Last week, Nintendo was kind enough to give us a heads up about how awesome they were, and that they’d be bringing Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (NES, 1 player, 500 Wii Points) to the Virtual Console today. Holding true to their promise, Zelda II marks the 100th game in the Wii Shop Channel. Thankfully, the game is not alone today.
Milon’s Secret Castle (NES, 1 player, 500 Wii Points), ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron (Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points), and Dead Moon (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points) all can be found on Nintendo’s totally awesome Shop Channel today.
Of all of these titles, Hudson Soft’s Milon’s Secret Castle stands out, if only because it’s a game that drove me to the brink of insanity as a child. If my memory serves me, this bubble-blowing musical adventure was excrutiatingly difficult. With one life and virtually nowhere to save (or continue from), this game is likely responsible for many broken NES Advantage controllers. That said, if you’re truly hardcore (and you are, right?), Milon’s Secret Castle should be a breeze.
Press release (with full game descriptions) after the jump.
Wii-kly Update: Four New Classic Games Mark Wii Shop Channel Milestone
For six months, classic games have flowed at a steady rate into the gaming reservoir that is the Wii Shop Channel. And this week Wii™ fans will see that pool of games hit a new high-water mark, as Nintendo adds a wave of new entries: Nos. 97, 98, 99 and 100. Why not dive in and see what treasures you find?The four new classic games go live at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Nintendo adds new games to the channel 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:
Milon’s Secret Castle® (NES®, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone – Comic Mischief, 500 Wii Points): It is a world where music is the language of the people. An evil warlord from the north arrives and captures the castle. The princess is imprisoned deep within the castle, and the world’s musical instruments are taken and hidden away. Our hero, Milon, takes it upon himself to fight the warlord, rescue the princess and recover the people’s musical instruments. He has only his wits and the magical Bubble to aid him on his quest. Help Milon along the way by looking for hidden doors, finding secret items and defeating fierce enemies. Make sure to look for the shops inside the castle, where you can buy hints and valuable items. Whenever Milon finds a Music Box, he will be transported to a bonus stage. Each instrument you find will add a layer to the background music. Try to grab all seven instruments to create a performance worthy of a music-themed game.
ToeJam & Earl™ in Panic on Funkotron (Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone – Comic Mischief, 800 Wii Points): During ToeJam and Earl’s trip back home, a number of Earthlings hitchhiked on their spaceship and are now infesting planet Funkotron. ToeJam and Earl must track down the Earthlings in order to capture them in large jars and ship them back to Earth in spaceships. It is also their funky mission to find 10 beloved objects belonging to Lamont the “Funkapotamus,” the source of all funk in the universe, so they can persuade him to return to his favorite funk-filled planet. ToeJam and Earl must use their “funk powers,” such as Funk Move and Funk Scan, to assist in evading and capturing the Earthlings.
Dead Moon (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone – Mild Fantasy Violence, 600 Wii Points): This side-scrolling shooter includes a total of six scenes spanning areas from Earth to the moon. The story begins with a comet discovered in thevicinity of Pluto that is headed on a sudden collision course with Earth. Mankind narrowly succeeds in diverting the comet’s course, and it crashes into the moon. However, investigations into the damage uncover that what hit the moon was not a comet, but a gigantic mother ship. Power up your ship, destroy enemies and fight your way through the bosses in an attempt to reach the moon’s core and protect Earth from alien invasion. Enjoy the unique world of Dead Moon, including various stages with beautiful backgrounds, a power-up system that increases your attack as well as your defense and bosses that have you altering your ship’s direction to fight them.
… and the 100th game in the Wii Shop Channel:
Zelda II™ – The Adventure of Link® (NES, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone – Mild Fantasy Violence, 500 Wii Points): Link returns to Hyrule to search for the Triforce and to awaken Zelda from an endless sleep. Embark on a quest to find the Triforce of Courage and save Hyrule from ruin. Learn magic spells, talk to people in towns to get clues, collect items to increase your power and explore six palaces where the underlings of the evil Ganon await you. This sequel to the Adventure classic uses a side-scrolling visual engine unique to the series for more technical combat, and features more in-depth world roaming as Link encounters townsfolk while on his quest.
