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

Not one but two much anticipated and justifiably celebrated releases have made their way onto the VC this week which should please many fans of the respective series' that they belong to. Anyway enough from me and on with the games!

Available for download this week we have...

• Megaman 3
• Phantasy Star IV

Points: 500
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Released: 1992
System: NES

With two titles in it's long running series to be under it's belt Capcom decided to give Megaman a much welcomed upgrade, while the result retains the core gameplay; the boy in blue now has a few more devices at his disposal.

For the uninitiated the format goes a little like this, after the obligatory subliminal storyline featuring Dr White, Wily and the mysterious Protoman you are presented with a screen that features nine icons; the one in the middle is of course Megaman and the eight surrounding him represents the levels and renegade Robot Master bosses that you will need to take down to save the day.

The main twist comes in your freedom of choice which ultimately can potentially set you up for success or failure as even if you manage to make it through one of the insanely difficult (at first) levels by trial and error, once you take on the boss you will most likely either win or lose in a matter of seconds; why is this so? It's down to each boss having a weakness to the weapon augmentation that is obtained from defeating another certain boss, so whichever route you choose even if you're on a route that is one of the three weakness chains don't expect any of it to be a cake-walk.

If you have played the recently released ninth installment in the Megaman series you will already know what to expect both visually and audibly as this version has the same deftly detailed backgrounds , sumptuous sprite animations and terrific toe-tapping tunes playing all the while you run, jump climb, slide and shoot your way through the carefully crafted levels. Also noteworthy is that the slide move helps you to avoid certain incoming enemy fire as well as assisting you in reaching previously inaccessible areas and the inclusion of Rush the robotic dog who can use his coil, jet and even submarine formations to assist Megaman throughout each level.

Generally this is widely considered to be one of if not the best Megaman game ever created and with good reason, everything that you would expect is suitably spot-on with every successful gameplay element incorporated with aplomb and a couple more gameplay staples invented in the process. An ideal entry point for newcomers and a nostalgia trip for fanatics which will be welcome with open arms even if the difficulty level will ensure it is temporarily shunned by many until they come crawling back for more of it's pure gaming brilliance.

Verdict : Megaman at his most masterful.

Points: 800
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sega AM7
Released: 1995
System: Megadrive

When it first came into existence the original Phantasy Star was an RPG game unlike any that had come before it that managed to eschew many cliches of old with ideas anew; as the series progressed we started to see more Sci-fi elements in the sequel and then a sideways step back to the more Rural settings for the third. The fourth installment however is the one that became the firm fan favourite of the series and rightfully so, read on to find out just what makes it one of the best RPG's on the Megadrive.

Thousands of years have passed, the Algol Star System had enjoyed a time of peace and prosperity. Consisting of three perfectly aligned planets; Palma, a lush planet of green on which it's inhabitants devoted their existences to arts and the sciences, Motavia, a desert planet inhabited by both Humans and Motavians and finally Delozis, an foreboding planet composed primarily of ice which seldom was known about.

But the peace was not to last, as one day Palma exploded, wiping out ninety percent of the planets population and causing shock-waves which ravaged Motavia in the process transforming it into a total wasteland as darkness covered the land. A thousand years on and Motavia has healed with some balance of order being maintained by the planets Hunters Guild; however a darkness thought once defeated is stirring once more, and so begins the adventure of the young hunter named Chaz and to think that it all began with a simple routine task.

Essentially the game plays like a proper RPG with turn-based combat, and many a devious dungeon to explore throughout the title; a great deal of your time is spent in exploration of lands and confrontation of bands of varied enemies which you will encounter. Other staples are present such as intense item management to ensure your team comes out on top in battle, town traveling, task tackling and of course leveling up which will eventually see you through the game but it's the way that everything is brought together in such a unique way that makes this such a joy to play.

Many of the games elements have a considerable amount of polish from the top-notch battle system which never gets old, a clearly defined over-world and delightfully diverse details on both the battle and adventure screens depending on your location. It's visuals are quite honestly the best the Megadrive can muster, it's clear the hardware was pushed to it's limits here and the same with the accompanying score which is suitably spectacular.

Sega clearly knew what they were doing when the carefully crafted this masterful entry in their much-loved RPG series, every single successful past elements has made a triumphant return and has then been polished to the nth degree to form what is quite easily the best in it's series, genre and even the system itself. Be you an RPG fan or even if your not, you really owe it to yourself to play this fine example of a game from a true golden age of gaming as there is quite simply no game like this in the universe.

Verdict : Phantasy's finest by far, shines as the brightest of stars.

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.