Wii Virtual Console Snags Lunar Pool, Ninja JaJaMaru-kun, Golden Axe III

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From billiards on the moon to bipedal panthers and a ninja named JaJaMaru, today's new Virtual Console releases mark some of the strangest games yet to hit the Wii's online store.

The weirdness stars with Lunar Pool, an NES title from Compile that provides a glimpse into the recreational activities available on the moon. Essentially a cross between billiards and miniature golf, Lunar Pool runs 500 Wii Points ($5).

Next up is the North American debut of Jaleco's NES action title Ninja JaJaMaru-kun. In order to rescure Princess Sakura from Namazu Dayuu, JaJaMaru must break floor tiles and figure out the attack patterns of his various foes. There is also a chance he might ride on a giant frog.

As with Sin & Punishment and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, the localization cost of Ninja JaJaMaru-kun results in a slightly higher price than normal: 600 Wii Points ($6), instead of the usual 500 Wii Points ($5) for an NES game.

Wrapping up this week's bizarre offerings is Sega's Golden Axe III. Previously only available in North America through the oft-forgotten Sega Channel, this 800 Wii Point ($8) Genesis slash 'em up features a panther and a giant among its playable characters.

Chris Faylor was previously a games journalist creating content at Shacknews.

From The Chatty
  • reply
    October 22, 2007 9:22 AM

    good to see more good import games out there on the vc. Sin and Punishment was an awesome addition and I'm still loving that game.

    • reply
      October 22, 2007 9:32 AM

      I'd be really happy if nintendo gave us the Mother (Earthbound) games that weren't released in the US. Mother 1 was actually localized but never released in the US. The ROM hacking/translation group Demiforce managed to get a hold of a copy of the game and released the ROM as "Earthbound Zero", but I would like to see an official nintendo release of the game. Also, if they could somehow get Mother 3 for GBA on virtual console, I would be extremely happy.

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