Chase HQ and friends on Virtual Console

Nintendo has updated the Wii Virtual Console with four new games hot from a dusty Japanese shelf, where in some cases they have been lying around untranslated for over a decade. Yes, the Hanabi Festival continues! Dance! Rejoice! Pay inexplicable premiums!

The best of the bunch is Chase HQ on the TurboGrafx-16, which costs 600 Wii Points (GBP 4.20 / EUR 6), and prompted an unusually excited reaction from our resident VC connoisseur Dan Whitehead, who heralded its arrival with neither wit nor sarcasm. At least it did, and then there was a second email: "Having just played it, the TG16 version of Chase HQ is not excellent. Repeat: NOT excellent." Are you ready to chase down criminals at speed in an OutRunny fashion?

If not, perhaps you would prefer DoReMi Fantasy: Milon's DokiDoki Adventure for the SNES for 900 Wii Points (GBP 6.30 / EUR 9 approx), which is a platform game sequel in which a little boy blows bubbles to trap monsters. "It's also not been translated from Japanese," Dan points out, "because it's not like Nintendo are charging extra or anything." Let's set fire to them.

Third, then, is Spelunker for the NES, which will set you back 600 Wii Points (GBP 4.20 / EUR 6 approx). "Infamously tough platform game, a bit like Manic Miner but in reverse and not funny," says Dan. "You've got to get from the top of a vast cave down to the bottom to find the treasure, but your little man can't jump very high or fall very far. Also, he can run out of air. Also, everything kills you. And there's a ghost." Let's set fire to them too.

And finally, something even your humble, slightly neophiliac correspondent can identify: Ys Book I & II for TurboGrafx-16. 800 Wii Points (GBP 6 / EUR 8 approx) gets you these and even I know they/it's an RPG of Japanese description. "You control ginger warrior Adol Christian in a very Zeldary game. Well, two games. There's a DS conversion as well. Not sure if it's out yet," says Dan. It's alright, Dan, no one cares.

Look out for our exciting commentary on all of the above in a forthcoming Virtual Console Roundup!