While the upcoming Wii U from Nintendo will not natively play those shiny little GameCube discs that many of us are still hording, word has it that a selection of GameCube titles will be available as downloadable retro titles for the new console due out next year.  The GameCube is becoming a retro console.  Are we all feeling old yet?  In an interview with NintendoGal, Nintendo of America's Director of Entertainment & Trend Marketing, Amber McCollum, reveals that classic games from the turn of the century will make a reappearance.  Game Informer summarizes the relevant quotes for us:

"Nintendo’s history usually goes back one system.  The Wii was compatible with GameCube and Wii U will be compatible with Wii and that’s pretty traditional in launches from Nintendo," says McCollum. She goes on confirm that some GameCube titles will be available via download: "The GameCube discs will not be compatible with Wii U, but a number of the games that were playable on GameCube can be downloaded from WiiWare."

GameCube games on the Virtual Console... I like the sound of that.  Super Mario Sunshine, Super Smash Bros. Melee, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, and plenty of other beloved titles now long out-of-print will return for an encore.  Let's just hope that Nintendo keeps the offerings coming and makes those offerings worthwhile.  So far the 3DS's Virtual Console support has been rather lackluster here in North America.  While The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening and Donkey Kong are true classics, was anyone really clamoring for a return engagement from Tennis or Fortified Zone?  Let's see more Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and less Shamu's Deep Sea Adventures.