Hey folksies, Sarah is on vacation this week so I am covering Nintendo's feeble attempt at making us forget that they didn't announce a Zelda game last week. The Virtual Console releases are both import titles, so that is kind of cool, but neither of them ring as interesting in the least.

Wiiware also sees itself slipping into the realm of "meh" (which is an everenlarging realm at this point), with a Pirate Shootem-up called Pirates: The Key of Dreams. Oh well, there's always...uh...nothing. This week sucks.

Super Fantasy Zone
Sega Genesis
1 player
900 Wii Points

Super Fantasy Zone was the last addition to the Fantasy Zone series. It was released in Europe and Japan but, for unknown reasons, not in the US.  The game is a free moving shoot-em-up, like its side-scrolling predecessors, and essentially has the same control system. The main differences between Super Fantasy Zone and the previous games in the series are its improved graphics/soundtrack. The soundtrack to this game was composed by Naoki Kodaka, you can also find the soundtrack to an older Fantasy Zone game composed by Hiroshi Kawaguchi.

The game follows Opa-Opa as he fights to avenge the death of his father, (O-papa), who was killed defending the Fantasy Zone against the invading "Dark Menon". Opa-Opa must rid the Fantasy Zone of the minions of the Dark Menon and restore peace.

Gley Lancer
Sega Genesis
1 player
900 Wii Points

Gley Lancer is a scrolling shooter game developed by NCS. It was released in 1992 in Japan for the Sega Mega Drive game console. The game was never released outside of Japan, and because of this is somewhat unknown worldwide. Strangely enough the weapon selection screen at the start of the game is written completely in English with little or no language errors. The story follows Lucia, a 16 year old star fighter pilot in the Earth Federation.

A war breaks out between humans and an unknown alien race in the year 2025. Lucia's father, Ken, a high-ranking admiral in the Federation Navy, is captured after his ship is warped out of the combat zone with 4 alien modules which have the ability of teleportation. Lucia, heart-broken after hearing her father's disappearance, decides to hijack the prototype fighter CSH-01-XA "Gleylancer" with the help of her friend Teim and go after her father.

Pirates: The Key of Dreams1-4 players1,000 Wii Points  Pirates: The Key of Dreams is a frantic nautical shoot-em-up available exclusively through the Nintendo Channel - Sail your way across the Caribbean, cannons blazing, looting booty, running blockades, and ultimately, battling Blackbeard himself! The player takes control of a Navy Captain sent deep undercover as a ruthless Pirate, in order to seek out and retrieve The Key of Dreams, a valuable and dangerous cursed artifact. Rescue castaways to bolster your ship's crew, gaining performance increases to your navigation, weaponry, structural integrity and cartography skills. Collect increasingly powerful weaponry including Rockets, Mines, Chain Shot, Saw Blades and a Flamethrower to hurl destruction into the path of your enemies. Play against three of your scurvy friends or AI opponents in pitched multiplayer battles over 35 levels, in seven themed environments.  Choose from different ship types that reflect your play style, and play in turbo mode if you think you're Pirate enough!

'The Key of Dreams', for Wii Ware, is the prequel to Pirates: Duels on the High Seas for Nintendo DS.  

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