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

A couple of classics from a well-loved series plus a couple of other titles making up the numbers, also apologies for the lateness of this edition due to illness and of course E3; so please understand! Anyway enough from me and on with the games!
 
Available for download this week we have...     

Ghosts 'n Goblins
The King of Fighters '98
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons


 
Price: GB £3.49, EU €4.99 (£1.74/€2.49 if you own Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts until 06/06/13)
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Released: 1986
System: NES

Now many people will no doubt be familiar with Capcom's excellent Ghouls 'n Ghosts, but what you may not be aware of it that the very first game named Ghosts 'n Goblins which was released some time before was an entirely different story, even if it did help to lay the foundations for the greatness that was to follow.

As some of you may already be aware, Ghouls 'n Ghosts was notorious for being one of the hardest platform titles of its time, but truly it really has got nothing on it's predecessor; so things start off with Princess Prin-Prin getting captured by the evil Astaroth and it's up to Arthur to journey through legions of demons to get her back... this is where your epic journey or rather trial by fire begins.

You are armed with only your trusty lance but that's it, you may take two hits but no more before succumbing to your wounds, can only jump once and may not upgrade your armour in any way, shape or form oh and you can only fire in one direction, not up and down. Technically there are other weapons in the form of the Axe and Torch but they truly are abysmal, the only item worth getting is a shield that can double up as a projectile which is not even available until your second play-through!

There are six stages available each with a rock-hard boss battle at the end, each level has many of the most annoying enemies in the series including most notably lots of Red Arremers, which are irritating airborne enemies which you will most likely fall victim to many a time. The visuals may not look like much now but they pushed the hardware at the time as did the excellent soundtrack, though these aspects are vastly improved in the superior sequel.

It's a quality game overall and perhaps the titles only downfall is that it's just too damned hard! Featuring many frustrating moments, you really will have to truly want to complete this to get through it, because it's the kind of game thats easy to give up on if you lack the will to continue. While the sequel was considered hard but fair, this is more cheap as the amount of enemies it throws at you and the repeated boss sections near the end of the game really do snatch the proverbial biscuit right from your cold, dead characters hands but at least you can always keep coming back for that “one last go.”

Verdict : A classic title that requires untold amounts of both perseverance and patience.

Points: 900
Publisher: D4 Enterprise
Developer: SNK
Released: 1998
System: Neo Geo

We may have seen many Neo Geo fighting games appear on the Wii VC over the years, indeed over the past few months we've seen little else! But here we have what many still consider to be one of the very best fighting games in existence on the console, within its own series and perhaps ever made in the history of the genre; so surely its got to be worth a look? All you need is one glance at the game to see why its so popular, KoF '98 looks stunning, delivers slick gameplay and features an impressive roster of characters, but beyond that what exactly makes it so special? Read on to find out.

Unlike the great Street Fighter series which is strictly a one on one fighting game, here you get to pick three characters at a time but again unlike most modern fighters there is no way to 'tag' fighters; you simply battle until you either beat one of your opponents or you lose your fighter, you then get moved onto the next one on your team and the battle continues until one side is out of combatants. What makes this entry unique is that there is no story to speak of, instead it's more of a series 'best of' featuring nearly every single character from the fighting series' long history; indeed the only main notable exceptions are Eiji, Geese, Mr. Big and Wolfgang... everyone else is here making it pretty much one of the best roster's ever in a King of Fighters game.

In terms of modes you have both 'Advanced' which allows stacking of three super moves at any point, plus 'Extra' which gives the player one power gauge that's charged manually; the latter mode is closest to the earlier King of Fighters games, so it's a welcome addition for long-term fans of the series. Sticking to their traditional four-button control scheme, SNK have crafted a fighting game made for true fans of the genre which is more centred on skill rather than relying upon dazzling special moves; it's completely compelling in its single-player alone but if you can get a second player involved then it becomes something spectacular.

As you's expect, the visuals are stunning even for a game that's running at a relatively low resolution, so it stacks up quite well even today though I would personally love to see what SNK can do if/when they decide to bring all of their classic fighting games to the Wii U as they would surely benefit hugely from being upscaled. Soundtrack is suitably solid, featuring a nice selection of tracks along with some very meaty sound effects which serve only to further enhance the experience, even the announcer is well implemented.     

Obviously this is a must-have purchase if you're a fan of the fighting genre because it's unlikely that we'll see many more titles on the Wii VC that are even better than this, The King of Fighters '98 is the pinnacle of its series, offering perhaps the most complete fighting experience to date. If you're merely just casually interested in fighting games then you'd probably end up looking elsewhere; but if you can keep an open mind to the possibilites of this title then you'd still be well advised in picking it up as it offers fantastic value for your points, providing you're willing to put the time into it.

Verdict : This is quite literally 'The' King of Fighting games.

Price: GB £5.39, EU €5.99 (£4.49/€4.99 until 20/06/13)
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Capcom
Released: 2001
System: GameBoy Color

With each new Zelda game comes new gameplay mechanics, in this installment - the first of the Oracle games chronologically - you will gain the power to change the very Seasons as you set off on a quest to rescue Din the Oracles of Seasons who has been imprisoned by General Onox, so it's up to Link to save the day again. The story really takes a back-seat after this though as there isn't a great deal in terms of plot development, personally I don't mind this, as the game features some really excellent 'classic' Zelda gameplay which may rely upon tested mechanics at times but then, when you have a template that works why would you want to change things? Adopting the framework of Link's Awakening, the first of the two Oracle game manages to create many impressive moments within one of the most imaginative worlds perhaps ever seen before in a portable Zelda title; welcome to Holodrum.

As many will no doubt be aware, the games were originally planned as a 'Triforce Trilogy' but being that these turned into the two titles we have today, Oracle of Seasons relates more to the Triforce of Power so this is why there seems to be more of an emphasis on combat in this adventure; interestingly Farore is still present in the games but I'll leave you to discover where. I'd advise playing this title before Ages if you're purchasing both as although it may be the more relentless of the two with the hefty amount of enemies, the puzzles seem simpler so it's the better of the pair for easing yourself back into playing a portable Zelda adventure if its been a while since you last played one; plus the Hyrule Historia seems to suggest Seasons before Ages but you'll probably end up playing both in alternate orders due to their linked nature if you want to see all of the differences.

There may not be quite as many characters present when you compare Seasons to Ages, but there are still a fair few memorable ones present including the 'Windmill Man' first featured in Ocarina of Time, Blaino the 'Boxing Penguin' and also Biggorn who is a popular reoccuring character in many Zelda games. Some of the items that you acquire during the dungeons are rather excellent with my personal favourite being the Magnetic Gloves which you'll get upon reaching a later part of the adventure, they allow Link to 'pull' or 'push' to/away from certain items depending on the polarity; it's a simple idea which is so brilliantly executed and is even used to great effect during a particularly brilliant boss battle where you need to use the glove to manipulate a rather large steel ball with spikes protruding from it. You'll also find yourself frequently returning to an 'Underworld' known as Subrosia where many in-game secrets are sure to be uncovered as you progress further on in your quest, there are even a few fun mini-games to play just for good measure.

Visually there is a great deal to love here, as you might excpect from portable Zelda titles, but even moreso in this case as the unique way in which you control the seasons makes for some rather dramatic colour palette changes adding a nice touch of 'relative reality' to an adventure that's otherwise pure fantastic fantasy; the classic animations are also brilliant featuring a great degree of charm to them. The soundtrack is nothing short of spectacular featuring many stunning tracks, ranging from comical ditties to hugely atmospheric dungeon themes along with that classic Zelda overworld theme; I have only praise for the music used in Seasons and would easily go as far to say that it's superior to the tracks used in Ages which are still decent but definitely not on the same level of brilliance.

Oracle of Seasons is certainly a very enjoyable Zelda title which has plenty of amazing sights to see along the course of your more 'traditional' adventure out of the two games, the somewhat familiar structure of the overworld - at least partially inspired by previous games - helps in subtly guiding you along as you traverse every corner of the land. For what it lacks in narrative, it certainly gains in battle experience so while you might not feel quite as motivated by the plot; there is still much to love about what is considered to be the more underrated of the two Oracle games, play it first and revel in the simple joy of enjoying a basic but brilliant Zelda game.       

Verdict : A well-seasoned Zelda title with a little more 'bite' to it than Ages.


 
Price: GB £5.39, EU €5.99 (£4.49/€4.99 until 20/06/13)
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Capcom
Released: 2001
System: GameBoy Color

Here we have the second of the two Zelda Oracle games developed by Capcom, in which you take on the role of Link who gains the power to change the course of time when he obtains the Harp of Ages following the event of the evil sorceress Veran possessing the titular Oracle of Ages named Nayru; and so another epic quest unfolds. Being based around the Triforce of Wisdom you'll most likely find that the puzzles are more engaging in this adventure, it's also worth noting that the plot is more prominent here using various characters and devices to keep you more directly involved with what's going on; welcome to the land of Labrynna.

Though it may not be the first Zelda title to involve time-travel, here it is very much integral to the gameplay as you'll be travelling between times frequently during the course of your adventure; as you can imagine, this makes for some rather interesting moments which require a bit more thought from the player than they might be used to from such a game which certainly keeps you entartained. You'll need to keep trekking through time quite frequently in order to find portals, which at first will aid you in your quest before you learn more powerful tunes to play on your trusty harp; there's always plenty of excuses to explore every place that you see as Ages contains plenty of memorable characters - including the brilliant Ralph - to interact with which will make you want to carry on to the end.

Plenty of staple inventory items have returned but interestingly some of them are not actually required to complete the game, the Boomerang for example, is obtained from outside the dungeons so if you want it then you will need to actively seek it out, especially if you're something of a completionist. As for more original items, the Seed Shooter is probably the most useful as it allows you to shoot projectiles which can bounce off walls so you can hit hard to reach switches; On the subject of collectable items there are also many special rings to obtain through the course of both Oracle titles which bestow a range of powers upon our green-garbed hero, gotta collect 'em all!      

Like with Seasons the visuals are nicely detailed indeed, the colour palette seems darker perhaps owing to the nature of the game; more emphasis seems to have been put upon just how much the locations change through the ages, featuring some very nice effects indeed alongside some solid animation.  Musically there is a decent amount to like but it seems that with Ages being the 'darker' alternative to the slightly more 'upbeat' Seasons, all of the music - especially in the dungeons - are all very solemn, only really conveying the feelings of dispair and uneasiness; it certainly does this very well but when you look at it in contrast it's clear to see that Seasons is superior in its ability to convey a broader spectrum of emotions through its sound.

Oracle of Ages is definitely the deeper Zelda title of the two thanks to its rather rich plot development, more memorable characters and much more besides. Thanks largely to the plethora of puzzles contained within the adventure, it always feels like it takes that much more thought to progress, this is a classic Zelda element which should be celebrated as much as it might be bemoaned by some. Clearly you really should play both titles though, pick your favourite, play it to the end, obtain the password and then use it to start a linked game on the other title, the added extras are more than worth it; ultimately one thing is for certain... it will take you ages to complete seasons and it will likely take you seasons to complete ages.

Verdict : A truly terrific tale for a Zelda title which feels more substantial than Seasons.
 

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!