Dynamite Headdy is bound to get the most attention out of the three virtual console games this week and it probably should. Treasure made the colorful platformer way back on the 16-bit Sega Genesis and it is best known because you can switch heads to do special attacks. If you don’t have the Gunstar Heroes Treasure Box, Dynamite Headdy is worth 800 Wii Points as long as you don’t mind playing the more difficult US version.
Drop Off deserves an extra mention too since it’s probably going to be the most ignored game this week. Simply stated it is a fusion of Arkanoid and a vertical shmup. Somewhere in the game there is a huge, brown hippopotamus too. Probably not a major selling point, but it’s in there.
Star Soldier (NES®, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone – Mild Fantasy Violence, 500 Wii Points): The standard for vertically scrolling shooters, Star Soldier is the original game that spawned all of the titles in the long-running Soldier series. Go inside a floating space station inhabited by a giant computer known as Starbrain. Your mission: to stop Starbrain's galactic invasion by piloting Caesar, a new, compact space fighter through 16 deadly stages. Collect power capsules to increase three different attributes of your ship: firepower, movement speed and defensive shields. Blast wave after wave of approaching enemies or use the innovative Trap Zone feature to fly beneath a land mass and avoid incoming fire. Conquer each stage to make your way to the final confrontation with Starbrain.
Dynamite Headdy™ (Sega Genesis, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone – Comic Mischief, 800 Wii Points): Headdy, a toy with a detachable head, arrives in North Town to find that the evil puppet king Dark Demon is causing serious problems. Dark Demon is gathering up all the puppets in town and turning some into his own evil minions, while eliminating the rest of the puppets that aren't good enough to join his legions. Headdy is captured and is targeted for the incinerator, but escapes in the nick of time. Now he's got to save the town. To do so, Headdy has to take on all manner of bad guys and even has to contend with his lifelong nemesis, Trouble Bruin the bear. Can Headdy overcome all his foes and take down Dark Demon?
Drop Off (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 600 Wii Points): Brave five rounds of haunting, nightmarish dreams in this take on the classic arcade puzzler. To save his dearly beloved from the malicious demon that controls her dreams and holds her captive, our brave hero plunges himself into the nightmare to vanquish this evil foe. Deftly use the arrow items and control the angle of the ball to shatter the blocks that descend from the top of the screen. Set your sights on the joints holding the blocks together and knock off multiple blocks in one exhilarating blow. As you drop more and more blocks, their shapes will change, allowing you to earn bonus points. You must use your concentration and reflexes to defeat the demon and save your beloved.
