Jon goes Commando while trying to catch'em all.
While there are plenty of titles I'd like to see on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console, two that are at the top of my list are Pokemon Pinball and Bionic Commando: Elite Forces, both for Game Boy Color. Pokemon Pinball is a natural pick, since I owned it and played it extensively; on the other hand, Elite Forces is a game I always wanted but never had the opportunity to buy.
Pokemon Pinball, released in North America in the summer of 1999, used the Pokemon license in clever and novel ways to give players more than just a run-of-the-mill pinball game with franchise-themed visuals. While not the most solid game of pinball from a physics standpoint (your ball – a Pokeball, of course – can come off your paddle in unpredictable ways, and get caught up in areas of each board in ways that don't quite feel right), it makes up for its idiosyncrasies by giving gamers the fun meta-quest of filling out their Pokedex. This is Pokemon, so you gotta catch'em all.
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Choosing from a Red or Blue-themed board, players try to keep their Pokeball alive while revealing and then capturing different Pokemon based on their current "location", which changes as different achievements on each board are completed. After a Pokemon is captured, an Evolution Mode can be triggered that allows players to capture new variations of existing creatures. It's a clever hook that keeps you playing, especially since evolutions are only retained on a per-board basis. While your Pokedex is saved and built over time, losing your last Pokeball just as you're capturing a creature's final evolution means that you'll have to start the process all over again.
Pokemon Pinball was also innovative from a technological standpoint. It used a specially-designed oversized cartridge case to house a Rumble Pak, adding a force feedback element to the on-screen action. While dismissed by some as unnecessary, it was a neat bonus that added a little something extra when combined with the relatively simple technology of the Game Boy Color. Also unforgettable is the digitized battle cry of Pikachu, who screams "PIIIIII-KAAAAAAA!!!!" while capturing and releasing your Pokeball. While crude, sound effects such as these were still impressive on the original Game Boy, and do their part to make Pokemon Pinball a unique experience.
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Another unique title is 1999's Bionic Commando: Elite Forces, a Game Boy Color-exclusive continuation of Capcom's venerable Bionic Commando series. Capcom handed the development reins over to Nintendo's internal studio Nintendo Software Technology Corporation (NST), making Elite Forces the first game to be released by the group. While NST faded into the Nintendo background since its heyday in the early 2000s, this is the game that put them on the map as a team to watch.
Elite Forces stays true to the formula of the original game, which is a side-scrolling action-platformer in which your character can climb up and swing from platforms using a bionic arm. It does add a few notable wrinkles, however. Players can now choose a male or female commando, with each gender taking slightly different paths through the game. There is also a cool "sniper mode" that lets you shoot enemies through a scope at designated spots in each level, as well as a similar mode from an overhead perspective. Of course, the main hook is the consistently enjoyable activity of swinging through levels and finding clever ways to traverse the terrain.
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The graphics really show off what the Game Boy Color can do, with plenty of color, fluid animation, and full-screen action shots at the end of each level. There's still some slowdown and flickering, but it can be forgiven based on the overall quality of the package. The music is also excellent, with the only sore sport being the horrible digitized speech that is used in abundance. You'll have to listen three or four times before realizing that the voice actor is actually saying the word "sniper".
Nonetheless, Bionic Commando: Elite Forces is definitely a title I'd like to see on the 3DS Virtual Console. It and Pokemon Pinball make a pair of quality games that are often overlooked thanks to the number of great titles available on their platform, and overshadowed due to the huge exposure of other games in their respective franchises. The Nintendo 3DS' download service is the perfect opportunity to introduce these diamonds in the rough to a whole new generation of portable gamers.
