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

Fans of a certain seminal Capcom fighting game should be pleased to see all three main versions of it making the cut, plus a title that has already twice appeared on the Virtual Console makes its third and probably final appearance. Anyway enough from me and on with the games!
 
Available for download this week we have...     

Street Fighter II: The World Warrior
Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting
Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers
Solomon's Key

 
Price: GB £5.49, EU €7.99
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Released: 1992
System: SNES

The original Street Fighter II was nothing short of sensational when it was first released way back in 1992, in many ways it's the fighting game that has defined the template for nearly every release within the same genre to date such was its success, but it's now 2013 and we have all three versions of the classic game all available on one fantastic download service so naturally most people will be wanting to download the definitive version; which this definitely isn't but then it was the very first. With that said though you know that you're not going to be getting the best deal with this title when you consider the wealth of additions that the other two titles have over it, so this is really only one for the real fans of the series who simply must own every single version of the game ever released or re-released.

Its character roster contains only eight fighters while there are an additional four boss characters you get to battle against, you don't actually get to play as them in this version which is considered as the first let-down, each of the fighters are rather unique though with perhaps the exception of Ryu plus Ken as it's worth noting that you can't play as the same character in two-player mode here either. Before you go up against another human opponent though you will probably want to familiarise yourself with the controls which are quite simple in essence but have hidden depths, you have three buttons for punches while the other three are for kicks all of varying strengths used in conjunction with the d-pad; special moves are also possible by inputting a certain direction plus one of the face buttons and this is where Street Fighter II really comes to life if you know how to pull off some of the trickier moves.

Even the main sotry mode is rather challenging on its standard difficulty, if you've never played this game before then you certainly won't breeze through it on your first try as your virtual opponents will throw everything they have it you right from the start so you really have to become focused if you want to win. Obviously its the two-player mode where you'll be spending the majority of your time as its where most of the fun is, for anyone who played it originally on the SNES against their friends or siblings it will be really interesting to see those memories come flooding back after only a few rounds; so it's worth the price just for the chance to relive a piece of your childhood.   

Visually there is still a decent amount of detail present even by todays standards, though out of the three versions it becomes apparent that things were improved significantly with the two later releases but Street Fighter II still has that all important charm that has always made it so likeable. From the audio you get the same classic themes - Guile's included - which made the experience so special, from the character select screen right through to every last 'Hadouken!' or 'Shoryuken!' it's all here just as you remember it.

There really isn't that much to say other than if you had this game back in the day and if it still holds a special place in your heart then do not hesitate in downloading it, but if it's not quite that important to you or if you just want the best version available then I'd say it's best to go for Super Street Fighter II instead as it is arguably the definitive version. Regardless of which iteration you pick though I really hope that anyone downloading Street Fighter II today to play actually gives it a real chance as it's a fantastic fighting game which shaped the mould for almost all other fighting games to date, so if you've yet to play it then do yourself a favour and buy it now as it's still one of the best fighters money can buy.   

Verdict : The original but not the best Street Fighter still puts up a good fight.

Price: GB £5.49, EU €7.99
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Released: 1993
System: SNES

Well, Street Fighter II... what can be said about this ultimate classic two-dimensional brawler which easily has more character and charm than a huge proportion of successes in the fighting genre that made it to the third dimension. In fact all credit to Capcom for  avoiding the temptation of making a dimensional which really isn't required; the Street Fighter series is easily one of the greatest classic examples in the fighting genre and it's continued success is ultimately owed to this undisputed classic.

It must be emphatically stressed though that this isn't just any version of Capcom's classic  combative coin-up but it is “THE” definitive version; while it's true that  the game in World Warrior form has been available on the VC for some time now, this Turbo incarnation is superior for several reasons.

As the name suggests this “Turbo” version of SFII is a fantastically faster and frenetically paced variant which is improved ten-fold due to this seemingly simple speed selection option which lets you decide how fast you want to play. It really does make all the difference and after playing Street Fighter this way you will most likely never want to go back to the comparatively slower original which rarely rivals the speed of a snail.

Other notable changes that were made this time around include slight changes to the colour palette on certain backdrops which otherwise remain thankfully intact and unchanged; which is just as well because the original level set remains the best in many respects. Also available is the ability to play as any of the original quartet of bosses (Balrog, M.Bison. Sagat and Vega) or even as identical combatants which is a welcome addition to the two-player mode which remains as fantastically fun as it always has been.

As aforementioned this truly is one of the finest fighters available which defined the genre for many upon it's original much coveted SNES release and still remains as perfectly playable as it always has been. A truly great example which hasn't aged noticeably by any stretch of the imagination; if you have yet to play this or have already experienced it years beforehand then this is an excellent opportunity to own this masterpiece.      

Verdict : An awesome addition and a credit to the Virtual Console.

Price: GB £5.49, EU €7.99
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Released: 1994
System: SNES

Yes it's another incarnation of the legendary Street Fighter II but it's perhaps the most welcome edition of the game to hit the Virtual Console since the hugely popular Turbo variant. And while this version loses much of the aforementioned versions speed that many players have no doubt become accustomed to it manages to more than make up for it due to the huge wealth of substantial and sustainable additions that it brings to the table.

So what has this version got that Turbo hasn't? Well firstly we have a total of four new contenders to the throne comprising of; Cammy, Fei Long, DeeJay and T.Hawk. While they are all welcome additions the latter three seem to pale into relative insignificance when compared to the now legendary Cammy who is arguably the best of the bunch.

Familiar fighters now have modified move-sets such as the addition of Ryu's flaming-flying-fireball and Ken's flaming-dragon-punch; some of the identical moves between these two characters now deal out different amounts of damage which equates to an actual accumulative difference to the two firm fan favourite fighters thats more noticeable in this version than in the predecessors.

Visuals are vastly the same overall with only a few new backgrounds and some updated character animations and although it may not show all the extra detail that can be seen in the original arcade version it's still as visually vivid as ever and uses the SNES hardware well as does the extra voice samples for each of the characters which were newly added to this version.

Essentially it's a case of more of the same here which is no bad thing considering the cosmetic and structural improvements that have been added not to mention a host of multiplayer modes most notably including an exceptional elimination tournament. The only let down of this version is that it's slower than the previously released Turbo counterpart; this was later rectified by the release of Super Street Fighter II Turbo which was never converted to any 16-bit console at the time so for the time being if you can live with the reduction in speed then this version is truly as good as it gets.

Verdict : Another superb Street Fighter II successor.

Price: GB £3.59, EU €3.99
Publisher: Tecmo Koei
Developer: Tecmo
Released: 1987
System: NES

Originating as an obscure arcade game, Solomon's Key is something of a cult classic thanks to the NES version as it's the most faithful recreation of the title to date, so it should come as little surprise that this has arrived on the 3DS eShop too, besides it was one of the first titles available on the Wii's VC which launched a good five and a half years ago. In that time nothing has really changed as it's still the same game, which is a good thing; for those unaware you play as Dana, a Wizard who must escape from many dungeons armed only with his trusy magic wand which can make or break blocks, cue one of the more brilliant puzzle titles that you're ever likely to play.

Your mission is simple, grab the key then proceed to the exit, but of course if that really was just all you needed to do the game wuld be a cinch, as it stands though the layout of each room is less than intuitive in an attempt to put you off, while enemies are constantly getting in your way. Creating or destroying blocks is only possible if they are either to the side or below your character, you can jump even if it's something you'll be doing rather cautiously, when it comes to the enemies you can opt to avoid, trap or burn them if you're lucky enough to grab a potion which lets you shoot fireballs; ultimately though it's best not to lose sight of your main objective which is escaping so keep that in mind.

While initially the stages may seem rather basic as they are easily solved, as you progress further into the dungeons you will almost certainly find that things become rather tricky as the level design is rather devious towards the end, of course the time limit doesn't help either making for some particularly frustrating moments, especially in the event of getting a 'Game Over' screen which will take you right back to the very start. Thankfully we now live in the age of save states so you at least have the brilliant option of making a quick save throughout the game just in case of any mistakes, this is something which some gamers may class as 'wrong' but personally I think it's an absolute godsend; because the 3DS's save states are so easy to use - and abuse - this for me actually makes a game which many have called 'unfair' in the past actually playable, at least the option is there should you decide to use it.

Visually the game is pretty nicely detailed, it may be mostly made up of a particular palette but it has nice art direction for a game of its time and is in many ways just as iconic as Metroid or Mario thanks to this, the sprites also have a certain amount of charm too which makes it easy to see why it's adored by so many. The music used in this title is of the looped variety, so this is one element which may annoy some as it does get repetitive but to me it doesn't matter so much as the overall sound is very pleasing, it's certainly very 'hummable' in any case complete with sound effects that suit the overall experience.

I can certainly recommend Solomon's Key to anyone who is particularly well-versed in gaming as the whole experience will be seen as something of a challenge, for those newer to the world of games however I would advise approaching this title with caution as it is rather unforgiving; having said that though Miiverse and save states will certainly be your 'friends' here as they really are invaluable tools in this modern age. To anyone who purchases this title with the intention of playing it the original way with no help at all, I applaud your dedication and wish you the very best of luck, as you will surely be tested by this all-time classic.    

Verdict : Solomon's Key is a solid offering for those who wish to take on the challenge.

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!