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

Two more titles to tempt you into downloading which should satisfy anyone who has the need to blast or fight away their frustrations. Anyway enough from me and on with the games!
 
Available for download this week we have...     

Blaster Master
Ninja Master's: Hao Ninpo Cho


 
Price: GB £4.49, EU €4.99
Publisher: Sunsoft
Developer: Sunsoft
Released: 1988
System: NES

When you consider the 8-bit era there are many classics that immediately spring to mind but none of them can ever really compare to Blaster Master for it is a game that refuses to be shoe-horned into any one specific category. Exploration, platforming and even shooting were blended near-seamlessly into a game experience that is truly like no other even to this very day some near two and a half decades after its original release.

You take on the role of a guy called Jason and you must seek and destroy the boss in each area which will bestow a special power-up upon your armoured vehicle allowing you to progress further than was previously possible. There are two ways to play, firstly as you take out enemies with your craft you'll upgrade your vehicle which improves maneuverability greatly but there are times when you won't be able to use your vehicle and are forced to go on-foot for certain sections.

Upon exiting the vehicle you get to go into smaller areas which change the perspective of the game from side-on to overhead and gives you a set amount of things to well... blast, the clue is in the games title after all. You'll be mostly using the titular blaster but you also have a small supply of missiles and grenades which are very useful indeed, especially when it comes  to the games bosses which you will face frequently.

Everything controls amazingly well in this game to the point where you feel in complete control and that is actually something of a rarity, especially these days. It's challenging, both looks and sounds stunning and provides an experience that is quite simply like no other; so if you're looking for something new that's decidedly different from the rest of the game then you should look no further if you've yet to play this classic.

Vibrant visuals, awesome audio and an all-round original offering in the gameplay department puts this title up there with the rest of the classics because truly this is where it belongs and if you've yet to play this then you owe it to yourself to do so, especially at a mere five hundred Wii points; it's a well worthwhile investment.

Verdict : A true master of the original 8-bit blasters.

 
Points: 900
Publisher: D4 Enterprise
Developer: Alpha Denshi
Released: 1996
System: Neo Geo

While it's no secret that there are a lot of fighting games available for the Neo Geo there are certain more unique titles which may well be overlooked in favour of some of the bigger fighting franchises, Ninja Master's is definitely one such example which deserves credit where it's due because while it's developer Alpha Denshi may be more famously associated with the World Heroes titles, this is clearly a more worthy cause. It is said that you should never judge a game by its box-art as here we have what appears to be a farily standard fighting game at first glance, however there is a great deal more on offer than you might first expect, making for a rather interesting experience to say the least.

Upon picking your character from a decent-sized roster you'll discover the usual array of moves that you'd expect from a fighting game such as this, including various standard kicks/punches alongside the specials but the big twist is that you can actually switch between hand-to-hand combat and weapon-based fighting at any time using a handy two-button combo. If you're 'unarmed' then you are limited to simple - yet effective - offensive attacks which will deal a reasonable amount of damage, when you pull out your weapon though you'll have an assortment of slicing attacks at your disposal which can prove very useful indeed in the heat of battle, you will find yourself switching quite often though especially against some of the later opponents in the game; it shouldn't take you more than a few rounds before you're pulling off decent combos which is often the key to success.

The controls are absolutely spot-on as they are always fast, fluid and above all they offer an unparalleled level of responsiveness which is a huge plus, changing fighting stance takes no time at all with the weapons feeling suitably slick even when compared with dedicated weapon-based fighters. Some might wish that there were perhaps more weapons on offer but quite honestly when you consider that you are effectively getting two fantastic fighting game experiences all wrapped up in one very nicely polished package, it's hard to complain really as there are so many things that this title gets right.

Visually there are many marvellous backdrops to see, mostly of oriental theme featuring some stunning locales which set the mood nicely for fighting, the characters modeals themselves are very nicely detailed featuring a decent level of animation too, but what really sets things apart are the mostly monochrome scenes at the end of each battle which really make you appreciate the game more. Musically there's plenty to enjoy with a delightful eastern score comprised of many astonishingly good accompanying tracks mixed with sound effects of a decent quality and even an announcer that doesn't annoy you after one battle, which is a huge bonus.

 One of the most uniquely satisfying fighting games avilable on the Virtual Console that you're ever likely to play, Ninja Master's comes with a very decent level of recommendation indeed, if you've exhausted the rest of the library then obviously you will want to check this beauty out as it will definitely satisfy your urge to battle. Even if you only have a casual interest in fighting games though you really can't go far wrong with this sublime offering, as it features an exciting battle system that really isn't that hard to understand but that has enough hidden depth to keep you playing away for quite a while.
   
Verdict : A fantastical fighting game for all to enjoy.

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!