North American Virtual Console Releases - 14 May 2007

Pac-Man
NES - 500 points
For those of you who have lived under a rock since its introduction in 1979, here is what Wikipedia has to say about this all-time gaming classic: "The player controls Pac-Man as he moves through a maze, eating pac-dots. When all dots are eaten, Pac-Man is taken to the next stage. 4 ghosts roam the maze, trying to catch Pac-Man. If a ghost touches Pac-Man, a life is lost. When all lives have been lost, the game ends. During Pac-Man gameplay, lives are usually lost by "digging your own grave"; it is easy to situate Pac-Man within the maze so that escape from the ghosts is impossible."



Ninja Gaiden
NES - 500 points
"Ryu Hayabusa of the Dragon Ninja Clan finds a letter from his father, Ken Hayabusa, saying that he was leaving for a duel with an unknown warrior. Should he not return, Ryu was to go to America with the Dragon Sword, a possession of the family said to have grown from the fang of a dragon, and seek a man named Walter Smith. Ryu honors his father`s last request, vowing to take his revenge on the man who must have killed him. After fighting through a level set in the city streets, Ryu defeats the game`s first boss in a bar. Afterwards, Ryu is approached from behind by a woman in black. He arrogantly tells her to leave, and in return the woman promptly shoots him with a tranquilizer.

Ryu wakes up in a cell. Strangely enough, the same woman opens the cell, and urges him to leave. She is evasive of Ryu`s questions, insisting that he get out as soon as possible. Before he does, she gives him a small dark statue of some hideous creature that Ryu knows nothing about. Confused, he does so, wanting nothing so much as to continue his mission..."

I don`t want to give away too much. You`ll have to play to learn the rest.



Ninja Spirit
Turbografx - 600 pts
Two players can get into the spirit, the Ninja Spirit that is. This side-scrolling action game that amazed the gaming world with its precision graphics and quality gameplay is back (again, I did not write this stuff).
Play as the ninja Moonlight, engaged in a fierce battle to avenge his father`s death and unlock the secrets of his birth.
Select between the original Arcade mode and PC-Engine mode, which includes a life gauge (WOW!). Use four types of weapons; kusarigama, katana, shuriken and bombs to battle your way through the enemies. Grab power-up items and switch between weapons to give yourself an advantage. You`ll need to consider the enemy`s attacks and your weapon`s abilities in order to deftly make it through all seven stages. Yes, ALL SEVEN!
Use your skills and attacks to defeat the game`s boundless enemies and traps (Well aside from the seven level boundary). That`s what ninja action is all about!