14 DAY TRIAL // That's funny, I thought Pac-Man was already available as a downloadable title on the Wii's Internet service, along with ActRaiser and Bonk's Revenge. Oh, that was the Wii's Virtual Cosnole... Wait. Nevermind, who cares, as long as it's there for the taking. So, the latest lineup from Nintendo, via their Internet service (I hope at least "Internet service" is correct): Pac-Man; Ninja Gaiden (oh yeah baby!) and Ninja Spirit.
Hey, what about Ninja Spirit? Wasn't this one available too? No, wait that was The Legend of the Mystical Ninja they announced some time ago. Jeez... how many ninja games are there? Anyway, here's a short description of the lot:
Pac-Man: the original NES version of it that is - The hungry yellow sphere named Pac-Man will have you navigating mazes, eating all those Pac-Dots; keep an eye out for Power Pellets, they're awfully "tasty" which makes Pac-Man invincible and able to eat the blue ghosts; the game was released in the '80 and it's the most famous game in the history of mankind; Pac-Man supports up to 2 players and is available now for 500 Wii Points, via the Wii's Shop Channel.
Ninja Gaiden: the original NES side-scrolling platformer - Players take on the role of Ryu Hayabusa, fighting their way through 14 challenging levels, while defeating gangs of street thugs, battling evil ninjas and fighting barbarian bosses by using the deadly Dragon Sword, ninja skills and Ninpo (a magic ability). The game has a quite complex control scheme, although it was designed for an 8 bit system: gamers can run, crouch, jump and climb as they make their way through each stage and collect items to gain points, strength and weapons; this one's a single player game, available now for 500 Wii Points also.
Ninja Spirit: a TurboGrafx16 title - Ninja Spirit is also a side-scrolling action game that amazed the gaming world with its precision graphics and quality game play (for 1987 of course); you take the role of the ninja Moonlight and engage in a fierce battle to avenge your father's death and unlock the secrets of your birth; you have Acade Mode and PC-Engine Mode (which includes a life gage). Moonlight has 5 weapons: katana, shuriken, bombs with chains and sickles; power-up items can be found scattered along your journey, while switching between weapons will ensure your passing onto the next level (different enemies - different weapons); 1-2 players, setting you back 600 Wii Points.
By the end of the year, all spoiled brats will know what classics really mean, as all three major console manufacturers today have released a great deal of arcade classics for their Internet services. They're doing a good thing though: cultivating youngsters.