It took Nintendo a while to get the information up and since many of us are Virtual Console junkies, we’ve already looked up what games were released. Doesn’t matter since we got a good crop of games for the second week in a row. A shame that there’s no way Nintendo, Sega, Hudson, etc. can keep up the pace. Best to enjoy these moments while we can. So even though it’s late, here’s what’s on the VC today. Enjoy!

From the Nintendo press release:

Super C™ (NES®, 1-2 players, rated E for Everyone – Fantasy Violence, 500 Wii Points): In this action-packed sequel to the popular Contra, players have little time to think. Experience run-and-gun game play at its best as you take control of Mad Dog or Scorpion and once again battle the forces of Red Falcon. Stages feature a combination of perspectives (side scrolling, top down, etc.) and intense battles against huge bosses. Use a variety of powerful weapons and tap into your killer instinct to survive the deadly waves of enemies. And if you’re scared, recruit a friend to help you. Because if your trigger finger lacks stamina, then Earth will lack a future!

BREATH OF FIRE™ II (Super NES®, 1 player, rated E for Everyone – Mild Violence, 800 Wii Points): Featuring a wide range of characters and personalities and a vast, endless world to explore, Breath of Fire II is the sequel to the original smash-hit role-playing game. In a world set 500 years after the previous installment, in a frontier village known as Gate, the father and sister of a young boy known as Ryu are suddenly abducted. Strangely, all the villagers appear to have completely forgotten everything about the incident, and Ryu has instantly become an orphan. At a church, Ryu meets Bow, another orphan in a similar predicament, and they slip away from town together to begin their adventure. Take advantage of the multiple game-play viewpoints found in the game (such as the quarter-view perspective during battles that made the original game so popular) to use exciting abilities like shaman fusing and dragon transformations and help these two heroes complete their mission.

Ghouls’n Ghosts (Sega Genesis, 1 player, rated E for Everyone –Fantasy Violence, 800 Wii Points): Ghouls’n Ghosts is the sequel to the popular action game Ghosts’n Goblins, originally released in the arcades and later ported to the Genesis. One full-moon night, three years after the battle with Astaroth, a ray of light shoots through Princess Prin Prin, and her soul is stolen right in front of Arthur’s eyes. To save his bride’s soul, Arthur the knight must battle all manner of evil undead creatures with a variety of weapons, powerful magic and new actions.

From the press release:

LYON, FRANCE – Atari today announced the forthcoming release of Lucky Luke: Go West! for PC, Wii and Nintendo DS, an action packed platform game based on the adventures of legendary animated cowboy Lucky Luke in the forthcoming full-length animated feature film ‘Go West!’. The film is slated for December 2007 release in France and other European territories, following the video game launch in the autumn.

“Following the great success Infogrames has enjoyed with the Lucky Luke license in the past, we are extremely pleased to be working with licensor Lucky Comics and film producer Xilam on a brand new Lucky Luke product,” said Mathias Hautefort, Executive Vice President of publishing and production, Atari. “We are already working closely with them to ensure that this title delivers everything consumers expect from the license, and a high quality game.”

“We are very excited to have Atari bring our film to so many great game platforms,” said Marc du Pontavice, founder and President of Xilam. “We are very happy to be working closely with them to turn this story into such compelling gameplay.”

Inspired by the cucumber-cool cowboy’s adventures in the comic book ‘The Caravan’, Lucky Luke: Go West! lets players jump into his spurred boots for a thrill-a-minute journey escorting the notorious Dalton brothers to New York to stand trial. Of course, the Daltons do what they do best – they escape, rob banks, wreak havoc and blow stuff up. Throw in the tenacious Lucky Luke, his faithful steed Jolly Jumper, tribes of deadly Indians, cops by the cart-load, and a vast wagon train where the Daltons mislay their ill-gotten gains and the result is a wild world of hilarious new western adventures.

Play as a selection of different characters from the famous stories, including the Daltons and of course Luke himself, through the fun and colourful environments from the parched western desert to the mean streets of the Big Apple. A host of frenetic mini-games will test much more than the speed of the player’s draw with chaotic shooting, drawing, steering, dancing and music games. Take on the story mode solo or invite up to 3 friends to join in for party mode mayhem and see who really does have the fastest draw in the west.

Shooting faster than his shadow, Lucky Luke fights crime and injustice across the wild plains of the old west. Lucky Luke is one of the most popular and best-selling comic-book series in Europe with more than 250 million comic books sold in 20 countries. A total of 80 comic books, four feature length animated cartoons, two live action films, three cartoon series and five video games have been released to date, and the award-winning ‘The New Adventures of Lucky Luke’ animated TV series is currently broadcast in more than 20 countries worldwide from France to Indonesia.

Developed by Tate Interactive (Wii, PC) and Neko (DS), Lucky Luke: Go West! is scheduled for release across Europe this autumn, followed by the feature film ‘Go West!’.

Hey, folks. We’re a little behind this week and will be for the next couple of weeks. I figured I’d go ahead and throw up the information about the Virtual Console games that were released on Monday. I personally had to pick up Shining in the Darkness since that was the game I’ve been waiting for since Sega announced it over a month ago. Now is the long wait for Landstalker!! At any rate, Nintendo is prepping for Metroid Prime 3: Corruption by releasing a new Metroid game each week. This week we got the original Metroid and next week we’ll see the much anticipated Super Metroid. Everyone have fun and we’ll be back next week!

From Nintendo’s press release:

Metroid® (NES®, 1 player, rated E for Everyone – Mild Fantasy Violence, 500 Wii Points): The first installment of the immensely successful Metroid series introduces us to the hideous title creatures and the slick, cybernetic bounty hunter Samus Aran. As Samus, your mission is to penetrate the space pirates’ home planet, Zebes, and keep them from destroying the galaxy with the dangerous life forms known as Metroids. Metroid has all the high-tech weaponry, creepy tunnels and crawly alien creatures that anyone could ask for. With its deep and complex game play, excellent music and a rare sense of setting, it establishes a frightening ambience that will haunt and entertain you for a very long time.

Shining in the Darkness™ (Sega Genesis, 1 player, rated E for Everyone – Mild Fantasy Violence, 800 Wii Points): Dark Sol has vowed to reign over the enchanted Kingdom of Thornwood, and only you can stop him. Find the powerful Arms of Light and battle the deadly beasts that keep your people desperate and starving in this epic journey for peace. Roaming the dark Labyrinth, you’ll seek out enemies and collect weapons, all of which will help you pass the test of the Ancients and become a shining knight. Get into the adventure with a stunning 3-D perspective, amazing cinematic views and fast-paced scrolling. You’ll move from battle to battle, solving puzzles and discovering secret items in this engrossing struggle between good and evil.

Cratermaze™ (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, rated E for Everyone – Comic Mischief, 600 Wii Points): Cratermaze is a comical action game set in a parallel world. While on a trip through time, you and your friends are confronted by Kublai, henchman to the evil Zenzombie. He traps your friends at separate points in the space-time continuum. Now you must fight your way through 60 rounds of mazes to save your friends. Dinosaurs, ninjas, robots and other enemies lurk within the mazes, spanning from primitive times to the future. Escape the enemies by digging holes to trap them in and then filling the holes to finish them off. Collect all the chests within the time limit to get the key and exit to the next round. With special items such as shovels and spring platforms, Cratermaze takes its game play to new heights, making for an unforgettable gaming experience.

From the press release:

LOS ANGELES – The Mercury is rising and headed to Wii™ this fall! Ignition Entertainment Ltd., a worldwide publisher and developer of video games, today announced that Mercury Meltdown Revolution for the Wii home video game system will be arriving on store shelves September 25th at an amazing value of only $19.99. Mercury Meltdown Revolution is the fourth edition to the Mercury series, offering new capabilities via the Wii Remote’s tilt sensing controller to achieve a high degree of blob agility.

“With over 2 years of franchise development, we’ve really taken the time and perfected the blob physics, enhanced the graphics and created an extremely compelling experience that’s a perfect fit on the Wii,” said Ken Gratz, Director of Product Development. “We’ve finally found a video game system that would allow us to fully realize our vision and passion for the Mercury games.”

“The Wii Remote is a perfect complement to Mercury’s gameplay. Tilting the Wii Remote to guide your mercury blob through the challenging mazes is extremely satisfying,” continues Vicki White, Sales Director. “On top of the 150-plus levels, we’ve added loads of mini-games that create a great deal of fun for the whole family! Mercury Meltdown Revolution is an essential title for gamers to have in their library at an outstanding value.”

Mercury Meltdown Revolution is an action packed game that immerses players in a colorful world of imaginative machines, kooky characters and bubbling test tubes. Tilt and flow the mercury blob around a tremendous amount of treacherous obstacles while avoiding some pesky adversaries that live within this puzzling adventure.

From the press release:

New York, NY and El Segundo, CA - 2K Sports, the sports publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), and Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. announced today a new and exciting Major League Baseball® title - MLB® Power Pros. Developed by Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc., and based on the best selling “Power Pro” baseball series in Japan, MLB Power Pros will be published by 2K Sports in North America and will be available in Fall 2007.

“For years, Konami’s Power Pro Baseball has been Japan’s No. 1 baseball game, in sales and fan ratings,” said Kazumi Kitaue, Chairman and CEO of Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. “Now, in an excellent partnership with 2K Sports, it is with great pleasure that we bring Power Pro Baseball to the North American market as MLB Power Pros, where this great sport was born.”

MLB Power Pros delivers an original visual style to America’s favorite pastime. Every MLB® player will be represented in the “Power Pro” character style - a miniature toy-like figurine model. Gamers will recognize their favorite baseball stars through comic usage of facial expressions, facial hair, and hair styles. Every MLB ballpark has been faithfully replicated with their respective famous landmarks, bringing astounding authenticity to every game. This visual combination is certain to delight baseball fans of all ages.

Solid gameplay features and responsive controls provide an exciting baseball experience in MLB Power Pros. The easy pick-up-and-play mechanics in both pitching and batting allow for instant fun. Amazing animations will be seen in the field with incredible double plays, diving catches, and even home-run-robbing wall catches.

Featuring over a dozen different game modes, MLB Power Pros offers great long-term playability highlighted by the detailed Season Mode and popular Success Mode. With Season Mode, players become an MLB team general manager with the goal of winning the World Series™ by controlling all aspects of the team including training players, purchasing better equipment, making trades, and much more. Success Mode combines traditional role-playing elements with baseball scenarios to create one of the most unique and compelling game modes in any sports title. This story-based mode puts the user in the role of a college baseball player with the goal of becoming a Major League player - gamers will train the player in numerous games while dealing with real-world situations of academics, part-time jobs, and other social situations.

MLB® Power Pros will be available on the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and the Wii™ home video game system from Nintendo in Fall 2007.

Here we are again with another week of Virtual Console releases. One thing we can say about the VC so far is that the N64 hasn’t gotten much love. Well, N64 lovers can rejoice as another game is being released today. Some would consider it a classic, even. The TG-16 game we knew was going to be released last week and the NES game is one we all recognize from days gone by. Not a bad week, especially compared to last week. Remember all games will be available for download at 9:00am PDT. Hope you enjoy and we’ll be back next week.

From Nintendo’s press release:

Wave Race® 64 (Nintendo® 64, 1-2 players, rated E for Everyone, 1,000 Wii Points): Take to the waves on your own personal watercraft and experience some of the best water effects in video game history. Choose one of four characters, each with his/her own unique abilities and style, and master the game’s excellent controls. Make your way through nine courses, each with its own challenges. If the ramps, mines and hairpin turns aren’t enough, you’ll also have to deal with varying weather conditions that can make the water choppy or cover the course with fog. And if you ever feel like taking a break from racing, then try out Stunt Mode to polish your skills by pulling off handstands, rolls and more. Get good enough and you might even be able to ride a dolphin-just don’t get seasick.

ADVENTURES OF LOLO™ (NES®, 1 player, rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points): This was the first game in the Eggerland puzzle series to be released in North America. After the love of his life, Lala, is kidnapped by the Great Devil and taken to a haunted castle, our hero Lolo sets out to rescue her. The journey is perilous because the Great Devil’s fortress is guarded by a massive army. But Lolo has a few tricks up his sleeve, including a Magic Shot that turns enemies into eggs and an Emerald Framer that shields him from attacks. Combining clever environmental puzzles with tricky enemies and an engaging style, ADVENTURES OF LOLO is a true classic.

GALAGA™ ‘90 (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, rated E for Everyone, 600 Wii Points): This is an updated version of the classic arcade shooter Galaga. Set in the vast reaches of space, you will fight your way through all 29 rounds to reach the enemies’ stronghold on Planet Galaga. Game levels consist of a few rounds with changing enemies and backgrounds. To top it off, the nostalgic “Galactic Dancing” lives on to mark the end of each level. With the new addition of dimensions, you can choose your attack route. Collect capsules and open dimension warps at branch sections to take on even tougher enemies. GALAGA ’90’s inclusion of the triple fighter, scrolling backgrounds, boss Galaga and even new system effects make it nothing less than a masterpiece.

From the press release:

Rockville, MD – Bethesda Softworks®, a ZeniMax Media company, today announced its next STAR TREK videogame, STAR TREK®: Conquest, a blend of strategy and intense action set in “The Next Generation” era. Conquest will be available for the Wii™ home video game system from Nintendo and PlayStation®2.

Players take control of Federation, Klingon, Romulan, Cardassian, Dominion, and Breen forces and lead them in a campaign to control the Galaxy, one planet at a time. Build and manage your growing empire in turn-based strategy, fully utilizing the Wii Remote™ as you select and maneuver your starships throughout the large, galactic map.

Strategically, you must effectively manage limited resources to expand your empire. You decide how to best achieve objectives by managing your fleets and admirals, building support structures, researching technology, and engaging your enemies in combat.

Once battle is initiated, Conquest switches to a ship level tactical view allowing direct command of your ships as you engage in real-time combat. While maneuvering your starship with the Nunchuk™, take direct aim and fire away with the Wii Remote™.

Conquest has not yet been rated by the ESRB. Scheduled for a simultaneous release this Holiday at an estimated MSRP of $29.99 on the Wii™ and $19.99 on the PlayStation®2.

From the press release:

SUNNYVALE, CA - Activision, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) announced today 11 new songs for Guitar Hero™ III: Legends of Rock, the next installment in the #1 best-selling music and rhythm based game franchise, including master tracks from rockers AFI, Iron Maiden, Queens of the Stone Age, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Slayer and the Strokes.

The 11 additional tracks include:

· Miss Murder (by AFI)
· Through Fire and Flames (by Dragonforce)
· Number of the Beast (by Iron Maiden)
· 3’s and 7’s (by Queens of the Stone Age)
· Suck My Kiss (by Red Hot Chili Peppers)
· Raining Blood (by Slayer)
· Reptillia (by The Strokes)
· Paranoid (as made famous by Black Sabbath)
· Cities on Flame (as made famous by Blue Oyster Cult)
· Mississippi Queen (as made famous by Mountain)
· La Grange (as made famous by ZZ Top)

“Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock features the most comprehensive song list ever assembled for a game,” said Tim Riley, Activision’s worldwide executive of music. “Artists and music execs from the major and independent record labels and publishers respect the brand and have given us unrivaled access to their music vaults allowing us to give gamers what they want - to grab their Gibson guitars and shred to their favorite music.”

In fact, real rock stars like Jade Puget, guitarist for AFI, a band featured in the game is anticipating the upcoming release of the Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock and wants fans to know that “if you’re going to start playing Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, make sure you have, say, the next 2 years free, because that’s all you’re going to want to do.”

In addition to the newly announced tracks, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock’s previously announced tracks include:

· Slash’s Original Boss Battle Recording
· Welcome to The Jungle (by Guns N’ Roses)
· Paint It Black (by The Rolling Stones)
· Cherub Rock (by Smashing Pumpkins)
· Sabotage (by Beastie Boys)
· The Metal (by Tenacious D)
· My Name is Jonas (by Weezer)
· Knights of Cydonia (by Muse)
· Even Flow (by Pearl Jam)
· Lay Down (by Priestess)
· Cult of Personality (by Living Colour)
· Rock and Roll All Nite (as made famous by Kiss)
· School’s Out (as made famous by Alice Cooper)
· Rock You Like a Hurricane (as made famous by Scorpions)
· Slow Ride (as made famous by Foghat)
· Barracuda (as made famous by Heart)

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock will include explosive new content and features including a multiplayer action-inspired battle mode, grueling boss battles, a host of exclusive unlockable content and visually stunning rock venues. Expanded online multiplayer game modes will also allow axe-shredders worldwide to compete head-to-head for true legendary rock status. While continuing to retain all the key features from their prior legendary performances, fresh downloadable content will be offered on multiple platforms, and players can now shred to a killer set list from many of the most popular rock songs ever recorded.

For the first time ever, Guitar Hero fans will also be able to thrash and burn with new wireless guitar controllers available for each platform, including exclusive Gibson Guitar’s Les Paul model for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Wii™ home video game system from Nintendo, and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. PlayStation®2 gamers will also get to shred on a new exclusive shape, Gibson’s Kramer guitar, popularized by hard rockers and known for its body design, pickups, electronics and construction for furious finger fretting.

Here we are again for another week of Virtual Console releases. More shooters added to the mix as well as another game that adds to the TG-16 lineup. Hudson must be enjoying all the love they’re getting on the Virtual Console. All games will be available at 9am PDT. We’ll be back next week for an exciting lineup of new games added to the Virtual Console. Have fun!

From Nintendo’s press release:

Star Soldier (NES®, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone - Mild Fantasy Violence, 500 Wii Points): The standard for vertically scrolling shooters, Star Soldier is the original game that spawned all of the titles in the long-running Soldier series. Go inside a floating space station inhabited by a giant computer known as Starbrain. Your mission: to stop Starbrain’s galactic invasion by piloting Caesar, a new, compact space fighter through 16 deadly stages. Collect power capsules to increase three different attributes of your ship: firepower, movement speed and defensive shields. Blast wave after wave of approaching enemies or use the innovative Trap Zone feature to fly beneath a land mass and avoid incoming fire. Conquer each stage to make your way to the final confrontation with Starbrain.

Dynamite Headdy™ (Sega Genesis, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone - Comic Mischief, 800 Wii Points): Headdy, a toy with a detachable head, arrives in North Town to find that the evil puppet king Dark Demon is causing serious problems. Dark Demon is gathering up all the puppets in town and turning some into his own evil minions, while eliminating the rest of the puppets that aren’t good enough to join his legions. Headdy is captured and is targeted for the incinerator, but escapes in the nick of time. Now he’s got to save the town. To do so, Headdy has to take on all manner of bad guys and even has to contend with his lifelong nemesis, Trouble Bruin the bear. Can Headdy overcome all his foes and take down Dark Demon?

Drop Off (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 600 Wii Points): Brave five rounds of haunting, nightmarish dreams in this take on the classic arcade puzzler. To save his dearly beloved from the malicious demon that controls her dreams and holds her captive, our brave hero plunges himself into the nightmare to vanquish this evil foe. Deftly use the arrow items and control the angle of the ball to shatter the blocks that descend from the top of the screen. Set your sights on the joints holding the blocks together and knock off multiple blocks in one exhilarating blow. As you drop more and more blocks, their shapes will change, allowing you to earn bonus points. You must use your concentration and reflexes to defeat the demon and save your beloved.

From the press release:

New York, NY - Rockstar Games is proud to announce that Bully: Scholarship Edition is coming to the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the Wii™ home video game system from Nintendo this Winter.

Both the Wii and Xbox 360 versions will retain the wit and deep gameplay of the previously released PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system title and will boast additional new content. Bully: Scholarship Edition takes place in the fictional New England boarding school of Bullworth Academy, and tells the story of 15-year-old Jimmy Hopkins as he experiences the highs and lows of adjusting to a new school. Capturing the hilarity and awkwardness of adolescence perfectly, Bully: Scholarship Edition pulls the player into its cinematic and engrossing world. Universally acclaimed upon first release, Bully: Scholarship Edition is a genre-crossing action game with a warmth and pathos that is unrivaled.

Bully received a perfect “10/10″ from Electronic Gaming Monthly and 1up.com and was heralded as “a great, well-crafted action game that has one of the best senses of humor around” by IGN.com. USA Today called it “a fantastic debut title by Rockstar Vancouver.” The San Francisco Chronicle wrote “Bully has no shortage of creative energy, offering an immersive boarding school experience that is imaginative, funny and filled with surprises.”

Come and explore the zealous joy, mirth, and torment of youth with Jimmy Hopkins and Bully: Scholarship Edition when enrollment commences this Winter.

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