The Future of the Virtual Console?
Nintendo's Virtual Console is a great idea: it offers loads of classic games from a range of systems for purchase from a single online store, and providing you have enough Wii storage space, all games are playable with just a click of a button. At the moment we can download software from the: NES, SNES, N64, Mega Drive, PC Engine, Neogeo, C64 and Master System. But why should it end there? There are more fantastic systems that should be added to the list, here are the top 5 most wanted systems chosen by the staff of Gameflavor.
5) Atari Jaguar: The claim that this was the first ever 64 bit console is still debated to this day. Regardless the system had some interesting titles which would be fun to experience on Wii, such as Alien vs. Predator, Doom and Tempest.
4) ZX Spectrum: Like many machines designed in the 70’s and 80’s to be affordable home computers for programming and word processing, their true retail success was with games. You’ll be surprised how many modern day game developers started their programming here. Rare software being a prime example!
3) Virtual Boy: Nintendo’s first ever hardware flop (not counting Rob the robot), this 3D game system which was a cross between a bad acid trip and a What the butler saw machine frequently gave its users head and neck aches. Combine this with the red only coloured 3D wireframe graphics and you have to be pretty thankful that someone somewhere had the sense to develop the Ultra 64 whilst this monstrosity was being touted about. Having said all that, it would be a fun to see the games on Wii.
2) Gameboy: Wouldn’t it be fantastic to play original Gameboy games on the big screen? Nintendo’s first game swappable major handheld device was a worldwide hit and sold tens of millions of units. There are some excellent lost gems to be found on this little system and they deserve to be resurrected. Super Mario Land 1 and 2, Tetris and Donkey Kong Land would be ace.
1) Amiga A500: Although not my first gaming system it is probably my most loved, the A500 was so cutting edge that it lasted as a game system for a solid 15 years. You might think that Nintendo and Sega were the rulers of the 16bit era but you would be wrong. At the end of its life the Amiga 500 had a library of games numbering over five thousand. Some of its top titles which you might think were made famous on console or pc were actually on the Amiga first, in some cases years before, here are just some you may have heard of: Sensible Soccer, Speedball, Lemmings, Sim City, Theme Park, Worms and The Settlers.
