Gradius III and others come to Virtual Console this week @ Gaming Target

Written by John Scalzo on April 23, 2007

News: It is joined by Battle Lode Runner and Wonder Boy in Monster World.

Nintendo has dropped their weekly helping of retro goodness this fine Monday morning with the announcement that Gradius III, Battle Lode Runner and Wonder Boy in Monster Land have been added to the Virtual Console.

Here's a quick rundown of the three titles:

Gradius III (SNES, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points):
Return as the pilot of the Vic Viper starfighter to battle the onslaughts of the Bacterion Empire. Blast through 10 action-packed levels in space, destroying everything in your path. Customize and power up your ship with weapons and upgrades including speed-ups, missiles, lasers, options, and shields.

Wonder Boy in Monster World (Genesis, 1 player, 800 Wii Points):
Monster World was a peaceful, happy place until one dark day when an army of BioMeka monsters invaded. As a young man named Shion, you've vowed to defeat the hostile foes and make the land peaceful again. You'll attack enemies with swords and spears and guard against incoming projectiles with shields and armor. As you travel through the many different regions of Monster World, you'll talk to the townspeople, collect money to buy items, and gather a large variety of weapons and magic. The further you venture, the more powerful your weapons and equipment, including suits of armor and boots, will become.

Battle Lode Runner (TurboGrafx 16, 1-5 players, 600 Wii Points):
This upgraded edition to the famous Lode Runner series includes a 5-player versus mode. Gold funds have been stolen from the Time Machine Research Center, and the group responsible used a time machine to escape and hide the gold throughout time. The center sends an elite team of УRunnersФ to go and retrieve the gold.