Action trio lands on Wii VC

Wii Classic Controllers are in for a workout this week, as a trio of mettle-testing action games are arriving on the system's downloadable game service. The original Nintendo Entertainment System's Castlevania headlines today's new releases, and it's joined by the early Super Nintendo action adventure Legend of the Mystical Ninja and the TurboGrafx-16 side-scrolling cyborg shooter Shockman.

Originally released in 1987, Castlevania started Konami's long-running series in a straightforward fashion. As Simon Belmont, players have to fight their way through Dracula's castle one stage at a time until the climactic showdown with the dreaded vampire lord. The whip is Simon's weapon of choice, although items like holy water, boomerangs, and a watch that stops time can assist him in eliminating the zombies, skeletons, and flying medusa heads in his way. Castlevania is available for 600 Wii points ($6).

For fans of more lighthearted fare, there's Legend of the Mystical Ninja. One of the earliest third-party games on the Super Nintendo, Legend of the Mystical Ninja was the first in Konami's Goemon series of colorful ninja games to be localized for North American audiences. The game combined action and adventure elements in gameplay encompassing traditional side-scrolling action with three-quarters overhead-view segments. Players could work together as Kid Ying and Dr. Yang to fight through 10 stages with such devastating weapons as party favors, pipes, yo-yos, and money. Legend of the Mystical Ninja is available for 800 Wii points ($8).

Gamers looking for a different style of two-player cooperative action games can check out Hudson's 1991 side-scroller Shockman. The game is actually the second in the series, but like Goemon, only the first to garner a domestic release. Players take control of Arnold and Sonya, a pair of Shockmen cyborgs, and battle through eight stages of platforming and side-scrolling shoot-'em-up action. Shockman is available for 600 Wii points ($6).