Mighty Bomb Jack, Life Force Explode On Nintendo Virtual Console

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, it's another slow week on the Nintendo eShop and Virtual Console front. There are exactly zero new offerings on Nintendo's virtual storefront with two new Virtual Console games—one for the Wii U and one for the 3DS—making up the entirety of this week's fresh content. It may not be a whole lot, but the fact that there is something new for those looking for it, just might find these new games enough to whet the appetite until the following week's content arrives. There's also a sale on a couple of 3DS games, Shin Megami Tensai 4 and Fractured Souls, in case you were hoping to get either of those on the cheap.

When all is said and done, I guess a pair of Virtual Console games is far better than nothing when it comes to a Nintendo weekly release. For those of you gaming on the Wii U, your old-school hit is the Nintendo Entertainment System's Mighty Bomb Jack.

I'm not even going to pretend I didn't have to look that game up to know what it even is. And, honestly, I'm still not too sure on the details. It looks like you play a guy who collects bombs and then uses them to destroy enemies in a platforming adventure game. And if you get too greedy with your bomb-swiping antics, you apparently get sent to the torture chamber. Wait, what now? The torture chamber? This game just got a heck of a lot more interesting.

Finally, on the 3DS, this week's NES classic is none other than Life Force, the badical scrolling shooter for up to two players.

This one I at least remember playing back in the day. It's a tough-as-nails shooter that's more about managing a few enemies and an ever-changing environment than plowing your way through a bullet hell. It's all about pattern recognition is this one, as you'll want to slam your controller in frustration while simultaneously steeling yourself for “just one more try.”

And that leaves us with this week's discounts, both available on the 3DS. The platforming action game, Fractured Soul is down to six bucks this week, offering some extremely hard two-screen platforming that has you swapping between the top and bottom worlds to avoid damage and deal with enemies. That promotion will run through Feb. 6. There's also Shin Megami Tensei 4, which will be going for $30 from Jan. 27 to Feb. 3.