Air Zonk goes international and arrives in North America

YES! One of the three new games on the Wii’s Virtual Console is Air Zonk. As a “punkish cyborg” you fly in the skies and shoot wacky robots with green bullets. It’s only 600 points and if you’re into shmups give this a whirl.

Mach Rider and Yoshi from the NES are the two other new games. I remember playing Yoshi and it was so-so. Yoshi takes the falling block element from Tetris and throws in Mario who swaps columns of blocks. Nintendo originally released Yoshi at the tail end of the NES’ lifecycle, which ended up making Yoshi one of the obscure Mario puzzle games in North America. For 500 Wii Points it might be worth a go.

Mach Rider(R) (NES(R), 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points): It's the year 2112. Earth has been invaded by the forces of evil. Battle the invaders as you race from sector to sector on your motorcycle, searching for survivors. Feel the incredible sense of speed as you zip past evil Quadrunners and zigzag between treacherous rocks, oil spills and other obstacles on the course. For a different challenge, create your own course in Design Mode, using the various twists, turns and straightaways the game has to offer. Remember, you are Earth's only hope-you are Mach Rider.

Yoshi(R) (NES, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points): Yoshi is an action/puzzle game starring Mario's dinosaur buddy, Yoshi(TM), who has been imprisoned in an egg. Now it's raining Goombas, Bloopers and Boo Buddies, and you have to help Mario(TM) stop the airborne invasion. As the critters fall, catch them on trays. Stack two of a kind and they both disappear, or capture the whole bunch in between eggshells. When the eggshells match, out hatches Yoshi and up goes your score. The action heats up as the characters fall faster and faster. To save the day, switch and shuffle, and don't let your piles get too high.

Air "Zonk"  (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone – Mild Cartoon Violence, 600 Wii Points): Air "Zonk" is a spin-off of the popular Bonk's Adventure series. This side-scrolling shooter retains the same cartoonish style of Bonk but is set in a cyberpunk future. The powered-up "Zonk" gathers his friends to form Team Cool, and they set out to stop King Drool's plan to conquer the world. Choose from three levels of difficulty and three Friend Modes. Shoot King Drool's cyber-robots and avoid their attacks while collecting the Air Bones to unleash a variety of unique attacks. Combine with a friend to create an invincible hybrid form or blast enemies with a charged attack. Air "Zonk" is filled with humor, made evident by the wacky theme song that plays when you post a huge score or when your game is over.