Welcome to VC Weekly, N-Europe's guide to the wonderful world of Nintendo's download service. Written by Sam C Gittins.

Something for almost everyone as three titles are available for your downloading pleasure, one for the 3DS and a double dose for the Wii keeping it alive for a while longer. Anyway enough from me and on with the games!

Available for download this week we have...

• Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters
• Mega Man X
• Samurai Shodown IV: Amakusa's Revenge

Price: GB �2.70, EU �3
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Released: 1992
System: GameBoy

When the original Kid Icarus was released on the NES it met with the unfortunate fate of being released almost too soon after the now widely recognised Metroid which shares more than a passing similarity within the way it plays but while the latter title is themed on intergalactic bounty hunting Kid Icarus tells the story of the Angel named Pit who has been called upon by the goddess Palutena to save the world from the evil Medusa else it will fall into despair. It was thankfully well noted by Nintendo that Pit had almost fallen by the wayside in favour of Samus Aran and so they decided to give the angelic hero a second chance in this rather fantastic sequel which takes the basic premise of what made the first game successful but then adds so much more while addressing the issues that dragged down the original.

Simplicity is still the secret to this titles success as the controls will feel thankfully familiar, using the D-pad to control Pit while the two face buttons allow him to fly or fire arrows in the general direction of the enemy including upward plus now you can crouch which also allows you to drop down to the platform below but thankfully if you are unfortunate enough to plummet downward to the bottom of the stage then you won't instantly die which was a problem with the original title. The difficulty level is now nowhere near as intense as before either which is something of a godsend as it hasn't been dumbed down to the point of being stupidly easy, there is still a decent amount of challenge present especially when it comes to the boss battles which arise at the end of each main stage; rest assured that you will most likely be making good use of the save suspend feature in this title.

Otherwise you'll find yourself navigating the maze-like levels just like before, this time though there are four main stages with distinctly different styles which are in turn broken down again into four smaller stages with the exception of the last level which is massive in comparison leading nicely up to the satisfying final encounter. Along the way you'll slay many enemies, collect many hearts � up to 999 � and pieces that can extend your life meter slightly plus vials that actually recover your health; the best part comes from entering the various doorways not knowing what you'll find on the other side as it can be anything from a room full of enemies, some helpful advice, a collection of pots containing items such as hearts or even a shop which will sell you things such as keys to unlock locked doorways plus weapons including the ever useful hammer all for a certain amount of hearts naturally so it's well worth collecting or even farming them if you have the inclination as your efforts are at least rewarded of course you could just hold onto them too as you seem to get extra points for having them in your possession at the end of the stage.

Visually the original NES title may have more instant appeal owing to it being presented in full colour but here the devil is in the detail as though everything is black and white there is a lot going on within the environments which brings a new lease of life to the title, there are also some rather impressive bosses which have been beautifully designed. There are some genuinely decent musical compositions throughout even if they are quite obviously looped during the levels it never really gets boring only ever enhancing the experience further, even the sound effects are reasonably well chosen.

Anyone who has played the original game will almost without doubt enjoy this sequel equally if not even more, so if you've yet to play this but have played the recent 3D classics remake of the first game then you really need to experience this entry in the series especially if you're considering purchasing the upcoming Kid Icarus: Uprising later this month as this is essentially the perfect prelude to it. This is every bit a classic Nintendo title that definitely deserves to be enjoyed today just as it was upon its original release, perhaps now with its reasonably priced release on the Virtual Console however it will gain even more popularity because Kid Icarus is a series that surely deserves praise.

Verdict : Pits portable prelude to the upcoming uprising is well worth its price-tag.

Points: 800
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Released: 1994
System: SNES

Undeniably the Mega Man series is one of Capcom's most popular franchises but after eight numbered titles in succession the developer decided to try something a little different, in doing so they created the Mega Man X series which would go on to become the most popular era of Mega Man to date, thankfully the first entry in the excellent evolution of the series is now available on the Virtual Console to be enjoyed by a new generation of gamers and most likely enjoyed again by those who have already experience its brilliance.

Providing you've played a Mega Man game before then you should feel instantly at ease with this title for it retains the same basic mechanics from the early games only in a refined form, you still run 'n gun as before but this time you can now hang on to ledges plus jump up walls - not to mention upgrading your weapons along the way � all of which are very welcome additions along with the absolutely perfect controls which are incredibly responsive. Starting off is still a simple case of picking a stage, to do this you must pick a 'Maverick' � the replacement name for 'Robot Master' in previous games � and away you go to the stage of your choice; there is of course as always an order which will enable you to progress faster due to each boss having a weakness to the others weapons which you acquire but the fun of it all is discovering that route for yourself.

There's a lot to love about this game including the boss battles themselves which seem rather dynamic as they will constantly keep you on your guard, you'll need to put a bit of thought into defeating them at times which is a welcome change from bosses in games these days which can seem painfully easy in comparison. It never feels unfair though as there is a balance which is maintained throughout which ensures that you'll never be annoyed at the game for very long, only at yourself as you analyse your performance and try to work out various strategies in your head to try next time which adds a tonne of replay value.

As you might expect the visuals are of a very high standard indeed featuring some of the nicest graphics ever seen on the SNES or even in the history of the series, the actual character model of 'X' is realistically rendered featuring some genuinely astounding animation which really sets it apart from other side-scrolling platformers. Thankfully the classic chip-tunes of the original games haven't been forgotten about as that same style is present and correct with some nice touches only made possible by the SNES hardware, there are some truly fantastic tunes here in addition to the sound effects which are also of the high quality fans have come to expect from the series.

If you like Mega Man then you'll absolutely love the 'X' series, given that this is the first with the precursor attached to it that's highly regarded as one of the best then you should really invest in this title as it's an excellent starting point or indeed a fantastic way to reignite your love for the franchise if you haven't played a Mega Man game in a while. Clearly this can't come recommended enough on its own merits but the relatively cheap price alone compared to buying the original cartridge should be enough to persuade you into purchasing this outstanding title.

Verdict : Mega Man at its most masterful.

Points: 800
Publisher: SNK Playmore
Developer: SNK
Released: 1996
System: Neo-Geo

A series that many fighting fans are surely fond of Samurai Shodown has always been a strong contender in the world of fighting games which have become one of the largest genres in gaming to date and while the more modern entries sadly aren't much to talk about this fourth entry is one of the strongest to date. Its been a while since the third entry was re-released on the VC but this is most definitely a welcome return as this title takes direct inspiration from the third entry adding refinements only where they were needed in this case removal of aerial blocking, inclusion of side-stepping and an overhaul of the 'Rage' system allows for a greater risk/reward element.

You only get one chance to use your 'Pow' meter which goes up as your health decreases which means the closer to death your character is the more powerful their special move will be which only heightens the aforementioned risk/reward which will be constantly in your mind during each battle. There has always been a fine balance within these games with this being no exception though it feels a lot more tactical than before thanks to counter-attacks being rewarded in favour of all out power which seems to have a more positive effect on the gameplay.

Interestingly the time plays a vital role in single player as if you beat the game in the par time thus making it to the castle then you'll get the best ending possible but if your arrival falls behind that of your rival then you'll get the bad ending so there's plenty of replay value here to get all of the good endings alone. The character roster is reasonably well balanced with classic characters you already know alongside newcomers including Kazuki and Sougetsu with the only blight on it all being a couple of overpowered combatants, namely Galford... aside from that it's a solid selection which will keep you happy no matter which mode you're playing.

Unsurprisingly the visuals are nothing short of spectacular as even by today's standards they hold up incredibly well if not better than some of the more modern fighters with many beautiful backdrops and an astoundingly level of animation which really has to be seen to be believed. Aurally the selection of accompanying music is good with some soft pieces mixed in with some heavier compositions coupled with some rather realistic sound effects which serve only to further enhance the experience.

Easily well deserving of the praise it receives Samurai Showdown IV is a monumental entry in the series which stacks up spectacularly well against its predecessors, purists will no doubt bemoan the few niggles that the game has but that aside it's really not worth picking fault over. If you enjoy the genre then you'll be hard pushed to find many finer examples than this so you'd be well advised to pick this up as it will surely keep you engaged for a decent length of time indeed; obviously you'll get the most out of it if you're prepared to invest a lot of play time but it's still worth considering even if you're just after a quick 'fix' but chances are you'll end up hooked anyway.

Verdict : A fantastic fighter of a fast and frenetic nature that fans will surely adore.

That's it for another installment of VC Weekly which will return again soon. So until then, enjoy the rest of the week and Game On!

Sam Gittins
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