ow that our love affair is cooling off, Virtual Console, it’s time to look at things realistically. Yeah, some real sparks flew when we met. Super Mario 64 and Sonic the Hedgehog side by side? What’s not to love? We were even willing to look past your imperfections. Yeah, your idea of Donkey Kong was missing a level, but it was mostly all right. OK, you seemed to have an unhealthy fixation on shooters, but whatever. Don’t even get us started on Urban Champion. What we’re trying to say is that things started out nicely, but that we need more if you want us to stick around. What can you do to make sure we don’t stray? Here are 30 suggestions, to start…

The 2D action segments and mythical bosses were fun and all, but the real joy of ActRaiser was raising a thriving town from nothing only to devastate it with constant lightning strikes.

Let's say, hypothetically, that we're a little tired of shooters on the Virtual Console. One ship against a space army, yeah yeah yeah, get the power up and beat the boss. Rinse and repeat. With an arsenal that includes baseballs and piranhas, at least Air Zonk doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Tons of games have a create-a-player these days, but nothing will top the thrill of when we did it in Baseball Stars. It didn’t stop there: we made whole teams of players with borderline offensive names. The only change we would propose is the removal of that damn mercy rule – we want to see some suffering.

Considered by many gamers as not only one of the best RPGs ever made but one of the best video games ever conceived. Crono and friends embark on an epic adventure packed with some of the greatest enemies, characters and moments around.

The SNES original never made it to the U.S., though a PlayStation port did. Run and hide from Scissorman, a maniac who chases players with…you can figure it out.

The Strike series spawned many games across many systems, but none will ever compare to the original Desert Strike. Known for its high difficulty, players pilot a chopper in an isometric view and strike fear into the heart of all of those who would threaten the U.S.

Never mind the cool levels, bosses, and inherent fun of bouncing around on a cane – a cantankerous old duck who swims around in money is a great hero. Plus, any game with GizmoDuck is automatically a must-play.

What with all their parries, counters, and finesse, fighting games these days are like ballets. We miss the good ol’ days where we could just rattle off a few button presses and send Fulgore on an unbreakable rampage. Eat that, T.J. Combo!

In the side-scrolling parts, one of the guys wiggles around like a worm. You also hit guys with pipes and yo-yos. I’d be more specific, but my memory is a bit hazy. If only this SNES title was available to download somehow…

Solve puzzles with a trio of Vikings on a mission to escape their alien captors. The game’s developer, Blizzard, faded into obscurity. Where are they now?