Quartet of titles hit Wii's Virtual Console

The wave of old-school games continues to pile onto the Wii's Virtual Console. Nintendo today announced that four more games from the days of yesteryear are now available for purchase. Joining the ranks of Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, and Sonic the Hedgehog are one title from the Nintendo Entertainment System, a pair from the Sega Genesis, and one from the TurboGrafx-16.

Gamers who like their hockey 8-bit can now download Ice Hockey for 500 Wii points ($5). Originally released in 1988 for the NES, Ice Hockey features six national teams and three different weight classes of players, allowing coaches to go with a nimble lineup or a team of crushing bruisers.

Gunstar Heroes, which first appeared on the Sega Genesis in 1993, brings side-scrolling run-and-gun action to the Wii. Playing as one of the famed Gunstar twins, gamers will take on Colonel Red and a host of his minions in an attempt to foil his plans of destruction. Gunstar Heroes will set gamers back 800 Wii points ($8).

The curiously named Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, also originally a Genesis title, is a puzzle game featuring characters from the Sonic the Hedgehog universe. Like the popular puzzle game Puyo Puyo, this game tasks gamers with matching four blocks of the same color and causing mayhem for opponents. Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine costs 800 Wii points ($8).

Late last week, Hudson Entertainment dropped a few hints that a TurboGrafx-16 game would be making an appearance on the Virtual Console today. Based on clues, many suspected it would be Alien Crush...and they were right. Alien Crush was originally released in 1989 and sells for 600 Wii points ($6).

All four games can be purchased from the WIi Shop Channel. Nintendo plans to add new Virtual Console games each Monday.