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

Something of an even split as we have two Nintendo titles alongside two Sega gems, all of which are worth playing. Anyway enough from me and on with the games!
 
Available for download this week we have...     

Mario Bros
Wrecking Crew
Defenders of Oasis
Tails Adventure


 
Price: GB £3.49, EU €4.99
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo R&D1
Released: 1983
System: NES

Its been thirty years since the release of the original release of Mario Bros, so having the NES port of the once classic Nintendo arcade game appeaing on the Wii VC certainly seems timely, this is indeed one game that both Shigeru Miyamoto and Gunpei Yokoi - sadly no longer with us - should certainly be proud of. Starring both Mario & Luigi this quirky platform game has both brothers doing a spot of plumbing... of sorts; creatures including crabs along with turtles come through the green pipes, it's you job to get rid of them, sounds simple?

Jumping underneath the platform that the creature is walking across will stun the enemy, meaning that you can then simply run up to them which will automatically kick them out of the playing area, it's a strangely satisfying setup which is different again from what we now know as traditional Mario titles and shows just how far the brothers have come in the past few decades. Sometimes you'll need to hit creatures twice in order to properly stun them, others will jump making things a bit more interesting, don't leave them on their back though because if they get back up then they'll become stronger; couple this with the fireballs which randomly spawn and it's not hard to see how things can become rather challenging at times.

Controls are always responsive which is just as well seeing as you'll need them to be, especially in the later levels where you'll need to contend with icy platforms which will certainly try your patience if you're not quick with your reflexes. While you can play the entire game alone, it can actually be significantly more enjoyable to indulge in the two-player co-op mode which is always fun due to the fact that even though you're supposed to be working together; it can also be fun just to see who can survive the longest or even grab the most coins, all in the spirit of good fun though.

You may think that the game looks rather basic from a visual standpoint, of course you'd be right but when you take into consideration that this was one of the first NES titles, which provided a very accurate representation of the arcade game with very few things cut then it really doesn't seem so bad at all. Aurally everything has been ported across rather well indeed, while still lacking the same amount of impact that the original had it's still a rather decent soundtrack overall, which at least captures its spirit in addition to featuring some solid sound effects.

Aesthetically it's true that Mario Bros is looking decidedly dated by todays standards, but based on just how good the gameplay is even today to those who haven't played this title before, then you simply must as I would definitely implore you to play this piece of Nintendo history. If you've already been fortunate to have played this brilliant title then you could give it a miss if you feel like you've had your fill of it after perhaps playing it as the 'bonus game' on any of the Super Mario Advance titles, but if you're feeling nostalgic and want to play it on the big screen once more then you really can't go far wrong.  

Verdict : Mario Bros is still a strong Nintendo title some thirty years on.

Price: GB £3.49, EU €4.99
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo R&D1
Released: 1987
System: NES

When the NES originally launched this was one of its first titles, but wait a minute... didn't another title starring the now legendary plumber appear on that day as well? Oh yes it did, one of the greatest games of all time; Super Mario Bros. So it's understandable if you've never heard of this title before as it was overshadowed by the immense popularity of one of the best selling games of its time.

Starring the portly plumber himself; Mario along with the comparatively compact Luigi, Wrecking Crew is a platform action game in which you take control of the two brothers who's task is to destroy multiple buildings. After demolishing each wall in the building you then move onto the next buildings which become progressively more difficult; there is also puzzling portion to each level as you have to plan your route so that you don't become trapped under a pile of rubble at the end when the structure collapses.

Featuring a century of stages with a bonus level after every quad and a selection mechanics which were also present in the original Mario Bros arcade game such as walking to the edge and appearing on the opposite side to avoid enemies, it's a new experience with familiar proceedings.

Enemies aren't exactly estranged either ranging from simple Eggplant Men who travel along a linear path, Gotcha Wrenches who will actively hunt you down throughout the level and a few other familiar foes make themselves known as well. Later on in the game you will encounter the Foreman Spiker; a character of Wario proportions and characteristics who's aim is to obstruct your objectives by breaking down walls directly in your path, hindering your progress and sending you back down to the lowest floor of the level if you happen to be in the path of the falling debris, which is bothersome to say the least.

As it stands Wrecking Crew is fun to play and offers a uniquely rewarding experience with a reasonable amount of challenge along the way; it will last you a while if you persevere with it which is worth doing and if you ever tire of it you can always mess around with the two player mode. This game was originally overshadowed upon its first release, this VC incarnation now gives players who for whatever reason never got to play it before now the chance to do so; it's readily available and easily accessible so if you have always wanted to play it then what better time than now?

Verdict : Wrecking Crew, surprisingly good yet played by so few.

Price: GB £3.59, EU €4.99
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sega
Released: 1992
System: Game Gear

At a time when most RPG titles seemed to follow a checklist of having castles, dragons, knights and the like, Defenders of Oasis actually stood out thanks largely to its quite striking Arabian theme, so chances are you will find yourself crossing a lot of desert as you visit various palaces along the course of your journey. Taking on the role of the Prince of Shanadar you set off on an epic quest to save your kingdom from evil, along the way you'll gain party members known as Agmar the Thief, Saleem the Sailor plus a Genie; hardly your standard band of companions but they all have their uses in combat.

Your own special ability is being able to escape from battle, while Agmar can 'hide' for a single turn negating damage, Saleem can perform a Death Dance which will obliterate most on-screen enemies; but the Genie is perhaps the most useful addition to your team. Unlike other party members the Genie doesn't level up with experience, instead you must upgrade his lamp with gold which in turn then enhances his abilities, you'll definitely want to do this regularly as he is the only one who can use magic which as I'm sure most players will be aware of how vital an RPG component this can be.

Battling is entirely turn-based, taking part on a black screen devoid of any detail aside from a few static sprites in addition to a rather basic menu, clearly fighting in this game isn't going to be a highlight for the player due to the drab presentation but it seems like that's all that could be done with the hardware at the time. Inbetween battles you get a rather simple but functional 2D top-down perspective which works well enough, the characters do look like an odd group, but I suppose it's all part of the charm.

Clearly you shouldn't expect anything amazing from the visuals in this title, because if you do then you'll only end up being let down; only the bare minimum seems to have been put into the battle portion of the game and while there are still some nice sights to see along the way, they pale in comparison to 16-bit RPG's of the same era. The soundtrack is actually quite noteworthy, as it does very well at managing to produce some decent tracks which suit the game well that should be praised for sounding half-decent on what was very limited hardware at the time; the sound effects are merely functional however.

While this was certainly a decent RPG for its time, by todays standards Defenders of Oasis is certainly lacking in a few areas; but if you're a real fan of old Sega RPG's then you'll most likely see through its flaws which are all mostly down to presentation and will probably enjoy this for what it is. If you're at all unsure though, I would advise that you wait for other better portable games in the same genre which are sure to become available over time, it's still not a bad game if you go into it with no real expectations.   

Verdict : There's no defending this RPG from its flaws, but some may find its hidden oasis of enjoyment over time.

Price: GB £4.49, EU €4.99
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Aspect
Released: 1995
System: Game Gear

Tails has quite often played second-fiddle to Sonic over the years, but on the Sega Game Gear the twin-tailed fox actually did quite well as he has starred in two games; one being an on-rails title known as Tails' Skypatrol while the other is a side-scrolling adventure platformer Tails Adventure which is arguably the better of the two. The plot is slightly different between the Japanese and Western versions, but the basic jist of it is that Tails has decided to take a break from being Sonic's side-kick, so he goes to an island for a holiday which he has dubbed 'Tails Island' but the peace doesn't last... there's a big explosion as a Flicky then rushes to our favourite fox to inform him that a band of birds has invaded the island.

Obviously there's a significant change of pace as opposed to what you might be used to in a Sonic game, Tails takes things a much more leisurely pace which is rather refreshing overall, you get twelve reasonably-sized levels to explore as you gain new abilities, items plus upgrades along the way which will open new paths to you. What our young fox may lack in speed he certainly more than makes up for with his ability to fly, plus he can also use bombs as weapons in this which present some new interesting mechanics which are quite satisfying; you still pick up rings which serve as your health but thankfully if you are hit you won't lose the lot, dropping only a handful.

You'll find many items through the course of your adventure as this is a big part of the game, plus it has a very Metroidvania style of gameplay to it which will please fans of this sub-genre, many different types of bombs are obtainable as are the elusive Chaos Emeralds which actually serve a new purpose because they increase your flight and health gauges. Best of all you get to use a radio controlled robot called 'Mecha Tails' which you can pilot into small crawl spaces so that you can obtain items and solve puzzles; another plus point is the Sea Fox, a submarine which actually makes the underwater levels enjoyable which is more than can be said for the water-based levels in certain Sonic titles.

Graphically everything is actually very nicely detailed for a portable title, some of the sprites even seem on-par with the 16-bit Sonic titles which is quite an achievement, the environments have an excellent feel to them too making them sufficiently different from any other Sega games you'll have played while remaining comfortingly familiar. Aurally the surprises continue as this is another area where the title truly shines, the audio might seem a little on the quiet side but the actual tracks are nothing short of being quality tunes that you'll find yourself humming quite easily, the sound effects are top-notch too.

It may be drastically different for a game that's vaguely associated with the Sonic series, but it's certainly for the best as Tails Adventure is one of those relatively undiscovered gems of a game which we should be grateful for it being added to the 3DS VC; and at the addition of save states as they neatly negate the need for a password system. If you're a fan of Sonic then chances are you will enjoy this just so long as you go into it with an open mind, this is definitely a game that no self-respecting Sega fan should miss out on, certainly not now that it's been made all the more easy to obtain.   

Verdict : Tails soars high above most portable Sonic games with his own brand of brilliance that's a joy to partake in.

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!