The Island, the Country, the Kage and the Rage make up the four-pack variety of downloadables this week.
It's been a while since each game in a set of Virtual Console releases has been from a different platform, but here we are. The NES, SNES, Genesis and TurboGrafx are each represented with a game this week, and from the looks of it, they're all pretty good. Which ones should you get? Every one of them. If this is financially infeasible, then get a second job you should read up on each game to see which one or ones you may want to download.
Donkey Kong Country
| System | Virtual Console - Super Nintendo Entertainment System |  |
| Cost | 800 Points | |
| Players | 2 | |
| Controllers | Wii Nunchuk,GameCube | |
| ESRB Rating | Everyone | |
| Released | Nov 25, 1994 |
While Rare had been making quality games for over a decade, Donkey Kong Country arguably made the British developer a household name, and cemented a long and fruitful relationship with Nintendo. In DKC, Donkey Kong and his chimp pal Diddy Kong must brave the jungles to reclaim DK’s giant horde of bananas from King K. Rool and his reptilian minions. Versions of this game have been released for the Game Boy (Donkey Kong Land), Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance—and now, the Wii.
Since Nintendo ditched the bean-shaped B-button, Donkey Kong Country, like Super Mario World, is thoroughly unplayable using a GameCube controller. Run (Y) and jump (B) cannot be pressed at the same time with your thumb, so unless you like using multiple fingers for face buttons, you’ll have to grab a Classic controller (or comparable alternative).
Back in 1994 Donkey Kong Country’s pre-rendered sprite and background graphics were a technological blow to the competition, proving the SNES still had some pepper in it. While the technique is now commonplace, Rare’s attention to detail in DKC shines through, and the environments, from flurries to butterflies, still impress. While the level design is somewhat crude when compared with its direct sequels, Donkey Kong Country’s zany animal buddies, cleverly hidden bonus rooms, tricky platforming, beautiful music, and solid controls remain enjoyable. We recommend Donkey Kong Country (in one form or another) to everyone.
New Adventure Island
| System | Virtual Console - TurboGrafx-16 |  |
| Cost | 600 Points | |
| Players | 1 | |
| Controllers | Wii Remote,Wii Nunchuk,GameCube | |
| ESRB Rating | Everyone | |
| Released | Jun 1992 |
Have you ever wanted to jump on platforms in order to rescue the girl? No, I'm not talking about Mario and Princess Peach. In New Adventure Island it's Master Higgins and Tina! Kidding aside, the Adventure Island series really has a significantly different feel to it than other platform games of the time. Players race through the levels dodging obstacles and throwing weapons at enemies. Several types of fruit are littered throughout the level. If enough of it isn't collected, Master Higgins' vitality will drop and he'll die.
New Adventure Island is a great game with a good amount of content. There are seven different levels, each of which is split into 4 sections and concludes with a boss. Master Higgins has a variety of weapons that he can use, like axes and boomerangs. There is also the classic skateboard for him to ride on, changing things up a bit more. The difficulty is balanced, and ramps up comfortably as you play. Overall, New Adventure Island is a quality platform game that will fit in nicely on your Wii's channel listing.
Streets of Rage
| System | Virtual Console - Genesis |  |
| Cost | 800 Points | |
| Players | 2 | |
| Controllers | Wii Remote,Wii Nunchuk,GameCube | |
| ESRB Rating | ||
| Released | Dec 31, 1991 |
I remember playing a lot of Double Dragon back in the day, but I don't recall hearing about Streets of Rage, which is much in the same vein. It's a two-player beat-'em-up where you can select characters with different attributes and special moves (including a napalm assist from a bazooka-wielding cop in a police car), pick up weapons of various strengths, and combo the crap out of anyone that gets in your way. There are eight levels in all with bosses at the end of each, and two endings to make the second time through more rewarding than the first.
From the moment you first start playing Streets of Rage, you know you're going to be in for an awesome ride. It looks great, it sounds great and it plays great, even with the Wii Remote. I can't believe I didn't play this game in the 16-bit days, but thank the stars Virtual Console is giving me a second chance. This game is definitely something everyone will like, so we'll give it one of our green check marks.
The Legend of Kage
| System | Virtual Console - Nintendo Entertainment System |  |
| Cost | 500 Points | |
| Players | 2 | |
| Controllers | Wii Remote,Wii Nunchuk,GameCube | |
| ESRB Rating | Everyone | |
| Released | Aug 01, 1987 |
As Kage, you need to rescue Princess Kirihime from ninjas. Kage is kind of a ninja himself, although he doesn't have the ninja getup that his enemies do. What he can do is jump really, really high into the air, taking out any other ninjas that jump across his path, either with a throwing shuriken or his sword. The sword is handy for blocking other shurikens thrown your way from other ninjas, but be careful you don't get hit by those ninjas that shoot fire at you. There are also various ninja powerups you can get, which will make you faster or create an illusionary ninja double. Oh yeah, the last boss is a really powerful ninja.
The Legend of Kage has lots of ninjas. That's good enough for most people. However, the game itself isn't half-bad. It's simple, and the same four levels repeat themselves a few times, but there's just something about running around shooting down ninjas while flying around like a ninja that makes things really fun. Be warned, however, this is a classic NES game with classic NES difficulty. Though it's short, it'll take you a while to get to the end in one shot. Ninja ninja ninja ninja. Ninja.
Thanks to VG Museum for help with some screenshots.
