While I've found some reviews on Virtual Console games, I haven't read much on the Virtual Console itself. How is it as an emulation of systems past? How does it compare to unofficial emulators--are there any benefits or downsides in one versus the other? Hell, same question when pitting VC against the original systems it emulates.

I'm just curious as to how well VC emulates. I'm guessing nearly-perfectly-to-perfectly (at least with Nintendo's own consoles), but some people have greater eyes for detail than I.

I've noticed no problems so far, but I've really not played the VC games much, but that'll change when I get through with some of the games I've bought the last few months.  The only game that I know of with complaints was Military Madness, but the complaints were only found on Hudson's forums; you can see some of the posts here:  http://www.hudsonentertainment.com/hive.php  However, I can't get the actual forum to load in Opera now, just those previews.  No complaints have popped up on GameFAQs and I've not read any reviews on the game yet.  Until I get a clear answer on it I'm not getting it, but I was really wanting to try it.

Well so far I've bought Super Mario 64, Sonic, Ristar and F-Zero. First off, the prices (as I'm sure you know) are very expensive. That aside, the service seems to be great. All four of those games seem to be spot-on perfect (as far as I can tell).

In terms of how they compare to unofficial emulators, well, Mario64 is a little different as PC N64 emulators are a little off sometimes. I've had N64 emulators improve on quality but not actually get things to look exactly as they did on my actual N64. The VC N64 emulation seems exactly as it was back in the day.

SNES and Genesis (MD) emulation, again, is exactly how it was. Having said that, if you're used to PC emulation, you're probably used to a clearer picture than what actually represents the real thing. Bear in mind I'm still on the composite cable and that affects picture but the picture quality is a little fuzzy compared with PC emulators.

So far, I've noticed no difference in sound.

I guess the big difference, for me, is that the VC is nice and official. I love emulation and it lets me play games I otherwise wouldn't. But I'll jump at the chance to do it officially. Prices, however, are too high so I can't see me buying a huge amount right now.

Same here, man. I have Mario 64 and Zelda - games I've beaten dozens of times - and I'd rather pay $15 and have official copies than get them for free to play on some cheap PC emulator. It beats the hell out of dusting off the old consoles and plugging them all in, too. I just fire up the Wii and go to town. I guess I factor the convenience in as part of the price: no hassles, no carts, instant gratification, etc.

If you own the game, you are legally allowed to have a ROM of it for your personal use.  Just something to consider.

As far as I can tell, all of the emulators are pixel-perfect recreations of how the old games played EXCEPT for the Turbo Grafx 16, which seems slightly fuzzy compared to the original.  Bear in mind, though, that I'm kind of a PC Engine snob and I've yet to download any SNES games.  NES, Genesis, and N64 have no problems, though.

Qui-Gon, have you tried Military Madness yet?

Nope... but mostly because I already own the game twice (the original English release HuCard and the entire original game is included in the Japan-only sequel Neo Nectaris).  I've been trying to convince a couple of my friends who liked Advance Wars that they need to download MM for their VCs though. 

The only Turbo game I've gotten so far is Bomberman '93, which, while good, pales in comparison to Bomberman '94.  I've also seen Bonk played on a friend's console.

The emulation works and is legal.  TurboGrafx games are a bit fuzzy.  Everything works as you expect like the original.  No game has had anything enhanced or fixed, as far as I can tell.

Prices are a bit pricey, but I'm basically buying games that I never played before, like Gunstar Heroes.