10. Punch-Out!! - Punch-Out!! is arguably the greatest boxing game of all time. I very clearly remember getting a Power Glove for the sole purpose of punching Glass Joe smack in the face. Unfortunatly, the Power Glove didn’t work like that…it really didn’t work at all…but now, twenty years later, technology has finally caught up with “the Wizard”…but will you be able to control Punch-Out!! with the Wiimote? I don’t know, but either way, this is a first round download on the Virtual Console come launch day.

9. Ninja Gaiden - With a story that grips you from the teaser to the very end, Ninja Gaiden played like an 80s action flick from start to finish. This is the first installment of the greatest ninja video game trilogy of all time, and a must download.

8. Bonk’s Adventure - the little Mario wanna be caveman could have been the Icon for Turbo Graphix 16…and he was for a time, but thankfully, Bonk lived on on other platforms - but he never got the credit he deserved. Bonk is kinda like a caveman Charlie Brown with an anger disorder. With cool power-ups, great animation and fun gameplay, Bonk is a classic that everyone should download.

7. Mario Kart 64 - Mario Kart is a series that gets better everytime a new game is released. While Super Mario Kart is a fantastic game, the 64 version has always been my favorite. Mario Kart 64 is the only 64 title to make this Top 10 list, but that’s more because of the fact that every launch game for the Wii Virtual Console is great, more than it is a slight to the N64.

6. Kid Icarus - This game defeated me. Kid Icarus shares a great deal of design and tone with Metroid, but Kid Icarus’ mythical setting definetely sets it apart from other NES games. It’s difficulty level does as well. Beware young gamers…if you are unprepared, Kid Icarus will OWN you. This game is challenging, fun, and one of the best games ever released on the NES.

5. Star Fox - The first, and best Star Fox game, this SNES classic felt like Star Wars combined with Muppets, and for some reason it worked. From the gibberish jabbering, to the crazy polygon styled design, this game is as good as space combat gets on the SNES…or any system for that matter.

4. Tecmo Bowl - Forget Madden, Tecmo Bowl was hands down the greatest football game of all time!! Tecmo Bowl launched the sports video game genre to heights it had never seen before…and even today you can see Tecmo Bowl’s influence in football games on the current consoles. An absolute must for any football fan.

3. Sonic the Hedgehog - Sega’s mascot gave us something that Mario never could - SPEED! Sonic has been a gaming mainstay and cultural icon for going on 15 years now, and the speed of this original game still boggles the mind at times. It’s lighting fast speed, sharp colors, and amazing graphics made this game stand out when it was released, and it’s aged pretty darn well.

2. Castlevania - With it’s gothic story, and creepy atmosphere, this game mixed all the great classic horror tales into one amazing game. The start of one of the greatest franchises ever to grace a video game screen, Castlevania is one of the greatest sidescrollers ever made.

1. Super Mario World - The pack-in for the SNES when it launched, Super Mario World is Mario at his absolute best. This title not only showed off the amazing graphicial capabilties of the SNES, but it is a truely perfect platformer. Mario, Luigi, and their new pal Yoshi have to save the princess from the evil King Koopa and his Koopa Kids in one of the best Mario games ever made.

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