Virtual Console brings Mario to Europe

This week is Mario Week for European Wii owners, as two Mario titles are now available for download to celebrate the anniversary of the release of Super Mario Bros. Super Mario Bros. first went on sale in Japan on September 13, 1985.

The first game up for grabs is Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, which is the sequel to the first Mario game, and was originally released in 1986 on the Famicom system in Japan. It expands on the original Super Mario Bros. game by adding new level designs, tougher enemies, and secret worlds to explore. The game will only be available to download from Virtual Console until September 30.

Mario's Super Picross, a title previously only available in Japan, is the second Mario game now on the service. Similar to Picross DS, the game is a puzzle with a grid of tiles which reveal a picture when the puzzle is solved.

Also, TurboGrafx action adventure Neutopia II is also being released this week. Neutopia II follows on from the first game after the hero Jazeta destroyed the emperor of darkness, Dirth. In this sequel, Dirth is back, and Jazeta must once again defeat the evil emperor.

Next week will see the release of NES titles Ninja Gaiden, Gradius III, and Ninja JaJaMaru-Kun, and one Nintendo 64 game, Sin and Punishment.

Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels costs 600 Wii points (approx £4.20), Mario's Super Picross costs 900 Wii points (£6.30), and Neutopia II costs 600 Wii points (£4.20).