Virtual Console Essentials

Mega Drive Essentials

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Sonic Team)

For many seasoned gamers, the very sight of Sonic on a Nintendo platform still feels like one of the signs of the apocalypse. Plumbers and hedgehogs, living together. Mass hysteria. Still, it makes a certain kind of sense - with the system wars of 1992 behind us, the velocity and razzmatazz of Sonic complements Mario's more measured gameplay very nicely. This sequel is superior to the original, not least for the addition of the dash attack, so it gets the spot on our list.

Gunstar Heroes (Treasure)

Gunstar Heroes, a pitch perfect side-scrolling run and gun shooter from those lovable barmpots at Treasure, is one of those games that is beloved by those who've played it, yet not widely known. Perfect, in other words, for the broader audience of the Virtual Console.

Streets of Rage 2 (SEGA)

In the 90s, the beat-'em-up was king and so the VC is typically home to far too many horizontal brawlers. Most of them are average, at best. You can cut through the chaff by simply heading straight for Streets of Rage 2, possibly the best example of its genre, and the sort of solid arcade experience you'll want to dip into over and over.

Wonder Boy in Monster World (SEGA)

Poor old Wonder Boy was just too twee to survive into the modern era of gaming, but if you've got kids then you won't go far wrong with this - the best of the numerous adventures starring the warrior tyke. As well as the expected platform jumping, the game adds depth with NPC conversations and a variety of weapons and armour to buy and equip.

TurboGrafx-16 Essentials

Bomberman '93 (Hudson Soft)

You can't have a games collection without Bomberman. That's legal fact. This TurboGrafx version is one of the best, with the arcade-friendly console code providing a slick, fast blast. Easily one of the greatest multiplayer games ever devised, this is truly timeless gaming fun.

Galaga '88 (Namco)

Just to prove that classic arcade games were receiving great makeovers long before Xbox Live Arcade was around, here's Galaga '88. Much like the 1981 original, it's a single screen shooter - Space Invaders evolved, if you like. The additions are both subtle and beneficial, making this a real treat for vintage shoot-'em-up addicts.

NeoGeo Essentials

Art of Fighting 2 (SNK)

For most people, Street Fighter II will more than cover their pugilistic needs, but for those with a more refined fighting game palette you need NeoGeo. There are loads of NeoGeo fighting games on the VC, but if we had to pick an absolute favourite (and we do) then Art of Fighting 2 offers everything a seasoned 2D brawler could want.

Metal Slug (SNK)

If Gunstar Heroes tickled you, then Metal Slug will pin you to the floor and go to work on your armpits with a feather duster like a crazed banshee. It's the pinnacle of the scrolling shooter genre, and thanks to its bombastic cartoon visuals, it's a game that doesn't show its decade-old vintage.

Neo Turf Masters (SNK)

Perhaps its because of the ubiquity of Wii Sports, but there aren't that many sporty games on the Virtual Console. One wonderful exception is this impressively detailed golf game, which still holds up fantastically well today - provided you're only interested in a solid fairway game and not all the peripheral features that Tiger Woods promises.

Commodore 64 Essentials

IK+ (Archer Maclean)

Like so many Commodore classics the reputation of IK+ has endured because, twenty years on, there's still been nothing like it. Forget special moves, boss fights and health bars - it's just a three-way karate showdown, with realistic moves and a knock-down scoring system. Simple, graceful and absolutely brilliant.

Uridium (Andrew Braybrook)

And much as IK+ tackled the fighting game from an original angle, so to does Andrew Braybrook's Uridium, a fiendishly tough shoot-'em-up that reinvented the horizontal blaster. Instead of escalating firepower, it's all about speed and agility, as you race to destroy the defences of giant dreadnought spaceships, scooting over their surfaces and dodging fatal collisions by a few pixels.

Paradroid (Andrew Braybrook)

Another Braybrook classic, and a game that really warrants a respectful modern makeover. You're a humble robot, sent to tackle an infestation of rogue droids. You do this not through violence - well, most of the time - but by hacking into your enemies and jumping from one form to another, getting stronger as you go. Don't let the minimalist graphics may put some off - this is one of the greatest action strategy games ever created.