Lots of people have already made long, boring lists of the top ten or however many virtual console games. Such lists are packed with games like Super Metroid, Paper Mario, The Legend of Zelda, and Super Mario World. All of these games are undeniably classics, but is it really telling you anything when you read a list like that? You already know that those games are great, and you've probably already played through them all, so why sit there and read an article from some smelly guy who's just telling you what you already know? This is a short list of 8 games that you as a gamer need to play. Whether you're a fan of strategy or action games, shooters or RPGS, this list will have a least two games that I can guarantee you HAVEN'T played, and will thank me for the recommendation once you do.

8. Battle Lode Runner - TG-16, 5 Players, 600 Wii Points
So kicking off the list we have the little-known multiplayer classic, Battle Lode Runner. It's a game that's harder than taming a llama in single player (although admittedly still enjoyable) but a blast in multiplayer. I'm not even going to talk about the single player mode, because that's not what you'll buy this game for. (Although it's possible to play the multiplayer mode against bots, which is also fun.) The game is a versus-style platformer in a 2D world build around regenerating blocks. As a competitor, you have no attacks or moves other than to dig a hole either on the left or right side of your character, creating a temporary pit, which is impossible to climb out of if you fall in. The strategy comes in when you're digging the ground right out from underneath your opponents, trapping them in a pit and dooming them to a hilariously inescapable death once the block you just dug up regenerates around them. This sounds like it'd turn into a button masher fast, but with multiple strategies like digging right through the ceiling above opposing players, and dropping down on top of them swinging, fast thinking and timing is required. Digging all the way through the bottom of the stage results in your character falling down from the top of the screen, and it's possible to set up elaborate traps by having pits dug near the top level that opponents diving down through the bottom will land in like a big idiot. All of this sounds extremely complicated, but once you figure out the basics, it's really not, and turns out to be a fun and rewarding multiplayer experience for UP TO FIVE PEOPLE. The more the merrier.