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

Yes, VC weekly has returned! Although either slightly late or within a reasonable time frame depending on your view. As regular readers are probably aware the original author of VC weekly Jordan Khoviteri-Zadeh has stepped down due to personal reasons and so I have stepped up to take on the responsibility.

As Jordan's successor I hope to carry on the decent standard of writing that has been set thus far and will aim to get each weekly batch of titles reviewed within a decent time frame this week was the exception due to the busy commercial holiday known as easter (which I hope you all enjoyed) but typically you can expect to see VC weekly live up to it's name.

Right, that's enough from me for now I hope you enjoy this bumper catchup edition of VC Weekly, looking at games from the past two weeks. We'll be back on our regular schedule with the next edition. Anyway, onto the games!

Last Week's Releases:

• Pac-Man
• Actraiser
• Bonk's Revenge

Points: 500
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: NBGI
Released: 1984 (original NES release) 1987, 1993 (re-releases)
System: NES

Wakka, wakka, wakka... the repeated sound that defined a generation of gamers; instantly synonymous to many as the sound of the infamous Pac-Man chowing down on large amounts of small yellow dots. Originally a hugely successful arcade game in 1985 this iconic title has been re-released many times in the past double decade.

As far as the story goes there isn't really one to speak of... you are Pac-Man, you navigate mazes populated with items and objects, most of the time 75 per cent of these items are edible and 25% are harmful. For the most part you eat yellow dots; all of which must be consumed in order to progress to the next stage, pieces of fruit sporadically appear which the P-man can chow-down on for massive point bonuses.

Other perishables include the Power-Pills and the ghosts (named Inky, Blinky, Pinky and Clyde) the two are inextricably linked because while most of the time the multicoloured ghosts will hunt down the lil yella fella; if he then pops a power-pill they turn bright blue and become partially consumable (apart from their eyes) for a limited period of time.

Essentially thats it, the concept carries on for the rest of the game with the only variables being the speed of ghosts, the central bonus item and the layout of the map; of which there are 256 that are considered to be actual "proper" maps even though technically due to a design flaw present in all versions there is actually no end to Pac-Man, just maps which have reduced visibility rendering them virtually unplayable to the average player.

With that single technical flaw noted which I don't count as a negative seeing as it is present in all versions; Pac-Man is one of those immortal gaming classics that is fun to play regardless of format. While the virtual console incarnation doesn't add anything new; it certainly doesn't lose any of its charm and remains as playable and addictive as it always has been.

Verdict: Pac-Man ported; nothing more, nothing less

Points: 800
Publisher: Square-Enix
Developer: Square-Enix
Released: 1993
System: SNES

A God-sim/action-based side scrolling hybrid? What were they thinking... clearly when Square-Enix (formerly Quintet Co ltd & Enix Corp back then) conceived Actraiser they weren't; or at least not inside the realms of convention by any means. Whichever way they were thinking it can most definitely be considered a good thing because Actraiser really is one of those rare titles that defines a genre all of it's own and manages to succeed because of it.

The story, according to ancient prologue (the instruction manual), is as follows... the world is maintained by a deity known as "The Master." Tanzra, referred to as "The Evil One", is the eternal enemy of The Master and wishes to conquer the world. His six Guardians attacked The Master in a battle that lasted several days. After the battle, The Master retreated to his Sky Palace, which floats in the sky atop a cloud, to tend to his grave injuries.

He erected a barricade and fell into a long and deep sleep. With The Master incapacitated, Tanzra divided the world into six lands, each ruled by one of his guardians. The Master awoke several hundred years later with his injuries completely healed, but his power had been removed as the people turned towards evil. He removed his barrier from the Sky Palace, determined to free the world from The Evil One.

Enthralling stuff... but what of the game mechanics? Well, as mentioned, this title is of a hybrid genre; you take on the role of "The Master" in his mission to restore the world. Gameplay is divided in each of the main areas between side scrolling action and simulation sections. All in all there are six lands, each of which can be accessed via the games main hub "Sky Palace" and for each area accessed from this point the game follows a structured routine.

In the first act one of the first things you get to do is posses the statue of a warrior; you then get to play through your first platforming section which eases you gently into the game. In this initial section you are armed with a sword and can use a limited amount of magic; you also get to face a boss at the end of this section which gives you a sense of real achievement early on upon defeating it.

After a relatively easy introduction you then get thrust into the simulation part where you are charged with the task of guiding a city while simultaneously protecting people from ever advancing hordes of monsters who can hinder your progress in a variety of ways including kidnapping your people, destroying properties, burning crops and even causing earthquakes. These sections may sound a lot more involved in comparison to the action sections, and in all fairness they are, but once you get used to controlling the avatar for these sections "The Angel" it soon becomes fun while still remaining both challenging and engaging.

While everything follows the same pattern throughout; Actraiser is still a unique and rewarding title which deserves the acclaim and recognition which it has received since it's original release. Not least of all for it's fantastic accompanying score by composer Yuzo Koshiro (also behind the music to Story of Thor) which really adds that extra level of depth to an already absorbing experience. Re-released on the virtual console with good reason, if you are looking for something beyond typical genres then this is a must and well worth it's very reasonable price.

Verdict: A superb act; raises the bar high for its time

Points: 600
Publisher: Hudson Soft
Developer: Red Company
Released: 1991
System: Turbografx

Back in the days when SNES and Megadrive owners had the mustachioed Mario and the super-fast Sonic respectively; it could be easily argued that Turbografx owners didn't have much to shout about. But what they did have was a character that can easily be referred to as the platforms mascot... the quite frankly brutal "Bonk".

Quite simply the story to the sequel is that Bonk (the large headed caveman) is on a quest to recover half the moon which has been stolen by the evil King Drool. Game mechanics are straightforward and like you would expect for a platformer of it's age; A to jump, B to "bonk", (attack) an A&B jump combo triggers a head-butt attack which makes him hit the earth and end anything in his direct downward path and repeatedly tapping B causes Bonk to hover in a similar style akin to certain Nintendo platform title.

In fact it's blatantly obvious where Bonk "inherits" its traits from... the power ups and abilities? Mario and the heart containers for health? Zelda and the hovering ability? (not to mention the power ups which alter Bonks physical form) Er, hello? A plain pink blob who is arguably a better character did those things first; I am of course referring to the lovable pink spud himself, Kirby.

So while it's undeniable that Bonks Revenge did what many other somewhat dwindling platform games did by selectively "borrowing" from the true innovators of the genre; (the game even has you collect 100 "smilies" for every one extra life; sound familiar?) It does still have enough of it's own charm and variation to be enjoyable while it lasts.

Verdict: Prehistoric platform game; which shows its age

Previous Week's Releases:

• Sonic Spinball
• Story of Thor
• Vectorman

Points: 800
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sonic Team
Released: 1993
System: Sega Megadrive

From the team of all things Sonic comes a pinball game starring the blue blur with a twist as this is probably the only game of it's kind to feature brief interlinked platform sections. For it's time it was an original concept, albeit a slightly obvious one perhaps, Sonic rolls into a ball, therefore lets put him in a pinball game, nevertheless though, it works and maintains its novelty value even today.

Skimming over the storyline briefly, sees the return of Dr Robotnik (aka Dr Eggman if you've only played since the DC days) who has built a monstrous contraption known as the "Veg-O-Fortress" on Mt Mobius for the purpose of turning happy creatures into mindless slaves.

Enter Sonic! Who after plummeting into the water below the Fortress following an air strike gone wrong (in a Bi-plane flown by Tails no less!) he resurfaces in the Toxic caves where the game begins. This first table sets the tone for the rest of the game which basically goes a little something like this...

Using the Flippers you make Sonic hit a pair of targets to drain a container of Toxic green liquid revealing a chaos emerald which you then collect, you then locate the other two emeralds on the level and make your way across 2 or 3 pinball tables linked by short platform sections. Once the emerald collection is complete you move onto the levels boss.

Each of the game's levels follows this pattern, only as you progress the amount of items to collect gets progressively greater, the tables become somewhat testing and the boss encounters more random. In addition to this there are lots of ways to boost your score and earn extra credits such as multipliers, bonuses for destroying badniks and a handful of mini pinball bonus stages in between, so theres enough to add variation to the proceedings.

Sonic Spinball is a well-rounded and enjoyable pinball game as well as a break from standard Sonic titles, as enjoyable now as it was when it was originally released back in the day, no more, no less.

Verdict: A solid Sonic spin-off

Points: 800
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sega
Released: 1994
System: Sega Megadrive

Released late in the lifespan of the Megadrive this in-house RPG was a firm favorite of its time. Quite unsurprising really as graphically it's one of the most aesthetically pleasing titles on Sega's 16-bit console. Followed up with a superb musical score composed by Yuzo Koshiro (of Revenge of Shinobi and Streets of Rage fame), which is suitably epic.

The way that Story of Thor plays can easily be likened to Zelda, albeit more action orientated as opposed to open ended exploration. However what the game may lack in adventure it more than makes up for with it's uniquely intuitive combat system which makes it a prime example of it's time. Certain combo's and attacks are reminiscent of a classic side scrolling beat-em-up at times (Streets of Rage anyone?) though depth is present in the items used including swords, bows, and a magic bracelet for spell casting.

RPG aficionados will most likely find the experience limited, but if your unfamiliar with Role Playing Games then personally I would recommend this as a decent introduction to the genre. Story of Thor is a game that deserves to be enjoyed and is a welcome addition to the Virtual Console library.

Verdict: All for an RPG? Here's an RPG for all

Points: 800
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sega
Released: 1995
System: Sega Megadrive

Your a green ball... well several green balls, as that is what the main character is comprised of. Hmm ok, so maybe it doesn't sound like a winning concept from the word go but don't let that deter you from the game as it's far from a failure, on the contrary it has all the hallmarks of a decent side-on shooter. Ok so lets get the shallow excuse of a story out of the way...

Humans have messed up the Earth and have left "Operation tidy-up" to their robots. You are Vectorman a renegade robot who has to battle it out with the other robots who have become inexplicably evil and must be eliminated to stop Earth from effectively becoming an even bigger screwed up ball of paper destined for the wastepaper bin of the universe... let's move on, shall we?

Rubbish and clichéd storyline aside; the gameplay is a different story altogether and is in similar vein to Gunstar Heroes. Vectorman's comes equipped with the ability to perform a Rocket Jump thanks to on-board thrusters (Rocket Knight Adventures style) this allows the player to gain access to higher platforms and even perform an airborne attack. A varied selection of power ups are at your disposal which allow the V-man to transform into varied vehicles and other devices such as bombs, this makes for varied objective based gameplay which keeps things interesting.

Although it's a little dull in places, visually this game really pushed the hardware; at specific points the camera scrolls and changes direction allowing for a greater sense of depth overall. Easily comparable to a Sega Saturn game, due to the frantic speed of the on-screen action. Sprites move very smoothly and are very aesthetically pleasing; couple that with some truly jaw dropping boss encounters and you have one really nice looking 16-bit game.

Long-term replay value? This game has plenty in the way of hidden areas and more besides to come back for which easily warrants a second play through, and quite decent for the relatively small amount that it costs. In comparison to a true zenith of the same genre such as the immortal Gunstar Heroes, Vectorman just falls short and while it won't surprise you with a huge amount of originality it's still very enjoyable. If you're looking for a fun experience you can't go far wrong here.

Verdict: A blast from the past that will last

Alright, hope you enjoyed the catch-up edition of VC Weekly. See you very soon!