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

We have a reasonably good selection here for anyone who likes their NES games - let's face it who doesn't? - with two for the Wii U and four for the 3DS. Anyway enough from me and on with the games!
 
Available for download this week we have...     

Pac-Man
Mega Man
Balloon Fight
Ice Climber
Mario & Yoshi
Super C



Price: GB £3.49, EU €4.99
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Developer: Namco
Released: 1984
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, while these are edible the multi-coloured ghosts aren't by default. 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 our round hero can consume 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 that is 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 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 this virtual console incarnation doesn't add anything new aside from the ability to post screenshots to Miiverse plus off-screen play, it certainly doesn't lose any of its charm and remains as playable and addictive as it always has been.

Verdict : Pac Man ported in playable form, what's not to like?




Price: GB £3.49, EU €4.99
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Released: 1987
System: NES

Megaman... a name which in recent years thanks to the ninth and tenth entries in the series has just about managed to disassociate itself with mediocrity due to a substantial number of soulless spin offs on the GBA and other systems that came before. Although Megaman has been around as long as Mario and other gaming icons his success nowadays is relatively minor in comparison to where it all started, two decades and a half ago on the NES which helps to prove that there is at least some truth in the saying that the original is always the best.

So it all started a little something like this... In the future city of Monsteropolis, where robot labour is commonplace the main person responsible for this technology Dr. Light along with his assistant Dr. Wily built six robots each with a specific purpose however deciding upon the oh so predictable path of world domination Dr. Wily takes control of the robots. Dr. Light decides to fight the good fight with the only hope he has; a near human robot named "Rock" aka Megaman and so the fate of the world now rests on the shoulders of this one robot as he must now fight his way into Dr. Wily's castle to end his evil reign.

If you didn't know how the series started you no doubt will now so without further ado, onto the main game! You control your bullet blasting blue bot as you take on each of the six elemental based robots which subsequently have their own themed levels; upon completing the level and beating that levels robot you then obtain their abilities which are added to your existing arsenal.

A tactical element is introduced for each acquired ability and as you advance through the stages which get increasingly intensive in difficulty as you find that getting the right combination of weapons is imperative to further your success. It plays like a standard platform game with such features and facets as scalable ladders, moving platforms and perilous pitfalls.

Megaman might not stand up to much visually or audibly but it's still decent for a twenty-five year old title and most importantly its still packed full with plenty of decent, varied and addictive gameplay. It can only be faulted on its difficulty level which even by today's standards is a test of tolerance or in the case of this Wii U re-release a challenge to see how many times you can abuse the save-state feature; for players with patience and perseverance though this is a thoroughly enjoyable title which easily comes recommended.

Verdict : Massively masterful Megaman.




Price: GB £3.59, EU €3.99
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo R&D1
Released: 1987
System: NES

Another 8-bit title from the Nintendo back catalogue; Balloon Fight is one of those quirky original titles that remains entertaining for a while but falls short of being a true classic. Your character hangs from a pair of balloons as you attempt to defeat chickens hanging from a single balloon; to do this you simply touch the inflatable objects to pop them, causing the plummeting poultry to hit either land or sea.

If you enemies hit land they are able to inflate another balloon meaning you'll have to defeat them once more so the ideal outcome is either immersion in water or even better, demise by digestion as often a fish will emerge from the sea if anything gets close. And that anything includes you so you have to be cautious when flying not to far above sea level but this also helps to add an interesting element of luring your enemy to a watery grave.

Essentially that's it for single player, bar the extra “Balloon trip” mode which involves travelling as far as you can in one direction while avoiding obstacles and is of limited enjoyment. While it's true that the levels in the main mode do increase in difficulty there just isn't enough variation which causes the game to become a repetitive ritual; however add a second player and it becomes a lot more fun and will last you a while longer than if you were to pursue
only the single player mode.

Despite the extra durability due to the two player mode; Balloon Fight is still a title which is lacking in long-term appeal though it is still fun while it lasts. While it may only be a relatively small amount of Wii points to purchase it's only worth it if you don't have access to the GC version of Animal Crossing in which this game can be found; otherwise if you haven't played this yet then it may well be worth the download.  

Verdict : Bursting with balloon busting brilliance while it lasts.




Price: GB £4.49, EU €4.99
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo R&D1
Released: 1985
System: NES

If you’ve ever played Wario Ware or Super Smash Bros. Melee you’ll know exactly what Ice Climber is about. You control either a female (Nana) or a male (Popo) Ice Climber and you must climb your way to the top of the level. That’s right, this is a vertical platformer and the only way to get to the top is by jumping and destroying ice blocks above you with your hammer.

But only if it was that easy! Ice Climber also includes a cast enemies and traps, including: Topis, Nitpickers, and polar bears. The enemies either come out from each side of the stage, or randomly drop on top of you like the icicles. It makes it a little more difficult, but after a few levels where only the ground patterns that you have to smash through change, it starts to tire. After you complete each stage, there is bonus stage at the top of it, where you collect anything from egg plants, carrots and corn and hit the bird at the top the level for extra points leading obviously to extra lives.

Graphically and audibly, this game never tested the NES. It uses simple sprites and backgrounds. Enemies are instantly recognizable and the colour palate used is great. The music is fantastic, you will be humming it after a couple of levels and the sound effects are basic but suit perfectly. Although this game is a nice spin on the platformer, against games such as Super Mario Bros your choice is really a no brainer.

Ice Climber, like a lot of early NES games, was seen as a ‘warm up’ for later more complex games: this means it’s incredibly linear. Don’t let this get to you, the gameplay is timeless and it’s still a great thrill to play.

Verdict : Fun, but annoyingly simple.




Price: GB £4.49, EU €4.99
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Game Freak
Released: 1992
System: NES

Puzzle games have been almost defined by the release of one infamous example of the genre, involving falling quads of blocks known as “Tetriminos”. Ever since the success of that game it seems like developers have tried to create new and original concepts in a hope that they stack up against Alexy Pajitnov's masterpiece; and Nintendo are no exception.
 
Released not too soon after the NES version of Tetris; Mario & Yoshi is a title which tries its hand at an original concept instead of just mapping an existing template and changing one or two variables. You are presented with four columns; at the bottom of which are plates which you are able to switch with the aid of Mario and at the top various past enemies from Mario games fall onto the plates.
 

The aim of the game is to clear the enemies for points before they stack right up to the top causing the game to end. Creatures can be cleared by aligning two in the same stack or by capturing them inside an item which falls in two halves, a Yoshi egg; positioning enemies on top of the lower half of an egg and then letting an upper half fall on top of the stack causes the two halves to merge, collecting the enemies inside and completing the egg which hatches, spawning a Yoshi who consumes the enemies.

And that's essentially the game in an eggshell; direct control is caused by switching the plates round either left or right which allows you to choose which stack the enemies fall on and triggering the aforementioned egg capture method is the way in which you earn the most points. While you can still clear enemies using the two-stack method, most of the game involves waiting for the egg halves to drop and the rest is merely strategic placement to avoid the game ending prematurely. One small niggle about the control method is that due to the two-button nature of the game (A & B to switch left and right), moving a plate from one end to the other requires multiple switching and while it doesn't have the same frantic pace as Tetris it still demands quick-switching “skills” from the player.

Mario & Yoshi is a puzzle game that, while not brilliant, is still far from terrible. Visually void, audibly agitating and a tame two-player mode, it's the decent concept and solid playability which will keep you playing. If you enjoy puzzle games and a looking for something a bit different, this is worth a download.

Verdict : A cracking original alternative puzzler.




Price: GB £4.49, EU €4.99
Publisher: Konami
Developer: Konami
Released: 1992
System: NES

If you're a fan of the traditional 'Run 'n Gun' genre, then chances are you will have heard of Contra which is something of a staple series when it comes to this kind of game; Super C - otherwise known as Probotector II - is the original US version of the popular NES title where you pick a character, grab some weapons and start blasting invading alien scum like there's no tomorrow. When it was first released the original game earned itself a cult following, so naturally Konami decided to follow up with this the inevitable sequel which may not change much but then it doesn't exactly need to.

Mechanically everything is very similar, you control the original protagonists who resemble Arnie from Commando and Stallone from Rambo who then basically go on a riotous rampage through several scrolling sections, engaging enemies and fleeing from fire. Obtainable offensives include mega machine guns, spread-fire shotguns and rock-ard rocket launchers for passing out pain; getting into a routine of run, gun, jump, is essentially the key to success here as you progress through the limited linear levels.

Boss battles are brutal and are a somewhat testing trial by fire as you run around, shoot, cover, run, shoot and then find the bosses weak point, attacking it for massive damage. While it's all quite trying overall it's somewhat easier than the first and features more of the essentially easier overhead sections throughout.

Visually there's a reasonable amount of detail here, though in its conversion from arcade to home console there was defintiely something lost in translation, with that said though for a NES title there's still a lot to love here as the characters still have a decent amount of charm to them, while the areas are still relatively recognisable. The soundtrack is of a decent standard as well, providing the player with some much needed up-tempo 8-bit music which you'll find yourself quite happily blasting along to; the sound effects have a reasonable amount of impact to them as well which further helps with the level of immersion.  

Overall it's a solid effort which plays well, looks nice, sounds great and does what it says on the tin. Providing both an accomplished arcade action experience with a dulled down difficulty level this is a suitable starting point for newcomers to the series and a satisfying shooter for veterans as well.  

Verdict : An easier yet more engaging experience than the first.

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!