo, LORDS OF THUNDER (it really needs the caps) took full advantage of being on the Turbo CD. It features a rockin’ soundtrack and brings elements of Mega Man to the format by letting you select the order you play the stages in, plus has custom loadouts back before we knew what the heck that term meant.

Castlevania: Rondo of Blood

Original Platform: Turbo-Graphx CD (1993)

Virtual Console Platform: Wii (900pts)

Although the SNES version Dracula X is available on more platforms (including Wii U), the original is still the best way to go. Rondo is a transition game between the fixed entry, time limited Castlevanias and the Symphony of the Night style that would later come to define the series by giving freedom of exploration and adding a lot of new combat options. And Redbook Audio never sounded so good.