Virtual Console Monday: Are you ready for some football (and a hedgehog and a Zelda-clone)?

by Justin McElroy { Sep 10th 2007 at 9:03AM }

Football season got started in earnest yesterday, and probably left some of you still hungry for more pigskin. If so: Eat pork rinds, they're delicious. If you want more football though, the Virtual Console has you covered. Imagine: Football in video game form.

NES Play Action Football (NES, 1-4 players, 500 Wii Points): The press release from Nintendo touts a "distinct overhead viewpoint" creating an "almost 3-D field." Also, there eight available teams with "multiple running/passing plays" and "a wide selection of defensive schemes."! Madden who?

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points): If you think about it, in many ways, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is exactly like football. You run as fast as your can always trying to collect rings. And Dr. Robotnik kind of looks like a bald Mike Ditka. Also, you're competing against an echidna that you eventually befriend. ... Just like football.

Neutopia II (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points): Despite what we will occasionally put on mortgage applications, we are not scientists. But we think that Neutopia is scientifically the polar opposite of football. That's so much the case that we feel free from tying it to our theme, and can instead just say that this game wants to be Zelda so bad that it's considering seeing Dr. 90210 for ear extensions.

Tags: sonic, virtualconsolemonday, wii

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

OnimushaSoki @ Sep 10th 2007 9:23AM

So is it the complete "Sonic 3 & Knuckles" or just "Sonic3"...?
I disliked having to buy two cartridges back in the 16bit days and the gimmicked "snap on other cartridges" for Knuckles or that dumb globe special stage(the best one was in Sonic2 or Sonic 3D Blast for Saturn).

Henry @ Sep 10th 2007 9:26AM

I remember the special stage in Sonic 2, it was great!
Eventually I was able to get all the chaos emeralds by the end of chemical plant zone and blast through the rest of the game in about 10 mins as super sonic!
Good times.

NaeemTHM @ Sep 10th 2007 9:53AM

My tiny 9 year old brain thought that the "lock-on" technology was the greatest thing invented since Earth itself. I remember plugging every Genesis game I had into Sonic & Knuckles.

Anyway despite the gimmick, Sonic & Knuckles is and will always be the greatest Sonic game...EVER.

J.Goodwin @ Sep 10th 2007 9:25AM

I may be the only person on the planet who prefers Neutopia to Neutopia II. N2 is objectively probably better, but the first game, IMHO, has more responsive controls and overall superior gameplay. Being able to walk in eight directions SHOULD be superior, but in practice, not so much, IMHO.

I felt the same way about Dungeon Explorer II, they made some changes, and they weren't all for the better.

FermitTheKrog @ Sep 10th 2007 9:40AM

I prefer Neutopia as well. It is in some respects better than even Zelda. Great game. Reminds me of Summer of 1991. I played it all summer while on break.

Terry @ Sep 10th 2007 9:43AM

I picked up the original Neutopia off of VC the other day and was very satisfied with the Zelda-ness of it, I'll pick this up.

If you like the old-school 2D top-down Zelda, you might give it a shot...

J.Goodwin @ Sep 10th 2007 9:48AM

The Neutopia series is almost like a bridge between the original Zelda and the Zeldas that came later on the Gameboy and SNES. The later Zeldas have a lot more interaction with NPCs, and little mini games and stuff, whereas Neutopia and N2 are pretty much straight up action adventure games. You make your way through the overworld, find the dungeon, and beat the boss. It doesn't get any more complicated than that, and that's just how I like it :D

Guybrush Threepwood @ Sep 10th 2007 9:52AM

Do people actually buy these VC Sonic games?

Sonic Mega Collection is sitting right there waiting to be bought and you can probably find it for less than $8.

Plus the XBLA versions of Sonic 1 & 2 are cheaper and have Achivements as well.

WiNG @ Sep 10th 2007 9:54AM

noooo where is the sonic 3 & knuckles?

and by the way, I used to hate the sonic3 globe bonus stages, but I came to like it. I feel there is a much greater sense of speed than the sonic2 halfpipe.

Almack64 @ Sep 10th 2007 10:04AM

The whole Sonic being just like football bit was kinda funny. I guess everyone really is trying to get some rings.

Rich @ Sep 10th 2007 10:09AM

I had that Play Action Football for my NES. That weird slanty-angle overhead view was a bit bizarre...

hvnlysoldr @ Sep 10th 2007 10:14AM

Finally Sonic 3. My old cartridge's battery is dead and won't save anymore. My precious 100 continue files.

Mr Khan @ Sep 10th 2007 6:12PM

A Sonic fan with a Wii and you don't have GC Sonic Mega Collection?

skullivan @ Sep 12th 2007 1:14PM

Damn, it took them ages to get Neutopia up and Neutopia II shows up only a couple weeks later. Between Bioshock and Metroid Prime 3 I haven't even had a chance to snag the first one yet. It's good to know that whenever the next drought starts there'll be plenty of solid VC titles to play. I've gotta grab Super Metroid also.