This entry of Virtual Console recommendations comes after another long hiatus. It's been a long time coming as most of these games have been on the Wii Shop Channel for a month or, in some cases, many months. Please enjoy our recommendations of some Nintendo system classic alongside some Neo Geo games while we try to get the metaphorical Virtual Console update boat afloat. Once again, if you have any games that you want to hear us write about, feel free to make a comment in the talkback section. See you next time!

Super Mario RPG is a highly revered Super Nintendo classic and is also the brainchild of Square and Nintendo. Created under the watchful eye of Shigeru Miyamoto, Super Mario RPG mixes Mario's platforming elements with a Square's tried-and-true RPG style. When it was released in 1996, it was well received by critics.

The big question with this game is if it holds up twelve years later. The graphics' poor aging notwithstanding, Super Mario RPG still presents a compelling and welcoming RPG environment. While not as in-depth or long as your Final Fantasies, it is fast-paced and packed with humorous characters and an entertaining plot. In my opinion, Super Mario RPG is one of the premier Super Nintendo games, and it is a relief to have another classic game on Virtual Console.

Mega Man 2 is one of the greatest games ever released on the NES, and probably one of the best games ever made, period. The action is roughly similar to its predecessor, yet it feels distinctly different. Notably, the game no longer keeps a running score, and the player is unable to revisit previously-cleared stages.

Mega Man 2 is largely a benchmark for the rest of the series: Mega Man must defeat eight robot masters before venturing to Dr. Wily’s multi-stage castle. He gains vehicles upon completing certain stages, which would later be replaced by Rush the dog in subsequent games. The E-tank is introduced, and the infamous “teleport room” makes its first appearance. The game is more accessible than the original, although a few ridiculously difficult sections are retained for good measure (the “security system” boss, Wily’s final form—save your Bubble Lead!).

The individual bosses have more personality than in the first game, the level design is absolutely wonderful, and the soundtrack contains the most memorable video game music ever composed. The opening cinematic, coupled with its wonderful score, is worth the $5 alone. Mega Man 2 also features probably the most awesome boss sequence in the history of the series: Robot Dragon!

King of the Monsters is an old Neo Geo arcade game that brings to mind the Showa-era Godzilla films. It’s essentially the original daikaiju arcade brawler, featuring six monsters and large cityscapes. The game is 2D, but character sprites have very forgiving damage zones, so two monsters don’t have to be on exactly the same plane to cause damage to each other. Gameplay is extremely sparse—monsters can kick, punch, throw, jump, and use a special attack. Cities are squared off by electric fences, and one of the more ridiculously cheap strategies is to throw your opponent into said fence, then wail on him while he’s knocked down.

The game’s AI is suspect in that its goal is to consume quarters, so opponents will never hesitate to make up any difference in HP with cheap tactics. The city itself hinders your progress, and buildings block your advances (until you crush them), while the military guns you down. Grappling is especially unforgiving, as button-mashing almost never breaks your hold in the later stages. The AI has inherent advantages in this department, because, again, the goal here is to make you empty your wallet. Still, King of the Monsters is a fun romp for the daikaiju fan, and the multiplayer aspect is actually quite entertaining, as the playing field is much more level.

Like other Neo Geo games on the Wii, King of the Monsters may force you to abandon your component cables (depending on your TV) and switch over to composite, a chore that I’m amazed hasn’t been addressed yet.

Fatal Fury 2 is heavily inspired by Street Fighter 2. It has the same colorful, humorous art style, the same pacing in the battles, and the same overall structure even down to the intermittent bonus levels, in which an object must be destroyed. Whereas Street Fighter 2 had destructible cars, Fatal Fury simply has destructible stone pillars. Finally, Fatal Fury 2 has a stereotypical character roster including: the Asian karate champion Kim Kadhwan, the American boxer Axel Hawk, and the Spanish bullfighter Lawrence Blood. Even the characters' move sets share many similarities to those found in Capcom's beloved game.

However, Fatal Fury 2 isn't a complete Street Fighter 2 clone. The two-laned battlefields, in which players not only move left and right but also in and out of the picture, works well. The game also has some beautiful scenery, with plenty of movement going on in the background. Apart from hit detection issues and some moves that are overly powerful (I found that the game can be beaten on a high difficulty level using the same move over and over again), Fatal Fury 2 offers a decent enough alternative to Street Fighter 2.

Special thanks to The Video Game Museum for screenshots