After a slight hiatus, NWR's Virtual Console recommendations are back. Due to the decrease in number of titles per week, our recommendation format will change slightly in the coming weeks. We hope to use this to our advantage in order to work toward our goal of giving every game on the VC a recommendation. To get things restarted, we have a smattering of recent titles, including an interesting NES import game, a classic co-op experience, and a well known Neo Geo fighter. Is there a certain VC game we've missed that you are dying to hear our opinion on? Please let us know in Talkback and we'll move it to the top of the queue!

Bio-Miracle Bokkute Upa - NES

Cost: 600 Wii Points ($6)

Players: 1

Controllers: Wii Remote, Classic, GameCube

ESRB Rating: E (Comic Mischief)

Released: 4/1988

This quirky import game features a heroic baby who jumps through 8-bit platforming levels. The primary mechanic involves shaking a rattle at enemies to inflate them. Then the baby, Upa, can either jump on the enemies and ride them upwards or push them away as projectiles. Occasionally, you may try one of these actions and get the other, as it depends on which side of the inflated enemy you touch.

There's nothing outstanding or really interesting about this game, but it is well produced and fun. The level designs make good use of the gameplay mechanics, and the game is surprisingly difficult overall. If you're interested in an import platformer, I would recommend Milon's DokiDoki Fantasy over Bio-Miracle Bokkute Upa, but this is still a decent purchase for fans of the genre who don't mind a challenge. - Jonathan Metts

Pokemon Puzzle League - N64

Cost: 1000 Wii Points ($10)

Players: 1-2

Controllers: Classic, GameCube

ESRB Rating: E

Released: 9/2000

Don’t get me wrong—Panel de Pon is the greatest block puzzler since Tetris, but Tetris Attack was the pinnacle of the series. Pokemon Puzzle League just can’t complete with the relaxing visuals and music of its SNES counterpart. Instead, we get a scenario and backgrounds based on the first season of the Pokemon anime, complete with voiceovers of questionable quality. Lt. Surge sounds like a caveman! I suppose the core gameplay is identical to Panel de Pon, but the computer AI is dumber than a rock. Most matches can be won in less than two minutes.

If Pokemon Puzzle League has one thing going for it, it’s the bizarre 3D mode in which you have what amounts to a cylinder of blocks which you can rotate, so the horizontal breadth of the game field increases. There’s also a 2-player competitive mode, so you can get your Panel de Pon on with a buddy if you like.

If you absolutely cannot wait to get your meaty paws on some Panel de Pon, this game will certainly fit the bill. However, Tetris Attack was a far more worthy effort. If you held onto your SNES and that game, there is no reason to blow $10 on Pokemon Puzzle League<. Or you can hunt down the GameCube's Nintendo Puzzle Collection, which includes the cylinder mode and four-player support without the irritating Pokemon theme. The only big roadblock here is that it’s Japan-only. Otherwise, weigh the purchase of Pokemon Puzzle League against a prediction of how long it will take NOA to release Tetris Attack on the Virtual Console. - Zachary Miller

Samurai Shodown - Neo Geo

Cost: 900 Wii Points ($9)

Players: 1-2

Controllers: Wii Remote, Classic, GameCube

ESRB Rating: T (Animated Blood, Crude Humor, Violence)

Released: 7/1993

Samurai Shodown, the first title in SNK's popular fighting series, tries to distinguish itself from the rest of the 2D sprite-based fighters that became so popular in the early nineties by introducing weapons. Each character carries a distinct weapon such as a sword, knife, sickle, or claws, and some even use their vicious pets in battle. The weapons have different attack range, power, and speed, and a character can even lose his weapon in battle, in which case he must either fight with just his bare hands, or retrieve it from the battle ground. The inclusion of weapons thus affects gameplay in a variety of interesting ways, which make Samurai Shodown stand out from the crowd.

However, there are good reasons why the game didn't receive the same amount of praise as its contemporary rivals. Hit detection issues, unbalanced characters, a washed-out color scheme, and choppy animation represent the most prominent problems that ultimately make the game hard to recommend. The fact that SNK is releasing a disc-based compilation of sixteen classic games including Samurai Shodown for just 21 bucks more makes this purchase even more undesirable. - Lasse Pallesen

SkyKid - NES

Cost: 500 Wii Points ($5)

Players: 1-2

Controllers: Wii Remote, Classic, GameCube

ESRB Rating: E (Mild Cartoon Violence)

Released: 8/1986

In a time when war was all about blue skies, cheerful music, and looking up the Statue of Liberty's skirt, The Red Baron and Max fought the good fight while impressing the ladies along the way. Sky Kid is a side scrolling plane combat game with cheerful graphics and some interesting mechanics. It can be played in a single player mode, as the Red Baron, or in a two player cooperative mode as both the Red Baron and Max simultaneously. The fundamental goal of the game is to simply get from the take off point to the landing point. Most levels begin with a simple "Bomb the Target" message. Throughout these levels players will first come across a bomb they must swoop down and pick up, followed slightly later by a base or ship that a well timed bomb drop will destroy. While failing to actually destroy the target won't cost you a life, it will cost you a significant amount of points, which will only delay the next much needed extra life.

Sky Kid is another classic cooperative NES game that is still fun even today. Simple touches, like being forced to actually take off and land, really add to the charm of the game. Picking up a bomb, transporting it to the target, and then having perfect aim as you destroy it is quite satisfying. The game is also filled with all sorts of interesting easter eggs. Doing a flip (with the B button) above one pretty girl (wearing blue) will cause hearts (worth bonus points) to float up, while shooting another pretty girl (wearing red) will turn her into a monster thing that also nets you bonus points. Watch out for Pac-Man signs too! Doing flips above them may cause him to give you a medal. Don't get too close though, or he may trick you with a bomb. As for the Statue of Liberty, you'll just have to do a flip near her skirt and see for yourself. Sky Kid is a great single player action game, and an even better two player cooperative game. It's worth every penny of the $5 price tag. - Mike Gamin