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

Fans of robots and/or limbless wonders will have one or two reasons to get excited as another two classic platformers that couldn't be more different become available. Anyway enough from me and on with the games! Available for download this week we have...

Megaman X2

Rayman

Points: 800
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom

Released: 1995

System: SNES

The original Megaman X was hailed as a breath of fresh air because after many numbered sequels this title came around shaking things up somewhat as it took everything that was great about the original games but added so much more detail and precision without diluting that all important overall feel that Megaman has become famed for over the years. Predictably the plot set around a few months after the first 'X' title revolves around Megaman taking on eight new Robot Mavericks in order to restore peace to the land once again, all in a days work naturally,

Keeping true to its roots you can tackle eight different stages from the outset each of which will end in a confrontation with one of the Robot Mavericks, upon beating each boss you'll inherit a new power which you can then use against the others... of course the trick is to find out which powers are most effective against certain bosses and therein lies half of the fun. The other half of course is found in playing the stages which seem to be just as finely crafted as those in the previous game but with a more heavy emphasis on platforming whereas things seemed more balanced before including a more balanced ratio of jumping to shooting, it's a small criticism though as overall the experience is still just as satisfying.

Controls are still spectacularly slick even featuring a few additions which include Dashing, Wall-Jumping plus for those who remember the hidden Hadouken move there is now a Shoryuken which should please many Capcom fans no end. Three of the main stages contain secret rooms where you'll fight against special bosses which interestingly effects the ending of the game which is worth considering if you're something of a completionist; other notable additions include hover-bike stages which are interesting plus an array of extra abilities you can obtain including a useful mid-air dash alongside other collectables which include armour and life-bar enhancements which are well worth picking up.

Naturally the visuals are on par with the previous entry though this time the backgrounds don't seem quite as delicately detailed but the levels are still bold just as the sprites are as beautiful as they always have been. There are still many marvellous of melody despite the music not quite being of the highest standard that we're perhaps used to it's still an admirable achievement that the audio department with the usual sound effects being just as you'd expect them to be.

Still a stunning outing for our robot blaster master in it's own right even if it doesn't have the same kind of impact that was so prominent with the release of Megaman X this is still a very much enjoyable entry in the series even if it is a fairly safe sequel. Of course there was nothing really wrong with the previous title so Capcom wisely didn't try to change too much meaning that the majority of the quality is still retained meaning that this is most definitely a must own title, even despite its slight shortcomings you still won't want to miss this classic platformer.

Verdict : A much-loved Megaman sequel that safely manages to be marvellous.

Price: GB £4.50, EU €5
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft

Released: 2000

System: GameBoy Color

The original Rayman was something of a classic so much that it received numerous ports to almost all formats for many years to come including the GBC some half a decade later, better late then never right? Well yes and no... as this is Rayman but maybe not perhaps as you might remember it as while it may bare a passing resemblance to the classic it only actually retains the evil Mr. Dark, Electoons plus Rayman himself; everything else is cobbled together so that it runs on the 8-Bit hardware, the result of which is an enjoyable if unfamiliar experience.

Indeed this release may seem all the more questionable due to it already being available in DSi Ware form which more closely resembles the original but has its fair share of issues, so it would seem that either version is a trade-off as here while the controls work they are surprisingly sluggish not giving you much to work with as you attempt to navigate your way through the levels. This can be a problem in itself being that your progress can be impeded by seemignly invisible walls that shouldn't be there or just plain dodgy collision detection which will see the limbless hero plummet to his untimely death on many an occasion.

You might think that the levels would be reasonably simple to navigate but due to the inclusion of invisible switches which you'll only know that you've triggered upon hearing a chime yet finding out what exactly it is that you opened and where it is elsewhere in the area is still a trial in itself. Admittedly there is still a playable experience somewhere amongst all of the stumbling blocks but I suppose the bigger question is just how many times are you willing to trip up along the path to eventual success?

 Certainly a notable effort has been made visually to bring the world of Rayman to the small screen but far from achieving visual parity with the original game – which was never expected – it's clear that huge compromise had to be made here despite it being brought across reasonably well considering the hardware limitations though it does feel overambitious. Interestingly the music consists of tracks from the second game in the series which is certainly not a problem as it all clearly works well enough though purists may have preferred things to stick closer to the original.

Only those who happen to remember this port fondly would want to invest in it again possibly for nostalgia's sake but with a rather hefty price-tag that makes even the DSi Ware version seem tempting, everyone else will likely want to just give this a miss as it is rather painfully short even if you can bear to play through this rather badly butchered port. It's understandable that clearly this was all that could be done with the hardware at the time but by today's standards this effort does seem rather shoddy, especially when you could just pick up the rather brilliant Rayman Origins instead.

Verdict : Rayman takes an arrow to the space where his knee should be.

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!