The North American Virtual Console welcomes another Nintendo 64 title to the service this week, one whose main character is a popular Nintendo mascot, pink as you like and with lungs of steel. It is joined by a TurboGrafx-16 side-scrolling shooter with a twisted plot, built by a developed more famed for its developments in bringing us virtual pinball experiences.

Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (Nintendo 64, 1-4 Players, 1000 Wii Points):

Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards was originally released for the Nintendo 64 in the year 2000. It turned out to be the little pink blob’s only game for the system, and Kirby’s first ever 3D adventure. The game is notable for Kirby’s ability to merge two separate copy abilities together as opposed to just using one.

Kirby’s first 3-D adventure is also his Nintendo 64 debut, and it finds the always-versatile hero battling a new enemy called Dark Matter. Dark Matter is after a distant land’s powerful crystal, but a young fairy named Ribbon attempts to save it by escaping with the gem to Dream Land. Now the crystal has been broken, and it’s scattered around the world. Take control of Kirby and help him journey across six worlds, battling a wide variety of enemies and challenging bosses, as he tries to collect all 100 pieces of the shattered crystal.

Along the way, you’ll use Kirby’s trademark copying ability to use enemies’ strengths against them. Not only that, but try combining any two abilities to create a brand-new one that is usually stronger than the original. Throw in three exciting multiplayer minigames, and you’ve got a package of which even King Dedede would be proud. Fans of Kirby and action games with bright, colorful graphics should vacuum this one up.

Psychosis (TurboGrafx-16, 1 Player, 600 Wii Points):

Psychosis is a side scrolling shooter first released for the TurboGrafx-16 in 1990 and developed by NAXAT Soft, the firm responsible for both Alien’s Crush and Devil’s Crush. When released it was praised for its colourful graphics and original back story. The title consists of 5 stages (causes) in all, with a boss at the end of each.

This is a side-scrolling shooter played in a world created from the mind of a twisted demon. Your soul has suddenly wandered into that evil world that exists in every person’s heart. The only way out is to blast your way past the grotesque creatures that block your path in five “causes” (stages).

You must face the dangers of this psychedelic world by making full use of three shot types and the satellite option. With power-ups, you can change your shots to a wide-coverage beam, a satellite-generated laser and more. Each shot type can be powered up to three levels. You can also block enemy fire by rotating the satellites to a desired position. How you use these features will be the key to successfully escaping this strange and surreal world.

Until next week… enjoy!