So with the introduction of the Virtual Console feature to the Nintendo Wii, the Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network, manufacturers are starting to cash in on it.

Of the three networks, Virtual Console for the Wii certainly offers the most in terms of the nostalgia factor, particularly with its NES games, with a game library that stretches back to the late ‘80s. However, not all games are created equal, as a Mega Man game is certainly a better purchase than Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom.

The Virtual Console, which was introduced at the initial release of the Wii, allows owners to download older games from the Nintendo library, including games from the NES, SNES, Sega Genesis and arcade in exchange for Wii points, which cost $1 for 100 points. Most NES games go for 500 Wii points.

Here are the NES games for Virtual Console that are bonafide classics, quality picks and games you should avoid.

The Classics

Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 3
Out of all the games that now constitute the behemoth that is the Mario franchise, these two remain the foundation, and are still two of the best.

Super Mario Bros. is simple and difficult, but remains one of the purest video game experiences one can find nowadays. The best part of the game is the fact that almost anyone can pick it up and just start playing immediately. It’s good, even in 30-second bursts when you are bored. That, or a marathon stretch to try and finish the game.

If you are looking to play a full Mario game though, Super Mario Bros. 3 is the better buy. Pretty much everything that made the original good is improved in the third installment.

Even against today’s platform standards, Mario Bros. 3 has great depth, level variety and replay factor. Eight worlds, multiple power-ups, wicked sweet levels, great mechanics, and a solid challenge. This game is universally considered one of the best of all time and has everything going for it.

The Legend of Zelda
This game is best played for the nostalgia factor and the challenge. There is no in-game map, no direction of where to go or what to do and pretty hard. It is not necessarily as good as the latter ones, but still fun to play at least once.

It is only really worth the five bucks for fans of the Zelda series. For those who are unfamiliar with the series, there’s not much there.

Metroid
Very similar to Zelda. By itself and on today’s standards, the game is hard and boring. It is a worthwhile ride for people craving nostalgia and fans of the series. People that like Metroid should buy Metroid.
Quality Buys

Ice Hockey
This game is everything that is good in sports and video games. The concept is simple: there are little guys, medium guys and big guys. The player picks a country, four players of any mix, gets a goalie and goes.

It’s as much a pick-up-and-play sports game as there ever has been, like a Super Smash Bros. as a sports game. The gameplay is simple, the games go by quick, there are silly animations and it just plays fun.

Of all the games you can buy for five bucks, Ice Hockey is among the best. It sucks you in quickly and keeps sucking you back in like a good addictive online flash game. It also takes all the good things about hockey and makes them better. There are a lot of goals, it is fast-paced, there are as many fights as you want and there is no offsides.

Although, it still has icing. Stupid icing.

River City Ransom
A goofy mashup of simple beat-‘em-up and RPG elements, River City Ransom is as funny as it is fun to play. Your character’s girl has been kidnapped by “Slick” and you must fight through hordes of River City High’s gangs such as “The Generic Dudes,” “The Frat Guys” and “The Home Boys.”

The game’s weapons list includes chains, brass knuckles, trash cans and pipes, making it a pleasure to take on each gang. While difficult, the game provides a good challenge for those looking for a solid game, even by today’s standards.

What makes the game memorable, though, is its humor. Defeated enemies yell absurdities like “Barf” and “Chill out, Rambo,” and most things can be picked up and thrown at other things, which is always fun.

Tecmo Bowl
Another easy-to-play sports game that anyone can jump right into. Tecmo Bowl, the game that was notorious for featuring a nigh-unstoppable Bo Jackson on the Oakland Raiders, is about as simple a football experience as there is. There’s no learning of playbooks or deciding between a 4-3 and a 3-4. You just pick a play and decide whether to run it or chuck it.

It’s the essential arcade football game that takes everything football games try to do nowadays and makes it simple and fun. It’s harder to screw up in this game but harder to master, much akin to Ice Hockey, but not as fun.

Games to Avoid
Final Fantasy
As a big fan of the entire franchise, I personally love this game. But there’s no reason to buy it on virtual console. Since the game’s official release, the games been remade into the much better, easier version Final Fantasy: Dawn of Souls for the Gameboy Advance that is devoid of the number of issues that are present in the original, and also comes with a remake of Final Fantasy II.

By today’s standards, the original Final Fantasy is not very playable. It’s far too difficult to be much fun, except for those who enjoy random encounters for hours on end to be able to finish it.

The gameplay is sketchy, as attacks that were aimed at defeated enemies will just go as misses. Some spells in the game just don’t work.

By the time you would finish this game, you could apply for job, get it and work there long enough to earn the cash to buy the remake for Gameboy Advance.

Of course, if you enjoy leveling up by killing wolves for six hours, never being able to save and buying potions one-by-one, it’s great for nostalgia.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Oh, it seems like a good idea, doesn’t it? No. Don’t do it. This game isn’t very good.

It is too hard to be fun and it is not well designed. There is a weird world map element that is clunky, but it is not as bad as the actual platforming part of the game, which is involves constant dying.

No. Stop it. Go buy some pizza for that five bucks.

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
Similar to the original Zelda, this game is hard. The main difference is that this game is harder, not very fun, doesn’t fit in at all with the series and lacks the nostalgia that makes the original good.

Of course, there’s the fact that the programmers decided that the sequel to the original needed to have RPG elements and be a side-scroller. In essence, Zelda II just is a crappy platformer that features Link. Yay.

Pac-Man
If you want to play Pac-Man, go to a computer, Google “Pac-Man” and then proceed to play Pac-Man. There is no need to pay money for this game anymore.

Nick O’Malley can be reached at [email protected].