14 DAY TRIAL // 2008 has already seen a batch of classics hitting the Wii Shop Channel, but Nintendo forgot to mention that the best were yet to come. Whatever the reason for not throwing The King of Fighters '94 in with the first games, Nintendo has just made it available as a download via the Wii's Internet service, along with Star Tropics, a great NES mixture of adventure and RPG elements.
Star Tropics (NES, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone-Mild Fantasy Violence, 500 Wii Points): Find out just how resourceful you can be in this classic game, with its mixture of adventure and RPG elements. Step into the shoes of Mike Jones, a teenage star pitcher from Seattle who has come to the tropics to visit his famous archeologist uncle, Dr. Jones. After being told that his uncle has been abducted, Mike begins a perilous quest in order to rescue him and figure out the mysterious plot behind his disappearance.
Luckily for Mike, he meets helpful villagers and finds more powerful weapons as he explores numerous locations and island-hops using his uncle's submarine. You'll never know what to expect next as the cosmic story unfolds over the course of eight action-packed chapters, ranging from Dr. Jones's lab on C-Island to an alien spacecraft. Who knew a tropical vacation could turn into a mission to save the world?
THE KING OF FIGHTERS '94 (NEOGEO, 1-2 players, Rated T for Teen-Animated Blood, Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Alcohol & Tobacco Reference, Violence, available for 900 Wii Points): As the first game in the long-running KING OF FIGHTERS series, THE KING OF FIGHTERS '94 brought together popular characters from other well-known franchises and pitted them against each other. Match warriors from Fatal Fury against favorites from its sister series, Art of Fighting. Or see if the casts of the Ikari Warriors and Psycho Soldier series better suit your fighting style. Plus, there's a set of brand new characters, exclusive to the KOF series, who are willing to join the fray. But there's a twist: Instead of the standard best-two-out-of-three-rounds fight setup, players choose one of eight teams, each made up of three teammates.
To win, all members of the other team must be eliminated before your fighters are knocked out. Use the game's power gauge to inflict maximum damage and end the round with a devastating finishing move. It's a battle royal unlike anything else, a game whose inspiration is easily seen in the fighting games that followed it. Can your team be the last one standing?
Star Tropics, originally released for the Nintendo Entertainment system is as fun today as it was back in its day and today it goes only for 500 Wii Points. NEO-GEO's The King of Fighters '94 on the other hand, is a bit more pricey - 900 Wii Points, but it's worth every cent. Ask a fan. He'll slap you if you say it's not worth the Wii Points.