The virtual console was a great idea when Nintendo launched it alongside their Wii console in 2006. It’s unfortunate then that classic game releases have been slowing down over the past few years. It’s doubly true for our friends in Europe. That’s all about to change.
Nintendo of Europe has announced that March is going to be the biggest month ever for the European Virtual Console. The 13 titles will be spread across the Wii Virtual Console and the 3DS eShop Virtual Console in a torrent of retro gaming goodness.
The games coming to the Wii Virtual Console are some fantastic titles that deserve your attention. What is probably the most significant release in March is the Mega Drive (Sega Genesis in the U.S.) version of Super Street Fighter II if only for it being the first European Virtual Console title to get online multiplayer.
The other releases are no lightweights, however, with Strider(Mega Drive) , Samurai Showdown IV: Amakusa’s Revenge (Neo-Geo), Mega Man 5 (NES) and Mega Man X (SNES) all hitting the platform.
The 3DS eShop’s Virtual Console is getting even more amazing games with special stand-out title to be released in honor of Kid Icarus: Uprising’s release in March. That game is Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters, which is the Game Boy sequel to the original Kid Icarus on the NES.
The other titles hitting are Dr. Mario (Game Boy), Punch-Out!! (NES), Super Mario Bros. (NES), Metroid (NES), Dragon Crystal (Game Gear), Shinobi (Game Gear) and Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble (Game Gear).
These releases make a proper apology for the previous months in which the European Virtual Console has been ignored. It’s also good to see that Nintendo is serious about supporting the Virtual Console on the 3DS.
It remains to be seen if a similar promotion will happen in the U.S., but the majority of these titles are already on the U.S. Virtual Console. It’s high time we let our European brethren enjoy the Virtual Console titles that we have taken for granted.
What do you think of the releases? Are you going to pick any of them up? Let us know in the comments.