Three from the Genesis added to Euro Virtual Console

Sega is taking center stage in this week's batch of European Virtual Console releases for the Wii. A trio of Genesis games constitutes the new offerings to Nintendo's downloadable game service. The slate of titles includes an appearance from the console's biggest mascot, Sonic the Hedgehog, the debut title of one of the system's last mascots, and a mascot-free action role-playing game for good measure.

In Sonic Spinball, players take control of the titular hedgehog as he is launched into a series of pinball levels. But unlike an ordinary pinball game, this one features sprawling playfields laden with enemies, chaos emeralds to collect, and boss battles. Sonic Spinball is available for 800 Wii points and features support for up to four players.

Released in North America as Beyond Oasis, the action role-playing game The Story of Thor casts players as Prince Ali, bearer of a golden armlet with the ability to summon spirits. The golden armlet has a silver counterpart created for destruction, and Ali must traverse the land to keep the silver armlet from being used for evil. The Story of Thor is available for 800 Wii points.

Originally released in 1995, Blue Sky Software's Vectorman is an action platformer known for its steep difficulty and prerendered 3D graphics. Set in 2049, the game takes place on an Earth abandoned by humans, with the robots left behind battling for control of the planet. Vectorman can be purchased for 800 Wii points.