Metroid is the top of the class of this week's three releases. For real this time!
Have you downloaded Super Metroid yet? (Seriously, it's really good!) If not, then perhaps you're waiting to see what the other two games are this week. All three of the current releases are on this page, so feel free to check them out and see if more than one of them are right for you. They probably are; this week is another quality clean-sweep, wherein we've recommended every game for everyone. The first game we're talking about today, however, is one we simply can't recommend enough.
Super Metroid
| System | Virtual Console - Super Nintendo Entertainment System |  |
| Cost | 800 Points | |
| Players | 1 | |
| Controllers | Wii Nunchuk,GameCube | |
| ESRB Rating | Everyone | |
| Released | Apr 18, 1994 |
Click here for a video preview
It could be said of the original Metroid on NES that the game's ambitious design was too far ahead of the technology of that time. If so, then Super Metroid was when the technology caught up. A stunning supernova of gameplay, graphics, music, atmosphere, and replayability, Super Metroid is easily one of the best and most highly recommendable games yet released on Virtual Console. Although it's one of the best games Nintendo has ever created, its debut on VC marks the very first time it has been re-released since the Super NES days. (It did receive a Player's Choice reprint back a year after the initial shipment.)
I really can't say enough about this game. It revolutionized 2D adventure games, made the Metroid series one of gaming's elite, set the stage for the excellent Metroid Prime games... and oh yeah, it's still ridiculously fun and addictive. By practically any measure of quality, Super Metroid is one of the greatest games ever created for any system in any era. Even if you've never played a Metroid game of any kind, or if you've never even bought a single title from Virtual Console, download this game. Download this game! DOWNLOAD THIS GAME.
Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master
| System | Virtual Console - Genesis |  |
| Cost | 800 Points | |
| Players | 1 | |
| Controllers | Wii Remote,Wii Nunchuk,GameCube | |
| ESRB Rating | Everyone 10+ | |
| Released | Jul 22, 1993 |
Click here for a video preview
As everyone knows, Shinobi is Sega's ninja-action franchise. It has long been something for the hardcore, but the third game in the series was made so that the gameplay was slightly easier...but just slightly. There's a life bar that gives you a lot of chances to screw up before you die, a feature that wasn't in the first two Shinobi games. The game isn't a push-over of course, as it'll challenge you as you get deeper into it. Of course, if you're the type of person that likes a challenge, you can jack up the difficulty two notches to Expert and reduce the amount of shurikens you start with. The game is great with the default difficulty, but it really becomes something else when you're fighting for survival, ninja style.
There's a lot to be said about Shinobi III. It looks fantastic, it plays very fast, and you'll be needing all the ninja moves in your arsenal to win the day. You can cling to walls, ride on horses and surfboards (!), and kill enemies with grace. It was one of the better games back in the 16-bit days, and is still just as good today. If you've still got some points left over after getting Super Metroid, Shinobi III is a great next game to grab.
Neutopia
| System | Virtual Console - TurboGrafx-16 |  |
| Cost | 600 Points | |
| Players | 1 | |
| Controllers | Wii Remote,Wii Nunchuk,GameCube | |
| ESRB Rating | Everyone | |
| Released | Apr 1990 |
Click here for a video preview
Do not adjust your television sets: This game is not The Legend of Zelda. No, instead it's Neutopia, a TG-16 clone of said NES classic. Similar in most every way, it's got the same grid-based overworld, dungeon setup, combat system, health meter, equipment, map system, and even the same corny "collect eight items, save the princess, save the world" story as LoZ. Perhaps "clone" is too light of a word to use here. Maybe "rip-off" is the better term?
No, actually. It would be unfair to pigeonhole this game as a crappy knock-off. As a matter of fact, it has much of the same secrets and gameplay tricks such that you'd expect to see in a Zelda game, albeit not as well designed or thought-out. On the other hand, it looks a great deal better than the original NES game. If you squint while playing Neutopia , you could pretend that it's the super-secret third Zelda quest. That's not a bad tag to be stuck with.
Thanks to VG Museum for the classic screenshots.
in that Shinobi shot? 
