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

First we get the astounding Super Mario RPG, then the fantastic platform title Bio Miracle and in this third and final week of the Hanabi Festival we get not one but two fantastic additions to the VC library as well as two additional titles that basically just make up the numbers. Anyway enough from me and on with the games!

Available for download this week we have...

• Chase H.Q.
• DoReMi Fantasy : Milon's DokiDoki Adventure
• Spelunker
• Ys Book 1 & 2

Points: 600
Publisher: Taito
Developer: Taito
Released: 1988
System: Turbografx

Over two decades ago Taito released Chase H.Q in arcades, it did reasonably well as it took all the standard racing elements from other games at the time and added in police car chases, to say the least it was different for it's time of release. Originality is all well and good but it was hampered by annoying time limits and decidedly dodgy controls at the time.

Despite all this though it became reasonably popular with certain gamers and so like all arcade games that enjoy moderate success it got ported to every format under the sun at the time. Out of all of them though the Turbografx version is regarded as the best port out of all of them, thats not to say that it improves upon the game that well though, just that it feels more complete.

It's a simple concept that this game follows, you get to drive a Porsche as you drive around and apprehend criminals; this is done by driving as fast as you possibly can across a course with horrific hazards and numerous twists and turns. Once you reach the target vehicle you have to take it down (think Burnout style but not as flashy) and make the car pull over, you are then graded on your performance and bonuses are awarded accordingly.

The controls are while simple, quite annoying as you move the car with the d-pad, accelerate with one buttons and break with another; the problem is that they are overly slow and often makes for a hit-and-miss experience. For an arcade port the graphics and sound are recreated respectfully with a certain amount of realism but they really aren't anything aesthetically or aurally pleasing by todays standards.

Offering very little challenge to todays racing enthusiasts and no forgiveness for the casual cruiser due to the frustratingly unresponsive control scheme which doesn't make it a great deal of fun to play, which begs the question; what exactly is the point in it? A reasonable arcade game it may have once been but it really hasn't aged well since and certainly isn't worth it's weight in Wii points today.

Verdict : A disgrace of a racer.

Points: 900
Publisher: Hudson
Developer: Hudson
Released: 1996
System: SNES

Platform games, there is no denying that the SNES had many decent examples of the genre; most of which were provided by Nintendo themselves as such classics as Donkey Kong Country, Super Mario World and Yoshi's Island proved by going down in history as some of the best ever conceived on any console. It's a small mystery as to why Hudon's effort in the form of DoReMi Fantasy was not released outside of Japan as it effortlessly manages to rival the all time greats created by the Big N.

It's plot centers around the age old rescuing the helpless female scenario as you take control of Milon who sets off on an epic quest to rescue his fairy friend Aeris who has been kidnapped by an evil demon named Amon who by stealing her has stolen the songs and music of the forest in the process, so basically it's up to you to save the day as you assume the role of Milon and journey across various lands, collecting items and defeating bosses along the way in order to bring the music back to Piccolo Forest.

Visually vibrant from the offset with detail that delicately decorates everything from main characters, bosses and enemies featuring flawless, flowing animation which brings everything together perfectly. It's clear from just looking at the game just how much love and attention has gone into producing this title and nothing is more evident of this than the beautifully bold backgrounds which look amazing and help create a carefully crafted contrast between itself and the foreground.

Everything sounds sublime too from the admirable accompanying music andsatisfying sound effects; Hudson also rather cleverly incorporate fade techniques which kick in at the right point and makes the audio feel a lot more natural. It doesn't stop there as not only does this game look as good as it sounds but it plays as good as it looks and provides the gamer with an experience that is as good as it gets; everything is in equilibrium.

As you run and jump about the levels with pixel perfect precision and encapsulate enemies using your brilliant bubble blower it becomes crystal clear that this is a platform title like no other. From the colourful characters and cutscenes, brilliant bosses, wonderful worlds and a stash of secrets to boot this is a truly magical and memorable experience from start to finish; and now it can be yours for the pittance of a price it costs.

Verdict : Platforming perfection thats worth every point.

Points: 600
Publisher: Tozai Games
Developer: MGI
Released: 1985
System: NES

Oh dear what has fallen before my eyes, but a rather nasty surprise in disguise; sneaking in alongside the quality is this freakish abnormality. Created way back in nineteen-eighty-five I am surprised that this download went live; Spelunker is over two decades old but this game really should have been put on hold.

You play as an explorer of caves, as the darkness our young hero braves; you are there in the pursuit of a long rumored treasure and getting to it shall be no small endeavor. As you make your way to the bottom from the top many creatures will chase you and in your tracks you will stop.

Many more dangers will challenge your wits as you are faced with water, chasms, small ledges and pits. Visually and audibly it's an abomination and the broken gameplay leads to frustration; limited controls that play like a chore and repetitive tasks assure it's a bore.

At times it's enough to make the player cry, when they discover yet another method to die; it may have been good if they had put in some thought, rather than flawed mechanics which may leave you distraught. As much as I would like to take this as a serious game, that I can't do because it truly is lame.

Worth it's points it most certainly is not, it's gameplay as dull as it's wafer-thin plot; more I could say about it's infinite flaws, but I cannot be bothered to waste my time or yours.

Verdict : Crushingly crud cave crawler.

Points: 800
Publisher: Nihon Falcom
Developer: Nihon Falcom
Released: 1987
System: Turbografx

Now I realise that there is already a reasonably respectable amount of RPG's available for the Virtual Console but while just under half of them are excellent example of the genre there is the other half which aren't as spectacular. Here to redress the balance however is a relatively lesser known RPG with a cult following that has a small cult following and has never been released in Europe; until now that is.

Ys is an RPG series produced by Nihon Falcom and is regarded as one of the finest examples of such a game released just not on it's original console but ever, and with good reason too. As a series it has earned a sizable degree of success in the far east even before this compilation title came into existence; it never quite reached the same stunningly high heights as other series' in the west though but this title featuring both the first and second installments in the popular series still grabbed the attention of American gamers who had previously been used to other RPG's that were very different to this indeed.

This release details the first two adventures which star Adol Christin who is a youthful fiery red haired swordsman of on a quest to unravel the mysteries which shroud an ancient civilisation. Assuming your role you must explore Esteria, an island which holds they keys to what you seek as well as a whole host of dungeons to explore and monsters to slay using a plethora of weapon and magic based attacks with a few good puzzles thrown in to keep your wit as sharp as the blade that you live and die by.

While the showcased in-game graphics may not be anything amazing, the cut-scenes which were interspersed throughout still look fantastic even today; couple that with the decent sound effects and the sublime soundtrack and you have something that has an overall pristine level of presentation.

In book one you are tasked with collecting the six books of Ys, at this point of obtaining these book one ends and book two begins where our main protagonist is transported to the floating island of Ys where he must face of against yet more malicious monsters and take down the evil overlord known as Dark Fact so that the world may be saved from darkness.

Being impressively built up in may areas you might expect this game to have an incredibly involved battle system but this could not be further from the truth; you simply walk into an enemy and thats it as the victory is decided by how powerful you are at that point. This is how it works in the first part however as the second grants you access to magical attacks to further advance your offensive capabilities.

Overall it's a very different role-playing experience and it turns out to be very good because of it; the deep level of presentation and storytelling draws you in while the unique combat system along with it's subtleties keeps you playing. It is a title best judged as a whole rather then a case of being the sum of it's parts as there are bits in this game that just wouldn't fit elsewhere but when it all comes together, it does so with such brilliance that makes it easily one of the most unique RPG's out there and quite possibly one of the best ever made.

Verdict : A decidedly different but delightful take on the age old RPG genre.

Thats 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
[email protected]

Looking for reviews on other Virtual Console games? Or a full list of games available on the system? Then Check out our Virtual Console Index Page.