It is an interesting week for Virtual Console releases, as the week of the 20th marks the first birthday of the Nintendo Wii! For the celebrations, Nintendo has released three games no one has heard mentioned in twelve years.

Wrecking Crew is actually a Mario title, in case you didn’t know, and it might be worth checking out if you actually have any money left after Rock Band. Sonic 3D is a really cool game and brings back fond, nostalgic memories of the Sega Channel. Oh Nintendo, when will you learn and copy Sega’s business model with the Sega Channel. Super Air Zonk is…well, Super Air Zonk. I haven’t even heard of this game and can’t see myself paying nearly ten bucks for it.

None of these titles will have me breaking out my classic controller - what about you?
 

Wrecking Crew
NES
1-2 players
500 Wii Points

In the days before Mario and Luigi became sports stars in their downtime between plumbing and saving the Princess, they tried their hands as one-man wrecking crews. With a hammer as their only tool, players take control of the brothers and set out to destroy ladders, rip out pipes, knock down walls and detonate explosive devices. But make sure to plan your path of destruction carefully, as each building is designed as its own clever puzzle—if you're not careful, you can easily trap yourself in a dead end. Adding to the excitement and challenge are fireballs, enemies and an angry foreman roaming the buildings. They're all trying to stop you from moving on to the next stage. With 100 buildings to demolish and the ability to construct your own, it's a wonder Mario and Luigi ever got back to saving the Mushroom Kingdom.

Sonic 3D Blast
Sega Genesis
1 player
800 Wii Points

The evil Dr. Eggman (aka Dr. Robotnik) stumbles upon an alternate dimension where some odd birds called Flickies have the ability to travel anywhere. In order to get help in his search for the Chaos Emeralds, Dr. Eggman transforms the Flickies into robots that will help him track down his coveted gems. Of course, it's up to our favorite blue hedgehog, Sonic, to step in and save the day. Jump into this 3-D adventure as Sonic or his buddy Tails, and collect the golden rings to help free the Flickies and defeat the doctor.

Super Air Zonk
TurboGrafx16 CD-ROM
1 player
800 Wii Points

Zonk is back in Super Air Zonk, the sequel to the shooting game spin-off of the Bonk series, Air “Zonk.” Now moving to a rockabilly beat and able to transform into nine different characters, Zonk lets loose through seven action-packed stages in another battle against his arch nemesis, SandroVitch. Power up Zonk with the classic Meat item, eventually turning him into the champion of justice, Ultra Zonk, or the fearsome Tyrano Zonk in the latter stages of the game. After rescuing his friends from enemies, Zonk can also morph with them to combine powers. Fight enemies with killer tunes belted out from a trusty microphone. Hurl freshly made sushi at them. With its variety of wacky attacks, Super Air Zonk has a sense of humor all its own.

 

 
Go to the Wii Shop channel to download these games in addition to already available classics like Super Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Gunstar Heroes, Sonic The Hedgehog, Bonk's Adventure, and Super Mario Bros.! Click here for a list of games available on Virtual Console.