Retro Gaming Australia

We’ve seen some high profile withdrawls of games from the Wii’s Virtual Console about, but this one is perhaps the most surprising. Reports are coming in from the US that Nintendo has pulled Donkey Kong Country, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest and Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie’s Double Trouble from the Virtual Console service. Nintendo has not provided a reason for the change. Word is that the games will be pulled from PAL region stores on the 25th of November – so if you want them, download them now.

Some folks are speculating that Nintendo might be upgrading the games to support the WiiU Game Pad, or be planning some kind of Donkey Kong collection disc, but these stories seem unlikely at this point – Donkey Kong‘s 30th anniversary was last year. There are no rights issues with Rare, as Nintendo always owned the rights to the games and characters Rare created for the franchise.

Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon, an action adventure game (often likened to The Legend of Zelda series) released in 1998 for the Game Boy, is set for release on Nintendo’s European and Australian 3DS Virtual Console services.

Originally released as Ganbare Goemon: Kurofune Tō no Nazo (Go Goemon: Mystery of the Black Ship Gang) in Japan, the title’s gameplay is reminiscent of the Japanese only Ganbare Goemon 3: ShishijÅ«rokubÄ“ no Karakuri Manji Gatame for the Super Famicom – including RPG elements, puzzle-solving and a top-down perspective of the action. Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon features three payable characters – Geomon, Sasuke and Ebisumaru, all tasked with rescuing fellow ninja Yae from the Black Ship Gang who kidnapped her.

Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon is available 16 August for £2.70 / €3.00 in Europe and most likely $4.50 for Australia.

Source: Nintendo of Europe

Last week, Nintendo of America announced the upcoming releases for the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console and reaffirmed their support for the service with a commitment to release two 3DS Virtual Console titles a week from July 5 to August 1.

Throughout July, which Nintendo have nicknamed the “8-bit Summer”, the following games are scheduled for release:
The Legend of Zelda (NES) – July 5th
Kirby’s Pinball Land (Game Boy) – July 12th
The Sword of Hope II (Game Boy) – July 12th
Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters (Game Boy) – July 19th
Tumblepop (Game Boy) – July 19th
Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 (Game Boy) – July 19th
Sonic Blast (Game Gear) – TBA
Sonic Labyrinth (Game Gear) – TBA

Unfamiliar with some of these games? Not a problem. Just check out the trailer above for a showcase of what’s on offer. Apparently more titles will be available too, but these are yet to be confirmed.

Nintendo of America will also be offering a weekly sale on select eShop titles for a limited time, so if you live in North America or are the proud owner of an imported Nintendo 3DS you have a lot to look forward to this … winter.

Source: Siliconera

Sonic Blast for the Sega Game Gear is set for re-release in Europe via the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console service.

Released in 1996, Sonic Blast was the last Sonic game to appear on the handheld. Players reprise the roles of Sonic and Knuckles and are tasked with collecting five Chaos Emeralds and defeating Eggman. Sonic Blast imbues Sonic with the ability to double jump to reach higher areas.

Sonic Blast releases on June 14 in Europe, so it should be available in Australia later today.

Source: Siliconera

The well-loved Shantae, a Game Boy Color classic, is planned for release on the Nintendo 3DS’s Virtual Console “soon”.

Shantae is a platformer developed by WayForward Technologies, which was released in North America in 2002. In the role of the half-genie Shantae, players journey through Sequin Land to challenge Risky Boots and his gang of pirates and thwart their evil plans. The games sequel Shantae: Risky’s Revenge was released in 2010 via DSiWare to critical acclaim – however the title was not released in Australia or New Zealand for unknown reasons.

Shantae is currently being rated by the ESRB, and upon its classification Nintendo will determine the release date for North America. There is no word on a PAL release at this stage.

Source: Nintendo World Report

Kirby and his animal friends are headed to the 3DS Virtual Console next week, with the release of Kirby’s Dream Land 2.

Kirby’s Dream Land 2, a platformer for the Game Boy released in 1995, sees Kirby team up with Rick the Hamster, Coo the Owl and Kine the Ocean Sunfish to solve the mystery of the missing Rainbow Bridges that connect the seven Rainbow Islands, defeat evil, and save Dream Land. Kirby’s animal friends each have their own unique abilities and also alter Kirby’s powers.

Kirby’s Dream Land 2 will be available in Australia and Europe on May 17.

Two more titles from the classic Wonder Boy series, Wonder Boy in Monster Land and Monster World IV (pictured), are launching on the Nintendo Wii’s Virtual Console service on May 10.

Wonder Boy in Monster Land is an action role-playing platformer developed by Westone and released for many systems including the Sega Master System , Amiga, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, and Atari ST. In Wonder Boy in Monster Land players reprise their role as Wonder Boy (now in a Medieval world) to rid the land of a fire-breathing dragon and his minions. The Sega Master System version of Wonder Boy in Monster Land was released on Virtual Console in 2009, however, it is the 1987 arcade version that Wii owners will get to experience anew from tomorrow.

More exciting is the release of Monster World IV, the sixth and final installment in the Wonder Boy franchise (though technically not part of the Wonder Boy series and exclusively part of the Monster World series). Monster World IV is a 1994 adventure platformer also developed by Westone and released for the Sega Mega Drive – only in Japan. This Virtual Console release is the first official release of the game outside of Japan. Featuring a female protagonist and Middle Eastern setting, Monster World IV sees players journey to save the Elemental Spirits and defeat the bad guys.

Wonder Boy in Monster Land and Monster World IV will set you back 900 Nintendo Points each.

Source: SEGA Blog

Master of Darkness (titled Vampire: Master of Darkness in the US), a Castlevania-style vampire hunting platformer released for the Sega Master System and Sega Game Gear in the early 90s, will be re-released on the 3DS Virtual Console.

In Master of Darkness players take up the role of Dr. Social, a psychologist armed with a wide range of weapons – including knives, rapiers, axes, pistols and bombs, and fight their way through a variety of locations to defeat many enemies and eventually Dracula himself.

A date for the 3DS release is yet to be announced.

Source: Siliconera

Kirby’s Pinball Land looks set for release on the 3DS Virtual Console. The pinball game starring Kirby, originally released on the Game Boy in 1993, has been rated by the Australian Classification Board.

Kirby fans are in for quite a treat this year – with the release of both Kirby’s Pinball Land and 3D Classics: Kirby’s Adventure on the Nintendo 3DS eShop, and the upcoming Kirby collection disc for the Wii celebrating the series’ recent 20th anniversary.

Expect more details soon.

The Sword of Hope 2 has been rated by the Australian Classification Board, with Nintendo listed as the publisher.

The Sword of Hope II is a RPG developed my Kemco and released in 1996 (North America) for the Game Boy, and it looks set for release as The Sword of Hope 2 on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console.

This will be the first time the title sees a release in PAL territories.