Some good news for the starved 3DS owners out there. Nintendo is planning to release Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins and Metroid II: The Return of Samus to the eShop via the Virtual Console in the fourth quarter of 2011.
Super Mario Land 2 was one of the biggest games on the Game Boy — eight times bigger than its predecessor. It also sees the first appearance of dastardly Wario, brainwashing and turning the inhabitants of Mario Land against Mario, and forcing him to find six golden coins scattered across to land to break the spell and reclaim his castle from Wario’s tight grip.
Metroid II was the only game from the series to be released on the Game Boy, and pits Samus against the Metroid creatures on their own turf in an attempt to prevent the Space Pirates from obtaining and using them. Unlike Super Mario Land 2, Metroid II wasn’t as well received as its original counterpart, and was often forgotten by many until quite recently. It also gave us those massive shoulders on her suit for the first time which has become a permanent feature for our beloved heroine ever since.
These may not be the new games utilizing the technology that many people bought the 3DS for. However, no one can deny the quality and timeless nature of Mario and Metroid, and I’m sure people would still appreciate the opportunity to play these classics today on their current handheld.
The games seem to be only confirmed for the UK right now, but I’m sure they will be confirmed for the US and Japan in the near future. In the meantime, check out the original Japanese ads for the games. They just don’t make them like these anymore.
Super Mario Land 2 and Metroid 2 coming to 3DS eShop [Official Nintendo Magazine UK]
『スーパーマリオランド2』と『メトロイド2』がバーチャルコンソールで配信決定 [iNSIDE Games]
