Rant: Why you should be down with the Nintendo Virtual Console

So if you own or have owned a Nintendo Wii, Wii U, 3DS or new 3DS, then you're probably familiar with the Virtual Console service. It originally appeared on the Wii shortly after the system launched, and it was a big deal for Wii owners during that time. I remember being able to buy and download a ton of ordinarily expensive SNES and NES games when it debuted. To start with, it seemed like every Monday was a new awesome title being released on the Virtual Console...but then it seemed like there started being some "meh" titles released with the great titles released here and there. Most people, including myself, seemed to fall out of following it after about 2009 or 2010.

That's why I decided to bring up this topic now. You can still buy games on the Nintendo Store on the original Wii, and there are a TON of games there to download now. The highlights are the TurboGrafx 16 (which is awfully expensive to collect for if you don't have one) and a lot of more expensive SNES, SEGA and NES games.  The Virtual Console on the Wii also has NEO GEO AES and Arcade titles, as well as Nintendo 64 and Sega Master System titles. The NEO GEO titles are worth it alone, as a lot of AES titles sell for well over $100 USD on eBay.  It really is a good cheap way to collect a lot of classic games without just downloading sketchy ROMs...not to mention the emulation on the Wii is perfect.

The Wii U also has a virtual console, and if you didn't have a Wii (or at least, didn't buy Virtual Console games on the Wii), you can go to the Wii channel on the Wii U and still have access to all the old Wii Virtual Console titles. In addition to the original, the Wii U has a Virtual Console too, but the systems on there include the NES, SNES, N64, Game Boy Advance, Wii and Nintendo DS. Notably you can buy EarthBound on the Wii U Virtual Console, as well as Mother (EarthBound Beginnings).

The New 3DS virtual console includes NES, SEGA Game Gear, and Game Boy games. A large host of classic Game Boy titles are on there, as well as the 3D remasters of SEGA Genesis games. You should pick up the 3D remaster of Fantasy Zone if you like shm'ups and Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins.

Also if you don't own a Wii, Wii U or a 3DS...do you even play video games? There are a ton of great titles on all three systems. So if you get tired of playing your blockbuster title games on the XBONE or the PS4 (or PC if you're like me)...go get one of the Nintendo systems. I'll probably talk about a lot of the great games on them as the blog goes on.