My Bits and Bytes: Vintage games for serious gamers
There have been a slew of awesome games that have appeared on the Nintendo Wii Virtual Console. I know we're in the next level of gaming, but sometimes returning to older games makes you appreciate the evolution of graphics and game design. Have no fear, current gen lovers, reviews for next-gen games are coming. Here are a few games that you should definitely play on the Virtual Console.
Donkey Kong Country
I remember when Nintendo marketed this game. Before the times of home internet, Nintendo sent “Nintendo Power” magazine subscribers a VHS (yes, VHS) tape that gave a sneak peak into a game that looked like nothing the Super Nintendo could do graphically — even though it could! Mastermind studio, Rare, developed this platformer that combined CGI graphics in a 2-D world that gave us gamers hours of platforming fun. While playing this classic on the VC, it still holds well today although the graphics look a little grainier than I remember. This is 800 points (or eight bucks) well spent.
Kid Icarus
This game brings both the good and bad memories back. This is a cult classic from the early NES days. You control Kid Icarus while you jump upwards to reach the end of levels filled with eyeball villains and eggplant wizards. Some people love the old school feel, while others curse its cheap deaths and INSANE difficulty. If you want a challenge, download this baby. One last thing: you'll be humming the music from this game for weeks.
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
This game is considered by many Super Nintendo owners to one of the best games released for the system. Hell, some gamers consider this to be the best Zelda game of all time. I'm still on the fence about what the best Zelda game is because I've found so much to love with all of them, but I think that this one (perhaps because of the age I was when I played it) ranks up even higher for me than even “Twilight Princess.” The dungeon design and puzzles were and still are great and this game is a testament that graphics aren't everything — even though the leap from 8-Bit gaming to 16-Bit gaming was amazing.
Bonk's Adventure
The cute little platformer is fun but it will still have you throwing your controller in frustration. This is a must have TurboGraphics-16 system game that you must have in your collection. This simple side-scroller has you fighting enemies to get to end bosses that are cute dinosaurs brainwashed by the evil King Drool. You may finish it in a couple of hours, but it's fun nonetheless. Bonk was supposed to be the system's Mario or Sonic, but the ol' system never took off in the ways that the Genesis, NES and SNES did.
Donkey Kong Country
I remember when Nintendo marketed this game. Before the times of home internet, Nintendo sent “Nintendo Power” magazine subscribers a VHS (yes, VHS) tape that gave a sneak peak into a game that looked like nothing the Super Nintendo could do graphically — even though it could! Mastermind studio, Rare, developed this platformer that combined CGI graphics in a 2-D world that gave us gamers hours of platforming fun. While playing this classic on the VC, it still holds well today although the graphics look a little grainier than I remember. This is 800 points (or eight bucks) well spent.
Kid Icarus
This game brings both the good and bad memories back. This is a cult classic from the early NES days. You control Kid Icarus while you jump upwards to reach the end of levels filled with eyeball villains and eggplant wizards. Some people love the old school feel, while others curse its cheap deaths and INSANE difficulty. If you want a challenge, download this baby. One last thing: you'll be humming the music from this game for weeks.
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
This game is considered by many Super Nintendo owners to one of the best games released for the system. Hell, some gamers consider this to be the best Zelda game of all time. I'm still on the fence about what the best Zelda game is because I've found so much to love with all of them, but I think that this one (perhaps because of the age I was when I played it) ranks up even higher for me than even “Twilight Princess.” The dungeon design and puzzles were and still are great and this game is a testament that graphics aren't everything — even though the leap from 8-Bit gaming to 16-Bit gaming was amazing.
Bonk's Adventure
The cute little platformer is fun but it will still have you throwing your controller in frustration. This is a must have TurboGraphics-16 system game that you must have in your collection. This simple side-scroller has you fighting enemies to get to end bosses that are cute dinosaurs brainwashed by the evil King Drool. You may finish it in a couple of hours, but it's fun nonetheless. Bonk was supposed to be the system's Mario or Sonic, but the ol' system never took off in the ways that the Genesis, NES and SNES did.
