Sega today released a press announcement stating which games would be appearing on the Wii’s Virtual Console on the 19th of November. Pricing will start at 800 Wii Points, and presumably the more popular games will be priced accordingly. There are also some screenshots just to refresh your memory.

Ten games will be put up at launch, with countless more in the new year. The games are as follows:

• Sonic The Hedgehog - (1991/© SEGA) - Rocket Sonic, the fastest blue hedgehog on earth, through hair-raising loop-de-loops and dizzying dives past bubbling lava, waterfalls and on as you gather up Rings and stop Dr. “Ivo” Robotnik’s schemes for world domination!
• Altered Beast- (1989/© SEGA) - When Zeus, the legendary Greek God, brings you back to life, you set forth on a mission to rescue his daughter Athena from the underworld. Along the way, collect the Spirit Balls dropped by enemies to increase your strength and transform into a variety of mythical creatures with powerful attacks.
• Golden Axe - (1988/© SEGA) - Three mighty heroes have a score to settle with the evil Death Adder in this classic action game. As a powerful fighter, a female amazon, or a mighty dwarf, you’ll fight through Adder’s henchman with weapon and magic attacks or ride the fearsome, fire-breathing beasts to your advantage.
• Columns - (1990/© SEGA) - Test your hand at the ancient Phoenician game of Columns. Multi-colored gems drop from the top of the screen into a pit and it is up to you to quickly arrange the order of the jewels as they fall into lines of three or more. If your gems pile up and reach the top, the game is over.
• Ecco the Dolphin - (1993/© SEGA) - Help Ecco the dolphin find his missing friends by exploring his vast ocean world. You must surface for air and keep an eye out for enemies as you search the depths. Ecco’s unique sonar ability will give you helpful information from other sea creatures.
• Gunstar Heroes - (1993/© SEGA) - The Gunstar 9 planet was peaceful for many years until the vicious dictator, Colonel Red, kidnapped the Gunstar twins’ older brother and used mind control to make him his slave. You’ll face many different enemies and bosses as you battle to stop the dictator from unleashing “Golden Silver the Destructor” with apocalyptic consequences!
• Space Harrier II -. (1988/© SEGA) - Fantasyland has been taken over by destructive forces and a call for help comes from deep in the universe Space Harrier is quick on the scene armed with his laser to defeat wave after wave of destructive forces through twelve thrilling stages, with a dangerous boss waiting at the end of each round.
• Toe Jam and Earl - (1992/© ToeJam&Earl Productions,Inc. © SEGA) - Toe Jam and Earl are two fun-loving aliens who accidentally crash on earth when their spaceship collides with a meteorite! They must find 10 pieces of the spaceship so they can get back home to Planet Funkotron, but not all levels have the pieces. Once you find a piece of the ship, you’ll receive a hint as well.
• Ristar - (1995/© SEGA) - Greedy, an evil space pirate, has corrupted the kings of Valdi System’s seven planets and enslaved the people who live there. The plea for a hero is answered by Ristar who uses his amazing extendable arms and courage to save Valdi from Greedy.
• Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine - (1993/© SEGA) - Dr. Robotnik is stamping out music and fun in Mobius with his giant, robotizing Mean Bean Steaming Machine. Before he turns all the citizens of Beanville into robots, you must save the day by gathering up beans in matching colors and defeating Robotnik’s guards!

(The pictures above are in order as listed above, from left to right, in case you’re unsure!) There is a few I remember in there, in particular Mean Bean Machine, that game was excellent. I found it more enjoyable than Tetris. And unfortunately that is Sonic 1, the worst Sonic out of the four. Sonic and Knuckles would be good, but even better than that would be Sonic and Knuckles coupled with Sonic 3. That was great. I predict that they will all get a release sometime next year, because it’s a great cash cow for Sega. Columns I remember from my Game Gear, but that was pretty boring to be honest. Apart from the Sonic related games, I don’t think I’ll be particuarly bothered by them at the moment. I won’t feel the need to download immediately, put it that way.

So are there any that you are excited about? Any that you think Sega have to release because you love a specific game so much? Let us know in the comments section, and let Sega hear your wants and needs!