Wii U Virtual Console Finally Launches Next Week

It’s been a pretty busy day for Nintendo as the latest Direct address, highlighting game news for the 3DS and Wii U, wrapped up early this morning. Perhaps the biggest announcement for fans of nostalgia, though, is the fact that the Wii U Virtual Console will finally be releasing in earnest.

Earlier this year, Nintendo kicked off its 30th birthday celebration with a small sampling of Nintendo Entertainment System and SNES games being offered for just 30 cents a pop. Titles included F-Zero, Punch Out, Kirby’s Adventure, Super Metroid, Yoshi and Donkey Kong. Up until this point, those were the only Virtual Console games gamers could buy from the U.S. eShop on Wii U.

Thankfully, Nintendo announced this morning that that’s all about to change. Sometime next week, the Wii U will get its first batch of regular eShop offerings with more to come over time, including games from the Game Boy Advance and the Nintendo 64. The first round of releases will include the likes of Super Mario World, one of my personal all-time favorites, as well as Mario Bros. and Excitebike. Several of those early release titles, like Balloon Fight and Super Metroid, will also be making a reappearance. Even better, it has also been confirmed that Earthbound will be arriving on the Virtual Console later this year, finally filling a big hole in Nintendo’s virtual backlog.

If you’re looking for something new to play on the Wii U, maybe these classic offerings will help tide you over until the next AAA release. Nintendo made several announcements for the portable scene this morning, too, including a new Mario Party for the 3DS, as well as Mario and Luigi: Dream Team and a sequel to A Link to the Past.

You can learn more about the eShop for the Wii U over on the official Nintendo website.