Nintendo is celebrating sports, gambling, and wildlife conservation with today's additions to the online Wii Virtual Console. All three games will be available at 9 a.m. PST/12 p.m. EST.

Double Dribble, Konami's much-loved NES basketball simulation for one or two players, arrives on the download service at 500 Wii Points ($5). Ecco Jr., Sega's child-friendly Genesis expose on the antics of young dolphins, sells for 800 Wii Points ($8).

Vegas Stakes, meanwhile, comes from Kirby developer HAL Laboratory. The Super Nintendo title offers blackjack, slots, poker, craps, and roulette for up to four players, along with the occasional encounter with another gambler, which, depending on your actions, can end in profit, loss, or everyone thinking you're a jerk. To stay on the table, you'll need to chip in 800 Wii Points ($8).

Today marks the one year anniversary of the Wii's release in North America. To celebrate, Nintendo has, as it does every Monday, added more retro titles to the system's online store.

This week, Virtual Console is graced by Wrecking Crew, Sonic 3D Blast, and Super Air Zonk. The Nintendo-developed Wrecking Crew on NES, which tells the tale of Mario and Luigi's puzzling foray into building demolition, runs 500 Wii Points ($5).

A collaboration between Sega and Traveller's Tales, the isometric exploits of Sonic 3D Blast mark a bit of a departure from the blue speedster's 2D Genesis adventures. Though the gaming public may have mixed opinions on the title, you can come to your own conclusions for 800 Wii Points ($8).

One of the few TurboGrafx-16 CD-ROM titles on Virtual Console, Red's Super Air Zonk: Rockabilly-Paradise branches out of the Bonk platforming series, exploring the sidescrolling and shooting antics of Zonk that were first showcased in Air Zonk. Renowned for its self-proclaimed rockabilly soundtrack, Super Air Zonk sells for 800 Wii Points ($8).

Dungeon Explorer: Warriors of Ancient Arts for the DS and PSP will hit North America in February. The games are based on Atlus' 1989 Turbo-Grafx 16 action RPG Dungeon Explorer, which was released for Virtual Console early this year, and will be developed and published by Hudson Soft.

Though they share the same name, the two versions feature different storylines and battles. The PSP edition (pictured left) has players hunting down a legendary kingdom and battling demonic foes. The DS version (pictured right) is set centuries later and pits gamers against legions of the undead. In addition to the screenshots, Hudson sent over some concept art from the PSP iteration and the DS edition.

Both games provide opportunity for heavy character customization--including multiples classes and attacks--and will allow up to three characters to battle side-by-side via local wireless multiplayer. The DS version also supports online play via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.

The three titles slated to hit North America's Wii Virtual Console today call to mind the days of sitting in school, listening to an eco-friendly lecture while sketching spaceships and ogling volleyball players.

Widely considered to be one of the best 2D shooters on the Super Nintendo, Konami's Axelay has players defending a planet against an alien force and their resource-sucking ways. Ship customization and multiple weapons help the 800 Wii Point ($8) shooter stand out in the online store, where such titles have become rather commonplace.

Following an insectarian named Blue, Blue's Journey likewise features a nature-oriented theme. As players explore the once-beautiful planet of Raguy, they use a leaf and other items to combat the evil, polluting enemies of Alpha Denshi's NeoGeo action title, which sells for 900 Wii Points ($9).

Volleyball, one of Nintendo's early NES sports titles, allows players to compete in men's and women's volleyball at the price of 500 Wii Points ($5). All three titles will be available today at 9AM PST, the equivalent of 11AM CST or 12 PM EST.

More previously import-only Sega Genesis titles are headed to Wii Virtual Console, claims Sega. According to the publisher, prices for import games will begin at 900 Wii Points ($9), with the premium likely caused by localization efforts.

Titles that were previously unreleased in North America began appearing on Virtual Console earlier this year, with Treasure's Sin & Punishment (N64) and Nintendo's Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (NES) among the first efforts. As is expected to be common with such games, both carried a price higher than those of normal releases for their respective platforms.

Sega's first import titles on Virtual Console were the internally developed Golden Axe III and Treasure's Alien Soldier, both of which were only previously available to North American Genesis owners via the Sega Channel, which marked the company's early attempt at online distribution.

In anticipation of next week's release of Super Mario Galaxy (Wii), Nintendo is celebrating the heritage of the world's most famous plumber by today adding Super Mario Bros. 3 to Wii's online Virtual Console store. Billed by Nintendo as the "greatest game ever," Mario's fourth--if you count The Lost Levels--and final platform-oriented NES outing runs 500 Wii Points ($5).

Accompanying Mario in his all-star adventure to Virtual Console are Alien Soldier and Power Golf. Much like Golden Axe III, Alien Soldier was never officially released in North America, and was only available through the Sega Channel. That all changes today, as Treasure's Genesis sidescrolling rendition of extraterrestrial slaughter arrives for 900 Wii Points ($9).

Hudson Soft's Power Golf, meanwhile, allows up to three players tee off across 18 different holes. The TurboGrafx-16 golfer is priced at 600 Wii Points ($6), and, as with all of today's additions, will be available to buy beginning at 12PM EST, which translates to 11AM CST and 9AM PST.

Nintendo's DS handheld will soon be capable of expanded non-game functionality in a variety of "practical" situations, company president Satoru Iwata told the Wall Street Journal recently. Nintendo has tailored its DS into a tour guide for certain Japanese museums in the past, but Iwata's new plans imply a much more widespread usage of the device.

Other than museums, Iwata listed train stations and amusement parks as possible locations that will make use of the DS' extended functionality, presumably to check train schedules and receive amusement park layouts and guides.

Iwata also mentioned the recently revealed Wii gift channel would unsurprisingly be making its way to the console worldwide in December, arriving just before Christmas. The channel will allow gamers to buy Virtual Console titles and give them to friends as gifts.

In a timely celebration of Halloween, today's releases for North America's Wii Virtual Console feature all types of scary things that go bump in the night, including vampires, samurai ghosts, and magician lords.

The most prominent of the latest additions to the download service is Castlevania II Simon's Quest, the second entry in Konami's Castlevania franchise on the NES, the series' system of origin. Take control of vampire hunter Simon Belmont as he continues the family tradition of whip-based mystical murder and massacre for 500 Wii Points ($5).

Namco's Samurai Ghost follows the post-death exploits of Kagekiyo and his undead nemesis Yoritomo. Though the characters may be dead, this TurboGrafx-16 side scroller still features all the sword-based samurai action one would expect and sells for 600 Wii Points ($6).

The last of this week's creepy, crawly offerings is Alpha Denshi's Magician Lord for the Neo Geo. Priced at 900 Wii Points ($9), the game allows one or two players to play as Elta, the last shape-shifting descendant of the fabled Magician Lord, and face off against Gul-Agieze and his minions in side scrolling combat.

A new feature for the Wii's online shop will allows users to gift games to other Wii owners. The function will presumably apply to those games found within the Virtual Console and upcoming WiiWare channels.

Once the gift is accepted, the recipient will begin downloading the software. It is unknown if gamers can loan out titles they already own or if the gifted goods need to be bought separately. The company did not provide an estimate as to when the feature will be implemented.

"We think this will be a breakthrough in encouraging customers to spread news of fun games word of mouth," Nintendo president Satoru Iwata told The Associated Press. "We also hope to spur more users to connect their Wiis to the Internet."

Iwata stated that, as Nintendo senior marketing VP George Harrison previously stated, the company will not be lowering the Wii's price in the foreseeable future. Nintendo will also launch the system in China next year.

"We barely have enough Wiis to meet global demand this year," Iwata explained. "But next year, we can bring the Wii to China."

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 ... Read more

The Wii Virtual Console's first CD-based TubroGrafx-16 offering, Gates of Thunder, will be available today via the download service. With the first Neo Geo titles arriving last week, the addition of games for the once-costly TurboGrafx-CD add-on marks the second platform to debut in the online store in just as many weeks.

Developed by TurboGrafx extraordinaire Red Entertainment and system manufacturer Hudson Soft, Gates of Thunder is a side scrolling arcade shooter highly regarded for the top notch rocking tunes made possible through its use of the compact disc format. It sells for 800 Wii Points ($8), the standard price for TurboGrafx-CD titles. Another TurboGrafx-CD game, Red's Super Air Zonk, is scheduled to arrive this month.

Along with Gates of Thunder, Virtual Console also sees the release of Tecmo's ninja-tastic side scrolling NES sequel, Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos, and Namco's obscure SNES strategy title, Metal Marines. Ryu Hayabusa's second appearance runs 500 Wii Points ($5), whereas humanity's metal-oriented struggle against the Imperial Federation goes for 800 Wii Points ($8).

Three old-school 2D arcade fighters appeared in Wii's Virtual Console this morning as the first round of Neo Geo games arrived in the online store.

SNK's Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting and the ADK-developed World Heroes constitute the first batch, selling for 900 Wii Points ($9) a piece. Publisher SNK Playmore has promised more Neo Geo games are on the way but has yet to announce any specific titles, though entries in its Samurai Shodown fighting series and action-heavy Metal Slug franchise are expected.

Neo Geo marks the ninth console represented on the service. The impending TurboGrafx-CD offerings will bring the total number of platforms to an even ten.

Here's your weekly Shackcast, and it's a packed show befitting this absurdly blockbuster-ridden upcoming holiday season. As always, send in your comments and questions to shackcast@shacknews.com.

Episode 12 focuses almost entirely on game impressions, with no time left for news. On tap is discussion of Gears of War on PC, Crysis, Portal, Guitar Hero III and its differences on the three main platforms, Hellgate: London, and Dementium: The Ward on DS.

Faylor also played a bit of Treasure's N64 classic Sin & Punishment, officially available in the West for the first time thanks to Virtual Console on Wii, and we have some listener mail involving missing game discs at retail and the unsettling growing number of simultaneously offered models of various consoles.

Play or download the podcast now, or browse the episodes through iTunes, RSS, or Digg. ... Read more

This week's roundup of the latest in console and PC downloads has a little bit of something for everyone. Tetris Splash on Xbox 360, The Simpsons Game demo on PlayStation 3, Sin & Punishment on Wii Virtual Console, tons of PC mods and demos--what a week!

Xbox 360:
- Tetris Splash on XBLA
- New XBLM demos, including Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War
- A Caracassonne expansion and other XBLM content
PlayStation 3:
- Go! Ski Sports hits PSN
- The Simpsons Game and Bladestorm demos
Wii:
- NA VC: Sin & Punishment, Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
- EU VC: Golden Axe 3, Landstalker, Streets of Rage 3, Super Thunder Blade
PC:
- Battlefield 2142 Star Wars space combat mod
- Recent patches and demos, including Age of Empres 3: The Asian Dynasty
- New GameTap releases for paying and free subscribers

It's a pretty awesome week, so go ahead and scope out the Rundown.

Following the recent announcement of CD-based TurboGrafx-16 games coming to the Wii Virtual Console, Hudson has revealed which two TurboGrafx-CD titles will arrive on the platform this month. Both games happen to be sidescrolling shooters--Super Air Zonk: Rockabilly-Paradise and Gate of Thunder.

As its title suggests, Super Air Zonk is the sequel to Air Zonk--reissued this summer on Virtual Console--and features a rockabilly themed soundtrack. Gate of Thunder is a Gradius-style shooter, also known for its CD quality music.

In accord with the standard pricing for CD-based TurboGrafx titles, both Super Air Zonk and Gate of Thunder will cost 800 Wii Points ($8) when they arrive sometime in October. Hudson also revealed the sidescrolling action title Samurai Ghost, a non-CD TurboGrafx-16 title, would be making its way to Virtual Console for the standard 600 Wii Points ($6) this month.

Ending months of speculation and somewhat unfounded hopes, Treasure's formerly import-alicious Nintendo 64 shooter Sin & Punishment has arrived in Wii's online Virtual Console, marking the title's first North American release. The game has been expected to hit VC and even appeared in Europe's VC last Friday, though Nintendo of America remained silent on the issue.

The 3D shooter--which comes from the developer of action classics such as Gunstar Heroes (GEN), Bangai-O (N64, DC), Ikaruga (DC, GCN), and McDonald's Treasure Land Adventure (GEN)--features English voices and Japanese subtitles. It sells for 1,200 Wii Points ($12), a 200 Wii Point ($2) premium over the usual price of N64 games.

This week's other VC title is Nintendo's oft-forgotten true NES sequel to Super Mario Bros., known in Japan as Super Mario Bros. 2 and here in North America as Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels. Rumor has it that, back in the day, the game was deemed too hard for everyone outside of Japan, so we got ... Read more

We're trying something a little new with this week's rundown of the latest in console and PC downloads. Based on some reader feedback, we've worked European Wii Virtual Console and GameTap releases into the mix. Like it? No? Let us know in the comments below.

Xbox 360:
- XBLA clearance sale
- New XBLM demos, including Clive Barker's Jericho
- New XBLM content, including a Guitar Hero II song pack
PlayStation 3:
- Ratchet demo coming soon
- New MotorStorm and Ninja Gaiden Sigma content
- Clive Barker's Jericho and NBA 2K8 demos
Wii:
- NA VC: Kirby's Avalanche, Legend of Hero Tonma, Streets of Rage 3
- EU VC: Gradius III, Legend of Hero Tonma, Sin & Punishment
PC:
- Battlefield 2142 Star Wars space combat mod
- Recent patches and demos, including Clive Barker's Jericho
- New GameTap releases

And a one two three four--Rundown!

Nintendo today unleashes three more long-thought-abandoned classics onto the Wii's online Virtual Console in North America.

Compile and HAL Laboratory's multi-color blob dropping SNES puzzler Kirby's Avalanche may seem a bit familiar, but for good reason. A Kirby-themed rendition of Compile's Puyo Puyo, also known as Puyo Pop, it's basically Nintendo's version of the Compile-developed Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, a Genesis puzzler set in the Sonic universe which has been available on Virtual Console since December. Setting up massive chain combos and watching an unusually vocal Kirby talk trash runs 800 Wii Points ($8).

On the other end of the spectrum is Sega's Streets of Rage 3, which should sate the desires of anyone who finds themselves weary of color-matching. As with the past two iterations of the Genesis brawling series, players face off against Mr. X and his wily attempts to overtake the city with gang ... Read more

Nintendo's dino-riffic Nintendo 64 platformer Yoshi's Story hatches onto Wii's online Virtual Console store in North America today, along with the copter-focused Super Thunder Blade and self-explanatory World Class Baseball.

The followup to Nintendo's beloved Super Nintendo egg-tosser Yoshi's Island, which is sadly not yet available via VC, the shorter and less well-received Yoshi's Story carries a price of 1,000 Wii Points ($10).

Sega's Genesis helicopter shooter Super Thunder Blade buzzes in at the cost of 800 Wii Points ($8). Hudson Soft's World Class Baseball, which Nintendo claims is the TurboGrafx-16's "definitive baseball game," slides home for 600 Wii Points ($6).

Unfortunately, there has been no word from Nintendo of America as to when previously Japan-only releases, such as Nintendo's SNES puzzler Mario Picross or Treasure's N64 shooter Sin & Punishment, will arrive in North America. Late last week, Nintendo of Europe revealed it would be featuring such games through its VC across the next month.

Games for two CD-based add-ons to NEC's PC Engine, known as the TurboGrafx-16 in North America, will be available for download from Wii Virtual Console in October. The games will be available in all areas--North America, Europe, and Japan--Hudson of Japan announced today.

The announcement didn't mention specific titles, but included "reference pictures" of Nihon Falcom's popular RPG compilation Ys Book I & II and infamous fruity duo shooter Cho Aniki. Titles for the PC Engine CD-ROM 2, a CD-based peripheral for the original PC Engine known as the TurboGrafx-CD in North America, and the PC Engine Super CD-ROM 2 will cost 800 Wii Points ($8), compared to the 600 Wii Point ($6) price of standard TurboGrafx-16 games.

Hudson plans to release at least five of the CD-based titles this year on Virtual Console, with at least 10 more coming in 2008.