Sega sets Virtual Console release dates

Wii port of Space Harrier II set for release next Monday, with ToeJam and Earl arriving on Christmas Day.

While Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony have all taken different approaches to their downloadable games services, all three have apparently embraced the idea of releasing their games to the public with little or no notice.

Fortunately for gamers who like to plan their budgets a little in advance, Sega has dated a pair of its upcoming Virtual Console releases for the Nintendo Wii. With eight of the 10 Sega Genesis games promised for the Virtual Console by the end of the year already out, Sega has updated its Web site with information on the remaining two.

The 1989 pseudo-3D action title Space Harrier II should arrive this coming Monday, while the funky non-Homo-sapiens ToeJam and Earl should groove their way onto the Wii Shop Channel on Christmas Day. The holiday is a fitting release date for the 1991 Genesis adventure game, given the title's emphasis on accumulating presents and a cameo appearance by Santa Claus.

Both games are rated E for Everyone and will sell on the Wii Shop Channel for 800 Wii Points ($8).

121 Comments

  • theshockwave

    Posted Dec 20, 2006 12:17 pm PT

    TJ&E! Sweet! Haven't played that one in soooo long. Presents and other crazy stuff. Damn randomizer would always screw me up in the end.

  • Ravenlore_basic

    Posted Dec 16, 2006 10:29 am PT

    I want HERZOG ZWEI I loved that game I have been waiting for an update with every gen that has come out.

  • susuamazin

    Posted Dec 14, 2006 8:52 pm PT

    toejam and earl
    the BEST
    oh, and the other one was not called number 2 but that was was awesome!!!

    anybody remember the lady with the dogs
    or the guy with the camera
    or the viking lady
    or or or.... the lady who throws tomatoes....

  • MartinMan

    Posted Dec 14, 2006 8:28 pm PT

    this is awesome! I loved Toe jam and Earl!

  • Cubb7

    Posted Dec 14, 2006 2:09 pm PT

    TOEJAM AND EARL!!! w00+!!

  • theKSMM

    Posted Dec 14, 2006 1:38 pm PT

    Space Harrier is a classic. If you stared at it long enough, you really did feel like you were blasting through the sky at high speed.

  • Blackstaff

    Posted Dec 14, 2006 1:24 pm PT

    Ahh Toejam and Earl 1, such fond memories of that amazing game

  • Kcube

    Posted Dec 14, 2006 11:37 am PT

    TJ&E was an AWESOME game.

    I can understand opinions to the contrary though given TJ&E 2 and the Xbox version.

    But hey who cares since we still have Gunstar Heros and that game owns harder then most modern day games STILL ^_^

  • OnLineKilla

    Posted Dec 14, 2006 10:34 am PT

    no u have 2 buy em

  • princeofgames90

    Posted Dec 14, 2006 9:59 am PT

    theese Wii points can they be gained by gameplay

  • Mr_Saturn26

    Posted Dec 14, 2006 9:25 am PT

    Toejam, and Earl was one of the best games on the genisis.

  • Alucard7321

    Posted Dec 14, 2006 7:31 am PT

    Man i rememebr Space Harrier on the Atari ST...good days good days. Hope they release Shining Force 2 aswell!

  • Zumafire

    Posted Dec 14, 2006 6:07 am PT

    Tony
    You obviously gave never played TJ & E.... You have no ida what you're talking about. That game destroyed when it was released in `89. ONe of the first co-op games that you could split up and traverse other areas while your buddy was on a completely different level.. The enemies and over all theme were genuis... noob

  • Tony-Baxter

    Posted Dec 14, 2006 5:34 am PT

    When are the Saturn games coming?
    Toe Jam and Earl are the worst characters in gaming.

  • KingofTrolls

    Posted Dec 14, 2006 4:34 am PT

    WHO CARES ABOUT THIS ------ SEGA WHY DON'T YOU TALK TO MICROSOFT AND GET "WONDER BOY" & "SHINOBI" & "GOLDEN AXE 1 & 2" ON THE LIVE ARCADE SERVICE.

  • Dolacide

    Posted Dec 14, 2006 12:37 am PT

    Toejam and Earl, I use to play that game a lot.

  • WildbucingBill

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 6:53 pm PT

    Toe Jam and Earl is going to be fun..I will be downloading to the Wii even though I still have the original cart in the box in my collection. Your almost paying , not for the game, but the convenience of not having to hook up another system if your in the mood to play it at will.

  • Ryle_Boy

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 6:33 pm PT

    Toejam and Earl! WOOT!

  • FadeToBlack982

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 5:45 pm PT

    Space Harrier = meh.
    Toe Jam & Earl = AWESOME!

  • ryanthegreat232

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 5:29 pm PT

    8 $ is not to much, they had to do work on them to get them to work with the WII, they cant just use the exact same version as on the sega. And then each company needs to take a cut, Sega then nintendo. So really its a pretty good price point. i would have expected 10$ atleast some games even go for 5$

  • doshey

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 4:14 pm PT

    i wish toe jam and earl was coming to ps3 but no :cry's a lot

  • yinyang3

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 3:15 pm PT

    AWESOME! Toejam and Earl! This is gonna be sweet.

  • wooooode

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 3:10 pm PT

    Toe Jam and Earl is loved by many but I never really cared for it. I am still stoked about Gunstar Heroes so I am happy.

  • pencilpusher69

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 3:09 pm PT

    8 dollars for one of your favorite games, which used to cost 49.99???

    Wow, that IS a ripoff...

  • CheddarLimbo

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 3:04 pm PT

    I remember hating ToeJam and Earl when I played it at my friend's house back in the day. It was during that whole "Sega's got a lot fo ATTITUDE" period. I do remember liking the music and soundtrack, though.

  • hyliansavior

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 3:03 pm PT

    Toe Jam and Earl rocks hard. I've loved that game since I was 9 years old. I can't wait to get a Wii.

  • CreepyNerd90

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 2:45 pm PT

    Well..I'm not complaining about the pricing. I just looked for Toe Jam and Earl on ebay just to see how much it was there...and prices were going from $30-50 >.> ...not that I've ever played it, but I thought I'd just check =\

  • blackace

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 1:55 pm PT

    All I want is Gunstar Heroes. I loved that game. The games are overpriced though. $8 for a game that was released back in the 80's? That's ridiculous. Both of those games should be no more then $3-$4 at the most.

  • gtrslinger

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 1:04 pm PT

    If i didn't have all the Roms already i'd buy them all. I loved TJ&E.

  • mr_squibble

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 12:30 pm PT

    I will probably download TJ& E from the VC in the near future. I do think the VC games are fairly overpriced in general, especially the Genesis ones. If I hadn't picked up the Gunstar Heroes cart for $4 recently, it would probably be the only other Genesis one that I would download.

  • hagame

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 12:24 pm PT

    I agree with the Gunstar Heroes comment Gamewako made. GSH is one of the best shooters of it's time!

    And a note to FinalCross re: releasing a ton of games at once:

    Although that would be really cool for us consumers, it's not a practical business move. Many users would only buy one or 2 games. If you trickle them out over a period of time, you have a better chance of users buying one or two games a week. Thus, incrreasing revenues.

  • Gamewako

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 11:25 am PT

    I don't care what else comes out; Gunstar Heroes is available and my favorite game of all time. Here's hoping for Bangai-O!! It's funny, I have these games in hard copy and emulated...but, I still feel the need to spend $8 a pop...

  • Regginator14520

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 11:23 am PT

    You know what could be possible. Sega could release an emulator for a certain price that allows you to play actual Sega Saturn and Dreamcast games straight from the original CD's. Also, there is a good possability that there will be attachments that connect to the gamecube controller ports that allow you to use actual real retro controllers via converter.

  • ScionofEntropy

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 11:10 am PT

    Saturn games are a possibility, and one I'm hoping will become reality. Playstation games... Needless to say, they'll never happen, for blatantly obvious reasons.

  • finalcross

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 11:05 am PT

    Too bad Nintendo is going to only release Virtual Console games slowly onto the market. If they could speed it up by releasing classic titles like: Super Mario 3, Super Mario World, Final Fantasy (any of them), Chrono Trigger, Star Fox, etc... then the Wii would be flying off the shelves faster than you could believe.

  • not-e-n-e

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 11:00 am PT

    playstation games on a Wii? what are you, insane? lol that would never happen.

  • living_wmd_888

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 10:45 am PT

    I wonder if Saturn or PlayStation games will appear on the Virtual Console.

  • gatsbythepig

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 10:08 am PT

    schweet funkadelic

  • Sephiroth-X

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 10:07 am PT

    keep em' coming, Sega. I hope to see some old school RPG's on the VC soon.

  • PantsOfFury

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 10:04 am PT

    I seem to remember quite a few people on the Wii forums being psyched saying they wouldn't have to pay for games at all.

    As for the lack of ToeJam & Earl or Gunstar on the Sega Genesis Collection, there is ALWAYS a chance that they'll make another volume. The Genesis had so many great games that I could see a Vol 2 coming out sometime in the future.

  • KBFTodd

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 9:50 am PT

    Huh.....I bought a gen2 genesis from ebay with mech warrior and sonic for 22.00 last summer......

  • darkmind-tvtome

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 9:30 am PT

    irve, right there with you buddy, saturn should definately make it on to the service, panzer saga, dragon force, sega rally, nights so many amazing games

    and yea, sega won the battle in europe with the ms and then the md/genesis

  • trenken

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 9:21 am PT

    Yeah the VC really turned out to be a bust. The games are all cost double what they should, and they just keep releasing garbage. I got the Wii on launch day and the VC is the one thing that I think has failed with the Wii. Everything else is really good. And we know Nintendo will only release a few really good Nintendo titles on the VC per year. SO I just have no interest in it. It's not what I thought it was going to be.

    It completely fails next to xbox live arcade.

  • speedracer216

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 8:33 am PT

    pants of fury, the virtual console IS free. the games aren't. i doubt anyone ever told you the games would be free.

  • Chirico_Cuvie

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 8:08 am PT

    It did, and it sucked.

  • peeweeshift

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 7:38 am PT

    the toe jam and earl franchise should get a new game

  • kinglink2

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 7:34 am PT

    Pants OF Fury, I fully agree... except Toe jam and earl? not there. Gun Star Heroes, not there. Space harrier not there?

    Those are easily worth 24, while many on the genesis collection are worthless to me. (though the ecco and golden axe series rocks.

  • gothicdragon216

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 7:24 am PT

    I'm suprised that Toejam and Earl still goes for up to 50$ on ebay, it's not even an RPG (most of the overpriced games on ebay are.) It makes me think I should part ways with mine.... nah, I love that game.

  • PantsOfFury

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 7:17 am PT

    Hmm, let's see 24 bucks for 3 Genesis games.... or I can get 30 Genesis games in the Sega Genesis Collection for 20 bucks....

    And I remember when people were saying the Virtual Console was going to be free...

  • Irve

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 6:38 am PT

    virtual console ... Bah .... seen it all before .. now if they do something interesting like start to include Saturn games .... i'd download Nights and Panzer Dragoon Saga for a few bob each

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