Virtual Console for 02/18/08. (Gaiden Phantasy 2: Ancient Ship of Star)

WII-KLY UPDATE: TWO NEW CLAS-SIC GAMES ADDED TO WII SHOP CHANNEL

Feb. 18, 2008

Some gamers get skeptical when Roman numerals populate the title of a game. But make no mistake - this week's offerings are no mere sequels. They are some of the most highly regarded cIassic games around. So stock up on some Wii PointsTM to battle the Dark Force or complete an action-packed trilogy.

Nintendo adds new games to the WiiTM Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week's new games are:

Ninja GaidenTM III: The Ancient Ship of Doom: (NES®, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone - Mild Violence, 500 Wii Points): Join master ninja Ryu Hayabusa, last member of the famous Dragon Clan, in the third and final chapter of the legendary Ninja Gaiden saga. Ryu is framed for FBI agent Irene Lew's murder, and it's up to him to clear his name. Defeating superior life-forms created out of "life energy" called BIO-NOIDs and avoiding enemy ambushes are among the many obstacles which Ryu faces in this unpredictable adventure of mystery, deceit and destruction. Noticeable changes to the game-play mechanics include Ryu's ability to grab on to horizontal surfaces, his reduced falling speed and altered jumping maneuvers, and visible power-ups. Help Ryu defeat the forces of evil once more and discover the real culprit behind Irene's death as one of the most loved trilogies in video-game history comes to a close.

Phantasy StarTM II: (Sega Genesis, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone - Mild Animated Violence, 800 Wii Points): Hailed as one of the greatest games of all time by fans and media alike, Phantasy Star II is an RPG that features an epic story line and turn-based battles. Play as Rolf, Nei, Rudo or several other characters as you navigate through the Algol star system battling the evil Dark Force. Build your characters, select the right weapons and armor, and take on the forces of evil through various missions as you find the right combination of characters to complete each objective. Experience the magic once again in this great sequel.

As you can probably guess, I am away from home and unable to post as intricately as I normally would!

Someone get the Official Press release, Pics and Review links in here... please!

Wow. They're throwing down the gauntlet on the VC for the second week in a row. Just a warning to everyone now, if you pick of Phantasy Star II and start playing now, you might have it finished right before Brawl comes out.

I'll be getting Ninja Gaiden III soon, that's for sure. I never played it, and I don't care if it's not supposed to be as good as the others.

Wow. They're throwing down the gauntlet on the VC for the second week in a row. Just a warning to everyone now, if you pick of Phantasy Star II and start playing now, you might have it finished right before Brawl comes out.

Robio_basic

Phantasy Star II is cool, but I've already got a copy of that on Sega Genesis Collection. If they released Phantasy Star, on the other hand...

And what on earth is this two games per week junk? If anything, Nintendo should be speeding up the releases during the slow parts of the month.

Man, really interested in Phantasy Star II. I have never played a game in the series since most of my gaming life was more Nintendo centered(NES,SNES,64)/not big on RPGs until mid-teens. Definatly want to download this when I get a chance.zoradude

You might also want to consider Sega Genesis Collection, though. It's got Phantasy Star II on it, along with III and IV, and a bunch of other Genesis era titles. It may end up saving you a fair amount of Wii points in the long run.

[QUOTE="zoradude"]Man, really interested in Phantasy Star II. I have never played a game in the series since most of my gaming life was more Nintendo centered(NES,SNES,64)/not big on RPGs until mid-teens. Definatly want to download this when I get a chance.Oilers99

You might also want to consider Sega Genesis Collection, though. It's got Phantasy Star II on it, along with III and IV, and a bunch of other Genesis era titles. It may end up saving you a fair amount of Wii points in the long run.

Hmm yeah. I just looked it up, unfortunatley it is on 2 consoles I do not own currently (if gamespot is to be believed, PS2/PSP). Darn PS2 crapped out on me in the middle of last year and I have yet to get a replacement yet (yay for being a poor college student). I wouldn't mind waiting it out though, I have enough VC titles from christmas to keep me busy for a while.

[QUOTE="zoradude"]Man, really interested in Phantasy Star II. I have never played a game in the series since most of my gaming life was more Nintendo centered(NES,SNES,64)/not big on RPGs until mid-teens. Definatly want to download this when I get a chance.Oilers99

You might also want to consider Sega Genesis Collection, though. It's got Phantasy Star II on it, along with III and IV, and a bunch of other Genesis era titles. It may end up saving you a fair amount of Wii points in the long run.

I'm amazed more people haven't gone this route. You can get 28 Genesis games for the price of three on the VC.

And all three Ninja Gaiden games are extra features on both Ninja Gaiden and Ninja Gaiden Black.

The VC is a great resource for some games but for others...not so much.

[QUOTE="Oilers99"]

[QUOTE="zoradude"]Man, really interested in Phantasy Star II. I have never played a game in the series since most of my gaming life was more Nintendo centered(NES,SNES,64)/not big on RPGs until mid-teens. Definatly want to download this when I get a chance.Grammaton-Cleric

You might also want to consider Sega Genesis Collection, though. It's got Phantasy Star II on it, along with III and IV, and a bunch of other Genesis era titles. It may end up saving you a fair amount of Wii points in the long run.

I'm amazed more people haven't gone this route. You can get 28 Genesis games for the price of three on the VC.

And all three Ninja Gaiden games are extra features on both Ninja Gaiden and Ninja Gaiden Black.

The VC is a great resource for some games but for others...not so much.

Ooh, I forgot the first three Ninja Gaiden games were in Ninja Gaiden Black... I was planning to get Ninja Gaiden Black via the Xbox Originals service anyway.

[QUOTE="Grammaton-Cleric"][QUOTE="Oilers99"]

[QUOTE="zoradude"]Man, really interested in Phantasy Star II. I have never played a game in the series since most of my gaming life was more Nintendo centered(NES,SNES,64)/not big on RPGs until mid-teens. Definatly want to download this when I get a chance.Oilers99

You might also want to consider Sega Genesis Collection, though. It's got Phantasy Star II on it, along with III and IV, and a bunch of other Genesis era titles. It may end up saving you a fair amount of Wii points in the long run.

I'm amazed more people haven't gone this route. You can get 28 Genesis games for the price of three on the VC.

And all three Ninja Gaiden games are extra features on both Ninja Gaiden and Ninja Gaiden Black.

The VC is a great resource for some games but for others...not so much.

Ooh, I forgot the first three Ninja Gaiden games were in Ninja Gaiden Black... I was planning to get Ninja Gaiden Black via the Xbox Originals service anyway.

** Edited and updated as of 02/19/08. **

RPG fans who have not yet played PS2...

(and if you haven't, you really shouldn't be calling yourself an RPG fan)

...really owe it to themselves to play this game. Drama? Heart breaking cut-scenes? Hard core challenge? You've got it ALL here several, several YEARS before the unwashed masses became Sephiroth worshippers. This was Sega's answer to Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, and you know what? For a while, I preferred this answer a whole lot more!

Do yourself a favor, download a FAQ or scans of the Hint guide that came packed in with it and ENJOY!

I tried to play the Phantasy Star games in the Sega Genesis collection, but I couldn't really get into it. Maybe if I understood what all the stupid icons meant, I'd be able to enjoy it more.

Definitely better than Sword of Vermillion though. Ugh.