It's Monday which means new games on the Wii Shop Channel for everyone to enjoy. Punch Out!! (500 points), Virtua Fighter (800 points), and Bonk's Revenge (600 points) are now available for everyone who was disappointed at their tax refund and need to be frugal for the rest of the month.

Of course, nothing saves $250 better than those Wii shortages. Kim Phu

[Wii-kly Update]

If you were to look at the top of GameRankings list of best games of all time, heck almost anyone's list, what would you see? Hint, it's coming to the Wii's virtual console on Monday.

That's right, Nintendo just dropped the bomb. Ocarina of Time is coming to the Wii's virtual console in North America too. So there Europe. The game will be on the site Monday for 1,000 points or $10 in real money. Hit the jump for the short but sweet release. Brian Crecente

Every form of entertainment has its artistic pinnacles. On Monday, Nintendo will make The Legend of Zelda : Ocarina of Time available for download in the Wii Shop Channel of the hot new Wii video game system. Originally released in November 1998 for the Nintendo 64 console, the game is widely considered by critics and industry observers to be one of the greatest video games of all time.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time inspired millions of players around the world with its in-depth game play, rich 3-D visuals and memorable adventures. It set the standard by which all other games have been judged. And now it's available once again, both for veteran gamers to relive their gaming glory days and for younger players to discover it for the first time.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time will be available for 1,000 Wii Points when it goes live at 9 a.m. Pacific time on Feb. 26. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. The Wii Shop Channel now boasts more than 55 downloadable classic games, in addition to the dozens of new disc-based games available for Wii.

Sword of Vermilion, Vectorman, Sonic Spinball and Beyond Oasis are hitting the Wii's Shop Channel "soon" with prices starting at 800 points. Starting at? What the hell, are they selling cars now? What's the price already?

Hit the jump for the full descriptions of the games. I'll update it once Sega gets back to me with the actual prices you will be paying. Brian Crecente

Sword of Vermilion - When the evil wizard-king, Tsarkon, invaded Excalabria, King Erik V had no choice but to turn his infant son over to his most trusted warrior, Blade. As his castle burned, King Erik hurriedly gave Blade an ancient family heirloom, the Ring of Wisdom, and asked him to leave at once in the hopes that the young heir to the throne would survive. Blade raised Erik VI as his own, knowing one day the prince would fulfill the prophecy of the Malaga fortune tellers. Now, eighteen years later, Erik VI returns to Excalabria to avenge his father's death and reclaim the kingdom.

Vectorman - In the year 2049, mankind is forced to abandon an over-polluted Earth to seek out other planets for colonization while the mechanized Orbots stay behind to clean up the mess. When the Orbot leader, WarHead, starts blowing a few circuits and a war among the mechanical brethren, a sludge barge pilot named Vectorman is the only one willing to step up and fight him. You'll morph into a speeding train, a power drill, a mechanical fish, or a mighty dune buggy in this warfare adventure. Equip yourself with weapons, pick up morphs and power-ups to defeat WarHead and restore peace on Earth.

Sonic Spinball - With his Veg-O-Fortress built high up on an active volcano, Dr. Eggman is turning all the cute, furry creatures of Planet Mobius into robot slaves! Sonic and Tails rush to save the animals and quickly discover the only way to stop the mechanizing madness is to trigger a volcanic eruption. Sonic knows this can be done by removing the Chaos Emeralds that keep the volcano stable. However, Dr. Eggman is also aware of the fragile relationship that exists between the Emeralds and the mountain, and he's set up an elaborate Pinball Defense System to make sure the precious jewels don't go anywhere.

Beyond Oasis - You are the young Prince Ali in a desperate fight to defeat the evil that is threatening your island empire, Oasis. Long ago, a war raged between a wicked sorcerer who used a silver "armlet" to unleash destruction on the island and a wizard who defied him with a gold armlet that could summon four powerful spirits. Both armlets had been lost until recently when someone unearthed the silver band and began using it for their evil gain. Just when you think all is lost, you discover the precious gold armlet and finally have the power to combat the wearer of the silver band...but can you stop them in time?

How are we supposed to stop making bad Wii puns when every Monday like clockwork Nintendo sends out their "WII-KLY UPDATE?" They wil-ly need to stop encouraging us. Wii're bad enough as it is. Stopping now. Anyway, this week brings a trio of new games to the Wii Shop Channel for your purchase and / or scorn. First and foremost is Super Mario World, the SNES launch title that just couldn't live up to the Super Mario Bros. 3. Sure it tried, and it was very pretty and next-gen, but it still couldn't hold a candle.

Then there's Vigilante, a TurboGrafx-16 beat-em up of the 'the kidnapped my girlfriend, they're gonna pay' variety, and Gain Ground for the Sega Genesis, a game which I don't think I remember in the slightest but sounds rather interesting, going by the press release below. So you have one major game and two less than major games, averaging out to about an Eh+ for this weeks releases. I'll just let you people get angry at me about Super Mario World now. Michael Fahey

WII-KLY UPDATE: THREE NEW CLASSIC GAMES ANNOUNCED FOR WII SHOP CHANNEL

Feb. 5, 2007

Today Nintendo adds three new classic games to the popular Wii video game system's Wii Shop Channel. The games go live at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Nintendo adds new games to the channel every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week's new games are:

Super Mario World (Super NES , 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points): During a vacation in Dinosaur Land, Princess Toadstool gets kidnapped and a spell is cast on the inhabitants of the island. When they stumble upon Yoshi , a young dinosaur, Mario and Luigi learn that Bowser is responsible for the terrible misdeeds. Now, all Yoshis are trapped in magical eggs that Bowser has hidden throughout seven castles. Many hidden paths aid Mario in making his way to Bowser's castle, completing 74 areas and finding all 96 exits. Discover items, including a feather that gives Mario a cape that allows him to fly, or a flower that shoots fireballs in layers upon layers of 2-D scrolling landscapes. Players can even ride Yoshi and swallow their enemies.

VIGILANTE (TurboGrafx-16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points): Brave the streets of New York City in this side-scrolling beat-'em-up game. Thugs kidnap the beloved Madonna, and it's up to players to become vigilantes. Players fight their way into enemy territory to get her back. Enemies attack with weapons like iron pipes, chains, guns and motorcycles. To fight back, players can punch, kick or use the "nunchaku" item that appears in the stage. Players must use each of the attacks effectively to defeat their enemies. To clear a stage, defeat the boss that waits at the end. Players fight their way through exciting stages that include the City Streets, Junkyard, Brooklyn Bridge and the Backstreets.

Gain Ground (Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points): It's the 31st century, and science and technology have progressed to the point that the human race is approaching perfection: no war, no poverty and no conflict. With nothing to worry about, the human race seems destined to live forever in harmony. But what if Earth came under attack? By this point in time, people did not know how to cope with problems or conflicts, and had completely lost their survival instincts. In response to this, the United Earth Government created the Gain Ground system, a war simulator that would help humans rediscover their lost instincts. After several terrible malfunctions, the creators became prisoners in their own creation. Now it's up to players and two courageous comrades to go into the Gain Ground system, rescue their fellow humans and destroy the system. Players battle through different periods in history as they revive their survival instincts, while trying to live.

Mario Kart 64(TM) (Nintendo(R) 64, 1-4 players, 1,000 Wii Points): Put the pedal to the metal in this worthy successor to the Super NES(R) classic, Super Mario Kart(R). Mario Kart 64 boasts great graphics, tons of unique power-ups and a stunning 3-D version of the legendary Battle Mode. With improved courses and a revolutionary head-to-head four-player mode, Mario Kart 64 is sure to win the heart of any race-driving fan. The game includes 20 different courses filled with dips, valleys, jumps, tunnels and bridges. Smooth, precise control — a trademark of all games from Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto — will bring players back time and time again for freewheeling fun.

Contra(R) III: The Alien Wars(TM) (Super NES(R), 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points): In the year 2636, the Alien War continues, and it's up to two soldiers, Jimbo and Scully, to put a stop to the alien invasion. The aliens have ravaged the Earth with their powerful organic and technological weapons. Players can join with a partner and battle through six stages of nonstoprun-and-gun action. Collect power-ups, including bombs, flamethrowers, spread shots, lasers and machine guns to take out the aliens. Control Jimbo and Scully as they travel through war-torn cities, race on air bikes, ride missiles and ultimately break into the alien base to defeat the alien boss once and for all.

Bonanza Bros.(TM) (Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points): Mobo and Robo Bonanza are enjoying their favorite television show when the picture crackles and the shadowy figure of a mysterious stranger appears on the screen. This figure asks them to collect certain items that he has placed inside various buildings to test his security force. If they return the items successfully, Mobo and Robo will be rewarded. The two of them state that they will get the job done in just three minutes. However, little do they know that each building is packed with security guards who will raise the alarm if they are caught red-handed. Fortunately both Mobo and Robo are equipped with bullets that can knock the guards unconscious for a few seconds. A huge reward will be given out if Mobo and Robo are apprehended. Help the infamous Bonanza Bros. infiltrate a number of different locations ranging from banks to mansions to casinos, and don't get caught.

Comix Zone(TM) (Sega Genesis, 1 player, 800 Wii Points): Sketch Turner is an artist in New York City. One day while Sketch is drawing, a huge thunderstorm strikes the city. A bolt of lightning hits Sketch's image and brings it to life. That image is Mortus, a megalomaniacal mutant who wants to become real and rule the earth. Mortus magically transports Sketch into the pages of his comic book so that he can end his creator's life and become real. Inside the comic book, Sketch meets General Alissa Cyan, who believes he is a superhero that came to save their post-apocalyptic world from the evil brought by Mortus's hand. Now that he's a comic book superhero, Sketch can really put the hurt on the bad guys. Instantly, Sketch can fight like a one-man mercenary platoon.

Damn the lack of online gameplay. Damn it to hell. Brian Crecente