Create you own video game museum with our Top 5 Virtual Console Titles for Kids and Family. Make sure to read our Virtual Console Guide if you are not familiar with Nintendo’s Wii Shopping Channel and the Virtual Console.
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1) Super Mario 64 | N64 | 1000 Points | 3D Platformer
KidConfidence age recommendation: 8 years and up.
Super Mario N64Super Mario 64 was the top-seller for the N64, originally released in 1996, it was the first 3D Platform Game.
Mario must walk, run, crouch, crawl, swim, climb, and jump to save Princess Peach. As jumping was Mario’s signature move in earlier games, particular attention was paid to this move. Special jumps can be executed by combining a regular jump with other actions. Mario can also pick up and carry certain items, an ability which is used to solve various puzzles.
2) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time | SNES | 1000 Points | Action/Adventure
KidConfidence age recommendation: 12 years and up.
Ocarina of TimeWithin six months of its release, Ocarina of Time sold more than five million copies, in addition to its commercial success, Ocarina of Time is frequently ranked as one of the greatest video games ever made.
Ocarina of Time is a 3-D third-person adventure game, which takes place in the fictional kingdom of Hyrule, a large, fully connected overworld. The main character Link is controlled using the joystick, and his main weapon is his sword, accessed using a button on the controller. Three more buttons can be mapped to other items from Link’s inventory, for use at short notice. Link starts out with a relatively meager inventory but progressively acquires items and weapons (including upgraded swords) as the story progresses. Some new items are critical to progress through the game - for instance, the Slingshot must be acquired to trigger certain kinds of switches. Equally there are many rewards for completing optional side quests of varying lengths. As in previous Zelda games, the overworld contains several dungeons — large self-contained areas with a single entrance. Within most dungeons, Link must battle and puzzle his way through, finding items such as a Dungeon Map and Compass to aid him. A dungeon typically contains a special weapon, often needed to defeat a boss character at the end.
3) Kirby’s Adventure | NES | 500 Points | 2D Platformer
KidConfidence age recommendation: 8 years and up.
Kirby’s AdventureLike the majority of Kirby video games, Kirby’s Adventure is a platformer. The objective of each level is to reach a certain goal, with a combination of walking, jumping, and flying. Throughout the levels are enemies and obstacles, which serve to hinder and sometimes even assist Kirby. If Kirby touches an enemy, he will take one point of damage (out of six health points). Upon swallowing an enemy, if that enemy possesses a power, Kirby can “copy” that enemies ability. These abilities are sometimes necessary to solve puzzles, such as using the fire ability to light a fuse, or the hammer ability to pound down a post.
4) Mario Karts 64
KidConfidence age recommendation: 7 years and up.
Mario Kart 64Mario Kart 64 is a racing video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64 video game console. It was released on 1996.
Players choose from a roster of eight characters that vary in weight, speed, and acceleration. Available are Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Bowser, Princess Peach, Donkey Kong, Wario and Toad. These characters race in a variety of tracks based upon different locations in the Mario world. Each track has a unique shape, and can contain various obstacles, hazards, and short cuts filled with items that can either harm an opponent or aid the user.
5) Ecco the Dolphin
KidConfidence age recommendation: 7 years and up.
Ecco the Dolphin is a video game released in 1992 for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. Ecco may not have been the most famous or commercially successful game of its time, but we are sure your kids will love it. The central character, Ecco, is a bottlenose dolphin controlled by the player through a progression of side-scrolling aquatic levels. Two features of the game played on actual dolphin habits; one button caused Ecco to sing, allowing him to speak with other cetaceans and interact with certain objects. The same button was used for echolocation; holding it down would cause the song to return, generating a map of the area. Additionally, Ecco, being a mammal, had to surface periodically for air, or else find an air vent. Ecco would drown if his “air meter” ran out. His health was measured by a separate meter; it was depleted by enemies or when his air meter had run out, and it was recharged by eating fish, “singing” to clams, or, later in the game, singing to special statues or crystals called Glyphs. Ecco’s song could be optionally “upgraded” at two points in the game; one upgrade allowed Ecco’s song to be used in combination with a charge as a long-range weapon, and the other temporarily disoriented sharks and made minor enemies freeze temporarily.
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Oooops, did your child’s favorite Virtual Console game not make the list. Leave a comment and share with our community of Parents and Kids.
on June 25th, 2007 at 12:35 pm
You should add Paper Mario, one of my favorites.
on June 25th, 2007 at 1:02 pm
Hi ZGDK - thanks for your comment. Paper Mario (from the N64 days) is not available for the Virtual Console yet… We did review Super Paper Mario though…
on September 23rd, 2007 at 7:45 am
what about super mario bros? i think that game is more fun and acsessable than some of the games up there. it is cheap, and it has two player, even though you take turns instead of playing together. it would definately be on my must buy list.