Alex Kidd returns to the gaming world

This week’s virtual console games have two older and more obscure video game heroes. Bravoman from the TurboGrafx-16 days is known for his bionic arm punches and Alex Kidd was Sega’s mascot before Sonic existed. Before Sega made a final decision to drop Alex Kidd they were considering putting their fallen mascot in parodies of other popular games. Golden Axe, Phantasy Star and Shinobi were being developed. In Alex Kidd in Shinobi World a parody of Mario appears as the first boss wearing samurai gear. Galaga is the other virtual console game this week, but it’s the NES version instead of getting that you could wait to get the enhanced Galaga ’90. Past the break is more information on this weeks trio of virtual console releases.

Galaga(TM) (NES(R), 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points): Players control their fighters, with their unique ability to combine with other fighters and shoot down the invading aliens.  Aliens attack in formations using a variety of attack patterns.  Rescue a captured fighter to combine with it, forming a Dual Fighter with twice the firepower.  Earn Perfect Bonuses more easily by using a Dual Fighter on the Challenging Stages.  Galaga was released in 1981 and became an instant classic with its innovative fighter-combination system and varied enemy attack patterns.

BRAVOMAN(TM) (Turbografx16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points): The village of Nitta has been invaded by the army of Dr. Bomb, an evil scientist who is plotting to take over the world.  Facing this crisis is Bravoman, who received his powers from Alpha Man to stand up against Dr. Bomb in the name of justice. The village of Nitta consists of 22 stages — action stages that take place on the ground and shooting stages that take place underwater.  Action stages use a unique control system in which the height of a jump and the distance of an attack changes depending on how long players hold down the button.  Players collect the Luck Symbols that appear when they defeat enemies and give them to Lottery Man to get recovery and power-up items.  Stop Dr. Bomb and bring peace to the village of Nitta and the rest of the world.

Alex Kidd(TM) in the Enchanted Castle (Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points): When King Thor was kidnapped, his son, Alex Kidd, held out hope that his father would return to their kingdom on Planet Aries.  Finally, it was revealed that he was being held captive on Planet Paperock.  As Alex, players race to his rescue through 11 levels, battling enemies and avoiding obstacles while winning coins that will buy special items and vehicles.  At the end of each level, players encounter a boss and enter into a match of "Rock, Paper, Scissors."  Throwing the right symbols puts players ever closer to bringing King Thor home; throwing the wrong symbols squashes them beneath a heavy weight.