The Wii Shop launched on 11/19/2006, so later this year we're coming up on 10 years of the service. With the DSi Shop shutting down next year, I'm assuming we will only see the Wii Shop continue for a couple more years and I expect more games to be delisted in the interim.
To that end, I'm planning to purchase several Wii VC and WiiWare games I missed out on. I'll cover WiiWare in another thread once this one has run its course.
I'd like to know--
-What were your favorite VC games that you'd never played before?
-What were your favorite VC games to revisit?
-What are your overall recommended VC games that aren't available via 3DS's excellent NES emulation and Wii U's excellent SNES emulation?
And, special bonus question for my own selfish purposes: I don't tend to care much for violent games with lots of fighting or shooting (except some shmups), or ones with a darker aesthetic like Castlevania. So, I'd particularly selfishly appreciate games that don't fall into hat category. Thank you!
-What were your favorite VC games that you'd never played before?
Castlevania Rondo of Blood (best Classicvania), Bomberman '93 (5-player essential party game), Yoshi's Story (challenging platformer if you go for all melons)
-What were your favorite VC games to revisit?
Super Metroid, Street Fighter II Turbo, Super Smash Bros
-What are your overall recommended VC games that aren't available via 3DS's excellent NES emulation and Wii U's excellent SNES emulation?
NES Bubble Bobble
SNES Darius Twin
Edit: Misunderstood this question as Wii Shop NES/SNES exclusives,, still love both!
What were your favorite VC games that you'd never played before?
Majora's Mask, Paper Mario, F-Zero, Super Mario RPG, Super Punch Out
What were your favorite VC games to revisit?
Mario Kart 64
What are your overall recommended VC games that aren't available via 3DS's excellent NES emulation and Wii U's excellent SNES emulation?
Ys I&II (on my must buy list)
-What were your favorite VC games that you'd never played before?
Castlevania Rondo of Blood, Kid Icarus, Super Castlevania IV, Super Metroid, Sin & Punishment
-What were your favorite VC games to revisit?
Super Mario 64
What are your overall recommended VC games that aren't available via 3DS's excellent NES emulation and Wii U's excellent SNES emulation?
DoReMi Fantasy
-What were your favorite VC games that you'd never played before?
River City Ransom was an excellent gem to play. I loved having the ability to customize my character while going through the game beating up people. I also really enjoyed my time with Rondo of Blood, though I don't it's as good as Castlevania 4.
The Wii VC was the first time I have played the NES version of Final Fantasy and I appreciate it for what it is, flawed as it may be.
-What were your favorite VC games to revisit?
I usually replay Shining Force once or twice a year, and it was convenient to not have to use the Sega Smash Pack.
-What are your overall recommended VC games that aren't available via 3DS's excellent NES emulation and Wii U's excellent SNES emulation?
Final Fantasy and Rivercity Ransom, though I don't use the VC on my 3DS and the Wii U already has backwards compatibility so it's not that big of a deal if they don't get ported.
Also all the World Heroes games including the final and best World Heroes Perfect. As well as the three Art of Fighting games. Also has SF clone Fighters History Dynamite.
Other gems are the Shock Troopers games, Magical Drop games, Sengoku games and Nam '79.
When I have time I'll try to post thoughts but I have over a dozen downloaded and 20 more Neo Geo games on disc for Wii.
Ok, here's a selfish question. I've never played a Neo Geo game. Are there Neo Geo games that aren't fighting games or violent shooting games? Those just don't tend to be to my tastes but I'd be glad to try NG games otherwise.
Ok, here's a selfish question. I've never played a Neo Geo game. Are there Neo Geo games that aren't fighting games or violent shooting games? Those just don't tend to be to my tastes but I'd be glad to try NG games otherwise.
Ok, here's a selfish question. I've never played a Neo Geo game. Are there Neo Geo games that aren't fighting games or violent shooting games? Those just don't tend to be to my tastes but I'd be glad to try NG games otherwise.
Ok, here's a selfish question. I've never played a Neo Geo game. Are there Neo Geo games that aren't fighting games or violent shooting games? Those just don't tend to be to my tastes but I'd be glad to try NG games otherwise.
Shame Windjammers didn't get a Western release. A local arcade has tournaments for it every once in a blue moon and an updated release could make the tournaments more frequent.
I wish they C-64 releases happened a lot more. I wanted all those Epyx olympic games but we just got Summer Games II. We also just got the first two of the three Last Ninjas.
They must have sold like crap 'cuz those releases were all they did.
-What were your favorite VC games that you'd never played before?
The majority of the Classic style Mega Man and Castlevania titles I first played through the VC, in both these NES series cases the number 3 is rather important being my favourite of both the MM and CV NES entries.
Don't fear the "darkness" of vania Max, it's more like classic campy monster movies with dope 8 bit beats
On the never released in Europe front Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy 6 (okay they had handheld ports but shush) made for one heck of a 16 bit RPG combo, alongside SMRPG (which I don't consider to be in the same ball park) the SNES VC finally got some much talked about JRPG classics onto PAL consoles in their original form which was much appreciated and I'm not even that much of a JRPG guy.
Killer soundtracks as well.
-What were your favorite VC games to revisit?
F-Zero X was a good one, slowly but surely I think I grew to like it more than GX and it's always fun to throw on for the X cup and its randomly generated tracks.
And I finally got to lock on Sonic 3 to Sonic & Knuckles via the VC elevating it to a top tier platforming package. Still the best way for me to revisit it on consoles considering the PS3/PC/360 versions still leave the pair split.
Also some trilogy about kongs in countries or something.
-What are your overall recommended VC games that aren't available via 3DS's excellent NES emulation and Wii U's excellent SNES emulation?
I'd go back to that Sonic 3 & Knuckles mention, no shoddy backbone port, lock on feature included, goooood stuff.
Especially considering that SEGA never go any further than Sonic 2 with their other cool sonic ports like Taxman and 3D Classic Sonic titles...gits
Also Last Blade 2 being the only Neo Geo title I downloaded but WHAT a title it was, probably not one for you though Max.
Pulseman is great imo, GameFreak before they made pokemon. It's a neat little puzzle platformer, and as far as I know Wii VC is the only reliable way to be able to play it. Also shoutout to the Square SNES catalog on Wii VC, great for stuff like Secret of Mana.
As for me, I really loved the Virtual Console. It blew my mind when it was first announced. It's really too bad not very many games from it made it over to the Wii U version, save states are really a godsend in these older games.
I played and beat Ocarina of Time for the first time on Virtual Console. higher res, framerates(?) and gamecube controller support are awesome.
I guess a lot of my picks won't really fit with the topic - but I love the Wii VC so I may as well post.
Favorite games I discovered for the first time - Super Mario Bros. 2 JP (NES), Super Metroid (SNES), Alien Soldier (Genesis), Sin and Punishment (N64), Castlevania: Rondo of Blood (PC Engine), Metal Slug and Metal Slug X (Arcade / Neo-Geo). All really great action games (and all 2D action games with the exception of Sin and Punishment). A couple of all-time greats there too; JP Mario 2 is one of the absolute best platformers and Alien Soldier is one of the absolute best run-and-gun style games.
Favorite games I revisited - For the most part I didn't buy games I already owned or played as a kid, but I did dig into Contra 3 (SNES) for the first time through VC, having played it a little years and years ago. Another top-tier run-and-gun.
Favorite games that are only on Wii VC - repeating myself, but Alien Soldier, the Metal Slugs, and Rondo of Blood haven't been released on 3DS or Wii U, as far as I know - so I'd have to go with those.
This thread has inspired me. I'm gonna buy a Wii and download all the games I don't have on my wiiu. I like how the Wii would stretch my VC games to fit my tv but wiiu displays 4:3 which I hate
This thread has inspired me. I'm gonna buy a Wii and download all the games I don't have on my wiiu. I like how the Wii would stretch my VC games to fit my tv but wiiu displays 4:3 which I hate
I know everyone likes to complain about how few N64 games the Wii Shop Channel got (and it's totally justified) but I liked that with what few of them there were, I was able to finally play them with a comfortable controller. Many of them work especially well with the GameCube controller. And certain games like Smash 64 adopted the current control setup for said controller, making it super easy to replay now.
What were your favorite VC games that you'd never played before?
Gunstar Heroes (GEN), Super Mario Kart (SNES), and Super Metroid (SNES) were all games that I never played before yet heard so much about that I had to dive in. And I'm glad I did. Although, with Gunstar Heroes, you're better off getting it on PS3 or 360 since it's a bit cheaper there.
What were your favorite VC games to revisit?
Like I said before, the Nintendo 64 games were the best to replay again. They all play even better now with a normal controller and their resolution has been bumped up so everything looks clearer. It's pretty great since my eyes don't hurt anymore from all the blurriness.
What are your overall recommended VC games that aren't available via 3DS's excellent NES emulation and Wii U's excellent SNES emulation?
Again, like 90% of the N64 games that are available on the Wii Shop Channel are not available on the Wii U eShop, except for DK64. Pick any of them and you're golden.
And, special bonus question for my own selfish purposes: I don't tend to care much for violent games with lots of fighting or shooting (except some shmups), or ones with a darker aesthetic like Castlevania. So, I'd particularly selfishly appreciate games that don't fall into hat category. Thank you!
IIRC, you wanted to replay the Bonk games so you'll definitely have fun there. There's also this shmup from the Sega Genesis called MUSHA and it's pretty fun. I'd recommend giving that a go.
Ok, here's a selfish question. I've never played a Neo Geo game. Are there Neo Geo games that aren't fighting games or violent shooting games? Those just don't tend to be to my tastes but I'd be glad to try NG games otherwise.
If you're on the fence about some NeoGeo games, there are some that are available via compilations like the Metal Slug Anthology and SNK Arcade Classics. So you could rent or buy those and see what you think. Plus, they're cheaper than if you were to buy them off the Wii Shop Channel.
This thread has inspired me. I'm gonna buy a Wii and download all the games I don't have on my wiiu. I like how the Wii would stretch my VC games to fit my tv but wiiu displays 4:3 which I hate
-What were your favorite VC games that you'd never played before?
-What were your favorite VC games to revisit?
-What are your overall recommended VC games that aren't available via 3DS's excellent NES emulation and Wii U's excellent SNES emulation?
And, special bonus question for my own selfish purposes: I don't tend to care much for violent games with lots of fighting or shooting (except some shmups), or ones with a darker aesthetic like Castlevania. So, I'd particularly selfishly appreciate games that don't fall into hat category. Thank you!
What were your favorite VC games that you'd never played before?
Most of the Japanese imported games that were re-released to the Virtual Console, such as Pulseman (SEGA Genesis), Castlevania: Rondo of Blood (Turbo-Grafx 16), & Sin & Punishment (N64), as I have always heard such good things about these unknown gems and I'm all better with playing them.
What were your favorite VC games to revisit?
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, for the Nintendo 64. It had left a deep, emotional impact when I played it 16 years ago, and aside from how confusing the Stone Tower Temple is, the game still holds up.
What are your overall recommended VC games that aren't available via 3DS's excellent NES emulation and Wii U's excellent SNES emulation?
A lot of the Capcom-developed, Disney-licensed SNES games, such as Goof Troop (a Zelda-lite adventure game) & Aladdin (2D Platformer). I also wanted to see the SNES Star Fox games to be made available, especially Star Fox 2. There have also been a slew of games that Nintendo of America haven't released, and I want to give them a shot.
There are a whole lot! Just on the Wii (I've come to some great VC games on the Wii U):
Lords of Thunder - great, great shooter with a killer soundtrack Ufouria - total gem, we really missed out on this. Like Metroid with a sense of humour Kirby's Adventure - I legit never played this until it hit the Wii Virtual Console. I love it! Bomberman '93 - I've had a lot of multiplayer fun with this. Not the first time I've played Bomberman but it is the first time I've regularly been able to play it with five players! Bravoman - this has to be seen to be believed
The number one answer here is SimCity! I've always loved it but it wasn't until I was a grown man in my 20s that it hit the Virtual Console and I finally got a megalopolis. It's quite an achievement and I'm so glad I finally did it.
I played a little Bonk's Adventure growing up and really loved it but never owned a TG-16 so I'm really happy I finally got to own it and beat it.
Me and a buddy would have beers on Fridays for a month and we beat River City Ransom thanks to being able suspend it. I had always wanted to beat the game so that was another huge accomplishment for me, and doing it co-op was a ton of fun.
(The final boss is a total pushover with two players, too.)
I beat Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom, it was one of the first games I ever beat, but going back to it was a great nostalgia trip. ActRaiser was a game I always loved renting and I got to beat it. Really happy about that.
I never played the NeoGeo version before (only the SNES port) but Super Baseball 2020 was the last Wii VC game I really loved. I played the hell out of this the summer of 2012. In four years this'll be how we play baseball, folks! Exploding robots!
Final Fantasy III, Chrono Trigger, Super Star Wars, DoReMi Fantasy: Milon's DokiDoki Adventure, ActRaiser, Blades of Steel, StarTropics, Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom
And, special bonus question for my own selfish purposes: I don't tend to care much for violent games with lots of fighting or shooting (except some shmups), or ones with a darker aesthetic like Castlevania. So, I'd particularly selfishly appreciate games that don't fall into hat category. Thank you!
DoReMi Fantasy (the story's all in Japanese but it doesn't matter, although the lack of a save feature sucks), Princess Tomato, Ufouria, Bravoman, Mega Man 2 and 3, Solomon's Key, StarTropics, Yoshi, Kirby Super Star, Kirby's Dream Course, Super Mario RPG, Super Mario 64, Paper Mario, Pokemon Snap, Pokemon Puzzle League, Sonic 2, Bonk's Adventure, Air Zonk, maaaaybe Nobunaga's Ambition. I don't personally love it, maybe I need to just try it again, but I would check out Pulseman if I were you. Also, I've never played it but I've seen the GameCenter CX episode and it looks worthwhile: Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa.
I dunno, I just prefer the stretch. Doesn't bother me. Black borders really bother me tho. I'm weird like that.
Funny thing is I would never hook up my old systems to an lcd. I have 5 Sony trinitrons for my old school systems but with Wii VC I like it stretched. Like I said, I'm weird
-What were your favorite VC games that you'd never played before? Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (at least in its original form)
Really an ideal release for everyone who's played SMB1 and SMB3's levels to death but haven't played the original, harder Famicom Disk System release of SMB2J, rather than the toned-down All-Stars and SMB Deluxe versions. Has all of the simplicity of SMB1, but a true post-SMB1 World 8 challenge with physics revised to be a bit bouncier (though not QUITE as bouncy as SMB3/SMW)
Chrono Trigger
God, the things I missed out on by being a PS1 early adopter. I came in mostly fresh on this one, having loved Square for FF4, FF6, and Secret of Mana in the SNES era, but there is no overly rose-tinting this game. It was a retro digital release, and playing it about 15 years after its original release, it instantly became one of my favorite games I'd ever played. A perfectly charming, PERFECTLY paced JRPG. Its Hironobu Sakaguchi/Yuji Horii/Akira Toriyama "Dream Team" credentials are quite apparent when you play it. An absolute STEAL at $8.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
I'd put this one off for ages because on its release, the low framerate was a bit of a put-off, and its grand scale seemed like nothing especially new after Final Fantasy VII, but man, this is another game that sure deserves its reputation. Yeah, in some ways it's a bit of a retread of Link to the Past, but the 3D gameplay does add a lot, the
time travel but is that a spoiler in 2016
is interesting, and I felt that the storyline felt a lot more emotionally resonant to me. Majora's Mask has been fun too, and has a MUCH smoother frame rate, but it feels like a more serious time commitment to sit down and try to get some tasks or the run-up to a temple completed within the in-game 3-day time limit.
Monster World IV
How great that we actually finally got an official release of this in English! Sure, it's a bit of a pastel, visually girly game on the obviously, undisputedly very masculine Genesis/Mega Drive, but it's also visually gorgeous and the finale to the wonderful Monster World/Wonder Boy series, and it's kind of the (still a little bit linear) Metroidvania game that the Genesis/MD never really got outside of Japan. I had a lot of fun with this one.
-What were your favorite VC games to revisit? The Legend of Zelda - A Link to the Past
Still one of the best entries of the series -- straightforward, fun gameplay, yet established most of the (non-3D) final touches on the gameplay/tropes that the series still continues to follow. Just an utter joy to play.
Bubble Bobble
I enjoyed the Bubble Bobble Plus 1-4 player WiiWare version as well, but with the differences in physics and the ability to suspend/resume my game, the NES version was the one that I kept coming back to.
Faxanadu
With the swordfighting and the moody, earth-toned color palettes of the game, this may or may not be too violent/dark for your tastes, but I feel like this game was the comfortable NES sidescrolling action RPG experience that Castlevania II and Zelda 2 aspired to be but never quite managed to achieve in a straightforward manner. A little janky in some ways, but otherwise has aged much better than its peers.
Legend of the Mystical Ninja
River City Ransom-alike-meets-Zelda in ancient Japan with side-scrolling boss levels to mix things up, Konami in fine 16-bit form, a buffet of different, fun mini-games included. Gets grindy for money/resources in the later levels, but a lot of fun, especially for two players on the same page about putting up with the harder, grindy parts.
Secret of Mana
So much fun! Square at their 16-bit finest. The plot was thinned out to fit in the cartridge for the non-Japanese releases, but the gameplay, magnifique, just a glorious action RPG. Since the game was chopped up from the original plans for it being a SNES CD-ROM game, it's a bit glitchy in places (like the AI for your teammates in 1-player mode, for one), but I've heard that the European releases fixed some of the bugs.
Sonic & Knuckles
Maybe it's just me, but I always felt like this was the only classic Sonic game that truly felt as polished (possibly more!) than the classic Super Mario Bros. games. The emulated lock-on works perfectly and connects with any of the other Sonic 1-3 games you've also purchased on VC. The combined Sonic 3 & Knuckles for $16 can feel a little steep, but is ultimately still well worth it, and one of the best 2D platformers ever made.
ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron
Sure, it gets a bit repetitive after a few levels, and some people complain that this sidescrolling sequel diverged a bit too much from the original game, but for my money, there is scarcely a better 2-player simultaneous sidescroller on the Genesis.The bottle-throwing mechanic is a lot of fun, the levels are full of secrets, the Funkatronians are lovably weird, and the whole game is just kind of 1990s video game comfort food. Love this one.
-What are your overall recommended VC games that aren't available via 3DS's excellent NES emulation and Wii U's excellent SNES emulation?
DoReMi Fantasy: Milon's DokiDoki Adventure
Really fun, atmospheric late-release Super Famicom 2D platformer, gorgeous and full of catchy music, feels at once like a Japanese take on Rayman 1 and a platformer version of Bubble Bobble. Would you believe that Milon's Secret Castle had a sequel that is not only tolerable, but wonderful?
Art Style: CUBELLO
Figured I'd bust into the WiiWare releases too. Kind of like Tetrisphere, but better? IR point-and-click puzzle game bringing Dr. Mario-esque match-3-type gameplay into three dimensions with a slowly rotating mass of color cubes that you need to clear off to get to the core. One of my faaaavorite Wii releases.
Art Style: ORBIENT
This one's pretty okay too, though working with the gravity/orbit could get frustrating at times. You are a small planet navigating the orbits of the celestial bodies of various solar systems, trying to accumulate and merge with additional, smaller planets to be able to be large enough to achieve a proper orbit around the sun of the level/solar system. This Art Style game also actually came out on the GBA in Japan as well under the name "Orbital".
Dr. Mario Online Rx
My roommates and I used to have way too much fun with the point-and-click multiplayer co-op "Virus Buster" game mode. It seems like the "Virus Buster" mode plays a bit better with Wii Remotes than it does on the touch screen in Dr. Mario Miracle Cure on the 3DS, less easy to make errors.
Tetris Party
One of the last pre-Konami dismantling Hudson Soft releases, and a downright competent local 4-player multiplayer version of Tetris! If you don't have the means to bust out Tetris DS or a Tetris Grand Master game or just want to play Tetris on a TV screen, this seems to be one of the best ways to do it.
You, Me, and the Cubes
Not my FAVORITE puzzle game on Wii, but it's a fun, moody, atmospheric one with a 2-player focus (especially for couples), but is entirely playable (and perhaps more manageable) in single player. This is one of the last games made by the late creator of D, Kenji Eno, and as a Kenji Eno game, particularly one he made to break his looooong hiatus from the industry, this is pretty much lightning in a bottle, and probably won't see any additional ports if and when the Wii Shop Channel goes down.
Basically, you shake the Wii Remote to load little Pikmin-esque humanoid creatures called Fallos into your controller, then point at the screen and make a throwing motion to use the Fallos' weight to achieve a proper balance for the sides of a cube structure so that the structure doesn't tip, letting the Fallos fall (GET IT?). The tiny screams from the Fallos as they plunge to their doom are pretty eerie, but I'd expect nothing less from a Kenji Eno game!
Across the board, the Genesis/Mega Drive, Neo-Geo, and Sega Virtual Console Arcade games are EXEMPLARY emulations with a depth of library per console not available on any other digital platform, and aside from the 3D Classics Sega releases, none of those are on Wii U or 3DS. The TurboGrafx selection is also the widest selection that I'm aware of on any digital service, though I'm not a huge fan of the bilinear filter that most of the games run with (aside from the Rondo of Blood/Street Fighter II CE/Ys I & II releases, which can run at a nice and crispy 240p on an SDTV)
I wish they C-64 releases happened a lot more. I wanted all those Epyx olympic games but we just got Summer Games II. We also just got the first two of the three Last Ninjas.
They must have sold like crap 'cuz those releases were all they did.
Last Ninja 3 came out on Wii VC in Europe for a while, but the VC release was so buggy (I think it froze after the first level?) that they wound up having to pull it from the store. I would've liked to see Jumpman in North America!
Ok, here's a selfish question. I've never played a Neo Geo game. Are there Neo Geo games that aren't fighting games or violent shooting games? Those just don't tend to be to my tastes but I'd be glad to try NG games otherwise.
WindJammers/Flying Power Disc only came out on the Japanese Wii VC and was since delisted, but I recall Baseball Stars 2 and Super Baseball 2020 being among the best arcade-style baseball games ever made!
Monster World IV
How great that we actually finally got an official release of this in English! Sure, it's a bit of a pastel, visually girly game on the obviously, undisputedly very masculine Genesis/Mega Drive, but it's also visually gorgeous and the finale to the wonderful Monster World/Wonder Boy series, and it's kind of the (still a little bit linear) Metroidvania game that the Genesis/MD never really got outside of Japan. I had a lot of fun with this one.
We have this one, actually. We couldn't get into it at all and could barely figure out what to do and where to go. Does it take a bit of time to get into? We found ourselves super confused by it in general.
We have this one, actually. We couldn't get into it at all and could barely figure out what to do and where to go. Does it take a bit of time to get into? We found ourselves super confused by it in general.
I suppose so, the easy first couple of dungeons are nothing to write home about, but once you reach and wander around the royal village and get your flying pepelogoo buddy to broaden your moveset, everything kind of opens up from there. Where are you in the game right now?
We have this one, actually. We couldn't get into it at all and could barely figure out what to do and where to go. Does it take a bit of time to get into? We found ourselves super confused by it in general.
Had a similar experience with the game. Found the graphics gorgeous, but when I reached the first dungeon I got lost in a series of identical-looking rooms and corridors and just gave up. Maybe I should give it a 2nd chance?
I suppose so, the easy first couple of dungeons are nothing to write home about, but once you reach and wander around the royal village and get your flying pepelogoo buddy to broaden your moveset, everything kind of opens up from there. Where are you in the game right now?
Thanks. I think we played it for like 20-30 mins and felt obfuscated at every turn. :/ We literally made our way out of the first town (there was some really unclear initial thing the game wanted you to do IIRC) and then started encountering enemies and they felt prtty blagh so...that's was honestly about it. It sounds like it gets much better, though. I wanna give it another try.
I wish the Wii Mode titles were better integrated into the Wii U, like the way Wii downloadable software is integrated.
I would be buying more things from the Wii shop if I could launch it directly from the Wii U menu. Now after spending my last Wii points, I rarely make the mental effort to load the vWii. Maybe if I hack vWii for some other purpose. . .
Thanks. I think we played it for like 20-30 mins and felt obfuscated at every turn. :/ We literally made our way out of the first town (there was some really unclear initial thing the game wanted you to do IIRC) and then started encountering enemies and they felt prtty blagh so...that's was honestly about it. It sounds like it gets much better, though. I wanna give it another try.
Yeah, I wasn't too into the first dungeon or two. The moveset gets better, especially when your buddy grows enough to give you a double-jump, and if it's your first real foray into a Monster World game (as it was for me, I've since bought the VC Arcade Monster Land/Monster World 1, and The Dragon's Trap for Master System), the feel of the game can of take a bit to click.
Still, the basic swordfighting/attacking pretty much feels the way that it's going to feel in MW4 and the rest of the series (the sword is kind of short and your sprite is kind of chunky, so you wind up getting in one attack and then dodging a lot), so if you never really find a groove with it, that's for better or for worse just kind of the way that it is. The Zelda 2-style downstab in MW4 is pretty useful, though.
Great Thread Idea. VC is the best thing that has happened in console gaming in many years.
What were your favorite VC games that you'd never played before?
Most TG16 games, especially the many shmups, and I also loved Bonk's Adventure which I thought was charming, unique, fun and really great as a platformer.
-What were your favorite VC games to revisit?
Super Metroid, still my #1 best game of all time.
The Last Ninja and Last Ninja 2, played with a neogeo arcade stick for pure nostalgia overload.
Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Simply the best Zelda, and therefore one of the best games ever made.
Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts, one of my top 10 all time favorites.
Secret of Mana, the best Action RPG ever.
-What are your overall recommended VC games that aren't available via 3DS's excellent NES emulation and Wii U's excellent SNES emulation?
All TG16 shoot'em ups, they're all 60fps and they're all fantastic, play them using an arcade stick for extra awesomeness.
I want to reply to more of your post when I have time, but I wanted to at least mention we do have this one. For some reason, lol. It's charming but very strange and it feels like...despite not really relying on advanced knowledge of Japanese I want to know what's being said in the game...so I'm waiting to play it more till my Japanese is a bit better. Thanks (and thanks all) for all these awesome recommendations and I'll reply in more detail soon!
Ninja Gaiden the real one! (not the NES adaption), Perfect learning curve, it's an arcade game easy to pickup and play and not deadly hard. It made me feel like and ninja and not a ninjadog
Also dat throw and wall jump maneuver is boss
