The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time will be coming to Virtual Console during the first three months of the year. Nintendo has announced that 36 games will be available between January and March and in addition to Zelda, the highlights include Mario Kart 64, Street Fighter II and Super Mario World.
Yet it's The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time that's undoubtedly the most exciting game of them all. Until Twilight Princess was released on Wii in December, Ocarina Of Time was widely acknowledged as not only the best Zelda adventure ever but one of the greatest videogames ever made. Released on N64 in 1998 it was the first 3D Zelda game and not only was it better looking than any game at the time, its epic plot and time-warping gameplay make it every bit as vital today. If you've never played Ocarina Of Time you have to download it when it comes to Virtual Console.
Just behind Ocarina Of Time is Mario Kart 64. Many argued at the time whether the N64 racer was actually better than the simple SNES original, but whatever your opinion, Mario Kart 64 was always a joy to play, especially in multi-player mode.
Mario will also be showing up in Super Mario World, the brilliant SNES adventure that saw the plumber leap onto Yoshi's back for the first time. This game is also on GBA where it is known as Super Mario Advance 2.
Another absolute classic is Street Fighter II. With its fast-paced fighting action and amazing special moves it is still widely regarded as the best 2D beat-'em up ever and it will be great to have a two-player game again on Virtual Console. The final Nintendo game to be confirmed is Super Probotector, the 2D SNES shoot-'em up.
As for Sega stuff, perhaps the highlight is the side-scrolling fighting game, Streets Of Rage, originally released on SNES in 1991. Also released is a shoot-'em up called Bio-Hazard Battle, a platformer named Bonanza Bros. and Comix Zone, a comic book-themed beat-'em up.
Finally, three Turbografx games have also been announced. There's a role-playing game called Double Dungeons, Soldier Blade, a vertical-scrolling shooter and the 2D platformer, New Adventure Island.
There are no confirmed release dates for any of these games yet but we'll keep you updated on the latest Virtual Console games when they become available every Friday.
Nintendo official magazine
OMG I've never played Ocarina, im so happy. I'm also sad and peaved that Mario kart 64 has little to no chance of being on wifi if it comes on this early. You will need a GC or classic controller to play these games, you can't use a Wiimote.
Big hitters to come to VC! Ocarina of time / Mario Kart 64!
Linear Mode
