Let’s get this out of the way first — Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES, 1 player, 500 Wii Points), Ecco: The Tides of Time (Sega Genesis, 1 player, 800 Wii Points), and DRAGON SPIRIT (TurboGrafx-16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points) are the classics hitting the Wii Shop Channel today. All of that is really great, but this rubs a sore spot in me, and I can’t ignore it.
Where the hell is Wart?
The villainous, vegetable-fearing toad, famous for causing terror in the dreamland of Subcon in Super Mario Bros. 2 gets absolutely no respect. Many of that game’s characters have gone on to have successful, budding videogame careers — Shyguy for instance, has found work in the Mario Kart series, Yoshi’s Island, and even Super Mario 64. Even Pokey, a God damned cactus, was raised from the dead to appear as Mummipokey in the smash hit, New Super Mario Bros. on the Nintendo DS.
But Wart? As far as I know, the guy hasn’t worked since 2001’s Game Boy Advance title, Super Mario Advance. There are a lot of unsuccessful Nintendo characters fans want to see return; Kid Icarus‘ Pit, for instance, has graced the Super Smash Bros. universe. Can we at least get a Wart/Bowser team up this generation? A mini-game in Wii Fitness featuring Wart as an aerobics instructor?
I’m just saying — give the guy a break.
Wii-kly Update: Three New Classic Games Added to Wii Shop Channel
This week the Wii Shop Channel is all about a healthy diet. Grab lots of vegetables, drink plenty of water and top it off with some eggs. As an appetizer, might we recommend starting with Super Mario Bros. 2(TM), a delicious morsel starring everyone’s favorite plumber. But in this game, players can control three other characters as well. As an entree, try the dolphin. Not to eat, of course, but to play. Ecco(TM): The Tides of Time is a swimmingly fun underwater adventure. Finally, let a multi-headed dragon help you cleanse your palate in DRAGON SPIRIT(TM). This week is a veritable feast of delicious games.
Three new classic games go live at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Nintendo adds new games to the Wii Shop Channel every Monday. Wii(TM) owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points(TM) to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are:
Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES(R), 1 player, rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points): Join Mario(TM), Luigi, Princess Toadstool and Toad in an incredible fantasy world on a quest to save the day. This time, they have little more than vegetables to defend themselves with. Pick up items and throw them at your adversaries to clear levels in seven massive worlds. Even enemies can be picked up and tossed across the screen. Each character has a unique set of abilities: Luigi can jump higher and farther than any of the other characters, Toad can dig extremely fast and pull items out of the ground quicker than anyone and the princess is the only one who can jump and hover temporarily.
This unique installment in the Mario series will keep you coming back for more.Ecco: The Tides of Time (Sega Genesis, 1 player, rated E for Everyone, 800 Wii Points): In this sequel to Ecco the Dolphin, everyone’s favorite underwater hero must battle the Vortex Queen and her hive of drones. The wicked queen followed Ecco back to Earth from the future and quickly established her hive. It’s up to Ecco to defeat this alien threat by navigating the depths of his side-scrolling world, solving puzzles and receiving help from his marine-mammal friends. When Ecco used the time machine to save his pod, he split the
stream of time in two. He must now restore the rift before the world is permanently changed into a mechanical world, sucked dry by the Vortex.DRAGON SPIRIT (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, rated E for Everyone – Mild Fantasy Violence, 600 Wii Points): A fantastic world of adventure unfolds in this vertical-scrolling shooter. Sealed away by the gods long ago, the Evil Demon of Darkness, Zawell, seeks to rise again and unleash a new reign of evil. The brave warrior Amur races to rescue Princess Alicia from the demon’s wretched clutches. Amur takes the form of the legendary Blue Dragon and fights his way through the legions of monsters that await in the sky. Battle your way through
eight different areas, using your Dragon Breath to bring down airborne targets and Fireballs to wipe out targets on the ground. Destroy flashing enemies and smash Eggs to uncover different kinds of power-up items. Boost your firepower by increasing the number of heads your dragon has, and defeat all the bosses as you make your way to Zawell’s dark lair.
