Gee, these Virtual Console games seem to never stop coming, do they? Week after week, Nintendo puts up new old games on its classic gaming service. And week after week, people buy Wii Points to download all of these games for safe keeping on their Wii consoles. There's a method to Nintendo's madness.

We're pretty crazy too, seeing as how we check out all of these games on a weekly basis and tell you what games are worth the purchase price. Unfortunately, we don't know which games will get an ugly gray X until we've played them; you, on the other hand, can just check this space every week and know before you download. Ain't that nice of us?

Luckily for us, we didn't waste any money on bad games this week. There's always next week, though...

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Sega's Streets of Rage series is a damn fine series of side-scrolling brawlers, if I may say so. The first game was great, the second game was even better, and the third game is ... well, pretty much as good as the second game. Maybe a little bit better. It's got the same kind of kickin' soundtrack as the other games, and it's got the very smooth visuals. Some of the basic controls have been improved, like the ability to move around in the air again (which was omitted from SoR2 for some odd reason), and there is a wealth of secret moves to pull off. But really, it's pretty much the same as the other games in the set.

Really, it's not a matter whether or not this game is recommended for everyone (because it is), but rather, which game you should get if you haven't yet got one. The easy choice here is this one, simply because it's the most polished and refined of the three. That makes sense, as it's the "newest" one there is. Regardless, there won't be any more Streets of Rage games coming out on Virtual Console, so now's the time to make your move. Grab this one, or just be happy with the one you already have. You can't lose, really.

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Legend of Hero Tonma is a bizarre combination of bright kids' game graphics with some very difficult action gameplay. You'll play as Tonma, a young man on a generic quest, armed with the power to fire magic out of his hand. His abilities with magic can be upgraded as you find power-ups throughout each level that can change the trajectory or type of magic you fire, or create magical barriers that deflect attacks until they are depleted. The game is a sidescroller, though it has plenty of vertical action included thanks to the floaty jump physics. You can alter your jump while in mid-air, which has some gameplay significance in tight spots.

The game is extremely difficult thanks to respawning enemies and a one-hit-you're-dead health system. Though this makes the game challenging, it also makes it cheap (there are unlimited continues). Expect to replay certain levels over and over until you get to the next (invisible) checkpoint. Half of the game's challenge is attempting to survive the entire level so you can take every power-up to the end-stage boss. If you die at the boss, you'll respawn at a checkpoint close to the boss's lair, leaving you with only a few power-ups to collect before fighting the boss again. Perfection is rewarded, but impossible.

I suppose some TG-16 fans may have fond memories of this game (and its excellent music), and those looking for a side-scrolling challenge should know that the price is right, but most players won't find anything here that they haven't seen before.

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Fans of the puzzle genre shouldn't take long to realize what Kirby's Avalanche is. Yep, it's nothing more than Puyo Puyo dressed up in a Kirby suit. If you don't know how the game works, it's a simple matter of funneling pairs of colored blobs into a well, connecting and clearing out four or more of them at a time, creating chain reactions, and sending garbage over to the other player. Puyo is therefore competitive game at its core. The computer opponents will put up a fierce fight (especially King Dedede), but you should really seek out a friend to play against.

Puyo Puyo, and by extension, Kirby's Avalanche, is a timeless puzzle classic. There's no doubt that Avalanche should be recommended for everyone. But, what about Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, also available on Virtual Console? It's the same Puyo Puyo stuffed in a Robotnik wrapper. It's got the exact same game modes. In fact, there's not much to differentiate the two, other than the mascot behind it. Well, there may be one factor: You can't play Avalanche with the Wii remote, but you can in Bean Machine. If you don't have a Classic or a GameCube controller, then you should get Bean Machine. If you do have one of those accessories, it's your call. Either way, get Puyo Puyo.

Thanks to VG Museum for the classic screenshots.