Nintendo has promised a steady stream of new downloadable games for its Virtual Console service on the Wii, and today the publisher detailed its plans to keep the games coming for European gamers in the first few months of 2007. Nintendo Europe announced it will release 36 games for the Virtual Console over the first quarter of 2007. Of those games, 20 will be pulled from Nintendo consoles of yesteryear, while seven TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine games and nine Genesis/MegaDrive titles will be added to the service.

Sega announced five titles from its SEGA Genesis library: Streets of Rage, Bio-Hazard Battle, Gain Ground, Comix Zone and Bonanza Bros. will soon be available on the Wii Shop Channel for download and play on the Wii’s Virtual Console. Prices start at 800 Wii Points for SEGA Genesis titles. Wii Points can be purchased online or at select retailers at an MSRP of $20 for 2,000 points.

Games for the Nintendo Wii have to pass a higher standard than most: They have to be fun to look at and play, and they also have to make good use of the Wii’s unique remote control-style controller.

Konami’s “Elebits” makes a solid showing in all categories. The basic game is simple: You’re on the hunt for tiny creatures with antennae called Elebits that, when captured, can restore power to devices that have been turned off by a power outage. You use the controller to point and shoot at the Elebits to capture them, and you also use it to open doors, turn on electrical devices, fling objects around, rummage through drawers and even turn things upside down.

Treasure is a small Japanese game developer studio known for creating some of gaming’s cult favorites, like Radiant Silvergun, Guardian Heroes, Ikaruga, and Gunstar Heroes. Treasure’s been known to support whichever platform suits it, bucking popular trends, and put that hardware to use in unexpected ways. Treasure’s president Masato Maegawa discusses the studio’s plans for the near future.

The big question for this year is: Can Nintendo maintain the momentum? Sure, the Wii had one of the best launch lineups ever, with the instant classic ‘’The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess'’ and gems like ‘’Wii Sports'’ and ‘’Rayman Raving Rabbids.'’ But will the hits keep on coming?

The signs are promising, with software publishers looking for innovative ways to take advantage of the Wii’s unique motion-sensing controller. Some of the experiments we’ve seen over the last month have worked really well; the failures seem like the results of developers not really thinking through the new tools Nintendo has offered them. Once designers get a grip on the Wii, watch out.