Wave Race 64 washes up on the Virtual Console @ Gaming Target

Written by John Scalzo on August 06, 2007

News: Adventures of Lolo and Galaga '90 also added to the service.

Nearly everyone will agree that the Virtual Console is often hit and miss with the games that are uploaded from week to week. Some weeks will see three classics, while other weeks will leave gamers scratching their heads.

This week is one for the books. Wave Race 64, one of the all-time great racing games, will be added to the Virtual Console today at noon. It will be joined by the NES cult classic Adventures of Lolo and the TurboGrafx-16's Galaga '90 (considered by some to be the definitive version of Galaga).

If these titles are unknown to you, be sure and study Nintendo's history lesson below:

Wave Race 64 (Nintendo 64, 1-2 players, rated E for Everyone, 1,000 Wii Points): Take to the waves on your own personal watercraft and experience some of the best water effects in video game history. Choose one of four characters, each with his/her own unique abilities and style, and master the game's excellent controls. Make your way through nine courses, each with its own challenges. If the ramps, mines and hairpin turns aren't enough, you'll also have to deal with varying weather conditions that can make the water choppy or cover the course with fog. And if you ever feel like taking a break from racing, then try out Stunt Mode to polish your skills by pulling off handstands, rolls and more. Get good enough and you might even be able to ride a dolphin-just don't get seasick.

Adventures of Lolo (NES, 1 player, rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points): This was the first game in the Eggerland puzzle series to be released in North America. After the love of his life, Lala, is kidnapped by the Great Devil and taken to a haunted castle, our hero Lolo sets out to rescue her. The journey is perilous because the Great Devil's fortress is guarded by a massive army. But Lolo has a few tricks up his sleeve, including a Magic Shot that turns enemies into eggs and an Emerald Framer that shields him from attacks. Combining clever environmental puzzles with tricky enemies and an engaging style, Adventures of Lolo is a true classic.

Galaga '90 (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, rated E for Everyone, 600 Wii Points): This is an updated version of the classic arcade shooter Galaga. Set in the vast reaches of space, you will fight your way through all 29 rounds to reach the enemies' stronghold on Planet Galaga. Game levels consist of a few rounds with changing enemies and backgrounds. To top it off, the nostalgic "Galactic Dancing" lives on to mark the end of each level. With the new addition of dimensions, you can choose your attack route. Collect capsules and open dimension warps at branch sections to take on even tougher enemies. Galaga '90's inclusion of the triple fighter, scrolling backgrounds, boss Galaga and even new system effects make it nothing less than a masterpiece.