Launched alongside the Wii in 2006, Nintendo's Virtual Console service has become an important part of the company's digital goods. Its launch as part of the 3DS eShop brought about some new features, and its Wii U iteration looks to be doing the same. While only a trial period at the moment (the service will officially begin a short time after the upcoming Spring system update), Balloon Fight offers us a sampling of what we can expect.

Coming off of the 3DS Virtual Console, what we've since come to expect from the service is in tow. Players are still able to suspend the game by pressing the GamePad's Home button (allowing you to exit the game and continue from where you left off), and Restore Points are present as well. For those unfamiliar with this last feature, Restore Points are created by tapping the GamePad's touchscreen, which pauses the onscreen action. By then pressing the Restore Point button on the touchscreen, that particular moment within the game can be accessed again as many times as you choose (until you decide to overwrite it).

New to the Wii U's VC is fully customizable controls. Any input can be changed and mapped to whichever button you prefer. As well, players can assign controllers to whichever player character they wish. In addition, the game runs concurrently on both the television and the GamePad.

Miiverse integration is a significant addition. Players can post screenshots, which in Balloon Fight's case has created an interesting take on traditional online leaderboards. On top of score competitions, players can share advice or seek it with other players. It may be fun in the future to witness new players stumped by Super Metroid's shattered glass tube and laying down some old man knowledge on them.

While hardly a feature, I did find comfort in the fact that Balloon Fight displayed in its natural 4:3 aspect ratio. On the Wii's Virtual Console, I had to fool around with my TV and Wii's display settings to achieve this, as the system would naturally stretch the game's visuals across my entire widescreen HDTV. 

An odd thing that has occurred is an inability to have the GamePad control Player 1 in a multiplayer game. Once another controller is connected, both take on Player 1's responsibilities. By tapping the GamePad's touchscreen, I am able to assign the GamePad to Player 2, which appears to be my only course of action. Hardly a disappointment, but certainly an oddity.

All in all, the Wii U's Virtual Console service is an improvement over what's come before it. While not as robust as M2's work in the arena of emulation (look to the Sega Game Gear emulation on the 3DS Virtual Console for comparison), it certainly does an excellent job.