This week’s VC releases: worse than murder

It’s Monday morning, and many of us have returned to the daily grind of nine to five. Working hard for the money to pay your bills. Working hard, no doubt, to earn the opportunity to spend $21 dollars on today’s fine selection of Virtual Console releases: Lode Runner (NES, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points), Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points), and Golden Axe II (Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points).

The title of this week’s post (“worse than murder”) comes from a print ad for Golden Axe II that I saw as a kid. The ad promised that “Golden Axe was murder. This one’s worse.” Talk about a hard sell. Nevermind the fact that the ad agency responsible for the copy decided to liken the original Golden Axe to an atrocity. Murder? Sorry, I’ll pass. I hear ESWAT is like a rectal exam; I’ll take the lesser of two evils.

The press release with some actual game information can be found after the jump.

Wii-kly Update: Three New Classic Games Added to Wii Shop Channel

Seems like these days everybody’s just running around, grabbing whatever they can for themselves. Some are after gold nuggets, some want rings and some are trying to recover a stolen axe. Doesn’t anybody talk anymore? Why don’t you grab a few warm cookies, pour yourself a glass of cold milk and fire up the Wii(TM)? We’ll play games and tell stories from simpler times.

Three new classic games go live at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Nintendo adds new games to the Wii Shop Channel every Monday. Wii 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:

Lode Runner(R) (NES(R), 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points): This landmark action-puzzle game has been a worldwide fixture in video games from the moment of its inception until today, producing many sequels and related products along the way. The player controls the hero, or “Runner,” who collects gold nuggets located around every stage, all the while avoiding capture by enemy robots. The action itself is simple, but the stages are designed as increasingly challenging puzzles, and none of the 50 stages is as easy as it seems. The Runner avoids enemies by digging holes in the floor to the right and left of his position—by doing this, he can clear a path to places that, at first glance, seem unreachable. Players must use their brains to collect all the gold nuggets in every puzzling stage if they want to escape to the next. In addition to normal play, this version of the game features an Edit Mode that allows players to design their own stages, adding a new level of enjoyment to the game.

Sonic the Hedgehog(TM) 2 (Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone, 800 Wii Points): Dr. Eggman (aka Dr. Robotnik) is back to continue his zealous search for the Chaos Emeralds needed to fuel his new Death Egg contraption. The evil doctor secretly follows Sonic to his vacation spot, Westside Island, and launches a full-scale attack, imprisoning all the helpless animals of the island and turning them into mindless worker drones. Now Sonic must thwart the doctor’s plans at all costs. This time he isn’t alone, as a peculiar two-tailed fox named Miles Prower (aka Tails) decides to aid him in the battle. Together they must locate the Chaos Emeralds before Dr. Eggman does, and put an end to his diabolical scheme.

Golden Axe(TM) II (Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older – Fantasy Violence, 800 Wii Points): Not long after the devastating reign of the wicked Death Adder, another evil arose. Dark Guld and his minions invaded and took hold of the prized Golden Axe with plans to destroy it. Once again, as a fierce barbarian named Ax-Battler, a fearless female Amazon known as Tyris-Flare or a ferocious dwarf named Gilius Thunderhead, you will wield steely swords and powerful magic in an all-out war to recover the sword. Once you slash your way through the six side-scrolling levels, you’ll get the chance to defeat Dark Guld once and for all.